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Follow our step-by-step guide on how to apply for our Bachelor's programmes.
Due to an unexpected rise in applicants there are arrears in processing the documents. We appreciate your patience and try to get back to you as soon as we can.
To leave enough time for immigration and housing processes, we have different advisory deadlines for specific groups of applicants.
There are also changes to the Matching process and the admissions process for selective programmes. More information will be available on each programme page soon.
The deadlines for completing your application to start your degree in September:
| Applicants for selective programmes with fixed quota (Numerus Fixus) | Business Administration | 15 January |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology | 15 January | |
| Applicants for selective programmes | Liberal Arts & Sciences | 1 February |
| PPLE (Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics) | 1 March |
In order for your application to be processed for admission, you must:
Please note: the application deadlines for scholarships may vary and could be earlier than our application deadline.
Two of our Bachelor’s programmes apply selection procedures due to their small-scale and intensive approach. You can find more information about the selection procedure and application deadlines on the programme webpages.
The UvA offers several programmes with limited places and an enrolment quota. Because they can only accommodate a fixed number of students, these programmes carry out a selection process to determine which students can be admitted.
The application deadline for such programmes is 15 January. More information about the entry requirements and application process can be found on the programme webpages.
Registration and selection
You will need to apply for these programmes through Studielink, the central university registration system of the Netherlands. Application is open from 1 October until 15 January.
If the number of students who apply for a programme exceeds the number of available places, a selection procedure will take place between 15 January and 15 April.
Applicants participating in the selection procedure will be assigned a ranking number by Studielink on 15 April based on their results. Depending on your ranking number and the number of places available, you may or may not be offered a place.
Places offered
If you are offered a place, you will have to accept this place via Studielink within two weeks. If you don’t accept the place within two weeks, your place will be automatically assigned to another student.
If you are not offered a place immediately, there is still a chance that you will be offered a place later, if one or more selected students do not accept their place. These places will then become available for the next student in line.
Students applying for one of our Bachelor’s programmes should hold a Dutch VWO diploma, a HBO propedeuse or a foreign diploma that is equivalent to one of these diplomas. If you have foreign credentials, mathematics and English should be included in your final examination or attended until the last year of your secondary education.
The starting level of a regular study programme at Dutch universities is comparable to that of other Western European countries, but it is generally higher than in most countries outside Western Europe.
Use the diploma calculator to check the international diploma requirements. If your prior education is not listed this does not mean that you cannot apply, just that we will have to assess your documents on an individual basis. Therefore, we advise you to apply and upload all the relevant documents.
No rights may be derived from the diploma calculator for your future application.
Students must be able to read textbooks, understand lectures, take part in classroom discussions and undertake written work in English. Applicants are therefore required to submit proof of sufficient proficiency in English (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): level C1).
Proof of sufficient proficiency in English
The requirement for sufficient proficiency in English can be met in the following ways:
1. By completing English-taught secondary education in Australia, Canada (with the exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States of America;
2. By passing a secondary education exam from this list of preapproved exams, including English language as a part of the curriculum;
3. By obtaining an International Baccalaureate diploma;
4. By obtaining a European Baccalaureate diploma, with the subject English as first or second language (minimum final score result: 6);
5. By submitting a valid English language proficiency test certificate. Please see below for the accepted tests and minimum scores.
| UvA approved tests | Selective programmes (minimum score) | All other programmes (minimum score) |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS | 7 (subscores: 6,5) | 6.5 (subscores: 6) |
| TOEFL |
100 (subscores:
|
92 (subscores: 22) |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced | Level C1: 190 | Level C1: 180 |
The first step in the application process, is submitting an enrolment request in Studielink. Studielink is the national online system for students who would like to pursue a degree programme at a Dutch university.
A DigiD (Digital Identification) is an online ID (username and password) that provides access to government administration websites.
A few programmes can be found under another name in Studielink:
| Bachelor's programme | Register in Studielink for |
| Literary and Cultural Analysis | Literary Studies (Literatuurwetenschap) |
| Sign Language Linguistics | Linguistics (Taalwetenschap) |
Read the step-by-step guide to Studielink
Before submitting your enrolment request in Studielink, please read the 'Step-by-step guide to Studielink'.
Please submit an enrolment request in Studielink at least 1 week before the application deadline.
After submitting your enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email with your UvAnetID (username and password). Follow the instructions in the email to activate your UvAnetID immediately, for you will need it to complete your application.
Please note: after submitting your enrolment request in Studielink, it may take up to 48 hours before you receive your UvAnetID. So make sure to register in Studielink at least 1 week before the application deadline.
After registering in Studielink, you will receive an email from the University of Amsterdam (this may take up to 48 hours) with an invitation to our online application system. This is where you will submit your application to the programme of your choice.
As part of the online application, we will ask you to submit the following documents:
If you have not yet obtained your diploma, please submit your most recent transcript of grades as well as your predicted grades.
If your diploma and transcript are not in English, Dutch, French or German, please send in an official translation as well.
The admissions committee will only review complete applications. Once your application has been reviewed, you will receive an email notifying you whether you have been (conditionally) admitted to the programme.
Applications to non-selective programmes are processed using rolling admissions: if you apply early, you can expect your admissions decision early. If your qualifications are included in our country qualifications checker, you can expect your admissions decision within one to two weeks. Full review and verification of qualifications not on this list may take up to eight weeks.
Students applying to a selective programme or to a selective programme with a fixed quota can check the webpage of their programme for notification dates.
If you need early notification of admission for scholarship purposes, please contact us well in advance of your scholarship deadline. Timely handling will always be aimed for, but cannot be guaranteed.
Once you have been conditionally admitted, you will have to confirm your place in the programme. For some programmes you will automatically receive a link to our acceptance form, for other programmes you will need to log in to the digital system of Studielink to accept or decline your offer.
If you are waiting for additional administrative procedures that will affect your decision to accept or decline the offer (for instance, waiting for a scholarship decision), please accept the offer anyway, as it will allow you to continue with enrolment procedures while you wait for the administrative processes to be completed. Completing the acceptance form is a very important step, as other enrolment procedures, such as visa or housing applications, are triggered by the confirmation of your acceptance.
You can cancel your place in the programme free of charge until 1 September.
UvA Matching (Online Programme Fit) for international students is an introduction to the Bachelor’s programme to which you are applying. This Online Programme Fit is a mandatory part of the application procedure for all prospective Bachelor’s students who have completed their prior education at a non-Dutch educational institution. This includes prospective students applying with an International Baccalaureate obtained in the Netherlands.
Matching for the Bachelor's programme in Political Science
Matching for the Bachelor's programme in Sociology
Matching for the Bachelor's programme in Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology
Matching for the Bachelor's programme in Communication Science
Once you have been conditionally admitted, you will need to submit certified copies of your diploma, final transcript of grades and English language proficiency test certificate (if required).
A certified copy is a copy of the original document with a wet ink stamp and signature from your school/university or from an authorised notary. Certified documents that are not written in Dutch, English, German or French, must be accompanied by an official translation made by a sworn translator or a notary.
Your conditional offer will state which documents to send as well as the deadline for submission. Certified documents can be sent to the following address:
Admissions Office, Central Student Administration
University of Amsterdam
Weesperzijde 190
1097DZ Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Depending on where you live, it may take a while before the UvA receives your documents. Please use registered mail and do not send in your original documents.
Watch the video for more information about submitting certified documents.
In certain cases, your results can be verified digitally or can be sent directly from the exam board to the University of Amsterdam. For more information please visit uva.nl/onlineverification.
If you are an international student, you will need to arrange a variety of practical matters before starting your studies. This includes your visa and/or residence permit, insurance and housing. You will receive an email with more information about this after you have been conditionally admitted.
More information regarding all of the above can be found in the practical matters section. Here you can also find out about the matters you will need to arrange upon arrival, such as registering with the municipality and opening a bank account.
All students are required to pay the tuition fee in order to complete their enrolment at the University of Amsterdam.
Under Tuition fees you can find more information about the various payment options.
In the week before the start of the academic year, most programmes organise a compulsory introduction day. More detailed information about the faculty introduction day will be sent to you in the summer.
A student ID card is a personal card which serves as proof of identity for examinations or borrowing library books. You will receive instructions on how to request your student ID card via email.
If you have questions about the application and admissions process, or about studying at the UvA, you can contact our Central Student Service Desk.