Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

To apply, you can use the online application form on the summer school page. This can be found under the blue box that says 'application procedure'.

The University of Groningen is a research university. This means that all of our summer schools are research-driven and are targeting advanced bachelor students or (post) graduate students. Each summer school has its own set of requirements. These can be found on the page of the summer school of your interest.

All our summer courses are taught in English, so you need a good command of English. You do not need to submit proof of English proficiency.

This depends on the summer school you want to apply for: each summer school has its own deadline. You can find the application deadline on the specific summer school page, under application procedure.

If your summer school offers accommodation, this will be clearly specified on their website. If housing is not provided by your summer school, you will need to find your own accommodation. You will receive a list of recommendations and discount codes in the pre-departure guide.

Some summer schools offer scholarships or (partial) fee waivers. If this is the case, it will be specifically mentioned on the page of the summer school of your interest, under fee information.

The University of Groningen also offers a number scholarships for international students who are interested in doing a short course in Groningen. Please use the Grantfinder to search for available scholarships, the central summer school office cannot assist with this.

Depending on your nationality, you may need to apply for a Schengen visa (short stay visa). Remember that you should only apply for a visa after you have received official confirmation that you have been accepted to the summer schoo, however, it may be necessary to already book an appointment as many embassies have limited spots. We recommend that you contact the winter school coordinator to discuss your case. Find out more on how to apply for a Schengen Visa on the Dutch government's website.

The Netherlands has a high standard of medical care. It is, however, very important to be properly insured. Medical costs can be very high, especially if they include a stay in a hospital. Students at institutes of higher education are not automatically insured against medical expenses abroad. You must arrange this yourself. What kind of health insurance applies to you depends on your country of origin, age and the duration of your stay.

We expect all summer school participants to have arranged proper health insurance before arriving in Groningen. There are many companies that offer health insurance, for example short term private health insurance through Aon.

We also recommend you to have a liability insurance/ third party insurance, especially if you consider renting a bike.

Many summer schools offer daily lunches (Mo-Fri) and one or two dinners. If this is offered, it will be specified under the fee information on the page of the summer school. There you can also find if coffee/tea breaks are included.

Once you have been accepted to a summer school, you will receive payment instructions. You are obliged to pay the full fee (including housing, if applicable) within two weeks of the invoice issue date. If you have problems making your payment, please contact the coordinator of your summer school.

We accept payments with credit card, iDeal and International Bank transfer. Please note that University Groningen Summer Schools is not responsible for any bank charges incurred in the transfer of fees. All bank charges, including those incurred overseas and in the Netherlands, are the responsibility of the person making the payment.

Payment by cash on arrival is not possible.

Upon successful completion of the programme, the summer school offers a Certificate of Attendance. The workload in hours will be mentioned on the certificate (NB 28 hours corresponds to 1 ECTS). Students can apply for recognition of these credits to the relevant authorities in their home institutions, therefore the final decision on awarding credits is at the discretion of their home institutions. We will be happy to provide any necessary information that might be requested in addition to the certificate of attendance.

The City of Groningen has excellent connections to all main airports and railway stations in the Netherlands. It is located in the northeast of the Netherlands, approximately 200 km from Amsterdam. The closest airports to the University of Groningen are Eelde Airport, Groningen (45 mins away), Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam (2hr 10 mins) and Bremen Airport, Bremen, Germany (2hr). We advise you to use this journey planner for all Dutch public transport.

You will receive detailed instructions in the pre-departure guide, which we will send you after you have paid the fee.

If you have applied for a summer school and no longer wish to participate, please let the coordinator know as soon as possible. If you have not yet paid the fee, cancellation is free.
Participants are entitled to cancel their participation from the Summer School before the start of the course or to withdraw during the course. In such cases, the participant will be liable to pay costs as follows, unless specified otherwise in writing:

• Participants who cancel more than 4 weeks before the start of the course are liable to pay 15% of the full course fee, unless the Summer School in question decides otherwise.
• Participants who cancel within 4 weeks before the start of the course are liable to pay the full course fee, unless the Summer School in question decides otherwise.
• Participants who withdraw during the course are liable to pay the full course fee, unless the Summer School in question decides otherwise.

Please also check the Terms & Conditions regarding our cancellation policy.

If you are a student from an ENLIGHT university, the same summer school tuition fee for UG students applies to you.

If your questions are not answered by any of the FAQs above, please send an email to summerschools@rug.nl.

For questions about a specific summer school, we recommend that you contact them directly using the email address on their summer school page.