Admission at AKI ArtEZ

Not what is already finished, but what has potential to unfold.

During admissions, we do not look at perfection or technical mastery alone. We are curious about ideas, motivation, and an own way of seeing and making. The interview is about the work that is already there, but above all about the potential that becomes visible within it and the direction in which that can develop further. Collect your work and apply!

Apply
Experience AKI at the open day
Visitors view a large white abstract botanical relief in a bright minimalist gallery.

In 4 steps to your studies at AKI ArtEZ

Enrol via Studielink

Enrol via Studielink from 1 October for Crossmedia Design, Fine Art, Moving Image, or Studio+ at AKI ArtEZ in Enschede. You will receive an immediate confirmation and instructions by email.

Assemble your portfolio

Collect work from the past three years. Take not only finished work, but especially sketchbooks, preliminary studies, tests, and failed experiments. Choose approximately 15 to 20 works that show where your talent and interest lie. You share this portfolio digitally with us (PDF, MP4).

Admissions interview and results

For the admissions interview, you come to the academy in Enschede or we speak with each other online. You speak for 30 minutes with two lecturers about your work, fascinations, and motivation. No home assignment; your talent and work are central. Within a few working days, you will hear officially whether you have been admitted.

Guidance towards starting

After successful admission, you will receive further guidance through the final steps of enrolment, visa, and finances — and you get to know our student organisation KASA.
If you wish to transfer to us from another university, you may be eligible to enter into a higher year. We advise on this on an individual level.

What belongs in your portfolio?

  • Personal fascinations: Work made out of genuine curiosity, outside formal school assignments.
  • Process and sketchbooks: Bring preliminary sketches, notes, and trial pieces. The journey of doubt and discovery tells us more than a polished outcome.
  • Diverse media: Drawings, paintings, sculpture, photography, digital experiments, code, video, or creative writing.
  • Digital work: Bring a charged laptop or tablet so your digital projects can be viewed smoothly offline.
Open notebook pages filled with multicolored handwritten notes, arrows, network diagrams, and geometric sketches.

Frequently asked questions

That does not matter. Unfinished work and sketches show precisely how your thought process works. We assess your potential to grow.

Continuously between December and July. Because groups at AKI remain small, we advise you to apply as early as possible.

Certainly. During Open Days and portfolio advice hours (online), lecturers and students are happy to look along with you without obligation.

You pay statutory higher education tuition fees, and after the first year an own laptop is a meaningful investment. Materials in the classes are free of charge; should you need more materials outside that, some costs may arise in the workshops.

What do you need to get started?

Prior education

Minimum of MBO level 4, HAVO, or VWO. Any profile (culture, technology, economics) is welcome.

Foreign diplomas

For example German Abitur or Fachabitur; ArtEZ assesses equivalence.

Bilingual education

Our education is taught in Dutch or English. For students outside the EEA, an English language requirement of IELTS 6.0 applies.

Interested?

Apply now, visit us during an open day, or ask your question directly to the educational office.

Information & Application
Contact the Educational Office
Cookie settings