Rotterdam School of Management | Erasmus University

Rotterdam School of Management (RSM) is the business school of Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). Over the past 50 years and counting, our school has firmly established its reputation as one of Europe’s most international and innovative business schools.

At RSM, you join a global community of business leaders, thinkers, innovators and change-makers. RSM got its start in the city of Rotterdam: an iconic hub for international trade, and a city that grew on the back of centuries of international trade and business to become a nexus for entrepreneurs, visionaries and change-makers. Today, Rotterdam is a vibrant multicultural and entrepreneurial city.

At RSM, our culture is one that is open to the interchange of ideas, welcoming of diversity and new perspectives, warm and friendly, and an embodiment of the Dutch traditions of innovation and breaking moulds. We look forward to sharing the Rotterdam spirit with all our students from around the world, in-person or online.

RSM is consistently ranked among the best business schools in Europe; it’s second in Europe and fourth worldwide in the category of Business Administration, according to the 2023 Shanghai Global Ranking of Academic Subjects. Looking at business schools around the world, RSM is among the top one per cent – that’s just 74 schools – with triple crown accreditation. This accolade is an indicator of exclusive quality, and it highlights RSM’s international reputation. Our business school has held the Association of MBAs (AMBA) accreditation since 1996, and accreditation from the European Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) since 1998. Additionally, RSM was among the first European business schools to receive accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) in 1998.

About RSM

Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM) is one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools.

RSM provides ground-breaking research and education furthering excellence in all aspects of management and is based in the international port city of Rotterdam – a vital nexus of business, logistics and trade. RSM’s primary focus is on developing business leaders with international careers who can become a force for positive change by carrying their innovative mindset into a sustainable future. Our first-class range of bachelor, master, MBA, PhD and executive programmes encourage them to become critical, creative, caring and collaborative thinkers and doers.

Positive Change

RSM offers a distinct intellectual culture and is committed to the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals as a framework for its mission to be a force for positive change in the world. We aim to improve the practice of business and management through our research, our education, and our collaboration and engagement with our alumni and corporate and societal partners.

Important immigration information for NON EU/EEA full-time students

You may need an Entry Visa and/or Residence Permit to be able to start your studies at RSM. Whether you need one or not will depend on your nationality. Visas and permits are issued by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND)*.

Unless you already have a Residence Permit for the Netherlands. RSM and Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) will apply for your entry visa and/or residence permit. Please do not start the Entry Visa or Residence Permit process on your own. There is more information about this process.

Process for entry visas and residence permits

Starting in April, RSM and EUR work together to process your application. There are 7 steps.

• RSM is responsible for steps 1-3.
• EUR’s International Office is responsible for steps 4-7.

Step 1. Offer of admission
Once you have a conditional or unconditional offer from RSM, the process of obtaining your Entry Visa or your Residence Permit will start from the first week of April onwards.

Step 2. Notification from OLAF
If you need an Entry Visa or a Residence Permit after you have received your offer of admission, you will receive a message from the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF). This message will tell you what to expect from the application process. You will also receive a handbook about immigration.

Step 3. Registered in OSIRIS
Starting 1 April until 30 June*, RSM will register you in the online OSIRIS platform, which is where you will find all your study details – your timetable, your marks and important messages.

OSIRIS Zaak is in Dutch and OSIRIS Cases is in English which refers to your immigration case. Your case is then handed over to the EUR International Office.

*After 30 June it will not be possible to register any students in OSIRIS. The admissions office will prioritise (as much as possible) non-EEA applicants to ensure that they are able to be registered in ORSIRIS before 30 June.

Step 4: Gather and submit your documents
Five days after you are registered in OSIRIS, the EUR International Office will send you information about the immigration documents* you must provide according to the kind of Entry Visa or Residence Permit that you need. They will also send the invoice for fees you must pay. There’s more information about fees in the last tab.

*For non-EEA/EU students who already have a residence permit for another EU country, you need to upload a copy of your EU or EEA Residence Permit to OSIRIS, which will be available to you from April onwards.

The final deadline to submit your documents and proof of payment is 10 July!

Prepare your immigration documents
The following documents* are required:

• Passport
• Antecedent form
• TB test (depending on nationality)
• Proof of payment (tuition fee and immigration fee)
• Proof of bank deposit that covers your costs of living for 12 months
• Sign declaration of intent
• Nuffic certificate

Step 5: Be patient and wait
The EUR International Office reviews your documents within 10 working days after submission and will forward your application to the IND if all your documents are correct. Please be patient.

If your documents are incorrect, you will receive an email from the EUR Interntaional office that your application was sent back to you in Osiris with remarks about your incorrect documents or payment. Please read the remark and correct your mistakes. After that, you can upload and submit your documents again. Incorrect documents will delay the entire process, as the 10 working days will start again after resubmitting.

Step 6: Sent to IND
Complete applications are sent by the EUR to the Dutch Immigrations Services (IND) for review. This process usually takes between 5-8 weeks.

Step 7: Approval
IND will send their approval for your application to the EUR International Office. You will see this letter in your OSIRIS. You will also get an email with new instructions. Please read the email carefully because it tells you how to send your passport to your chosen Embassy so the Provisional Entrance Permit (MVV) sticker can be added to it. They will keep the passport to arrange for your MVV sticker.

It is extremely rare for applications for student Entry Visas and/or Residence Permits to be denied.

When your passport has its MVV sticker, your chosen Embassy will contact you to make an appointment to collect your passport.

Make sure to travel to Rotterdam while your MVV is still valid (within 90 days) and remember that your MVV must still be valid when you collect your Residence Permit in the Netherlands.

With over 50 years of experience in business and management education, RSM is consistently ranked as one of Europe’s top-ranked business schools and is among the 1% of schools worldwide with Triple Crown accreditation.

International Rankings

As a leading global business school, RSM is featured in a wide variety of international rankings including:

• Financial Times - MSc in International Management 12th worldwide
• Corporate Knights Better World MBA ranking, for MBA
• Shanghai / ARWU for business administration
• US News & World Report for the Best Global Universities for Economics and Business
• QS World University Ranking for business management studies
• Forbes for International One-Year MBA

European Rankings

In the FT European Business School ranking, RSM enjoys a top-ranked position.

The leading rankings In the Netherlands are provided by Elsevier and Keuzegids Hoger Onderwijs, both of which use data from the Nationale Studenten Enquête as well as other sources. Both rankings reflect several measurements at the Bachelor and Masters programme levels and provide information about student satisfaction and professors’ opinions.