Location

Radboud Universiteit is located in the city of Nijmegen in The Netherlands. As the oldest town in the Netherlands, Nijmegen has a special charm. It boasts a dynamic city center, with ten museums, dozens of art galleries, a concert hall, a theatre, and cinemas. The number of pubs, pavement cafes and restaurants is striking. Nestled in the midst of beautiful countryside in the east central part of the country, Nijmegen is an ideal base from which to explore the bustling Dutch cities to the west, and the large cities of Germany to the east. Road and railway links to all of them are excellent: Amsterdam, Rotterdam, the Hague, Cologne and Düsseldorf can all be reached within 1 ½ hours.

Academics

Radboud is an excellent location for English Literature majors, as well as: Business, Economics, French, Spanish, German, Human Geography, Psychology, and American Studies. The following departments teach very few courses in English, but is possible to find a course or two: History, Political Science, Art History, Linguistics, Sociology, Anthropology, Philosophy, Religious Studies.

Radboud prefers a 2.8 GPA or higher, but may consider GPAs above 2.5 on a case by case basis.

Radboud’s Academic Term:

  • Fall runs from early September through late December
  • Spring runs from late January through early July.
  • There are two 7-week periods each semester (periods 1 & 2 in the fall, and periods 3 & 4 in the spring). In the spring, some courses last both period, others may only run for one period. The course descriptions note the periods that the course runs. Plan on being there for the full spring semester.

Course Selection & Credit Transfer

To choose your courses, review Radboud’s online course catalog. Courses offered during the fall semester are listed as periods 1 and 2. Courses offered during the spring semester are periods 3 and 4.

Radboud’s course catalog lists both undergraduate and graduate level courses. Undergraduate courses have a B in the subject code like “B” for Bachelor (ie. ETCB or AMB). Course numbers that begin with a 1 are similiar to 100 and 200 level courses in the U.S. Course numbers beginning with a 2 are similiar to 200 and 300 level courses. Most B1, B2 and B3 courses are open to study abroad students but a B3 would be heavy for a junior and a B1 would be light for a sophomore.

The credit load for Radboud is unique. USM students earn 15 credits regardless of the number of courses taken. Most students take three or four courses at Radboud and earn 5 or 3.75 credits per course. 

Helpful Links

Additional Information

Radboud guarantees housing for exchange students from partner schools such as USM.

There are three types of housing available to students who study abroad at Radboud Universiteit. Students cannot select one type of housing over the other. They are placed according to the availability of space. Students studying at Nijmegen will complete an application for housing and receive a confirmation of their housing assignment prior to departure. Listed below are the three options which are currently available:

  • The first type of housing is in Residence Halls. These halls are occupied by students only. While they do belong to the University, they are not located on campus like many American Universities. These halls are located throughout the city, but all are close to bus lines which run back and forth from the campus. They are typical of European Residence Halls in which the student has his or her own room, but would share a kitchen and bathroom with the other students on that particular floor.
  • The second type of housing is in a “student house.” These do not belong to the University. They are rooms from Dutch students who are studying abroad at the time. Usually they are in or near the city center. It is a house where only students live. Each student has his or her own room and they share a bathroom and a kitchen. Usually four to six people live in one house.
  • The third type of housing is similar to the American system of “renting a room.” Typically the landlord has his or her private quarters on the ground-floor, while two or more students live upstairs in their own private rooms.
  • Catering: Radboud University does not have a meal plan. However, every house or hall has cooking facilities which are shared with the other students. There is a cafeteria on-campus where the food is good and cheap, so this is a possibility when students do not have time to cook.

Cost

Students attending Radboud University for a semester will be charged for 15 credits of in-state tuition and academic fees. Students pay for all other costs locally.  

Student Visas

American citizens who intend to stay in the Netherlands for a period longer than three months (90 days) should apply for a temporary residence permit (so called ‘VTV’) within 3 days after arrival in the Netherlands at the local Alien Police of the municipality in which he or she will be staying. The cost for a VTV is approximately $600 US dollars.

Before departing the US, students should read the instructions on applying for this permit carefully as they will need to present very specific information at the time of their application including the ability to pay for their stay in The Netherlands, proof of health insurance and a LEGALIZED Birth Certificate.

For more information on the process and what other documents you
will need visit the link here