So, what exactly is a block system? Instead of two semesters with midterms in the middle and exam weeks at the end, the University of Groningen works with a block system, which divides the year into 4 blocks each containing lecture weeks and exams. Especially if you’re not familiar with it, this can be confusing. In light of this, today’s blog is all about the block system. Hylke explains how it works, when to sign up for courses and seminar groups, and gives a general overview at the end. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to navigate through the year!

General information

The academic year at the University of Groningen is divided into 4 blocks consisting of 7 or 8 lecture weeks and 3 to 5 weeks of exams. This means that after each set of 7 or 8 weeks of seminars and lectures, you will have three weeks of exams (block 1-3) or five weeks of exams, which include the resits that take place in the middle of July (block 4). The first two blocks make up the winter semester and block 3 and 4 make up the summer semester. Although I will explain the block system as best as I can, you are advised to always check with your study programme for the exact dates of exams and resits, especially because, depending on your programme, the dates of resits and exams can vary.

Signing up for courses

You always sign up for course units per two blocks (one entire semester). So, for example, for blocks 1 and 2 you usually enroll for course units the academic year before, from June onwards, because block 1 starts in September and the university partially closes during the summer. The enrollment period for blocks 3 and 4 normally takes place in or around January as block 3 starts in February. The enrollment period for Master’s students is longer than that of Bachelor’s students. The specific dates differ per faculty, so make sure to check with your faculty and/or your study programme!

Before you panic, first-year students are enrolled for course units of block 1 and 2 by the university itself and will receive emails about this. Moreover, they will get guidance for the course enrollment of block 3 and 4. Hopefully this takes a little bit of your worries away ;).

If you forgot to enroll for courses during the enrollment period, late enrollment is possible but oftentimes you have to either fill in a form or contact your faculty directly in order to enroll. Unfortunately, if you enroll after the deadline, you will not be guaranteed a place in the course unit. So it’s important to set a reminder!

Signing up for seminars

After having enrolled for course units, you’ll get a notification in the form of an email to enroll for specific seminar groups within the course. Per course the opening date of enrollment can differ, but enrollment will usually open around August for block 1 and 2 and around January for block 3 and 4 - in any case, definitely before the start of block 1 or block 3. Though it’s good to keep in mind that, just as with the enrollment of the courses, the specific dates for the seminar enrollment differ per faculty, so, again, make sure to check with your faculty and/or your study programme!

It’s also handy to set an alarm for the opening of enrollment, because, in my experience, seminar groups fill up quickly as there are limited places available per group. It would be a shame if you couldn’t enroll into the groups you’d like to. There’s always the possibility to switch groups with specific students of course, but that is quite a hassle to go through which I wouldn’t recommend.

Seminar group enrollment almost always takes place on the specific course pages on the Student Portal or via the secretariat of your specific study programme.

Signing up for exams

You don’t have to sign up for exams as a course enrollment equals an exam enrollment. Most faculties assume that participating in a course results in participating in exams (and resits) unless it’s stated otherwise. 

However, it’s a different case for exams and resits that you have to take a second time (to get all your ECTs) because you failed both the exam and resit before. Some faculties, such as The Faculty of Economics and Business, require you to separately enroll for these exams and resits, usually in week 5 of block 1 or 3. Other faculties, such as The Faculty of Arts, require you to enroll for the actual course you have to retake during the course enrollment period, which allows you to do the exam and resit that way. As always, make sure to check what you have to do to take these exams and resits with your faculty and/or study programme.

General overview of the blocks

Block 1

• 8 weeks of lectures and seminars

• 2 weeks of exams because there are no resits yet

Block 2

• 7 weeks of lectures and seminars

• 3 weeks of exams, and resits of block 1 (depending on your study programme you will take your resits in the first week of the exam period or the last week, check this beforehand)

• Two weeks off because of holidays in between the lecture weeks

• You have to enroll for courses and seminar groups for block 3 and 4 in this block

Block 3

• 7 weeks of lectures and seminars

• 3 weeks of exams and resits of block 2 (depending on your study programme you will take your resits in the first week of the exam period or the last week, check this beforehand)

• There will be no lectures or exams on Good Friday and Easter Monday

Block 4

• 7 or 8 weeks of lectures and seminars depending on your study programme

• There will be no classes on King’s Day, Liberation Day, Ascension Day and Whit Monday

• 5 weeks of exams and resits of block 3 and 4 (when you have to take exams and resits depends on your study programme)

• From June onwards you can receive emails about enrollment for courses and seminar groups for block 1 and 2 of the next academic year.

So, there you have it! This is all you need to know about the block system. Hopefully, now that you’ve read this blog, you know what to expect and you can easily navigate through the year. Good luck with your studies! :)