UvA

1. University of Amsterdam Background Information

The University of Amsterdam, also known as the UvA (pronounced oo-va) is a public research university established in 1632, and based in the centre of Amsterdam. It is a very big university, one of Europe’s largest with a budget of nearly €600m, attracting a total of around 33,000 students. The university has a very strong focus on attracting international students, and it offers around 60 programs taught in the English language. Through its exchange programs with 240 other universities both inside and outside of Europe, it enrols around 2500 international students. All international programmes are taught in English, except for the language Masters which are obviously taught in the study language.

In 2011, the university was ranked as number one in the Netherlands, 19th in Europe, and 63rd in the world by the QS World University Rankings. The university was also placed in the top 50 internationally in same rankings in the fields of Linguistics, Sociology, Philosophy, Geography, Science, Economics & Econometrics, and Accountancy & Finance.

2. University of Amsterdam Application Process

When you apply for a course at the UvA, you do not apply to the UvA as a whole but instead to the relevant faculty’s international or admissions office that manages the course. While there are a number of general guidelines and stages that apply to all international applicants, it is very important to check with the specific course for the process and requirements.

Generally, if you wish to start your course in September the deadlines are -
For EU/EEA students: before 1st April

For non-EU/EEA students: before 1st February

If you have a course that starts in February the deadlines are -
For EU/EEA students: before 1st December

For non-EU/EEA students: before 1st October

If you wish to take a Master’s program, in basically all cases you will need to have at least a bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a field related to what you want to study. For the grade requirements, you will have to check with the specific course.

Application documents

While there may be variations in application procedure amongst the different courses, there are a number of general documents that you will need to provide. You will more than likely need to scan and upload some, and mail some copies of others. Make sure the digital files are properly named, for example like John Smith-CV. Some faculties require you to fill in their own online admission form, while other faculties use online services like Embark and Studielink to complete the application process.

Before enrolment can begin, you will be required to provide paper copies of the following documents:

• official transcripts of your grades from your current/previous university, in an envelope sealed and stamped by the university.
• a certified copy of your diploma. If you have not yet finished your current degree, you will be allowed to send your transcript of your current grades first, and then a copy of your diploma by around 15th July at the latest.
• your English language test score. The required grade is dependent on your faculty.

If these documents are not in English, French, German, Spanish, or Dutch then you will need to provide official translations of your transcript and diploma.

You will also, either at this stage or later depending on the faculty, need to provide the following documents:

• A copy of your passport and one or two passport photographs
• A letter of motivation of around 300 words about why you want to study this course
• Your curriculum vitae / resume
• A ten to twenty page sample of your best written academic work in English. You may also provide an English summary if the paper is written in another language, together with a copy of the essay in its original language.
• Two reference letters from academic staff at your current university, which should confirm your abilities as a student to work independently and produce written reports. These either need to be emailed to the relevant faculty office directly by the academics themselves, in included alongside your physical copies of your documents which you will send by mail. You should check your faculty for their preference.

If you are planning to take a research Master’s, you will also need to provide:

• A study plan, which should detail which course electives and tutorials you wish to follow. This gives the selection committee a more insight to your aims as a potential student at the university.

For those applying from China, you will also need to apply for a Nuffic Certificate through the Nuffic organisation which is based in The Hague. This certificate is needed in order to apply for a Dutch visa. To be able to apply for the Nuffic certificate, you will need a sufficient IELTS language test score, and an official diploma from your previous university.

Application Fee

If you obtained your prior diploma from a university within the European Union (or Turkey and Croatia), you will not have to pay an application fee.

However, if your previous education took place in a country outside of the EEA, then you will be required to pay a fee of €100. This fee will be refunded to you once you have been admitted and started the course.

In some faculties you only have to pay this fee once even if you apply for multiple courses within the same faculty, although you may be required to pay multiple fees if you apply to different courses within different faculties. You should check this with your relevant faculty.

3. University of Amsterdam Tuition Fees

If you are a student from the EU or EEA, then you are entitled to pay the same fees as Dutch citizens. For the year 2011-2012, this fee was €1713 regardless of the degree programme.

Tuition Fee Calculator

The UvA has created a very helpful tuition fee calculator to help you work out exactly what tuition you will have to pay depending on your own circumstances, and the programme you wish to study. 

Tuition fee payment

5. University of Amsterdam Contact Information and Support

Services and Information Centre

The main student support service offered by the UvA is the Service and Information Centre (SIC). It acts as the main general information centre, and it is almost inevitable that you will have to visit it at some point during your studies. You can come here to ask general questions about any non-educational matter if you need advice or clarification, and also to resolve many of the issues that you will encounter as a student, for example enrolment, tuition payments, and housing.

You can find the SIC here: Google Maps

You can find much more information and details about the SIC on their own page.

Student Career Centre

UvA also provides a student careers advice centre to help you with finding employment opportunities both in the Netherlands and abroad, anything from serious careers advice, to help finding an internship placement or a PhD placement. They can offer information as expected, but also guide you towards training courses and individual counselling to help you improve, focus, and work towards your goals.

You can find them in the same location as the SIC.