On 3 September 2024, the Executive Board decided that the bachelor's programme in Technology and Liberal Arts and Sciences (ATLAS) will no longer welcome new students, effective from the 2025/2026 academic year. The programme will be phased out. Students who have already started the programme can continue and complete their studies until 31 August 2029.
In the national application and enrolment system, Studielink, the ATLAS programme will remain visible as a study choice for the time being during this current academic year 2024-2025. However, as a result of the decision to discontinue the ATLAS programme, it will be made clear in the communication and information that the programme will be phased out as of the coming academic year and will no longer be offered to new students. This is because the ATLAS programme is not attracting enough students to allow the programme to continue.
University College Twente
In 2013, University College Twente launched the small-scale and intensive ATLAS programme that incorporated numerous educational innovations. It was and is the first University College in the Netherlands with a strong technical profile. The ATLAS programme links technical and social sciences and offers students the opportunity to choose a personal study path that matches their developmental wishes: self-directed learning.
Student appreciation for the programme was and is consistently high, according to ATLAS' rating in the National Student Survey. Over the past 11 years, the programme has been named a Top Programme several times by the Keuzegids, a Dutch study choice tool that compares different programmes based on student ratings and visitation assessments.
Driver of educational innovation
As the University of Twente, we are proud of what we have achieved in recent years with University College Twente. Not least because it has been a booster for educational innovation, but also because UCT is (has been) an inspiring learning environment for many students, who have fanned out to several prestigious places all over the world.
ATLAS has always been a breeding ground for various educational developments, which have now found their place in other programmes within and outside UT.
In recent years, the number of students continued to decline. Despite many efforts, it has not been possible to increase the number of students to a stable and sufficient level to ensure the programme's survival. The UT Executive Board, therefore, had to decide that it is no longer possible to continue the programme.
Current students
Students who have already started the programme will have the opportunity to continue and complete it. The new batch of students started on 2 September this year.
The programme remains an accredited programme up to and including academic year 2028-2029, meaning that students can get their ATLAS degree until 31 August 2029.
