Admission
After your application via Studielink, you will receive an email with instructions explaining how the admission process works. Admission is a way to get to know each other: to see whether you are a good fit for the programme, and for you to see whether this programme is what you are looking for. On this page you can read what admission involves and what you need to submit.
What do we look for?
- Your motivation and general interest in the field of Graphic Design.
- Your portfolio and own work
Show what you have made. This can include drawings, paintings, photo series, animations, websites, furniture, clothing, posters, poetry, doodles, sketchbooks or mock-ups. Please do not bring only finished projects – also show designs and sketches that give us insight into your creative process. If your work cannot be transported, you can photograph or film it and present it on your laptop or tablet. We will first review everything without you, and then discuss it together with you. - The result of the home assignments
During the interview, we will discuss the results of the home assignments that you received from us when you applied.
First round
For the first round, you submit the questionnaire, home assignment(s) and portfolio. Based on this, you may be invited to the second round. The deadline is: 9 April 2026 (EU only).
Second round
The second round consists of an entrance exam. This takes place on-site or online.
Do you live in the Netherlands or are you able to travel to Arnhem? Have you completed all the steps in the application environment and is your upload complete? If so, you will receive an invitation to the admission day at the Rietveld Building in Arnhem. Please bring your portfolio containing a diverse range of (graphic) work, as well as your home assignments. On the day itself, you will be given new assignments to complete at the department. You will also have an interview in English with tutor(s) and student(s) from the GDA admissions team. The admissions day lasts approximately six hours.
The physical, in-person, admissions day for Graphic Design Arnhem will take place on Thursday 4 March 2027 for both EU and non-EU candidates. (Deadline 11 February 2027)
If it is impossible for you to travel to Arnhem from abroad, you can be selected for an online interview.
Next step if you are selected, you will receive an invitation, followed by an email containing another home assignment(s) approximately 24 hours before the interview. During the online interview, conducted in English (30 mins), you will present and discuss your results and portfolio.
Online admissions will take place from March 2027 onwards on various dates for EU and non-EU candidates. (Deadline 11 February 2027)
Result and validity
Tutors and students from the admissions team decide whether you have been admitted on artistic merit to the Graphic Design programme in Arnhem. Your application is then checked to ensure that all your qualifications and documents are in order for you to be admitted. You will receive the results within three working weeks of the admissions procedure.
Your admission is valid only for the programme you have applied for and for the academic year immediately following the admissions process. If you wish to apply for admission to a different programme, specialisation or location, you must apply separately.
If you wish to defer your admission to a later academic year, you may submit a request to the Examinations Board. Deferral is only possible if the programme agrees to it.