VU LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY TEST

Are you enrolling in a Bachelor’s programme at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam? At VU Amsterdam, first-year students are required to take either the Dutch or English language proficiency test in the second week of the first term. The test you will be required to take depends on the language of instruction of your Bachelor’s programme.

Language proficiency test 2026: on campus

This year, the language proficiency test will take place from Monday, September 7 to Friday, September 11, 2026 in different exam halls on the VU campus.

You do not have to register for this test. The education office of your faculty will sign you up. When you are registered, you will find the date and time of the test on your personal schedule. You can find the location of your test on Canvas. Can't find the language test in your schedule? Please contact the student desk. If you are not registered by September 3rd, please contact the education office of your faculty. In the meantime, check your personal schedule to find out when your test is scheduled.

It is important to remember your VUnet ID and associated password. You need this information to log into the test. Tip: use this link to change your password into one that is easy to remember.

Frequently asked questions

It is more difficult to achieve good results if you do not have a good command of the language in which courses are taught. A strong command of language has a positive impact on your academic performance. This is why the VU language test is mandatory for all first-year Bachelor’s students.

Are you a later-year undergraduate student who has not yet taken or passed the language test? Contact the Educational Office of your faculty, as they need to sign you up for the test in order to have a test ready for you.

Have you already taken the language test, but have you not passed it? Then you will have to take the refresher course. In that case, contact us (Taalloket). You are not allowed to take the language test a second time.

The test will take place in week 37, between Monday 7 September and Friday 11 September 2026. Check your individual schedule to see when you will take the test and check Canvas to see where you will take the test. You will be signed up for the test by your faculty and do not need to register for it yourself.

It takes most students 1,5-2 hours to complete the test. You can leave the test as soon as you finish. The maximum time for the test is two hours and 45 minutes.

The test consists of multiple-choice and open questions on the following topics:

grammar
spelling and punctuation
structures
vocabulary and word choice
phrasing

In addition to these topics, the English test also assesses:

reading comprehension
pronunciation
classroom English

Both the Dutch and the English test consist of 200 questions.

You do not need to prepare for the test. The test gauges your language proficiency based on the level that a high school graduate should possess prior to embarking on an academic career.

During the VU introduction days there are workshops planned, on August 25th:

Klaar voor de Taaltoets NL: 09.30 - 10.30
Ready for the English language test: 10.45 - 11.45

The location will be shared later.

The test is part of a compulsory course within your programme. Results are divided into three categories: High, Average and Low. Students who score in the low category on the language test (lower than 69% for Dutch and lower than 68% for English) will not yet receive credits for the associated course, and they will be required to take an English refresher course. They will only receive credits for the bachelor course once they have completed the refresher course and met all other course requirements. Participation in the refresher course is by no means optional.

See the roadmap here.

The test is compulsory for all first-year Bachelor’s students at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. You are only eligible for an exemption from the VU language proficiency test if you have taken and passed it previously, or if you have completed the VU refresher course in a previous year. The exemption is granted automatically, you do not have to do anything for this. This happens from the end of August until the second week of classes.

Please note: The exemption only applies to the same language in which you took the test! So, did you take an English language test in a previous year and are you now following a Dutch language course or vice versa? Then you do have to take the language test again.

Even if you have already taken a language proficiency test to gain admission to VU Amsterdam, you are still required to take the university’s own test. The English language proficiency test at VU Amsterdam has a different purpose: it is a compulsory part of every Bachelor's degree programme, designed to determine whether you need extra support with your language skills.

If you have dyslexia, a disability, or a chronic illness, you are still required to take the VU language proficiency test. Extra time is included in the alloted test time, meaning you don't have to arrange extra test time if you have a disability. If you need a customized workspace during the VU language proficiency test, please send an email to taalloket@taalcentrum-vu.nl

With this particular test, it is not a problem if the test does not appear in your schedule. You do not have to register for this test. The education office of your faculty will sign you up. When you are registered, you will find the date and time of the test on your personal schedule. You will find the location of your test in Canvas. If you are not registered by September 3rd, please contact the student desk. In the meantime, check the timetable of your programme to find out when your test is scheduled.

Generally, you must have your student card at hand to take a test. We make an exception for the language proficiency test, however, because not all students have received their card this early in the academic year. If you do not have a student card, make sure you can show a valid government-issued ID.