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Summary

• University: University of Amsterdam (UvA)
• Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Study Level: Master’s
• Scholarship: Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS)
• Target Applicants: Outstanding students from outside the EU/EEA
• Study Mode: Full-time Master’s study
• Funding: Scholarship amount varies by faculty and programme
• Selection: Highly competitive
• Application: University admission + faculty-specific scholarship procedure
• Scholarship Deadline: 15 January 2027
• Amount: To be confirmed by the relevant UvA faculty

About the Scholarship/Programme

The University of Amsterdam (UvA) offers the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS) to attract outstanding international students to its Master’s programmes.

The scholarship is aimed primarily at highly talented students from outside the European Union/European Economic Area (EU/EEA).

Importantly, AMS is not one identical scholarship across every UvA Master’s programme. The University states that the eligibility requirements, selection criteria, application procedure and deadlines can differ between faculties and Graduate Schools.

This means applicants must first identify their intended Master’s programme and then follow the scholarship instructions issued by that programme or faculty.

The scholarship is competitive and intended for students with exceptional academic records and strong overall applications.

For some programmes, the scholarship may contribute towards tuition fees; in others, the value and structure are determined separately by the faculty.

Therefore, applicants should not assume that every Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is fully funded.

Scholarship Benefits

The value of the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship depends on the faculty and programme.

For example, UvA’s Amsterdam Business School states that its AMS award for the relevant Master’s programmes has previously been equivalent to the tuition fee plus an additional €5,000 allowance for a one-year programme.

The Amsterdam Law School listed an AMS value of €25,900 for the 2026–2027 academic year.

However, UvA faculties determine scholarship amounts separately, and the university warns that scholarship information can change from one academic year to another.

For the 2027 intake, applicants should therefore rely on the scholarship page of their chosen faculty for the confirmed amount.

The scholarship may provide substantial financial support towards Master’s study, but it should not automatically be described as a full scholarship covering tuition and living expenses.

Who Can Apply?

The general UvA AMS eligibility framework is for students who:

• Hold a non-EU/EEA passport.
• Have applied for a Master’s degree programme at the University of Amsterdam.
• Are applying for their first Master’s programme at UvA, where required by the relevant faculty.
• Meet the academic and programme-specific admission requirements.
• Can comply with Dutch immigration and visa requirements.
• Are able to enrol as a full-time student where the scholarship requires full-time study.

Individual faculties may impose additional requirements.

For example, some programmes require an exceptionally high GPA, while others assess academic excellence together with motivation, CV, extracurricular activities or other evidence of achievement.

Applicants should therefore check the exact requirements of their intended faculty before preparing the scholarship application.

Step-by-Step Application Process

Step 1: Choose Your Master’s Programme

Start by selecting the UvA Master’s programme you intend to study.

AMS availability is faculty-specific, so first confirm that your programme offers the scholarship.

Step 2: Check the Faculty Scholarship Requirements

Read the official AMS page belonging to your faculty or Graduate School.

Check the scholarship amount, eligibility requirements, documents and deadline.

Step 3: Apply for Admission

Submit your Master’s application according to the programme’s official admission procedure.

Depending on the programme, this may involve Studielink followed by the UvA’s online application system.

Step 4: Prepare Scholarship Documents

Depending on the faculty, documents may include:

• Academic transcripts.
• Curriculum vitae.
• Motivation letter.
• Recommendation letter.
• Evidence of academic excellence.
• Other programme-specific documents.

Step 5: Submit the Scholarship Application

Follow the faculty’s instructions for submitting the AMS application.

Some faculties request a separate scholarship application, while others identify eligible applicants through the admission process and subsequently invite selected candidates.

Step 6: Wait for the Selection Decision

Scholarship committees assess eligible candidates according to the criteria published by the relevant faculty.

Because the number of awards is limited, meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee selection.

Important Deadline

For many UvA Master’s programmes with a September intake, the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship deadline is 15 January.

However, the University of Amsterdam explicitly states that AMS deadlines differ by faculty or Graduate School.

For the 2027 intake, applicants must therefore confirm the exact deadline on the official scholarship page for their chosen programme.

Do not rely on a university-wide deadline without checking your faculty.

Official Application Link

University of Amsterdam – Amsterdam Merit Scholarships:

University of Amsterdam – Scholarships and Financial Support:

Final Note from AK Travels LTD

The University of Amsterdam offers genuine scholarship opportunities for outstanding international Master’s students, but applicants should be careful with the common description of this opportunity as a single “fully funded UvA scholarship.”

The official UvA information makes clear that the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is administered through faculties and Graduate Schools. Requirements, award amounts, application procedures and deadlines can therefore differ according to the Master’s programme.

For the 2027 intake, applicants should first choose their programme, confirm that AMS is available and then follow that faculty’s specific application instructions.

Academic excellence is central to the selection process, but individual faculties may also consider motivation, extracurricular achievements, CV, recommendations and other evidence of potential.

Applicants should also remember that receiving an AMS award does not necessarily mean that all tuition and living expenses in Amsterdam will be covered.

The safest approach is to verify the exact scholarship amount and deadline directly on the official UvA faculty page before applying.

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