Avans University of Applied Sciences is a highly ranked Dutch university located in three cities: Breda, Hertogenbosch and Tilburg, which is one of the largest universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, founded in 2004 by the merger of two educational institutions – Hogeschool Brabant and Hogeschool’s-Hertogenbosch. Avans University of Applied Sciences is accredited by NVAO, the accreditation organisation for higher education institutions in the Netherlands and Flanders. The university has more than 30,000 students studying 40 courses in 21 institutes. It employs 3,000 people. The oldest branch of the Avans University of Applied Sciences is the Kunstacademie in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, which was founded in 1812.
The University of Applied Sciences Avance has been recognised as the best university of applied sciences in the Netherlands.
The university has campuses in Breda, Hertogenbosch and Tilburg. The closest airports to the places of study are in Eindhoven, Rotterdam, Amsterdam (Netherlands), as well as in Antwerp and Brussels (Belgium). In total, the educational institution has 13 campuses, 4 of which are located in Breda, 6 in Hertogenbosch and 3 in Tilburg. The infrastructure includes a full range of educational and sports facilities, cafes, restaurants, student clubs, etc. Avans University of Applied Sciences has Xplora Knowledge Centres, which combine a media library, computer databases, a study centre, and a social work centre. Here, students can solve academic issues, work on projects, and communicate with colleagues. The Xplora format is an opportunity to conduct independent research, take a creative approach to learning, and be freer in choosing information. Most Avans buildings have Wi-Fi and computer labs with comfortable workstations. For collaborative work on projects, there are special rooms where you can discuss research results as well as view audio and video materials in a relaxed atmosphere.
A student of Poltava Polytechnic, Anna Bulavenko shares her impressions of studying at a leading Dutch university.
“I am sharing with you a rich and bright period of studying under the exchange programme “Water management, ecosystems and climate change”. Let me start with the fact that this semester was fundamentally different from the last one, since the excitement of a new country gradually disappears, you start to see the shortcomings and, of course, become an integrated part of society. For me personally, this exchange programme was much more challenging than the previous one. The form of study was different, because the main group consisted of international students who studied together for three years, and there were only five exchange students. Therefore, the workload was greater.
The main focus was on a river restoration project in Germany, which involved cooperation with students from Cologne and international organisations. As part of this cooperation, we made a week-long trip to Germany to conduct research and discuss the desired outcomes with stakeholders.
During our studies, we attended guest lectures, where we had the opportunity to meet interesting people. A list of disciplines was offered to improve skills in various areas, such as personal and professional development, programming, and environmental protection. The greatest attention was paid to the development of communication skills.
Although the support from the teachers at the Dutch university was limited, this experience proved to be very useful, albeit challenging. I am sincerely grateful to our university for the opportunity, as this is an invaluable practice on the way to adulthood. I recommend every student to take advantage of the opportunity to participate in an international exchange programme. Even if your stay is not perfect, it is worth it. You will make new friends, visit new countries and discover a world of new opportunities. My experience of studying abroad was full of challenges and new experiences that greatly enriched me as a person. Participation in the exchange programme helped me to broaden my horizons, acquire new skills and make friends from all over the world. It was an important step in my life that I will never forget, and I sincerely advise all students to take advantage of this opportunity when it arises.”
You can also read about Anna Bulavenko’s study experience at this university on the official website of Poltava Polytechnic.
Also, in May, 2023, teachers and students of Poltava Polytechnic and Avance University of Applied Sciences successfully implemented a joint COIL project.
Earlier, a student translator became a scholarship holder of the Czech government and took part in the Summer School of Slavonic Studies, a master’s student translator shared her impressions after completing her studies at Vilnius University of Applied Sciences (VIKO), a master’s student in architecture completed her studies at the Estonian University of Natural Sciences, and four female students of the Polytechnic completed their studies under the Erasmus+ academic mobility programme at the Romanian university “Aurel Vlaicu” University of Arad, a Polytechnic student became a participant of the Polish-Ukrainian youth exchange under the Erasmus+ programme in Motycz Leśny near Lublin, future translators studied practical cases of integrating EU youth goals by joining the Erasmus+ project in Turkey, Polytechnic students in Poland studied youth approaches to developing environmental projects at the regional and national levels, and student translators took part in an Erasmus+ youth exchange in Italy and learned how children’s games can teach teamwork, creativity, self-reflection, and social integration.
It should be noted that students of Poltava Polytechnic have the opportunity to study abroad under the grant programmes of credit academic mobility for a semester or a whole academic year at the leading universities of Austria, Greenland, Denmark, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Finland, and the Czech Republic.
For more information about the current academic mobility programmes, please contact the International Relations Department (room 320-F, interoffice@nupp.edu.ua) or the Candidate of Philological Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Germanic Philology and Translation Anna Kostiantynivna Pavelieva (room 310-C, email: kunsite.zi@gmail.com, phone: +3-8-(095)-91-08-192).
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National University “Yuri Kondratyuk Poltava Polytechnic”
