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Are you interested in doing an exchange at the UvA's Faculty of Humanities? Find out more about the application procedure on this page.

Application process

  • 1. Check deadlines

    Full year & 1st semester

    2nd semester

    Nomination

               15 April

    1 October

    Application

               1 May 15 October
  • 2. Check entry requirements

    Exchange agreement

    Please check whether there is a valid exchange agreement between your home university and the University of Amsterdam. Contact your home university's exchange or international office for information on how to apply for an exchange at the Faculty of Humanities at UvA. The Faculty does not accept free-movers nor students from universities without a bilateral agreement and is not likely to start new exchange agreements.

    Entry requirements of courses

    There may be specific entry requirements for certain courses. This mostly applies to Master's courses. Please visit our page on courses for more information, and make sure that you will be eligible to take part in the courses of your choosing before proceeding with your exchange application. 

    Language requirements

    For all courses taught in English, students must be proficient in English. Students have to be able to read textbooks, understand lectures, write papers and other assignments in English, and take part in class discussions. Therefore exchange students must submit a sufficient result of an official English language test (native speakers are exempted).  

     

    BA level requirement

    MA level requirement

    IELTS

    Minimum overall grade of 6.5 with a minimum of 6 in each of the components. Minimum overall grade of 7 with a minimum of 6.5 in each of the components.

    Cambridge International Examination

    Minimum scores 180 (CAE/C1 Advanced), 200 (CPE/C2 Proficiency) Minimum score 190 (CAE/C1 Advanced)

    TOEFL iBT*

    Minimum overall grade of 92 with a minimum of 22 in each of the components.

    Minimum overall grade of 100 with a minimum of:

    • Reading: 24
    • Listening: 22
    • Speaking: 25
    • Writing: 24
    Erasmus+ Language Placement Test (LPT) Minimum B2 on EU Academy

    For students taking courses on MA level an official English test is obligatory. OLS/LPT is not sufficient.
    NB For IMACS students OLS/LPT is accepted.

    * MyBest scores from TOEFL iBT cannot be used to meet the language requirements.

    For more information on the official language tests please see:

    We encourage Erasmus students to use the Erasmus Language tool.

    Upload your English language test result in your online application form for the Exchange Programme Humanities.
    Please note: the test must have been taken less than two years before the start date of the programme. 

    The test result can be sent to the International Office Humanities by email after the application deadline of 1 May/15 October, but before the course registration period in June/December.

  • 3. Application at home university & nomination

    Once you have checked that you will be eligible for an exchange at the UvA's Faculty of Humanities and that you meet the entry requirements for the courses you would like to take during your stay here, you can proceed with the actual application. Your first step in this process will be to apply for the Exchange Programme at your home university (which must be a partner university).

    Your home university will then nominate you to the UvA's Admissions & International Office Humanities. Nominated students will receive an information letter from the International Office Humanities with information about the Faculty and important details about the application procedure. If the nominated student does not receive any information even though the home university has nominated the student, please contact the International Office Humanities

  • 4. Application at the University of Amsterdam

    Nominated students will receive an invitation to register for an UvAnetID and student number.

    Once you have carefully read the information on this page, and once you have received your UvAnetID, you can go to the student portal www.sis.uva.nl , log in with your UvAnetID, and click on ‘My Admissions’ to submit your application.

    The following documents must be submitted with your application:

    • Official transcript of grades (in English, with a minimum of 60 EC*);
    • Copy of your passport (page with personal details);
    • English language certificate. For details, please see the section on language requirements above, in step 2. Native speakers are exempted. The certificate may be submitted after the application deadline, but must be submitted before the course registration period in June/November!

    *60 ECTS must be obtained before starting your exchange at UvA.

    During the application process, you will be asked to fill in a course wish list

After admission

  • 5. Further enrolment

    After your application has been accepted, more information on visa procedures will be sent to you if applicable. Exchange students will also receive the digital UvA Start Magazine and Start Newsletters

  • 6. Register for courses

    See the page on course registration for deadlines and the full course registration procedure. 

  • 7. Accommodation & practical matters

    The housing market in Amsterdam is very competitive, and although we try to offer all students registered for housing accommodation, this is not always possible. For this reason, we advise you to start your orientation for housing options early and to always explore the private housing market as well. 

    More information about accommodation and other practical matters:

    Practical matters