19 February 2024

Starting from the academic year 2024-2025, there will be a new annual schedule for the Psychology programmes. This means that the number of teaching weeks per block will lessen by one week. One of the reasons for the adjustment is that we wish to reduce study pressure in order to contribute to students' mental health. The more efficient distribution of teaching allows for shorter semesters and more education-low/lecture-free periods in Psychology's annual schedule. In addition, the summer holiday will commence several weeks earlier than before.

Reflect, prepare or have more free time

These lecture-free breaks can be used to relax, reflect on what you have learned in the past semester or prepare for the next semester. This time can also be used for other activities such as family visits, side jobs and extra-curricular workshops or training courses. In master's programmes, it remains possible to use this space for thesis projects or internships.

What will change for you

From academic year 2024-2025:

• the 3 October week will be used for regular teaching, with the exception of 3 October itself and any additional closing days (in 2024 this will be 4 October);
• the regular exams of block 2 will already take place in December, which means that the block finishes before Christmas, that the beginning of January will be lecture-free and that the resits of blocks 1 and 2 will take place in the second half of January;
• the resits of block 2 are scheduled in the second half of January and therefore fall within the first semester;
• after the exams of block 4, there will be some weeks without teaching before the resits of blocks 3 and 4 start;
• the summer holidays will commence earlier.

Fewer teaching weeks

Lectures will critically assess the course content and make adjustments to ensure that the course objectives will be met in fewer weeks, without increasing the weekly work load. This means that the same amount of material will not be offered in fewer weeks.

Publication of new timetable

As usual, the new timetable will be available in My Studymap from mid-June onwards.

More information

Want to know more about the background of the new schedule? Take a look at the website of the Dutch Government (in Dutch).