Admission Dutch Students

1st round: The consultation

During a consultation, your possible suitability for our academy will be assessed and discussed during an interview with a teacher. If your work receives a positive assessment, you pass on to the second admission round; the entrance examination, and the teacher will give you the application form to apply for the entrance exam. NOTE: we strongly advise you to study our complete website and at least take note of our academy philosophy (which can be found at menu option About) before attending your consultation.

Bring a wide variety of work to the consultation, as diverse as possible, preferably no older than three years. Do not just bring along final results: initial sketches, ideas and plans can also provide insight and give direction to the interview. Be sure to bring plenty of work to the consultation, at least 20 pieces. These can be drawings, sketches, design sketches, sketch books, paintings, photographs, collages, graphics, textiles, garments, ceramics, items of jewellery, floor plans, models and, if applicable, texts. You can show photographs of heavy or large pieces that are difficult to bring along (tip: put a pencil next to your work when you photograph it). NOTE: when applying for the basic year, it is important to show work that is not too one-sided, so not only photography or only graphic work, but also 'free work'. Internet presentations will not be considered during the consultation. CDs and DVDs can only be shown if you bring your own laptop.

To maximise your chances, come to the first consultations before the Christmas break. During the consultation, you will receive recommendations on how to prepare for the entrance examination (second round of the selection procedure). If you come early, you will have more time to prepare for the examination. There will also be more time to answer questions during the earlier consultations.

2nd round: The entrance examination

All candidates must attend the entrance examination and apply for them by sending back the filled out application form (issued after completing the first admission round). The Basicyear entrance exams will be scheduled in the week of March 20-24, 2017 (with an extra round 18-21 April 2017 for those who really cannot attend in March), the DOGtime examinations will be scheduled on 18 & 20 April 2017 (with an extra round in May for those who cannot attend in April). Examinations for higher course year applicants will be scheduled in the week of May 15-19, 2017. A few weeks before the examination, all applicants who sent us the application form to apply for the entrance exam will receive an invitation by e-mail. Candidates for the first bachelor course year will also recieve two home assignments. The entrance exam consists of an admission interview with one or two separate admissions committees. During these interviews, you will present a large and varied selection of your visual work, no more than 3 years old. Based on your presentation, the committees will ask you questions, for instance on your work, the homework assignments, your motivation, your background, your sources of inspiration and your expectations of the study programme. The interviews will take a maximum of 20 minutes. Before the examination, you will have a little time to set up your work in the classroom in which the examination takes place. You will receive the results by e-mail one month after the after the exam week.

Application higher course year

In principle, all candidates who have studied at an art academy at bachelor level for at least 1 year, can apply for a higher course year. If you have completed at least 1 bachelor course year at an art academy in one of the following countries, you can also skip the 1st admission round:

Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Norway, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Ireland

Send an e-mail, from November 2016, but definitely before end March 2017, with a scanned copy of having completed the 1st bachelor year of studies at an institute for art/design in one of the above listed countries, with an overview of completed subjects, obtained ECTS credits (at least 60) and your address, you will be sent an application form to officially apply for the entrance examinations. Send your proof in JPEG or PDF format to apply@rietveldacademie.nl and make sure your attachments do not exceed 8 MB. This way, you can skip the first admission round and will not have to attend a consultation, or submit your portfolio for assessment first.

If you are still studying in the first bachelor course year at your art academy, or have studied at an art academy in a country that is not on the above mentioned list, you can still apply for a higher year (assuming that you will complete the 1st bachelor year of studies before starting your studies at our academy), but you cannot skip the first admission round and are obliged to attend a consultation, or, if that is not possible, submit your portfolio for assessment first. After a positive assessment during the 1st round, you would then pass on to the 2nd admission round: the entrance exam.