Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

Application

International Bachelor Arts and Culture Studies
IBACS student

The International Bachelor Arts and Culture Studies (IBACS) welcomes applicants who meet the entry requirements and whose intellectual ability, (international) education, international background and personal motivation will both benefit from and contribute to the learning environment of the programme. 

From 1 October you can start your application in Studielink for 2025-2026. 

Our application deadline is 1 April for non-EEA students and 1 May for EEA students. 

Please note: only applications submitted in the Application Portal after applying in Studielink will be taken into consideration. If you are applying with a non-Dutch diploma, then you need to pay a € 100 non-refundable application fee.

Application

All applications for IBACS start in Studielink, which is the Dutch national registration system for higher education. 

Once you have completed all the necessary steps in Studielink, you will be asked by email to complete your application in the Application Portal, where you need to upload your documents and you can keep track of your application. Do not forget to upload all required documents by the deadline of 1 April for non-EEA students and 1 May for EEA students.

If you have questions regarding your application, then please take a look at our FAQ section first, and otherwise contact the ESHCC Admissions Office. 

Application deadlines

The application deadline to submit your application in the Application Portal:

  • Non-EEA students: 1 April
  • EEA students: 1 May

Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency:

  • Non-EEA students: 1 May
  • EEA students: 1 August

Step 1: Studielink

Apply no later than 1 April (non-EEA) or 1 May (EEA) 2025. From 1 October, you will be able to apply for IBACS through Studielink.

Please note: if after applying in Studielink you do not receive an email from us with your login details for the Application Portal, then please contact the IT Service Desk at it.servicedesk@eur.nl. 

Automatically generated emails may end up in your spam or junk folder. Therefore, check these folders! 

Step 2: Application Portal

Once you have completed your application in Studielink a follow-up email will be sent to you. You will be asked to login to the Application Portal to upload your documents and answer some final questions. You need to submit your application in the Application Portal no later than 1 April (non-EEA) or 1 May (EEA).  

Application fee
All students applying with a non-Dutch diploma are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of € 100. In the Application Portal, you will be asked to complete the application fee. Only after a successful payment, you can proceed with your application. Applications without payment will not be considered.

Please upload the following documents: 

  • Motivation letter, see the section “Writing your motivation letter” below. (You need to use the template; all other documents are not accepted.) 
  • English language test results (if applicable). 
  • If you are applying with a non-Dutch diploma: your secondary school diploma and your final grade list or, if you do not have a diploma yet, a diploma statement, your most recent grade list and your end-of-year report from your penultimate year. If the documents are not issued in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish, then you need to submit official translations as well. 

Please note: we cannot and will not consider applications that have been submitted in the Application Portal after the deadline. 

We find it important that you make the right study choice and that you carefully check if IBACS suits your interests. That is why we would like to hear from you why you want to study IBACS at EUR. 

Please use the template that you can download below! All other documents are not accepted. When saving your motivation letter, choose save as -> save as type -> choose PDF file.

Downloads

Once your application has been submitted in the Application Portal, we will let you know if you need to upload any additional documents or if your application is complete.  

The admissions office will inform you within 6 to 8 weeks after we have let you know that your application is complete whether or not you have been admitted to the programme and, if applicable, under what conditions (e.g. obtaining your diploma). 

We would like to know whether or not you will be accepting our offer. Instructions will be sent to admitted students by the admissions office. You need to follow all instructions very carefully and accept our offer in the Application Portal.

If you have been (conditionally) admitted, then you will need to submit the required additional documents. 

Deadline for submitting certified copies of your diploma and your final grade list: 

  • 1 August

Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency: 

  • Non-EEA students: 1 May
  • EEA students: 1 August

Your registration as a student at Erasmus University Rotterdam is only complete if you also have arranged payment of your tuition fee.  

As of approximately mid-June, you will be able to arrange payment of tuition fees. You start with entering your payment details in Studielink (see your 'to do list' in Studielink). On our website you will find detailed information regarding payment of your tuition fees. If you still have questions, then please contact the Erasmus Student Service Centre. 

Non-EEA students need to meet all immigration requirements. Once you are admitted to the programme, our immigration officers will reach out to you. You can already have a look at our immigration website as well. 

The ultimate date for finalising your registration is 31 August, but please do not wait until the last minute!

Once you have completed all the steps of admissions and enrolment you can download a proof of enrolment from Osiris Student. 

  1. Log into Osiris with your ERNA id and password. 
  2. Click on the menu (three stripes on top left-hand side) to select ‘My details’ 
  3. Click on ‘Enrolment degree programme’ 
  4. You will find the programme you applied for with a button below stating ‘Declaration of enrolment’ 
  5. Click this button to download your proof of enrolment 

It is advisable to arrive in Rotterdam well in time for the first lectures.  

ESN Introduction Days and the Eurekaweek are planned for mid-August and are a nice way to get settled before classes start. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, all students applying for a bachelor's programme with a non-Dutch diploma are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of €100.

Applicants must register in Studielink and then upload their application documents in the EUR Admissions Portal. Once the registration in Studielink is completed, a link to this portal will be sent via e-mail.

Depending on the type of degree (Dutch/non-Dutch) you have obtained or will obtain, different documents are required. Please follow the procedure applicable to your specific diploma type. After your application package has been assessed by the programme's admissions committee, the faculty will let you know whether or not you will be invited to join the programme and, if applicable, under what conditions (e.g. obtaining your degree). 

You will receive our reply within 6-8 weeks of submitting your application. Detailed information and instructions on how to proceed will be sent to invited students.

Yes, all students applying for a bachelor's programme with a non-Dutch diploma are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of €100.

You will receive our reply within 6-8 weeks after you have submitted your application.

Please be aware that automatically generated emails may end up in your spam or junk folder. Therefore, please check these folders!

Studielink is the Dutch registration system for universities. We can only register you as a student at our university if you enrol through this system. Please note that after enrolling in Studielink, you always need to finalise your application in the university’s Admissions Portal.

Your home school/university can provide you with an official transcript of records. This needs to be stamped and signed

Yes, you can apply. You need to upload your most recent transcript of records instead.

Yes you can apply. You may send the test results later, but no later than the deadline mentioned in your admissions offer.

In some cases, it is possible to take the so-called 21+ test (also known as colloquium doctum). Please read the information on this website carefully and follow the instructions. More information about this test can be obtained via the ESSC.

Your home school/university can provide you with an official transcript of records. This needs to be stamped and signed

A more than average proficiency in English is required for a reason. Students whose English is below the entry requirement, will have trouble successfully completing the courses. We expect a lot from our students and being able to communicate well is very important. We therefore recommend you not to take this requirement lightly. This standard has been set for a reason and has also proven to be necessary over the years. Students who think their English grade does not reflect their actual proficiency, are very welcome to demonstrate their increased skills by taking a TOEFL or IELTS exam.

You need to send us the test report no later than the deadline mentioned in your admissions offer.

Congratulations! Please send legalised copies of your diplomas together with final transcript of records and translations to the Admissions Office before August 1:

Erasmus University Rotterdam
USC – Department of Education & Student Affairs
International Office - Admissions Office
Sanders building, L3.010
PO Box 1738
3000 DR Rotterdam
the Netherlands

Courier address
Erasmus University Rotterdam
USC – Department of Education & Student Affairs
International Office - Admissions Office
Sanders building, L3.010
Burgemeester Oudlaan 50
3062 PA Rotterdam
the Netherlands

We only have one intake moment, which is in September.

You can find information about the tuition fee here. More details can be obtained via the ESSC. The fee has to be paid before the first of September every year.

We do not allow any transfers into the programme, not in September, nor in January or February. All Bachelor students have to start in year one of the Bachelor's programme, and complete all three years. It is not possible to transfer any credits. Exemptions based on previous education are rarely granted and can only be applied for after being accepted into the programme. The Examination Board will deal with such a request, based on your personal file.

It is important to realise that the Binding Study Advice (BSA) applies, which means that you have to obtain all 60 EC of the Bachelor’s first year. In addition, we have mandatory attendance of the workgroups and quite a number of deadlines for assignments, hence good planning skills are required if you want to combine two studies. To find out whether this is possible for you, we advise you to check your current calendar and then check the calendar for the upcoming terms to see if it would, hypothetically, be possible for you to combine both, schedule wise. For some students it is possible to combine two studies, however, it requires a lot of planning and determination on the part of the student. If you have any further questions or want to discuss your situation in person, please do not hesitate to make an appointment with the student advisor.

Once you arrive in Rotterdam, you can join one of the many courses offered at our Language and Training Centre.

You can find out more about housing on this page. All international students who are invited to join the programme, will receive a detailed email from our International Officer with information about housing.

It is advisable to arrive in Rotterdam well in time for the first lectures. Introductions such as ESN and the Eurekaweek are planned for mid-August and are a nice way to get settled before classes start.

Yes, we do. All students to whom this applies, will automatically receive further information from our International Officer.

In Rotterdam there are many places you can turn to for help and assistance. Please look here for more information.

Please note that for medical assistance, the usual practice in the Netherlands is for a patient to have an initial consultation with a general practitioner (Dutch: huisarts), before making an appointment with a specialist in hospital.

Erasmus University Rotterdam has made arrangements with several general practitioners. For information, click here.

For information on your student card please view Digital Student ID card.

If you have any questions you may contact ESSC.

Please also check our practical information pages. If you are still unable to find the answers you are looking for, please contact the faculty’s Admission Coordinator at bacheloradmission@eshcc.eur.nl

Is this your programme?

Your application in Studielink Visit the Bachelor Open Day on 8 February 2025!

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