Language proficiency is essential for successful participation in one of our programmes. International students who enrol in one of HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht's English-taught programmes must provide sufficient results of an English-language test. Check below which documents we accept for our English-taught Bachelor and Master programmes.
Exemptions may be granted – in the specific sections you will find more information.
International students who apply for a Dutch-taught programme must provide proof of Dutch proficiency of at least CEFR level B2. Scroll to the bottom of this page to read more about the accepted documents.
Bachelor's programmes: proof of English proficiency
HU accepts one of the following documents as proof of English proficiency:
Name
Type
Minimum score
Certificate of TOEFL
iBT Test (at a test centre)
80
Certificate of IELTS
Academic (at a test centre)
6.0
Pearson
PTE Academic (at a test centre)
61
LanguageCert
Academic (at a test centre)
65
TOEIC
Listening and Reading Test +
Speaking and Writing Test
Listening and Reading: 865
Speaking and Writing: 335
Cambridge English
Certificate in Advanced English (CAE)
169
Cambridge English First (FCE)
169
The validity of the IELTS and TOEFL certificate is two years. The test must have been taken less than two years before the start date of the programme you have applied for.
We only accept tests that are taken at a test centre. Certificates from TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Online or PTE Acedemic Online are not considered.
Bachelor's programmes: exemptions to the English Language Requirement
Some international students are granted exemption from the English language test based on their high school diploma. This is the case for students who have obtained:
a secondary school diploma in the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia.
the South-African National Senior Certificate and have taken English as their Home Language.
an accredited international American high-school diploma or British international GCSE/A-levels.
the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma, the Caribbean Examinations Council certificate, or European Baccalaureate with English as first or second language.
a secondary education diploma mentioned in the Nuffic Diploma list (download as PDF-file), including English language as part of the curriculum. This only applies if you actually took English as an exam subject in your final year.
an MBO-4, HAVO or VWO diploma in Suriname, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, BES Islands or Aruba.
All other students must submit a proof of English proficiency by submitting one of the abovementioned certificates.
Master's programmes: exemptions to the English Language Requirement
Some international students are granted exemption from the English language test for these Master's programmes. This is the case for students who have obtained:
their Bachelor's diploma in The Netherlands
a Bachelor's diploma in the UK, US, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia
a Bachelor's diploma from an English-taught programme in South Africa
an accredited international American or British Bachelor's Diploma
The validity of the IELTS and TOEFL certificates is two years. The test must have been taken less than two years before the start date of the programme you have applied for.
We only accept tests that are taken at a test centre. Certificates from TOEFL iBT Home Edition, IELTS Online or PTE Acedemic Online are not considered.
Bachelor's programmes: proof of Dutch proficiency
Students with a foreign diploma must show proof of Dutch proficiency to enrol into a Dutch-taught programme. This also applies to students with a Dutch nationality who have obtained their high school diploma outside of the Netherlands.
HU accepts the following documents as proof of Dutch proficiency:
Some international students are granted exemption from the Dutch language test based on their former diploma. This is the case for students who have obtained:
a MBO-4, HAVO or VWO diploma in Suriname, Curaçao, Sint Maarten, BES Islands or Aruba.
an EPI diploma taught in Dutch.
diplomas from the Dutch-taught education system in Belgium.
the International Baccalaureate (IB) with Dutch Language A (SL or HL) or Language B (HL).
the European Baccalaureate (EB) with Dutch as Language 1 or 2.