Evening courses

During the evening courses participants work together to rapidly improve their Dutch language skills. The courses are designed to attain the B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference.

Part of the course involves self-study, to be carried out at home, in your own time; the other part involves classes taught at VU. These classes focus on those aspects that require the presence of a teacher and fellow course attendees, like the training of oral skills. The evening courses are taught on five levels. Each level consists of eight course weeks, with classes held twice per week, usually on Monday and Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 8.30 p.m.. In addition you need to spend a minimum of five hours per week on self-study. This involves, for instance, learning vocabulary and training your listening skills by means of a computer programme (either at home or in our computer room). Every course ends with a final test, the outcome of which will determine whether students can move on to the next level course. All course attendees who, upon completion of the course, have participated in at least 85% of the lessons will receive a certificate.

Exchange students who participated sufficiently in class and passed their final test may gain 3.5 ECTS (study credits) per level. 

Prepare yourself with an evening course for the integration exam.

Below are the main details concerning the extensive evening courses. Please also read our general terms and conditions before submitting your application.

• Entrance requirements

Requirements for this course are a General Certificate of Secondary Education and the ability to speak English, German or French.

• Intake

If you already have (some) knowledge of Dutch and have registered for an evening course, you will be invited to sit an intake test at the NT2 department. As this test is designed to assess your current language skills, it requires no preparation. Based on the results of the test and an interview with a teacher we will determine which course level best suits your needs. Sitting the intake test is free.

• Fees

Please consult our brochure for more information about the course fees.
Please note that these fees do not include books and CD-ROMS, which need to be purchased separately.

• Application

To apply for the extensive evening courses you can use the application form for extensive courses. Alternatively you may visit us during the visiting hours of the NT2 department, held every Monday between 3 and 5 p.m. in VU main building (room 8A-40). No appointment is required.

• For more information

You can find our new brochure here soon.

Department of Dutch as a Second Language at VU University Amsterdam. For fast and effective Dutch courses and improvement of the quality of language education