Admission requirements for a bachelor's

It is difficult to compare the American assessment system one-to-one with the Netherlands. American universities have a holistic admissions policy, which means that the admissions committee looks at your candidate profile as a whole. Not only do they look at your grades and scores on admission tests, but your interests and pursuits also play a role in admission. An American university considers it important that you have also developed on a personal level and that you show social involvement, for example, through volunteer work, extracurricular activities, and developing your talents.

Each university has its own admission requirements, deadlines, and forms. Because admission is usually selective, it is wise to apply to not just one but several schools. You can find an overview of admission requirements and all required documents on university websites. Look at admissions of prospective students and follow the information for international students. Remember that each institution sets its own criteria for grades, test scores, and your profile. In addition, the emphasis on criteria can also vary from institution to institution. For example, one university places more value on your grade point average and test scores, while another university pays more attention to your personal development to date and your future goals.

In general, student applications are evaluated based on several criteria.

Preliminary education

Students from other countries applying for an undergraduate program must have a diploma equivalent to a US high school diploma. For students from the Netherlands, the admission requirement is at least a HAVO, VWO, or MBO diploma. An International Baccalaureate (IB) degree is also sufficient.

Academic skills

The more selective universities will also want to assess your academic skills. One method used for this is looking at your grades and scores on admission tests (SAT/ACT). It is important to prepare well for these tests and possibly take them several times. The university website often lists the average grades (GPAs) and SAT/ACT scores of admitted first-year students — the stronger your academic profile is relative to this profile, the better your chances for admission and academic scholarships.

Good fit

Academic requirements vary from university to university, but ultimately a university will also be looking for a good match. As such, universities rarely look only at grades and test scores; they also consider it important for their students to be socially and civically engaged and would like to see this reflected in your application. Sometimes a university will have a brief description of the type of student they are looking for and the values they want to promote as an institution. The admissions committee would like to see in your application that you fit the university in this regard as well. For example, look for a mission statement or student profile on the university’s website. With this information, you can determine whether your background, activities, and career goals fit this profile and can ensure that your application emphasizes this as well.

The admissions committee considers it important to get the impression from your application that you will be academically and socially successful on campus. Do they get the impression from your application that you are motivated and will take advantage of the various academic and social opportunities the campus offers? Will you contribute to the diversity of the campus by bringing a different background or perspective, for example? These are also questions a university will ask themselves when reviewing your application.

A good fit can be demonstrated by your motivation in your essay and the overview of your activities.

Examples of activities you can list are:

  • Part-time or side jobs
  • Volunteer work
  • Caring for family members
  • Sports
  • School clubs
  • Interest in the arts
  • Hobbies

Note that quality is more important than quantity. It is not necessary to list very many activities;  the university is more interested in hobbies and activities that you are passionate about than a long list of one-off activities.

Demonstrated interest

When reviewing your application, your motivation also plays a role. Suppose a university has to choose between two equally qualified candidates — then it can help if one of the candidates has shown a lot of interest by asking the university serious questions and maintaining regular contact with university faculty, staff, or representatives. A university ultimately wants admitted students to choose them as well.

Do you have a dream school in mind? Then it is important to let the university know you are interested. Demonstrated interest can be expressed in several ways

  • Connect with admission officers through webinars or events such as College Fairs
  • Follow the university on social media
  • Sign up for university mailing lists
  • Have serious questions about applying? Feel free to approach the university by email
  • After submitting your application, do you have an important update, such as having achieved a great goal? You can always email the university an update. This also shows interest

Just make sure your messages and questions are relevant and truly add value; emailing the university regularly with useless questions will actually reflect poorly on you.