Failing Medical School in the Netherlands? What to Do After a Negative BSA (2026)
02.10.2026
Short answer
Failing medical school in the Netherlands? Negative BSA, appeal within six weeks or stuck before clerkships: your rights and the way back as a doctor.
Binding study advice
In short: Under the Dutch Higher Education and Research Act a university may issue a binding study advice (bindend studieadvies, BSA) at the end of the first year. In Medicine the norm is 45 to 60 of the 60 first-year credits, depending on the university. Below the norm your enrolment ends.
The exact norm and the list of courses that count are in the teaching and examination regulations (OER) of your programme. The university has to warn you during the year if you are at risk. Students usually receive this warning after the first exam period.
A negative BSA is tied to the university. You may not re-enrol in Medicine there for a period the university sets, usually several years.
| Point | Rule in the Netherlands |
|---|---|
| BSA norm | 45 to 60 of 60 credits in year one, set by the university |
| Negative BSA | No re-enrolment in Medicine at that university for several years |
| Appeal | Examination Appeals Board, within six weeks |
| New place | Selection for the numerus fixus, limited attempts |
| Clerkships | Only with a completed bachelor |
Appeal
In short: You can appeal a negative BSA to the Examination Appeals Board (College van Beroep voor de Examens) of your university within six weeks. The university must take personal circumstances into account, such as illness, disability, pregnancy or family events, if you reported them to the study adviser in time.
- Report early: circumstances you mention only after the negative advice carry little weight.
- Ask for a hearing: before the final advice you have the right to be heard.
- Deregister before 1 February: students who stop in time in the first year usually receive no BSA and keep the option of a later return.
- Provisions: with dyslexia, ADHD or a chronic illness you can request extra exam time through the student dean.
Selection attempts
In short: Medicine is a numerus fixus programme at every Dutch university. After a negative BSA a place elsewhere in the Netherlands requires a new selection, you can apply to one Medicine programme per year, and the number of times you may take part is limited.
A second Dutch start also means year one again. A transfer abroad looks at the credits you have earned and does not send you back through a selection day.
Later years
In short: After the first year Dutch law sets no fixed number of exam attempts, and the OER of your programme decides how many resits you get per year. The hard line is the bachelor: without all 180 credits you cannot start the master with its clerkships.
One open bachelor exam can therefore cost a full year, and exam results can lose their validity if the regulations limit it. Students who are two exams short of the bachelor are a group we hear from every summer.
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BSA at risk? Check your options before the advice arrives
We transfer you to medical schools in other EU countries whose degree is recognised in the Netherlands. In a free consultation we check which of them accept your passed courses and plan your route back.
Book a free transfer consultationWhy students get stuck
In short: Medical students in the Netherlands who miss the BSA rarely lack ability. They were chosen in a selection with several applicants per place. The usual reasons are a hard landing in the first months, burnout, depression or anxiety, a family crisis, a side job and an undiagnosed learning difference.
The first year leaves little room: a move to a new city, block exams every few weeks and a norm that forgives one bad block at most.
None of this means you chose the wrong profession. I started dental medicine in Sofia in 2015, at 24, and graduated in 2021. A slower start says nothing about the doctor you will become.
Switch early
In short: In the Netherlands the best moment to plan a transfer is spring of the first year, when you can see whether the BSA norm is still within reach. Credits earned up to the summer still count abroad. After a negative BSA a transfer is still possible.
- You received a warning after the first exam period.
- You can no longer reach the norm even if every resit is passed.
- You hold a negative BSA.
- You are stuck before the clerkships for a second year.
If one of these applies to you, book a free transfer consultation now rather than after the last resit.
Next four weeks
- Week 1: read the OER, add up your credits and check what the resits can still bring.
- Week 1 to 2: see the study adviser and put your personal circumstances on record.
- Week 2 to 3: if anxiety, low mood or reading speed play a part, contact the student psychologist and the student dean.
- Week 3 to 4: order a certified transcript in English and collect the course descriptions of all passed courses.
- Before the final advice: book a free transfer consultation and compare an appeal with a transfer and a planned return to the Netherlands.
Transfer within the EU
In short: A transfer from a Dutch medical programme to an English-taught medical school in another EU country is possible, and Medschool Experts organises it. The receiving university assesses your transcript and course descriptions. Which universities fit you, and which year you can enter, depends on your profile.
A study transfer is a complicated undertaking. Every university checks hours, content and syllabi in its own way, and the documents have to arrive in exactly the right form. Our experts have almost ten years of experience with study transfers, and we regularly achieve placements into higher years, at times Year 4 or Year 5.
Dutch student finance can go with you: under the residence rule of three out of the last six years, the loan and the supplementary grant are available for a full degree abroad.
Free transfer consultation
Transfer abroad, return to the Netherlands: check your options
Send us your transcript. We tell you which EU universities accept your courses, which year you can enter and how your route back looks, step by step. Free and without obligation.
Check my transfer optionsReturning to the Netherlands
In short: Yes, you can come back. A medical degree from another EU country is recognised in the Netherlands under Directive 2005/36/EC. You register in the BIG register and can then work as a doctor and apply for specialist training.
There is no knowledge test for EU degrees, and as a Dutch speaker you already meet the language requirement. What matters is that your degree gives full access to the profession in the country where you graduate, and we choose your university with exactly that in mind.
Free transfer consultation
Plan your way back to the Netherlands from day one
Your BIG registration depends on where and how you graduate. We choose your university with exactly that in mind and show you the timeline in a free consultation.
Book a free transfer consultationCosts
In short: The statutory tuition fee in the Netherlands is about €2,700 a year, and a room in Amsterdam, Utrecht or Leiden easily costs €9,000 a year on top. Tuition at European medical schools starts at about €3,500 a year, and living costs in many Central and Eastern European cities are €5,000 to €8,000.
How we help
Medschool Experts reviews your transcript and course descriptions in a free transfer consultation, finds EU medical schools that fit your profile, prepares the application and the documents, and plans your route back to the Netherlands. More than 500 students have been placed so far. The first step is always a free transfer consultation.
The author's view
The Dutch system makes its hardest decision after twelve months, at an age when many students have just moved out for the first time. I find that early. At 19 I would not have met a 60-credit norm in a new city either.
I started dental medicine in Sofia in 2015 at 24 and graduated in 2021. A negative BSA says that one year at one university went wrong. It says very little about year four, and that is why I advise Dutch students to look across the border before they spend their selection attempts.
Summary
Failing medical school in the Netherlands mostly happens in the first year, through a negative binding study advice. It blocks Medicine at your university for years, and another Dutch place requires a new selection with limited attempts.
A transfer to a medical school in another EU country is possible, the degree is recognised in the Netherlands, and you register in the BIG register. We plan that route home with you from the first day.
Conclusion
If your credits are short in spring, do not wait for the letter in summer. The transfer consultation is free, and it shows you which EU universities accept the courses you have already passed and how you come back to the Netherlands as a doctor. Book your free transfer consultation.
Failing medical school in the Netherlands: 7 questions and answers
What is a negative BSA in Medicine?
A binding study advice issued at the end of the first year if you have not reached the credit norm. It ends your enrolment in Medicine at that university.
How many credits do I need for the BSA?
Between 45 and 60 of the 60 first-year credits, depending on the university. The exact norm is in the teaching and examination regulations of your programme.
Can I appeal a negative BSA?
Yes. You can appeal to the Examination Appeals Board of your university within six weeks. Personal circumstances such as illness or family events are taken into account if you reported them in time.
Can I start Medicine at another Dutch university after a negative BSA?
Only through the selection for the numerus fixus again, and the number of times you may take part in a selection is limited.
Can I transfer to a medical school in another EU country?
Yes. Medschool Experts organises transfers to medical schools in other EU countries. The receiving university assesses your transcript and course descriptions, and the year of entry depends on your profile.
Is a medical degree from another EU country recognised in the Netherlands?
Yes. It is recognised under Directive 2005/36/EC, and you register as a doctor in the BIG register.
Does the consultation with Medschool Experts cost anything?
No. The transfer consultation is free and without obligation.
What students say about Medschool Experts
Over 500 placements at 25+ partner universities across 10+ countries. See how our students experienced their path into medical school abroad in our student stories.
About the author
Marcel Kloos
Founder and owner of Medschool Experts, federally recognised dentist
Marcel Kloos is the founder and owner of Medschool Experts, a placement agency for medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy degrees abroad. Since 2021 the team has secured more than 500 study places at 25+ partner universities in Europe and worldwide.
Study medicine abroad: Marcel's own path
Born in Stuttgart, Marcel started his degree late: at 24 he enrolled at the Medical University of Sofia, Faculty of Dental Medicine, and graduated in 2021 from the English-language programme. He went through the same steps his clients face today — nostrification of school certificates, entrance interviews, finding a flat in Sofia and later the recognition of a foreign degree. He is a federally recognised dentist.
What Marcel does at Medschool Experts
Today Marcel lives in Bern and runs Medschool Experts full-time. He visits every partner university in person, negotiates placement agreements directly with faculties and deans, and leads the free consultations in which applicants learn at which university they can start next semester. His YouTube channel on studying medicine abroad has helped thousands of applicants compare universities, costs and recognition.
Topics Marcel writes about
- Study medicine abroad independent of your high school diploma grades: universities, costs and admission
- Study dentistry, veterinary medicine or pharmacy in Europe in English
- Tuition fees and living costs at medical schools in Europe and worldwide
- Recognition of foreign medical degrees in the EU, Switzerland, the UK and the US
- Transferring between medical schools and returning home into a higher semester
All articles by Marcel Kloos are based on first-hand visits to the universities and conversations with current students. Book a free consultation to discuss your own path.
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