Utrecht School of the Arts

HKU University of the Arts Utrecht offers preparatory courses, bachelor's and master's programmes and research degrees in fine art, design, music, theatre, media, games and interaction and arts management. 

HKU University of the Arts Utrecht is internationally oriented and involved in numerous international programmes and projects. HKU maintains contact with almost 200 educational institutions abroad for the purpose of exchanging lecturers, students and projects. Almost 20% of the students come from outside the Netherlands. Foreign students can attend HKU as a regular student, an exchange student in programmes such as Erasmus, a bilateral exchange programme or as an MA, MPhil or PhD student.

• HKU Design

  HKU Design trains designers to view our ever-changing world and everyday tangible reality with curious eyes and in their own way, in order to make our habitat a bit better or more beautiful.

• HKU Theatre

  HKU Theatre is the place to study, experience and practice different disciplines of the theater world.

• HKU Fine Art

  HKU Fine Art trains students to become artists and teachers. With their work, initiatives and concepts they play a vanguard role in the professional field and add value to national and international (visual) arts and education.

• HKU Media

  Are you ready to get started with animation, film, drawing, illustration, photography or graphic design? Do you want to discover, experiment and collaborate? At HKU Media you will learn to tell and present critical, artistic and intriguing stories professionally. 

  We find it important that students make full use of multiple media platforms and be able to apply the latest technological and artistic insights. We help students search for new forms of storytelling to convey the story as powerful as possible.

• HKU Music and Technology

  Music, sound and system design are the three pillars of HKU Music and Technology. As music design focuses on composition and music production, sound design focuses on the design of the sounds themselves and their applications, and system design is aimed at developing and applying technology for music and sound design. All this in a wide variety of situations and contexts such as games, theater, advertising, stages, film and television, but also social sectors such as care, education, security and cultural heritage.

• HKU Art and Economics

  Here you will find everything about education in art and economics, marketing and entrepreneurship within the arts, culture and creative industries.

• HKU Utrechts Conservatorium

  The programmes at HKU Utrechts Conservatorium guide you towards your future career as a performing musician, teacher, conductor, producer or composer.

• HKU Games and Interaction

  The demand for game and interaction designers is growing strongly and in recent years there is a growing need for specialist designers who can work together with other relevant disciplines. HKU Games and Interaction focuses on designing interaction with people through games, websites, mobile phones and other technologies.

The bachelor's programmes are accredited under Dutch law and meet the Dutch standards of the NVAO (Nederlandse Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie).

The HKU Master of Music and Master of Arts in Fine Art and Design programmes are accredited under Dutch law and meet the Dutch academic standards of the NVAO (Nederlandse Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie). 

This also applies to the Dutch spoken masters Master of Interior Architecture and the Master of Education in Arts.

Courage is something we appreciate and foster. The courage to keep your critical eye for the content and boundaries of your own discipline. What we ask of our students is an explorative attitude, an enterprising spirit and the will to opt for your own individual passion. We offer you the chance to discover and develop your talent.

As a HKU student, during your course you will be working on commissions for customers in the working field. These may be commercial companies or non-profit organisations and cultural initiatives.

That way, you learn hands on where your strengths lie and what you can offer the world as a designer, lecturer, producer or performer. HKU produces creative professionals and entrepreneurs with initiative who know where their chances lie, both nationally and internationally.
We work with renowned art and cultural educational institutions in Europe, Africa, Japan and the US, so you have a wide choice of opportunities for exploring international developments in your discipline.

We consider it important for you to learn to present your work in a professional setting. HKU has its own Academy Theatre, concert halls and an Academy Gallery in Utrecht’s city centre. Experimenting in presenting your work in these venues during your course gives you the opportunity to evolve step by step into a professional.

The campus system does not exist in the Netherlands. Students must find their own accommodation. Utrecht, a relatively small student city, has the housing problems of any major city in Europe. This means that not everyone can live in the city centre close to the buildings of HKU University of the Arts Utrecht. Most students live in a radius of about 20 minutes (by bike) from school. Rents in Utrecht vary between € 375 to € 700 per month.

Housing options

These are the most common types of student housing:

•  Students houses, where each student has their own room and you share the bathroom and kitchen.
•  Student housing, mostly double rooms with shared facilities.
•  Landlords/ladies. Students rent one room and share the kitchen/bathroom with the owner of the house.

Finding student housing

Here are some tips and suggestions when looking for housing. Pay attention to the following aspects before deciding on a room:

•  Is it a room in someone's house or will you be sharing with other tenants?
•  Can you access your own room easily, or do you need to first go through someone else's room?
•  Are there cooking facilities?
•  Are there decent sanitary facilities?
•  Does the rent include gas, water and electricity?
•  Is the room worth the price? (There is a statutory points system that sets maximum rents for rooms.)
•  Will you receive a proper rental contract / agreement?

What is hospiteren?

Hospiteren is a system used in many Dutch student houses to find a new housemate. Current occupants invite people responding to their advertisement for an introduction.  The housemates then decide which person would best fit in their home. Generally you will be asked a number of questions about your hobbies, education, sports or other habits. 

Be yourself and ask questions as well. It is an excellent opportunity to find out if the room and housemates suit you.

Rental Agreement

Did you find a room? A rental agreement will offer you some protection and is binding for both parties. Without a rental agreement you basically have unofficial accommodation. This will give problems when you attempt to register at City Hall. This can also have negative consequences for your residence permit and your HKU enrolment.

• HKU University of the Arts Utrecht is at the heart of the cultural and student life of Utrecht. With more than 3,900 students, HKU University of the Arts Utrecht is one of the largest art and culture-oriented institutes in Europe.
• At HKU, you will get plenty of opportunity to work with professional artists, the business community and intermediary organisations. You will therefore not only be trained in an art discipline, but you will also take your first steps on the road to becoming a professional creative entrepreneur.
• HKU is in the midst of society. We deploy applied research to enable us to focus on developing creative and technological solutions for, for example, healthcare, education, the cultural sector and the design of public spaces. The aim of these research projects is to contribute to the further development of the fields of work for which we are training students. Many of our research projects are on the cutting edge of various disciplines. We encourage future designers, creators and producers to develop research skills to help them see past the borders of their own disciplines. We conduct various research projects in collaboration with international institutions for art education.
• International collaboration is a high priority for the creative industry and for HKU. In recent years, HKU has entered into alliances with educational and research establishments, companies and governments in various parts of the world. These alliances entail student exchanges, internships, lecturer exchanges, research collaborations, education and research. Other forms of collaboration are also possible.