English

In order to be admitted to a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme at the Royal Conservatoire, you need to have sufficient command of the English language, with the exception of the study 'Docent Muziek and Docent Muziek verkort'.

EU/EEA students

If you have the nationality of an EU/EEA country, United Kingdom, Switzerland or Surinam and during the admission procedure it is concluded that your command of the English language is insufficient, an English language course will be mandatory. In that case, you will be required to follow an English language course during the first study year and obtain a certificate of proficiency.

Non-EU/EEA students

If you have the nationality of a country outside the EU/EEA¹ and are admitted to a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme or preparatory year, you must demonstrate in due time that your level of the English language is sufficient. You can demonstrate this with your score on any of the following English language proficiency tests: IELTS, TOEFL, TOEIC or Cambridge English (FCE/CAE/CPE). The test scores are valid for two years and your score must be valid on 1 September of the academic year in which you start your studies.

The Royal Conservatoire can only submit the application for an entry visa (MVV) and/or residence permit (VVR) for you, when we have received the required result of your English language test! It means that you have to submit this result as soon as possible after you have been notified on your admission! ²

The minimum requirement for a Bachelor's or Master's programme is IELTS 6.0.
The minimum requirement for a preparatory year is IELTS 5.0.
Certificates from the Institutional TOEFL test, the TOEFL ITP test, the TOEFL ITP Plus for China or other language proficiency tests will not be accepted!

For comparison with the scores of other accepted English language tests than IELTS, the below table is used.



For more details regarding the national requirements with regard to the English language proficiency of international students in the Netherlands, see Code of Conduct International Student Higher Education (article 4.2) (PDF) and Language Test Appendix to the Code of Conduct January 2024 (PDF).

¹ With exception of Australia, Canada, New-Zealand, South Africa, Surinam, Switzerland, United Kingdom of Great Britain and United States of America

² Exception: candidates who are admitted for the study programme Bachelor Dance may still submit the required result of an English language test until September 1st.

Dutch

Dutch for international students
Besides a good command of the English language, basics of the Dutch language is also important. International students at the Royal Conservatoire therefore have the option of following a Dutch language course during their first study year. These Dutch language courses are offered during the first and second semester and are also open to exchange students.

Docent Muziek

An NT2 level of the Dutch language is required for the Bachelor Docent Muziek and Docent Muziek Verkort programs. People without the Dutch nationality need to do an exam. More information can be found here.