Erasmus University College is a small public, highly selective, undergraduate liberal arts and sciences college located in the city centre of Rotterdam, South Holland. It is an honors program of the Erasmus University Rotterdam that started in 2013 with 85 students in four departments: Economics and Business, Humanities, Life Sciences and the Social and Behavioural Sciences. The student population has grown to over 650 over the past six years. Due to the size of the first-year accommodation at Stadhuisplein, only 218 students are admitted each year. Furthermore, it is the only university college program in the Netherlands with an economics and business department, for which it draws upon the resources of the Erasmus University, highly ranked worldwide in both fields.
History
Erasmus University College is the undergraduate honors college of Erasmus University Rotterdam and was founded in 2013. Erasmus University Rotterdam traces its origins back to 1913. The very first year of EUC was chaotic because of several reasons. One of them is that the campus building was not completed in time and as a result students had to go to different buildings through the year to have classes.
Academics
Students at Erasmus University College receive a degree from Erasmus University Rotterdam, which consistently ranks among the best universities in the Netherlands. Erasmus University Rotterdam has been listed among the top 100 universities in the world by Times Higher Education, Quacquarelli Symonds and Financial Times. Erasmus University College, unlike other Dutch universities, imposes entrance requirements with aptitude tests, interviews and motivation letters being part of the application process. The first year consists of an Academic Core of multidisciplinary courses and academic skills, after which students specialize in a major that belongs to one of the departments: humanities, social & behavioural sciences, economics & business, or life sciences. All education is problem-based. Year one consists of courses that develop students’ general knowledge and academic skills such as academic research, writing, and presenting and offers students a chance to explore all disciplines. At the end of the first year, the students choose a major in one of the 4 departments, all of which require the student to take a unique combination of courses that prepares the student for a master program in that particular major. During the course of the second and third year, students follow the courses that are required for their major, but are also required to follow courses outside their major. This makes the program especially challenging, but the students that graduate EUC leave with both the specific knowledge and skills that a regular bachelor program offers, and a wider range of knowledge and skills from other disciplines. A student that graduated with a major in economics for example has all the knowledge and skills required for a master program in economics, but may also have followed courses in business, politics, and philosophy.
Tuition and scholarships
The tuition fee of Erasmus University College is nearly twice as much the regular fee of €2143 that is required by other Dutch universities. There are several scholarships students may apply for when attending EUC, one of them being the Rotterdam Talent Scholarship.
Location
Erasmus University College is located in the center of Rotterdam. The college sits on the Nieuwemarkt square, nestled between the market area, the Pannekoekstraat, and the shopping area of the Meent. EUC students can use all other facilities at Erasmus University as well. Current first year EUC students live nearby in EUC's student accommodation, located on Stadhuisplein. In the near future, EUC wishes to expand into a full grown city campus.
Architecture
The original building of Erasmus University College used to be the Central Library of Rotterdam, which was constructed between 1917 and 1923. The building was designed by D.B. Logemann with the help of Nicolaas Lansdorp and Johannes Poot. The design of the building was influenced by the building of the 'Amsterdamse School', with decorative brickwork, a bell tower, and the luxurious interior woodwork and natural stonework typical of the time. The building somehow escaped destruction in the German bombardment of Rotterdam in 1940, though it did lose its bell tower in the aftermath. As one of the very few remaining buildings in the city center, the Central Library played host to the city planners that were tasked with rebuilding Rotterdam. Before the building was transformed into a university, the building served as a museum and a center for children's education. In 2011, the City of Rotterdam and Erasmus University agreed on a plan to bring the college to the city center and announced the coming of Erasmus University College to the building. The building was renovated following the design of architect Erick van Egeraat. The expenses of the renovation cost roughly more than 20 million euros.
