Study Progress Monitoring

One of the criteria students must meet while holding a residence permit for study is sufficient study progress. Sufficient study progress means that you must obtain at least 50% of the required ECTS credits each academic year. As this is a strict annual requirement, the UvA Immigration Office will check your progress three times a year, in March, June, and July. If you have not obtained sufficient ECTS by 31 August, the Immigration Office will inform the IND. Please note that in addition to reaching the minimum amount of credits, students are also required to be actively studying. This means that a student with a study permit must be following courses, attending lectures, and taking exams.

If you have questions about this requirement, please contact the UvA Immigration Office.

Minimal amount of credits

If you start your academic year in September, you will need to obtain at least 30 ECTS before 31 August of that academic year. Each year has a total study load of 60 ECTS. If you start your programme in February, you must obtain at least 15 ECTS by 31 August.

Preparatory programme

Students taking a preparatory programme (a pre-master, for example) must complete this programme within 12 months. Dispensation for the residence permit due to severe personal circumstances may be possible. Students need to check with the faculty of their study if an extension of their study programme is possible.

Dispensation

In case you won't be able to obtain the required number of ECTS due to valid reasons, you can submit the request for dispensation between 1 June and 31 July.

Only complete applications can be dealt with. (Medical) proof of the circumstance must be included in the request. If found to be necessary, the committee will invite a student for a hearing to discuss the request for dispensation. All these hearings will be held before 1 September.

The request must include:

• An explanation why you were not able to pass more than 30 ECTS, including actions taken to pass as many courses as possible.
• A study plan for current academic year and if applicable, next academic year.
• When (and if) you informed the study advisor or student counsellor of your study delay.
• Proof of (medical) circumstance. In English or Dutch. Medical proof from your own country or outside the Netherlands needs to be discussed with the student counsellor for approval. This proof cannot be attained after 1 August.
• A copy of residence permit (both sides).

Incomplete requests will be rejected. If you have questions, please contact the student counsellors

What happens if the UvA informs the IND?

Once the UvA has informed the IND of your insufficient study progress, you'll receive a letter from the IND notifying you of the decision to withdraw your permit. If you wish to contest this decision, you can appeal against it by following the instructions provided in the letter. If you do not submit an appeal, or if your appeal is not granted, you'll be required to leave the Netherlands within four weeks of receiving the decision letter from the IND. Keep in mind that the residence permit will still be cancelled retroactively if the appeal is not granted.

Graduating, and internship

If you will be graduating in the current academic year, the SPM regulation does not apply to you. You will obtain your diploma and will no longer be required to meet the minimum requirement of obtaining at least half of the ECTS per academic year.

If you are doing an internship for which you will receive ECTS at the end of the academic year, you don't have to take action. However, it is important that these ECTS are registered in SIS by 31 August. If you don't pass the internship and obtain less than half of the ECTS, the SPM regulation will apply to you.

Switching studies

If you're interested in switching to a different programme at the UvA, please note that you'll still need to obtain 30 ECTS credits to be eligible for a transfer. Additionally, the study progress monitoring requirements will still apply, even if you change programmes.

If you're considering transferring to a different educational institution, you'll need to contact that institution directly to arrange your residence permit based on study.

The binding study advice and study progress monitoring

There are two separate regulations that can affect your enrolment and residence permit. The Binding Study Advice (BSA) and Study Progress Monitoring (SPM). Please note that if you want dispensation for both SPM and BSA regulations, you must apply for dispensation separately for each regulation. Obtaining dispensation for one regulation does not automatically apply to the other regulation. Even if you are granted dispensation from the BSA requirement, Study Progress Monitoring still applies to you if you hold a study permit and therefore dispensation must also be requested for SPM.