The Netherlands

Undergraduate entry requirements for students from the Netherlands.

To apply for a place at Edinburgh, you’ll need qualifications, a personal statement and a reference. You will also need to provide evidence of your English language skills through qualifications.

The qualifications and grades you need vary by degree and may include admissions tests, portfolios, interviews or evidence of relevant work experience. We call these our entry requirements. 

Qualifications we accept 

From The Netherlands, we accept the Diploma Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (VWO).

What grades you need

When you view a programme on our degree finder, you will see entry requirements for UK qualifications called A Levels, GCSEs and other qualifications you may require for entry.

Entry requirements

The table below shows you what the equivalent qualification would be for your country, based on the A Level requirements. You must achieve these grades, or higher, to be entered into our selection process.

For some degrees, demand for places is much higher than places available, so applicants who meet the requirements are not guaranteed an offer.

A Level requirements and the equivalent Dutch qualifications
A Level requirement Equivalent qualification 
A*A*A* VWO with grade 8.5 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 9, 9, 8 
A*A*A VWO with grade 8.3 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 9, 9, 8 
A*AA VWO with grade 8 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 9, 8, 8 
AAA VWO with grade 8 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 8, 8, 8 
AABVWO with grade 7.5 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 8, 8, 7 
ABBVWO with grade 7.5 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 8, 7, 7 
BBBVWO with grade 7 overall plus three subjects with a minimum of grade 7, 7, 7 

Required subjects

For some degrees, you may also see a list of ‘required subjects’. Where this is the case, your qualifications must:

  • include the specific subject/s listed for your degree, and
  • meet, or exceed, the grades specified
A Level subject requirements and the equivalent Dutch qualifications
A Level subject requirement Equivalent qualification 
Subject at A* Subject at 9 
Subject at ASubject at 8
Subject at BSubject at 7

GCSE requirements  

Our A Level required subjects also list also list UK GCSE qualifications. GCSEs are a UK qualification typically taken two years before A Levels. 

For applicants from the Netherlands, we accept the VWO as the equivalent qualification for both A Level and GCSE, however we ask for a lower grade to meet the GCSE requirement.

GCSE subject requirements and the equivalent Dutch qualifications
GCSE subject requirement Equivalent qualification 
Subject at A/7 7
Subject at B/6 6.5
Subject at C/4 6

These GCSE equivalencies are for our academic entry requirements only. For English language all applicants are required to demonstrate proficiency by holding one of the qualifications accepted by the University.

To see if your qualification can also be used as proof of English language competency, please check the information on our English language entry requirements page.

English language requirements

Additional requirements

For some degrees you may also be asked to attend an interview, sit an admissions test, submit a portfolio of your past work or provide evidence of relevant work experience.

 

Search for your degree’s A Level entry requirements

In the undergraduate degree finder, you can view your degree’s minimum A Level entry requirements, as well as English language requirements.

Degree finder

What to include in your application

You must submit a fully completed UCAS application that includes:

  • a personal statement
  • a reference
  • full details of all achieved qualifications, as well as any you are taking this year

Predicted grades

We need to see predicted grades for all qualifications you have not yet completed. This includes each subject you are taking in your final qualifications, so that we can ensure you meet all entry requirements.

Without predicted grades we cannot assess your application fully, and it is very unlikely to be considered in the selection process.

Although predicted grades should be added by your referee in the appropriate section of the UCAS application form, it is your responsibility to check that this has been done.   

How to apply

Update to entry requirements for 2023 entry 

We updated our European Union entry requirements for 2023 entry on 19/10/2022. There may have been changes since the last time you checked them. All entry requirements are set at the same level, or lower, than previously published. 

Contact us

If you have further questions about EU entry requirements or undergraduate applications, please use our undergraduate enquiry form.

Undergraduate enquiry form

This article was published on