A beautiful city but expensive August 20, 2026
By A student (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam / VU Amsterdam) - abroad from 02/01/2026 to 05/27/2026 with
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam: Amsterdam - Direct Enrollment & Exchange
It was my first time in Europe and living alone. I think I gained more independence, especially because I received less support from my home country's school and from my professors so I was pushed to take on more responsibility. I learned a lot about myself as a person so I found the experience to be worthwhile.
Personal Information
| How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? | 1 month - 6 months |
Review Your Program
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* Overall educational experience
Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc. |
Classes I took, as well as the exams, were academically rigorous, but I think the grading was more relaxed even though many advisors said the Netherlands grading system is harsh. |
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* Host Country Program Administration
On-site administration of your program |
Hosted some nice events to bring study abroad students together and offered free admission to many tourist destinations with guides. |
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* Housing:
How satisfied were you with your living arrangements? |
My housing was subpar and EXTREMELY expensive ($1300), and it only had a communal kitchen with rats. There were only 2 washers and 1 dryer for the entire building and some of the times 1/2 washers was broken. If you got locked out of your room past 4-5 PM you had to pay a lockout fee of 75 euros, and you had to wait 30 minutes for them to let you back into your room. There was also no security, and there was often a man drinking in our communal kitchen for hours at a time. The staff are nice but i found them to be unhelpful. I asked them how to get my security deposit, and they gave me misinformation, so it's currently taking 3 months to get my security deposit back. On the brightside, it was close to campus and you could make friends in the communal kitchen. |
| * Food: |
Food is very expensive and not that good. I cooked my own food most of the time. |
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* Social & Cultural Integration:
How integrated did you feel with the local culture? |
Dutch people are friendly but not open to making deep connections. They are especially unfriendly when you are on a bike, but I felt most Dutch when I was on a bike. Most people speak English so if you want to learn the Dutch language it's a bit difficult to practice. |
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* Health Care:
How well were health issues addressed during the program? |
No comment as I didn't seek any health care. |
| * Safety: |
I never felt unsafe here and the city is very clean. |
| If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? |
No
One of the main reasons why I wouldn't do this program again is that the housing that we were assigned (no other choice) was a horrible experience, and the city was much more expensive than I anticipated. I absolutely loved Amsterdam towards the end because I made wonderful friends that I wish I had met earlier in my program when I felt lonely and homesick. The country is beautiful, and the culture is very tolerant. |
Finances
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* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?
(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost) |
Amsterdam is very expensive. Groceries ran me around $80 a week. Transportation was somewhat expensive when I didn't have the option to bike. It was difficult to make friends and go out because food was expensive at restaurants and other activities also cost a lot of money. |
| Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? | $100 |
Language
| * Did your program have a foreign language component? | Yes |
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How much did the program encourage you to use the language?
0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language |
Offered a nice Dutch Language class. I loved my professor; he was so funny! |
| How would you rate your language skills at the beginning of the program? | None |
| How would you rate your language skills at the end of the program? | Beginner |
| What was the highest level language course you had completed prior to departure? | n/a |
| How many hours per day did you use the language? | 0 |
Direct Enrollment/Exchange
| * Did you study abroad through an exchange program or did you directly enroll in the foreign university? | Direct Enrollment |
Other Program Information
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* Where did you live?
Select all that apply |
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* Who did you live with?
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* Who did you take classes with?
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| About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with? | 0 |
A Look Back
| * What did you like most about the program? |
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| * What could be improved? |
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| * What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? | That I have to deregister as a resident of Amsterdam because it's an absolute pain to do from abroad. |
Reasons For Studying Abroad
| To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you. |
The Outright UrbaniteA social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country. |
