If you are already in the process of moving to Rotterdam this summer to start your first year at RBS, we wish you good luck with your preparations. This message is not meant for you. If on the other hand you intend on joining RBS while remaining in your home country, we strongly advise you to continue reading this message.
We are very glad to announce that from the start of the academic year in September at least one of our two RBS buildings will reopen. The limit on how many people can gather in buildings has finally been lifted by the Dutch government. Although the social distancing rule of 1,5 meter will remain in place, this means that a number of your classes will be offline again. That is why we want to make clear that we expect all first-year EU students to come to Rotterdam in time in September and join both our online and offline activities. The possibility to follow the RBS program 100% online is something we offer in principle only to non-EU students. This is because as long as consulates and embassies remain closed, it is not possible for most of them to obtain the visa they need to come to the Netherlands. So if you don’t need a visa to join your fellow students in Rotterdam, you are expected to be here in September when the program starts.
Staying in your home country does not only mean you will miss out on international student life and making new friends. You will also not be part of the many offline activities we will organise for you at our excellent Kralingse Zoom location. Activities that will mostly focus on socialising, coaching and collaboration, three important ingredients of study success. You also need to realise that not all exams will be online. Furthermore there is the risk of you having trouble to find housing when you finally decide to come to Rotterdam after all. At the moment there is still a broad range of rooms available, but you can expect that to change fast in the next few months. You can check availability by sending an e-mail to coia-housing@hr.nl. For further information about entry requirements send an e-mail to coia-admission@hr.nl.
We expect you to make the right decision and are looking forward to meeting you in our exciting city.