General info CREA courses

As a cultural student centre, CREA focuses mainly on Amsterdam students with its courses, but others are also welcome to enrol! For more information, see ‘enrolling for a course at CREA’ in the basic terms & conditions. 

Language

CREA offers courses in Dutch (NL), in English (EN), and in NL/EN – these are courses suitable for Dutch and English speakers (NL/EN). Look carefully under which category the course you are registering for falls (see the flag in the course information block). 
For courses taught in two languages (NL/EN), the teacher’s instructions may be in both languages, but often mainly in English. The teacher also speaks Dutch, so questions can be asked in both Dutch and English in that case. 

Minimum number of participants 

For a course to go ahead, a minimum number of participants is required. This exact number varies from course to course. From two weeks before the start of a course, it is no longer possible to cancel your registration or change courses. At that point, we first check whether there are enough participants to go ahead with the course. If it is at that point completely clear whether the course can go ahead, we will notify you immediately. 

If, two weeks before the start of a course, it is still uncertain whether it will take place (due to the minimum number of participants), a final decision will be made and communicated no later than one week before the course starts. 

So don’t wait until the last minute to register, otherwise the course you had in mind might already be cancelled – or full! 

Confirmation & info

After enrolling via the website, you will immediately receive an e-mail confirming your course registration. You will receive final confirmation of the course start about a week in advance. If you enrol within a week of the course starting, you may, inadvertently, not receive this email; in that case, you can simply attend the first session as scheduled on the website. 

Reservations

It is not possible to make reservations, but if you have any doubts, you can cancel or change courses via planning@crea.nl up to two weeks before the start of the course. 

 We advise you to enrol well in advance, if you wait until the last minute, the course you were interested in may already be full or cancelled! 

Waiting list

Places for CREA courses are limited. Is a course full? Then you can register for the waiting list. The enrolment button automatically changes into a waitlist button as soon as the course is full. If you have signed up for the waiting list, you will receive an email as soon as a place becomes available. 

Please note: this is no guarantee that there will be room and everyone on the waiting list will be notified at the same time. 

Entry level

Please note: for some courses there may be entry level requirements, so please check the course information whether the entry level for that course suits you!  

Structure of the course blocks

CREA courses during the academic year take place weekly on the same day and at the same time. The start date, the number of lessons in the course and the block in which the course falls are specified for each course. The academic year is divided into blocks. In addition to these blocks throughout the academic year, there are a number of courses that differ in format.  

Block 1 takes the fall break (12 October 2026 to 18 October 2026) into account. On public holidays (when CREA is closed), the courses are also postponed by one week. There is always time reserved after the course blocks for any catch-up lessons in the event of a teacher being absent; lessons missed by course participants are not compensated for.  

If some of the blocks for the academic year are not yet visible on our website, you can still get an idea of what might be on offer for those future blocks by looking at the available block and assuming a different start date; however, there may be slight variations in the programme from block to block. 

Exception for day, week, 15-week courses and special projects
There are some courses that deviate from the regular courses. These include week-long courses during the summer (summer courses), day courses, weekend courses and special projects (CREA Orkest, Studentenkoor Amsterdam, Choreography Project), which last more than 1 course block. 

Rescheduled classes

The final schedule for your course may vary due to the cancellation of a class, in which case you will be notified by CREA. A cancelled class will be made up at the end of the course period, preferably on the same day and time as the rest of the classes. Please take into account that the ending of a course may be delayed. If the course participant misses a lesson that goes ahead as planned, it is not possible to schedule a catch up-class. Also see ‘absence of participants’ in the basic terms & conditions.

Feedback

At the end of the course, CREA will send out a form on which you can provide general feedback. Please note that we cannot guarantee that feedback submitted via this form will be acted upon; therefore, if you have any specific questions or comments about the course, please contact the course administration at planning@crea.nl. 

Price policy

Course fees vary per course and are set according to participant numbers, content, materials and type of course. The fees are indicated per course and price category.  

The basic principle is that the contributions from all course participants collectively cover direct costs as much as possible. These are the costs directly related to the annual course programme, such as the deployment of teachers/instructors and the costs of materials and equipment. However, these direct costs are only a limited part of the total costs (building, staff, cleaning, etc.).    

To make arts and culture as accessible as possible to students, we receive some funding (from educational institutions, to facilitate the student discounts), and we apply different fees for non-students to finance part of these other (indirect) costs. The rest of the other (indirect) costs are financed from other income such as the rental of the Theatre and Music Hall. Want to know more about the CREA organisation (including its history, mission, and vision)? Take a look here. 

Every year, CREA evaluates course prices when launching the course programme for the next academic year. In doing so, CREA takes into account the development of the consumer price index (CPI) and any changes in the course programme. 

Rrequently asked questions (F.A.Q.)

Is the info you are looking for not here? Then take a look at our ‘frequently asked questions’. 

Basic terms & conditions

By registering for a CREA course, you declare that you agree with the basic conditions. You also agree to abide by the house rules and enter into a commitment to pay the full course fee. 

Enrolling for a course at CREA

The enrolment for courses at CREA is open to anyone over the age of 18, and to students (as defined in our price categories) aged 17. CREA employs rates and conditions for different categories. Depending on these you may or may not receive a discount and/or receive priority when enrolling (please see below for the categories). 

When enrolling in a price category in which a discount and/or priority applies, proof of this right must be shown at the first course assembly. Everyone who has enrolled with discount at CREA before must also show this proof again every course start. 

If it turns out that the course participant is not entitled to a discount and/or priority, he/she/they will pay the price difference, and CREA reserves the right to charge €25 in administrative costs. 

Below are the price categories and what needs to be brought to the first course session to prove this. 

Price categories of CREA courses 2025-2026

-These price categories now apply only to the current range of summer courses for 2026.-

• Student
  At CREA you are considered a student if, at the start of the course, you are in full-time education at an offical/government-funded MBO, HBO or WO institution in the Netherlands or are a full-time or part-time student at the UvA or HvA. Please note: PhD candidates at the UvA/HvA are covered by employee UvA/HvA.
  Priority: yes
  Proof:
  • a proof of enrolment for the current academic year (physical copy or on your smartphone
  • ór a temporary proof of enrolment (physical copy or on your smartphone)
  • ór log in to Studielink to show proof of your enrolment at one of the approved instutions.
• Young-alumn UvA/HvA
  CREA considers you a young alumn UvA/HvA in season 2025-2026 if you graduated from the UvA or HvA after 1 September 2020. The date on your diploma is leading.
  Priority: yes
  Proof:
  • a copy (picture or scan also allowed) of your diploma which states that you have finished your degree from one of these two institutions on or after 1 September 2020.
• Old-alumn UvA/HvA
  CREA considers you an old-alumn UvA/HvA in season 2025-2026 if you graduated from the UvA or HvA before 1 September 2020. The date on your diploma is leading. If you have completed a PhD at the UvA, you also fall under the category of old alumni. If you are still employed by the UvA after completing your PhD, you fall under the category of UvA/HvA employees.
  Priority: no
  Proof:
  • a copy (picture or scan also allowed) of your diploma which states that you have finished your degree from one of these two institutions before 1 September 2020.
  • ór a valid alumnus-pass (UvA or HvA)
• Employee UvA/HvA
  CREA considers you an UvA/HvA employee if you can demonstrate active employment with the UvA/HvA at the start of the course.
  Priority: no
  Proof:
  • A copy of your last salary slip (please cover or erase any amounts)
  • ór a copy of a recent bank slip which contains information on a salary you receive from one of these two institutions (please cover or erase any amounts)
  • ór a copy of your work contract
  • ór log in to the UvA/HvA Employee portal.
• Others
  Everyone that does not fall into one of the categories listed above.
  Priority: no
  Proof: not applicable

Price categories of CREA courses 2026-2027

-These price categories apply as of the current offer of courses for the 2026–2027 season/block 1.-

• Student UvA:
  At CREA you are considered a student if, at the start of the course, you are enrolled as a full-time or part-time student at the UvA. Please note: PhD candidates at the UvA fall under the employee UvA-category.
  Priority: yes
  Proof:  
  • a proof of enrolment for the current academic year from UvA (physical copy or on your smartphone 
  • ór a temporary proof of enrolment from UvA (physical copy or on your smartphone) 
  • ór log in to Studielink to show proof of your enrolment at the UvA. 

• Student Other:
  At CREA you are considered a ‘student other‘ if, at the start of the course, you are enrolled in full-time education at an offical/government-funded MBO, HBO or WO institution in the Netherlands. 
  Priority: yes
  Proof:  
  • a proof of enrolment for the current academic year (physical copy or on your smartphone 
  • ór a temporary proof of enrolment (physical copy or on your smartphone) 
  • ór log in to Studielink to show proof of your enrolment at one of the approved instutions. 

• Young alumnus:
  CREA considers you a young alumnus season 2026-2027 if you graduated from a government funded MBO, HBO or WO institution in the Netherlands after 1 September 2021. The date on your diploma is leading.
  Priority: yes
  Proof:  
  • a copy (picture or scan also allowed) of your diploma which states that you have finished your degree from Universiteit Amsterdam or after 1 September 2021.
• Old alumnus UvA:
  CREA considers you an old alumnus UvA in season 2026-2027 if you graduated from the UvA before 1 September 2021. The date on your diploma is leading.
  Priority: no
  Proof:
  •  a copy (picture or scan also allowed) of your diploma which states that you have finished your degree from Universiteit van Amsterdam before 1 September 2021
  • ór a valid alumnus-pass (UvA). 
• Employee UvA
  CREA considers you an UvA employee if you can demonstrate active employment with the UvA at the start of the course.
  Priority: no
  Proof: 
  • A copy of your last salary slip (please cover or erase any amounts) 
  • ór a copy of a recent bank slip which contains information on a salary you receive from one of these two institutions (please cover or erase any amounts) 
  • ór a copy of your work contract 
  • ór log in to the UvA Employee portal. 

• Others:
  Everyone that does not fall into one of the categories listed above. 
  Priority: no
  Proof: not applicable. 

Priority regulations

A priority rule applies for the following price categories: Student UvA, Student Other, Young-Alumnus. They may register for courses earlier than the other categories.

For the courses of block 1/Fall (starting September 2026), this rule applies until 2 September 2026 – 12.00 hrs. 

Here you can read to which category you belong. 

Cancellation and refund

• If there are insufficient registrations for a certain course, CREA may decide to cancel the course. If the course is cancelled, the student will be notified as soon as possible. The participant fee will then be refunded.
• CREA reserves the right to make changes to the course schedule. 
• If a course or part of a course cannot take place due to circumstances, including government measures, the participant fee will be refunded pro rata. 
• Cancellation by a course participant is only possible by written notice. The date of receipt determines the cancellation. 
• In case of written notice up to 2 weeks before the start, the student will receive the full participation fee back. 
• In case of a written cancellation from 2 weeks before the start of the course, CREA is entitled to a reasonable compensation equal to the participant fee. In that case no participant fee will be refunded. * 
• If a course participant is not admitted after an audition (if applicable), the participant fee will be refunded. 
• In case of illness or impediment of a teacher, the lesson will either be given by a substitute teacher or will be made up at the end of the course period. The make-up session can take place on a different day and time. 
• At CREA we treat each other with respect and adhere to the house rules. If you do not, CREA reserves the right to terminate your participation. 
• If there are certain requirements before being admitted to a course and CREA decides that the participant does not comply with these requirements, CREA is entitled to remove him from the list or, if possible, to transfer him to another course. When such a transfer takes place, the course fee may have to be adjusted. When a participant is not admitted he will be charged with paying €25,- for administrative expenses. 
• If a course participant registers after the start date of a course, CREA is entitled to deregister the course participant if needed. If enrolling at a later date than the start date of a course, the course participant shall pay the full course price. 

Absence of participants

If a course participant is unable to attend class, they are to inform CREA by telephone on +31 (0)20 399 1212. Cancellations sent by email to the course administration cannot be processed outside office hours; we therefore ask you to call or, if you have the lecturer’s contact details, to inform them directly. 
For some courses, it is important to attend every lesson to keep up with the pace and course material – or because the course involves working together as a group. If a lesson is missed, it is the participant’s own responsibility to make up any missed material in their own time. Failure to do so may affect the course (and, if applicable, the final presentation). 

Liability

Participation in CREA courses is entirely at your own risk. CREA is not liable for injury or damage to and/or disappearance/loss of property and goods of course participants. 

CREA is not liable for damage to participants as a result of not providing or not being able to provide courses entirely, due to force majeure. This also includes measures that CREA must take or believes it must take, in order to guarantee the health and / or safety of the students and employees of CREA as much as possible. 

Photography and video recordings

It is customary that during courses and presentations photos are taken and video recordings made for PR use, such as flyers, posters, the CREA website and the media. Unless the course participant makes their objections known prior to the course (through planning@crea.nl, mentioning the course in question) CREA assumes that you agree to this. On the spot, the student can also indicate to the photographer whether he/she/they wish to be photographed or not.

Works made during the courses

Works made by participants during the courses will be kept no longer than 3 weeks after the course has ended. 

Disclaimer

No rights can be derived from any errors in the publicity material.