Most traditional programs focus on a single discipline, such as Biology, History, or Economics. At UCR, you’re not limited to one field. Instead, you design a broad, flexible program where you can combine different disciplines, all taught in English with an international outlook. Alongside your academic choices, you also build essential skills in writing, presenting, and research, and learn to approach problems from multiple perspectives. With small classes, a close-knit community, and close contact with faculty, you’ll develop not just as a student, but also as a professional and as a person.

Liberal Arts & Sciences (LAS) is a flexible, interdisciplinary approach to higher education. At UCR, you design your own curriculum by combining courses across disciplines, allowing you to explore different fields before specializing in an area of your choice.

You will take 24 courses over three years, selecting from different disciplines. A dedicated tutor helps you design a program that fits your interests while making sure you meet graduation requirements.

If you take enough courses within one of our academic clusters, you can graduate with a major listed on your diploma. Our clusters include: “Business & Entrepreneurship”, “Data Science & Intelligent Systems”, “Environment & Sustainability”, “Government & Sustainability”, “Media, Culture & Communication” and “Health, Cognition & Behavior”. A major is retroactively applied, and does not need to be declared at any point in time.

Classes at UCR are small, with around 22 students on average.

Yes, all courses at UCR are taught in English. Similarly, all activities and support are available in English.

You will graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences. Depending on your course choices, you receive either a Bachelor of Arts (BA) or a Bachelor of Science (BSc). You may have a specific major listed if you have opted to take a sufficient number of courses in a single cluster.

Professors at UCR design their own courses, which means you’ll experience a mix of teaching styles. One class might be a lecture, the next a student-led discussion, and another a peer review of your classmates’ work. We value Community Engaged Learning, where you bring theoretical knowledge outside the classroom and test theories in practice.

UCR uses continuous assessment instead of one big final exam. Each course includes at least four assignments, such as papers, exams, or presentations. This means you can balance out lower grades and receive ongoing feedback from your professors and tutor.

If you fail a course, you will need to make up the missing credits and work with your Tutor on a plan to get back on track.

UCR is an intensive program with a workload of about 52 hours per week, compared to 40 at most universities. This includes around 16 hours of classes and roughly 9 hours of self-study per course. The workload varies depending on the time of year, the type of course, and your own strengths and study habits.

Graduates are well prepared for careers in a wide range of fields thanks to their interdisciplinary skills, strong communication abilities, and international outlook.

Yes, housing is guaranteed for the full duration of your studies. All students live on campus as part of our residential learning community.

Students live in one of four locations in Middelburg, all within walking distance of campus. Options include shared student houses at Bagijnhof or studio apartments with more private facilities.

On average, you can expect to pay about €400 per month in rent plus €150 in service costs, totaling around €550 per month or €6,600 per year. Prices vary depending on room size and location.

During your housing registration process, you will be asked to indicate a housing preference. Though this is not guaranteed, Gapph will try to keep your preference into account. If you end up not enjoying your housing location, you can move after a semester, a year, or whenever you want.

Middelburg is a safe, historic city with everything you need within walking distance: cafés, shops, sports clubs, and cultural events. The city has excellent public transport connections, making it easy to reach larger cities like Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Brussels, and even Paris. Just a 15-minute bike ride away, you can also find beautiful beaches to relax or spend time with friends. Combined with UCR’s close-knit campus community, it’s easy to feel at home and quickly get to know people.

At the heart of student life is RASA (Roosevelt’s All Student Association). Every UCR student is automatically a member, which means you’re immediately part of a vibrant community. RASA supports more than 20 student-run societies, covering everything from music, sports, and politics to sustainability and cultural events. Whether you want to host a film festival, organize a poetry night, play volleyball, or volunteer for a good cause, RASA helps make it happen by providing funding, promotion, and practical support. It’s one of the main reasons UCR’s campus feels lively and full of energy week after week.

Our main academic building is located in the historic town hall, and campus facilities include study areas, well-being spaces, and common rooms. For other things, we make use of the many local facilities, include various gyms and the local library.

You first register in Studielink, then complete your application in our OSIRIS system. There, you upload your documents, provide details for a referee, and submit your application.

You need a secondary school diploma equivalent to the Dutch pre-university diploma (VWO). You may find a full overview of the different qualifying diplomas on our admissions pages.

We do not. We always want to see a copy of your transcript with achieved grades (this may be an unofficial copy). If you have predicted grades and you wish to add them to your application, you may do so under additional documents. If your predicted grades are confidential, your can ask your school to email them directly to admissions@ucr.nl.

Your motivation is written directly in the application (not as a separate letter) and should be about 1,000 characters long. We want to get a sense of who you are: what subjects excite you, what combinations of fields you would like to explore, where you see yourself going in the future, and why you believe UCR is the right place to help you get there.

You’ll need between one and three references. At least one should come from someone who knows you in a classroom environment, such as a teacher or counselor. It doesn’t need to be the head of your school. What matters most is that it is someone who can really represent you and your abilities.

If your file meets our requirements, you’ll be invited to complete an online assessment in Kira. This includes five video-recorded questions and one written prompt about your experiences, motivations, and suitability for UCR.

For a September start, applications open on October 1 the preceding fall. Deadlines are:
1 March for students who wish to also apply for a scholarship
1 April for non-EU students who are not looking to apply for a scholarship
1 May for EU students who are not looking to apply for a scholarship

For a January start, applications open on July 15. Deadlines are:
15 September for students who wish to also apply for a scholarship
1 October for non-EU students who are not looking to apply for a scholarship
1 November for EU students who are not looking to apply for a scholarship

Yes, you can apply before graduating, but any offer will be conditional on successfully completing your diploma and meeting minimum entry requirements before enrolment.

Yes, if you’ve completed at least 30 ECTS (preferably 60) at a Dutch research university or international equivalent. You will first need to apply to UCR as a new first year student following the regular application procedure. You can request a transfer of up to 60 ECTS (one year of study) after being admitted.

Your tuition fee depends on your passport and fee status (EU or non-EU). Exact tuition fees change regularly. Up-to-date information can be found on UCR’s tuition webpage.

In addition, you should budget for housing and daily living expenses.

Yes, tuition can be paid in up to nine monthly instalments, with a one-time €25 administrative fee. First-year non-EU students must pay in full due to visa requirements, but from the second year may also pay in instalments.

Yes, UCR offers a limited number of need-based scholarships for students whose parents’ combined annual net income is below €40,000. External scholarships, including Dutch government funding, may also be available.

Yes, though academics come first. EU students can work without a permit but must take Dutch health insurance. Non-EU students can work up to 16 hours per week with a work permit. On-campus jobs are limited to 8 hours per week.

Yes, every student is assigned a Tutor, a senior staff member who meets with them each semester to discuss progress, plans, and questions.

UCR provides access to a professional student counselor, wellbeing spaces on campus, and digital resources like MoodLift. Students can also take part in activities like yoga or meditation.

UCR offers provisions on a case-by-case basis. More information about the process is available on our provisions page.

UCR offers its students fast and safe Eduroam Wi-Fi on campus. You can safely access the internet with your laptop and mobile phone anytime and anywhere. You can visit Moodle, our Electronic Learning Environment, and write and store your essays and papers, consult the online library of UU and use all kinds of software for free via the Citrix environment of University of Utrecht.

You should bring a Windows laptop or a MacBook, not a Chromebook. The laptop/MacBook should:

• have been produced within the last 4 years
• run Windows version 10 or higher or a recent macOS
• have a built-in video camera and built-in microphone
• have a USB-C port (or adapter USB-A -> USB-C)

Important: if you plan to take several courses in the BSc fields a Windows laptop is recommended, a MacBook is not recommended. Your laptop should then also have at least:

• a 3.5 GHz processor
• a 512GB solid state drive (SSD)
• a 16GB RAM

We recommend that you use a laptop that is less than 4 years old, in order to work well with the applications you might need for your studies.

No. You can purchase a laptop from a supplier of your own choice.

Make sure that you have a laptop available during Orientation. You will be informed at which points in the Orientation you will need to bring the laptop to UCR.

Check the requirements in the course outline. In some courses the use of laptops and mobile devices is not allowed at all; in some courses it is optional and in other courses, it is essential. If you are required to have a laptop with you, it will be specifically stated in the course outline or in the Moodle information for that particular course. As a UCR student, you will be able to access practically all study software everywhere free of charge via https://students.uu.nl/myworkplace . Always ensure that the laptop that you bring to a course is fully charged.

Most of the teaching applications are available free of charge via the Citrix application MyWorkplace. A range of other software will also be available to you free of charge during your study program, including Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Skype). You can find more information at https://students.uu.nl/en/free-software.

For you to use MyWorkplace correctly, you will first need to install the receiver on your laptop. It is important that you do so before the beginning of the first course.

Detailed instructions how to install the Citrix receiver on your laptop are available at https://students.uu.nl/en/myworkplace. New students can also get help installing the Citrix receiver during the Orientation. However, we recommend that you try doing it yourself first.

If you have any questions about Wi-Fi installation, MyWorkplace and standard software, contact the Helpdesk during office hours by mail (helpdesk@ucr.nl) or by phone +31 (0) 118-655545.

If you have any other ICT issues, please check the ICT page on the intranet (only for current students).