and Flanders, and has consistently been in the top 5 in Elsevier Magazine’s survey among Dutch institutes of higher education. It is also rated positively by students in the annual National Student Survey (Nationale Studentenenquête or NSE). Academic calendar The academic year begins in the last week of August or first week of September and is divided in two semesters of 15 weeks (including one week Mid-term Break). Each semester a student takes 4 courses. There is an optional 5-week Summer Term, during which a student takes one course that can be used to acquire extra credit, to do a special course (such as a Laboratory Course), or to compensate for a failed course. Courses After their first year students elect a major in either Humanities, Social Sciences, Sciences, a double major in any two of these or an interdepartmental major in a combination of these. In the latter cases a student will have to make a convincing argument to the Director of Education. There are two double degree programmes on offer, combining the University College Utrecht curriculum with a degree in Law, or a degree in Physics. Students are allowed to combine courses from different disciplines, thereby encouraging multidisciplinary research and interests. In any major a student needs to take 10 courses, of which three at the advanced level and in at least two different fields of study. This will lead to the BA degree (Bachelor of Arts). A BSc degree (Bachelor of Science) requires 12 courses in the Sciences department, the extra two courses being two lab courses to be taken in the Summer or Third term. Furthermore, a student is required to take at least one course in each department, learn one new foreign language, and pass the core course Research in Context, and one course appropriate to the major. Each course is worth 7.5 ECTS credits. There is continuous assessment based on papers/essays, presentations, class participation and exams. Grades are on the A-F scale (A being equivalent to a GPA of 4.0). First year courses are not factored into the students final grade point average. Exchange programmes Apart from taking courses at other universities in the Netherlands, students have the opportunity to go on exchange to universities worldwide. University College Utrecht also accepts incoming exchange students from partner universities. Alumni University College Utrecht alumni are represented by the University College Alumni Association (UCAA). Fees The following