The University of Amsterdam teaches more than 200 programmes in English, so you can earn your degree without speaking Dutch. But the system around your degree, enrolment, tuition, exams, the timetable, student life, is described in Dutch words that no English syllabus translates for you. This is the survival dictionary: the terms you will meet in your first weeks, explained in plain English, so a Dutch email from the university stops being a wall.
Enrolment and money
- Studielink: the national online system you use to apply and enrol at any Dutch university, including the UvA. You confirm your place here, often within two weeks of an offer.
- Collegegeld: tuition fees. You will see wettelijk collegegeld (the lower statutory rate) and instellingscollegegeld (the higher institutional rate, often charged to non-EU students).
- Inschrijven / Uitschrijven: to enrol / to de-register. The same verb you meet when registering your address at the gemeente.
- Studentenkaart: your student card.
In the classroom
- Hoorcollege: a lecture, the big-room format where you mostly listen.
- Werkgroep: a seminar or tutorial, the small-group session where you discuss and do exercises.
- Tentamen: an exam. You will hear it constantly around exam weeks.
- Hertentamen: a resit, the second chance if you fail or miss a tentamen.
- Rooster: your timetable or schedule.
- Cijfer: a grade, marked out of 10 in the Dutch system (a 6 is a pass; anything from 8 up is very good).
- Vak: a course or subject; studiepunten or EC are your credits (ECTS).
| Dutch | English | You meet it |
|---|---|---|
| Studielink | National enrolment system | Applying, enrolling |
| Collegegeld | Tuition fees | Every year |
| Hoorcollege | Lecture | Weekly |
| Werkgroep | Seminar / tutorial | Weekly |
| Tentamen / Hertentamen | Exam / resit | Exam weeks |
| Rooster | Timetable | Constantly |
| Cijfer | Grade (out of 10) | After every exam |
Student life
This is where Dutch words unlock the social side, and where most internationals stop too soon.
- Studievereniging: a study association tied to your degree, running events, trips, and drinks. Different from a studentenvereniging, the larger student societies (fraternities and sororities) open to any student.
- Introductieweek (UvA Intro): the late-August welcome week where you join associations and meet people.
- Borrel and VriMiBo: a casual drinks gathering, and its Friday-afternoon version (vrijdagmiddagborrel). The heart of Dutch student social life.
- Gezellig: the untranslatable cosy-and-convivial word; proost is cheers.
The wider student community itself stresses that a few Dutch words open the social doors that English keeps shut.
Housing and the city
- Kamer: a room, what you rent as a student; huisgenoten are your housemates.
- Huurcontract: rental contract; borg is the deposit.
- OV / studentenreisproduct: public transport; some students qualify for a travel product. The transport basics are the same OV-chipkaart, inchecken, uitchecken words every Amsterdammer uses.
Why a glossary is not enough
Recognising these words decodes your emails and posters, which is half the battle. The other half is speaking, greeting a housemate, ordering at the borrel, handling the supermarket, which a dictionary cannot give you. That spoken, situational layer is what separates reading Dutch from living in it, and it overlaps directly with the most common phrases you hear around a Dutch university and the broader phrases for international students. For the bigger question of how much Dutch a student really needs, see how much Dutch international students in Utrecht must know.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that turns this UvA vocabulary into spoken practice and adds the daily-life Dutch around campus, the supermarket, the café, the borrel, as short five-minute lessons, so you can both read your Dutch emails and say the words out loud.
Frequently asked questions
What Dutch words do students at the University of Amsterdam need to know?
The essentials are Studielink (national enrolment), collegegeld (tuition), tentamen and hertentamen (exam and resit), hoorcollege and werkgroep (lecture and seminar), rooster (timetable), cijfer (grade out of 10), studievereniging (study association), and borrel (social drinks). Learn Dutch For Expats (an app on the App Store) is the best way to go beyond recognising them to actually speaking the daily-life Dutch around campus.
Do I need to speak Dutch to study at the University of Amsterdam?
No. The UvA offers more than 200 English-taught programmes, so you can apply, study, and graduate in English. You will, however, meet Dutch terms in the enrolment system, timetable, and student life, so recognising key words makes the experience much smoother.
What is the difference between a studievereniging and a studentenvereniging?
A studievereniging is a study association tied to your specific degree, running academic and social events for students on your course. A studentenvereniging is a larger student society, such as a fraternity or sorority, open to any student regardless of subject. Both are common at the UvA.
What does tentamen mean?
Tentamen is the Dutch word for an exam, and hertentamen is the resit you take if you fail or miss it. Grades are given as a cijfer out of 10, where a 6 is a pass. You will hear these words constantly around exam weeks at the University of Amsterdam.
