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Entry requirements and course selection

Before starting the application process, you are asked to make a wish list of your desired courses. Then you will need to check if you meet the entry and language requirements, as well as the specific criteria per faculty or academic department.

Entry requirements

Students should have at least two years of academic education, a grade point average of 3.0 (US system) and show a relevant academic background in the proposed field of study. The guidelines to determine if a student has the relevant academic background are explained in the document Course and Faculty Criteria.

Choosing courses

The Global Exchange Programme offers over 100 international study programmes with English-taught courses in humanities, social sciences, economics and business, psychology, child development and education, law, PPLE, science, and liberal arts and sciences. Global Exchange Students cannot choose courses in Medicine and Dentistry.

Before starting the application process, you are asked to make a wish list of your desired courses. Then you will need to check if you meet the entry and language requirements, as well as the specific criteria per faculty or academic department.

The official registration for courses will take place after acceptance. Due to possible changes in the course schedule, the UvA cannot guarantee that the courses of your wish list will actually be available during course registration. It is also possible that at the time of your application, the latest course schedule has not been released yet. For application purposes, you may therefore select courses from the most recent academic year available.

Global Exchange Programme for Bachelor’s students

Humanities

  • Art, religion & cultural sciences, Dutch studies, history, archaeology & area studies, language & literature, media studies, philosophy, modern European languages (courses in target language), Nederlandse taal, cultuur en geschiedenis (courses in Dutch).

Social Sciences

  • Communication & media, conflict studies, international development studies, Dutch society, ethnicity, migration & nationalism, gender, sexuality & society, global health, care & society, international relations & globalisation, politics, governance & democracy, European politics, society & modernity, urban studies.

Economics and Business

  • Economics, econometrics, finance, business, management, marketing, investment.

Psychology

  • Organisational psychology, brain & cognition, social psychology, sports psychology. 

Child Development and Education 

Law

  • The Law programme is intended for advanced Law students. As a Global exchange student, you can choose courses from a range of LLM programmes.

Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE)

  • Incoming exchange students are eligible to take PPLE major courses offered in years 2 and 3, interdisciplinary electives and interdisciplinary seminars. Due to the small-scale nature of the PPLE programme, PPLE college reserves the right to review applications on motivation, background, study progress and GPA.

Science

  • Artificial intelligence, mathematics, biomedical sciences, biology, chemistry, future planet studies, physics & astronomy, psychobiology, interdisciplinary studies.

Amsterdam University College (AUC)

  • A joint institute of the University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam with a selective honours programme in liberal arts and sciences with a variety of courses in the sciences, social sciences and humanities. 

Global Exchange Programme for Master’s students

Students with a degree comparable to a Dutch Bachelor's degree can apply for courses at a Master's level.

Humanities

  • History, classics & ancient studies, archaeology, arts & culture, literary studies, European studies, media studies, linguistics, Middle Eastern studies, philosophy, western esotericism, modern European languages (courses in target language). 

Social Sciences

  • The Graduate School of Social Sciences organises exchange opportunities for the programme Research Master Urban Studies. This programme is only available for students from specific partner institutions, and courses are only available during the first semester.

Economics and Business

  • Accountancy & control, business economics, economics, econometrics, actuarial science & mathematical finance.

Child Development and Education

Law

  • European Competition Law & Regulation courses, European Union Law courses, International Trade & Investment Law courses, Public International Law courses, European Private Law courses.

Science

  • Artificial intelligence, biological sciences, biomedical sciences, chemistry, computational science, earth sciences, forensic science, information studies, life sciences, logic, mathematical physics, mathematics, physics & astronomy, software engineering, stochastics & financial mathematics, system & network engineering.

Language requirements Global Exchange Programme 2023-2024

International exchange students must provide proof of their proficiency in the English language by means of a TOEFL, an IELTS, or a CAE test report. Please consult the table below for the language requirements per faculty, department, college, or school.

Exemption: You do not need to submit an English proficiency test if either you are a national of, or if you have completed your secondary or higher education in: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, UK, or USA.

Faculty, department, college, or school Level of exchange TOEFL* IELTS CAE/CPE** Minimum subscore
Humanities Bachelor's 92 6.5 C TOEFL 20 | IELTS 6.0 | CAE C
Humanities Master's 92 6.5 C TOEFL 22 | IELTS 6.5
Social and Behavioural Sciences Bachelor's 92 6.5 C N/A
Social and Behavioural Sciences Master's 100 7.0 C TOEFL 22 | IELTS 6.5
Economics and Business Bachelor's 92 6.5 C N/A
Economics and Business Master's 92 6.5 C N/A
Science Bachelor's 92 6.5 - 7.0 C TOEFL 22 | IELTS 6.0
Science Master's 92 6.5 - 7.0 C TOEFL 22 | IELTS 6.0
Law Master's 100 7.0 C1 TOEFL 24 reading & writing, 22 listening, 25 speaking | IELTS 6.5 | C1/190
Amsterdam University College (AUC) Bachelor's 100 7.0 C1 TOEFL 24 reading & writing, 22 listening, 25 speaking | IELTS 6.5 | C1/190
Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE) Bachelor's 100 7.0 190 TOEFL 24 reading & writing, 22 listening, 25 speaking | IELTS max. 1 subscore 6.5

* Please note: TOEFL IBT & TOEFL IBT Home edition are accepted. We don’t accept TOEFL ITP.
** AUC also accepts a "Cambridge English: Proficiency" certificate.