21+ Admission test
If you do not have the right previous education for a Bachelor's degree programme at HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, and you are 21 or older on your programme's start date, we can offer you a 21+ admission test.
Please note
You can take the 21+ admission test in English for our English-language Bachelor's degree programmes: Creative Business, International Business, Teacher Education in English, German, French and Spanish.
For our Dutch-language programmes, there is a 21+ admission test in Dutch.
How the 21+ admission test works
We use a Higher-Level Multicultural Capacity Test (MCT) to determine whether your knowledge and skills are of a sufficient level to complete a degree programme at our university. Your results are compared to those of a reference group. This means you don't have to achieve a perfect score for a positive result.
The Multicultural Capacity Test takes about 75 minutes to complete and consists of six components (sub-tests): word relations, word analogies, numerical skills, number sequences, exclusion and components.
Tests the extent to which you know the meaning of English words (vocabulary) and the ability to understand relations between words.
Tests the ability to reason verbally; the ability to discover a coherence between a number of verbal concepts.
Tests the ability to deal with numbers and level of insight into mathematical relations.
Tests your numerical reasoning skills: the ability to discover and recognise systems in symbolic, numerical matter.
Tests your logical reasoning: recognising class principles, the ability to make visual comparisons, to discover deviations and observe relevant details in figures.
This sub-test is mainly about the mental manipulation and transformation of (two-dimensional) shapes or figures. You have to be able to visualise how the shapes are affected by certain actions.
Want to prepare for the type of questions you can expect during the MCT-H test? Download the document with test examples to practice a question per subject.
Additional testing for the 21+ test
Some degree programmes of HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht are subject to a specific subject or profile requirement. This means such degree programmes demand a certain level of knowledge of a specific subject. Your knowledge of this subject is, therefore, tested as part of the 21+ admission test. In that case, you will have to take a deficiency test of the relevant subject in addition the MCT-H test.
The level of the deficiency tests is similar to the final examination for senior general secondary education. You can download the overview of required deficiency tests below.
Please note: HU does not offer preparatory courses for any of the tests.
An exemption for the additional/deficiency test
Do you have a relevant Dutch havo or vwo certificate? This may grant you an exemption from additional testing. Send a copy of your certificate to toelatingsonderzoek@hu.nl, quoting '21+ admission test', your name and Student-ID.
How to apply for the 21+ admission test
You can only take part in the 21+ admission test once your application is complete. A full application consists of two steps. First, you apply for a study programme via Studielink. After you've done this, you can register for the relevant test date. Read our General Terms and Conditions beforehand. You automatically agree with these general terms and conditions when you complete your payment.
- Go to Studielink and log in with your DigiD. If you don’t have a DigiD yet, apply for one on www.digid.nl;
- Select the degree programme you wish to follow and select your preferred start date.
Once you have completed this step, you can continue with step 2.
After completing step 1, you can submit an application for the 21+ admission test. You can register for a test opportunity for the 21+ admission test through Osiris Application. You’ll receive an email with further instructions on the email address which you registered in Studielink. In Osiris Application you leave your prior education blank or you can fill in Colloquium Doctum.
To register for the 21+ admission test, you must complete a digital questionnaire first. The questionnaire will also be sent to the mail address you listed in Studielink. After completing the questionnaire you will receive information about payment. Participation in the 21+ admission test costs € 125. Your registration is only complete when you have completed the questionnaire and payment.
If you didn’t receive an email or have any other questions, please contact toelatingsonderzoek@hu.nl.
All admission tests are held on Wednesday. Each test has limited capacity. When the capacity is reached, you'll have to apply for a later test date.
| Date 21+ admission test | Application deadline |
| 8 January 2025 | 18 December 2024 |
| 2 April 2025 | 19 March 2025 |
| 21 May 2025 | 7 May 2025 |
| 16 July 2025 | 2 July 2025 |
| 13 August 2025 | 30 July 2025 |
The results of your 21+ admission test
Within six working days after finishing your tests, you will receive an email from our testing partner NOA with your results. The report shows how you did, as well as the minimum requirements for admission to a degree programme at HU. Based on that, it explains whether you passed or failed the admission test. We only receive the final assessment, not the full report.
The result of the 21+ admission test is valid for up to two years and one month after you've taken the test. This means that if you take the test in August, the result can be used to apply for a study programme in September of that same year.
Please note: If you‘ve applied for our Teacher Education in English, German or French programmes, you‘ll receive an invitation for additional testing only after you‘ve passed the MCT-H.
Did you pass the 21+ test?
You didn't pass, what now?
In case you didn't pass the 21+ admission test, you can not start your study at the HU. You can try again by applying for another test date. You will have to pay again if you do.
However, we do stress that resitting a capacity test is of no use, normally. This test assesses your general level of capacity, for which you cannot prepare. Therefore, the result of a resit will typically be similar to the result of your first test.
Do you have questions?
If you have any questions about the 21+ admission test, send an e-mail, quoting your name and student number to toelatingsonderzoek@hu.nl. Don’t forget to mention your preferred degree programme and start date in your e-mail.
Send an e-mail