Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Courses open to exchange students with a 'lecture only' teaching method will still be available for an online/virtual exchange. All courses that are open to exchange students can be found via this webpage: https://www.rug.nl/gmw/exchange/study-related-info/courses-exams/course-offer. Under the course-specific info, you can find the teaching method of the specific course. Courses that have a practical component (e.g. 'seminar', 'group meetings', 'practical') are not available for online/virtual exchange students. Unfortunately, the courses from the minor package 'Challenging Youth' minor are full and not available anymore to exchange students.

In exceptional cases - and only if meeting the specific entry requirements (= prerequisites) -, exchange students can be admitted to BSS courses that are not labelled as 'course units for exchange students'. Students who are interested in a BSS course that is not labelled as 'course units for exchange students' and who fulfill the 'prerequisites' for this course as stated in Ocasys, may add such course to their course selection form so we can make a request to the lecturer.
Note: If it is explicitly stated under 'remarks' that a course is not open to external (or exchange) students, then there is no possibility to follow the course.

--> Courses of the Research Master are not available to exchange students!

--> Capita Selecta coureses are not available to exchange students

Bachelor/Undergraduate level exchange students

If you are a Bachelor/Undergraduate level student at the time of the exchange, you are not allowed to follow Master level courses. Unfortunately, no exceptions can be made.

Master/Graduate level exchange students

If you are a Master/Graduate level student at the time of the exchange, you are allowed to follow Master level courses if you meet the additional requirements

• The student needs to have completed a Bachelor's degree and needs to have sufficient background knowledge
• Master/Graduate level courses can only be followed by students from a university with whom we have an agreement stating that we accept Master/Graduate students
• Students who would like to follow Master/Graduate level course need to have a language proficiency level of at least C1. For more information please visit our languge requirements page.

Note: because of a new policy in 2021-22 that only allows a limited amount of students to enter the Psychology Master degree programmes, we cannot guarantee admission to all of our available Master level courses.

Courses given at other faculties that are open to exchange students can also be found in the online course catalogue ‘Ocasys’. Courses are usually labelled as ‘course units for exchange students’. Degree or exchange students that are enrolled at the relevant faculty where the course is given have priority over exchange students from other faculties. There is no guarantee an exchange student from the Faculty BSS can be placed in a course given at another faculty! The International Office always has to ask the relevant faculty for permission. Students who are interested in a course given at another faculty and who fulfill the relevant 'prerequisites' as stated in Ocasys are asked to add the course to their course selection form so we can make a request to the exchange office of the relevant faculty.

Dutch Studies Program

A popular programme among exchange students is the "Dutch Studies Program" which is offered at the Faculty of Arts. This programme includes courses in Dutch Literature and History, within a European perspective.

You are expected to maintain a good level of attendance to your course or programme of study. You should engage with all formal teaching and learning activities.

Option 1: Switch one of the two courses for another course. Mind that your home university needs to agree to the changes as they might have an influence on your degree programme! Inform the International Office about the course changes. Please do not change the enrolments yourself.

Option 2: (Not recommended) Keep both courses and skip the lectures of one of the courses. In some cases, the lectures are not mandatory, but they will give you a better understanding of the subject and the teachers often ask questions about the lectures in the exam. Note: this is only possible for general lecture courses and not for practical courses!

Option 1: If possible, switch one of the two courses for another course. Mind that your home university needs to agree to the changes as they might have an influence on your degree programme! Inform the International Office about the course changes. Please do not change the enrolments yourself.

Option 2: (Not recommended) Deregister from the first exam of one of the two courses and register for the resit instead. The resit will then be your first and only try. Please go to the Student Service Desk and arrange this accordingly.

Lectures usually finish 15 minutes prior to the full hour - this gives you 15 minutes to switch locations in case the following lecture starts directly afterwards.

If you fail the first exam, the resit is the second and last chance to pass a course! There are no other possibilities/ no individual assignments to pass a course!

If you failed the first exam but you cannot take part in the resit (e.g. the semester 1b resit exams scheduled in April), mind that there are no other possibilities/ no individual assignments to pass a course! BSS exams can only be taken at UG, not at your home university! If you take courses at other faculties, get informed about their exam regulations, resit weeks, etc. It is very likely that those are different from BSS!

Courses will appear on Brightspace once the lecturer publishes it. This may not happen until just before the start of the course. You can always check your enrollment on progresswww.nl.