No Room, But Still Studying: HU Launches ‘Beyond Campus’ Bachelor’s Route

Finding affordable student housing is tougher than ever. Many students are forced to stay with their parents or travel hours each day, while also working multiple jobs to cover living costs. HU’s solution is Creative Business – Beyond Campus: a full, on-campus-quality bachelor’s programme that can be followed from anywhere, with a fixed timetable and four in-person events per year.

From September 2026, students will attend weekly scheduled online classes and meet in Utrecht — the Netherlands’ third-largest and top-ranked student city — four times a year for an intensive three-day bootcamp on campus, including evening activities. This approach allows students to stay connected to campus life and the city’s student culture, while maintaining a predictable study rhythm wherever they live.

“Students today are building brands on TikTok, freelancing from home or even working from abroad. The traditional full-time campus model no longer fits that reality,” says Richard Versmissen, programme manager at HU and PhD in media studies. “Beyond Campus is designed for their lives: location-independent, but with a fixed timetable, clear expectations and personal guidance.”

Beyond Campus is aimed at the “multi-student”: creative, strategic, digitally skilled and socially engaged. Many combine their studies with work, entrepreneurship, student board positions, caregiving or travel. The housing shortage drives students to remain at home or move to cheaper cities, pushing up travel times.

Research shows that 94% of students deliberately choose work that connects to their studies or personal growth, and more than a third run their own business. With its structured, year-long timetable and only four intensive on-campus sessions annually, Beyond Campus makes it possible to combine a meaningful side job with a full-time degree.

Creative Business – Beyond Campus trains students to become creative strategists who combine creativity with business insight, technology and social impact. Graduates enter a variety of sectors, from media and marketing to sustainable start-ups, global companies and social organisations. During their studies, students work on real industry assignments, develop AI literacy and build a professional network that spans borders.

“This is not an online light version,” stresses Versmissen. “It is a full-scale bachelor’s degree, fully preparing you for tomorrow’s creative economy – wherever you live.”