Early admission

Prospective students have the possibility to apply for an early admission procedure and be admitted by the end of February. The deadline for application for the early admission procedure is the 1st of January. In case you are selected in the early bird round you will be asked to confirm your place by paying a 1,000 Euro early bird fee. Once you you have started the Advanced LLM you will get a refund of the fee.

Normal admission 

For students outside the EU and student who wish to apply for a scholarship or housing, the application deadline is 1 April.
For students within the EU/EEA (who will not apply for UvA housing), the deadline is 1 June.

Application timetable 

A limited number of students will be admitted to the programme through a selection procedure.

Entry requirements

The entry requirements are:

• Your previous education must satisfy the requirements listed below (see ‘Previous education’):
• It is highly valued during the selection process if your previous study programme included courses on tax law, or if you have acquired relevant competencies through work experience in tax law (see ‘Tax law’ below);
• You must have obtained a minimum standard in English language proficiency – see further below;
• You must be willing to participate actively in the classroom; and
• You must have an open mind towards different cultures.

It is possible to apply while finishing a previous degree, in which case acceptance to the programme is conditional on satisfactorily completing the previous degree. We will need these documents before the deadline stated in step 1. Please take into consideration that you have taken the English language proficiency test before you apply to the programme and that the test often get booked up months in advance and the results take more than two weeks to be published.

Previous education

The candidate must satisfy one of the following sets of requirements:

• Have completed a university degree in law that is the equivalent of a master’s degree in the Netherlands. An initial master’s degree from a university that follows the European BA-MA system is equivalent. Degrees from universities that do not follow the European BA-MA system must require a study of at least four years in order to be equivalent; if you are not sure whether your degree is the equivalent of a Dutch master’s degree, please consult us.
• Have completed a university degree in law at bachelor level and be admissible to a traditional legal profession such as advocate, attorney, barrister, judge, notary, solicitor, etc.
• Have completed a Master’s degree from a research university (Dutch: WO) in any discipline, who has obtained at least 30 EC of law courses during university education. An initial master’s degree from a university that follows the European BA-MA system is equivalent to a Dutch master’s degree. Degrees from universities that do not follow the European BA-MA system must require a study of at least four years in order to be equivalent; if you are not sure whether your degree is the equivalent of a Dutch master’s degree, please consult us.
• Have completed an (advanced) Master’s degree from a technical college in a strongly related discipline, namely tax law, fiscal economics, or accountancy. An initial master’s degree from a university that follows the European BA-MA system is equivalent to a Dutch master’s degree. Degrees from universities that do not follow the European BA-MA system must require a study of at least four years in order to be equivalent; if you are not sure whether your degree is the equivalent of a Dutch master’s degree, please consult us.
• Have completed a professional accountancy qualification.

Note: Tertiary education at a technical college is not sufficient in any category. The name of the tertiary education institution is not determinative; in each case the University of Amsterdam makes its own assessment of the academic level of the institution and the degree obtained. If you have any questions in this respect, we will be happy to provide you with our assessment of your degree. Please be specific about your degree course and education institution in your email.

Note: In respect of all these requirements there may be specific considerations in specific countries, for example in respect of admission to a traditional legal profession. If you are not sure whether you satisfy the entry requirements, please consult us in advance with details of your education and qualifications and we will be happy to advise on your admissibility to this programme.

Note: The Admissions Board can set additional requirements to compensate for insufficient prior knowledge. If a required course of the Master’s programme was the subject of a prior examination, the Examinations Board can determine which courses shall replace it.

Tax law

It is valuable to have some prior knowledge of tax law, obtained either through university study or work experience. This study or work experience can be in either domestic or international tax law. This helps students entering this programme to have a good understanding of the content of the programme and give them the opportunity to share their knowledge in the field with their fellow students. Applicants that do not have any experience in tax law, either through university study or work experience, will also be considered, provided that they can show a genuine interest in the topic.

ECTS

ECTS refer to the European system of study points that is used in European universities to denote the study load of individual courses. 60 ECTS measure the workload of an average full-time student during one academic year. Based on an academic year of 36-40 weeks, one ECTS represents 25-30 hours of study (classes and own study combined). Further information about this system is available on the website of the European Commission.

English language proficiency

The Amsterdam Law School accepts the following tests and test results:

• TOEFL* (Test of English as a Foreign Language). The minimum TOEFL score required is: 100 iBT, with a minimum of 24 for subscores reading and writing, a minimum of 22 for subscore listening and a minimum of 25 for subscore speaking. Please make sure to mention our institutional code: 9011 when signing up for the TOEFL test so we can verify your scores online.
• IELTS** (International English Language Testing System). The minimum IELTS score required is 7.0, with a minimum of 6.5 for each subscore. Please provide us with a scan of your test report.
• Cambridge English Language Assessment: minimum grade C1 Advanced with a minimum score of 190. Please make sure to ‘share’ your test results with us so we can verify your scores online.

* The TOEFL ITP test (Institutional Testing Program) and the TOEFL iBT special home edition are NOT accepted.  
** The IELTS Academic Online, IELTS General Training and IELTS Indicator are NOT accepted.

Please note: The Amsterdam Law School only accepts English-language proficiency test results that are no more than two years old at the time of the start of the programme. Chinese applicants will need to submit an IELTS or TOEFL iBT test score and request a Nuffic certificate.

The following students are exempted from the above-mentioned test requirements:

• Students who have received their prior education in one of the following English speaking countries: Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States.
• Students who possess an international or European baccalaureate diploma (with English as the only language of instruction).
• Students who have completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme taught entirely in English (note: this does not include exchange, summer school or other non-degree programmes).
• Students who possess a Bachelor’s diploma from a Dutch research university.

Apply via Studielink

Before you can apply to the UvA, you will need to submit an enrolment application in Studielink. Studielink is the national online system for students who would like to pursue a degree programme at a Dutch university.

Check your DigiD (before starting in Studielink)

A DigiD (Digital Identification) is an online ID (username and password) that provides access to government administration websites.

• Students who do not live in the Netherlands can use Studielink without a DigiD
• Students who currently live in the Netherlands will need their DigiD to use Studielink. We strongly recommend you to apply for your DigiD at least three weeks before registering in Studielink

Read the step-by-step guide to Studielink

Before starting your enrolment application in Studielink, read the 'Step-by-step guide to Studielink'.

Please note that in Studielink and MyInfo you will see (links to) information for Master's applicants of regular LLM’s. Be aware that not all information applies to applicants to this programme. For the right information regarding for instance the costs, please visit the pages linked to the Advanced Master programme.

Within 24 hours after submitting an enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an automated email with a link to your MyInfo UvA application form. To log in to MyInfo you need your activated UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents and submit your MyInfo application form before the application deadline.

Once you have registered in Studielink, you will also receive an email within 24 hours from Studielink with a link to the UvA online application system, which is where you submit your application to the University of Amsterdam.

Application fee

Applicants with a non-EU/EEA nationality are charged an administrative fee of €100 to be paid while submitting the application form. The fee is reimbursed in October/November to students who subsequently enrol successfully at the Amsterdam Law School after the first month of the academic year.

Prepare your application and apply via MyInfo

Please make sure you have all document ready, before you start your application. Only a complete online application will be processed. A complete application contains the following documents:

• Curriculum Vitae.
• A copy of university transcripts including grades (please note: if you have a non-legal Bachelor’s degree, please provide us with an overview of which courses on your transcript are law courses, including a document with course descriptions or syllabi of these courses. You can add these documents to your application after you have submitted your application form, by clicking on the paperclip sign next to your application in MyInfo to add additional documents).
• A copy of university diploma (if it has already been obtained).
• Proof of your English language proficiency (see Entry Requirements). (Please note you cannot submit your English language proficiency test after submitting your application form).
• Motivation letter.
• Two recommendation letters (in English; at least one academic).
• If appropriate: evidence that your university education is equivalent to the ECTS standards set out in the list of entry requirements.
• If appropriate: evidence that you have work experience in tax law at a sufficiently conceptual level.
• If appropriate: to be considered for one of the scholarships available for International Tax Law students, please send specific motivation letters to tax-llm-fdr@uva.nl.

In case any of the above mentioned documents is missing, your application will be considered as incomplete and we cannot continue with your application.

After the early bird deadline of 1 January and the regular admissions deadline of 1 April or 1 May, your application will be evaluated by our admissions committee. Only those applicants who fulfil the entry requirements and are therefore eligible to the Advanced masters programme International Tax Law, will be presented to the Selection Committee. Qualified candidates may be invited for an interview with the members of the Committee. The Committee will then decide on admission. You will be notified about the decision by e-mail before 1 June.

Accept

If you get selected for this programme, the university will send you a letter of acceptance by email. We request that you accept or decline within ten working days. Please note that if you do not respond to your offer after ten working days, there might be a chance your application or your visa request cannot be finalised and you will not be able to complete your enrolment. If you are unsure whether you are able to start your master’s programme, you can also select the option ‘I accept but I have doubts’.

Decline

If you decline the acceptance, please do not forget to de-enrol from the Master’s programme in Studielink.

Certified documents

If you have been selected for our Advanced Master's programme we need to verify your prior academic credentials. You will need to send us certified copies of your transcripts and degree certificates. Photocopies or scans of the original certified documents are not accepted. 

Your diploma and transcripts need to be officially certified (i.e., must bear the original stamp or signature of your university or a notary), and sent with the printed version of the completed online application form to the following address:

Amsterdam Law School - Admissions Office (room A6.01a)
P.O. Box 1030
1000 BA Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Or, if sent by registered post:

Amsterdam Law School – Admissions Office (room A6.01a)
Valckenierstraat 59
1018 XE Amsterdam
The Netherlands

Or you can ask your university to email these documents to us directly at tax-llm-fdr@uva.nl. Please note that we will not accept emails forwarded by students, but only emails directly sent to us by the issuing university. Please make sure that your name, your UvA ID (student number) and your study programme are mentioned in the email.

You will need to pay the tuition fee in order to complete your enrolment in a degree programme at the UvA. Find out more about how to pay tuition fees. Check your enrolment checklist at sis.uva.nl to see which matters of your enrolment possibly still need to be completed.

N.B. If you have paid the early bird fee,  you are still required to pay the full tuition fee. The early bird fee will be refunded to you after you have started the programme.

If you are an international student, you will need to arrange a variety of practical matters before starting your studies.

Visa, residence permit, insurance

The first step is to determine whether you will need a visa and/or residence permit. Then you need to arrange your insurance.

Housing

The UvA does not offer student housing on our campuses. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the housing market in the Netherlands before you choose your study programme.  It can be difficult to find available housing in Amsterdam, so you will need to start looking for yourself as soon as possible via Dutch student housing websites. For international students, the UvA has limited number of rooms available throughout Amsterdam, which you can apply for via UvA Housing. Please note there are not enough rooms available via UvA Housing to accommodate all international students. As placement for UvA Housing is not guaranteed, we advise you to start your orientation for housing options early and to always explore the private housing market as well.

A student ID card is a personal document which serves as proof of identity for examinations and library privileges. You will receive instructions explaining how to request your student ID card.

To help you get started, the Amsterdam Law School organizes a (mandatory) Introduction Day for all new Master’s students. You will receive information on the Introduction Day before you’ll start your studies in September.