Start your application procedure on time!

You need to submit your enrolment request via Studielink, activate your UvAnetID, pay the application fee (if applicable) AND submit your complete application request via our online application system before the relevant deadline stated below. It may take several days to complete all these steps. We recommend you register in Studielink at least one week before the deadline, as it can take up to 48 hours to receive the invitation to apply via our online application system.

• Applying for intake per September 2026 or February 2027 is no longer possible.
• Apply between 1 October 2026 and 1 March 2027 for intake per September 2027.
• Apply between 1 June 2027 and 1 September 2027 for intake per February 2028.

Application deadline for intake per September 2027

• Studielink (advisory deadline): 22 February 2027, 23.59 hrs (CET) 
• Our online application system: 1 March 2027, 23.59 hrs (CET) 

Application deadline for intake per February 2028

• Studielink (advisory deadline): 25 August 2027, 23.59 hrs (CET) 
• Our online application system: 1 September 2027, 23.59 hrs (CET) 

Students with a Bachelor's degree in Communication Science from the University of Amsterdam are granted direct admission to the Master's programme in Communication Science (this does not apply to the Research Master's). Please make sure to submit an enrolment request in Studielink at least two weeks prior to the course registration (the course registration periods are in June and December). Direct admission also applies to students with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication Science obtained at the University of Nijmegen, University of Twente, VU Amsterdam, and the International Bachelor Communication and Media at the Erasmus University Rotterdam. 

Please note: You may apply before finishing your Bachelor's programme. However, you must obtain your Bachelor's degree and show us valid proof of graduation before the following ultimate deadlines:

• If you have a non-EU/EEA nationality in combination with a non-Dutch degree, you must obtain your degree and show proof before 1 January 2027 (February 2027 start) or 1 August 2027 (September 2027 start).
• If you have a non-EU/EEA nationality in combination with a Dutch Bachelor’s degree, you must obtain your degree and show proof before 1 February 2027 (February 2027 start) or 1 September 2027 (September 2027 start).
• If you have an EU/EEA nationality, you must obtain your degree and show proof before 1 February 2027 (February 2027 start) or 1 September 2027 (September 2027 start).

To guarantee the quality of the education within the Graduate School, you will have to meet all entry requirements specified below.  
 
When you have the relevant undergraduate qualifications (academic level and background) but not enough knowledge and experience in required areas, it is possible that you may be conditionally admitted based on completing the pre-Master's programme or online course first. Please note, you cannot apply for the pre-Master’s programme directly. You have to submit a full application for the Master’s programme first and the admissions board will decide whether you are directly admissible or whether you might qualify for a pre-Master’s programme. 

Information for University of Applied Sciences students (hbo students)

Hbo graduates are welcome to apply. However, we know from experience that applicants holding a Bachelor’s degree from a University of Applied Sciences (hbo) or equivalent generally do not meet the entry requirements for the Communication Science Master’s programme or the pre-Master’s in Communication Science. In most cases, the abbreviated Bachelor's programme in Communication Science (Dutch-taught programme) is the appropriate pathway to meet the admission requirements. If you have an hbo background, you are therefore strongly advised to apply simultaneously to the abbreviated Bachelor's programme and the Master's programme. The abbreviated programme offers a pathway through which some hbo Bachelor’s graduates can address gaps in their academic background and subsequently meet the entry requirements. 

The admissions board will evaluate every applicant individually, based on:  

1. Basic requirements
2. English language proficiency (non-Dutch degree students only) 

Each of these points is further explained below. Please keep in mind that work experience can never serve as a substitute for any of the mentioned requirements. 

The Admissions Board assesses whether your prior coursework and research experience meet these requirements. They look at the content, scope, level, and learning outcomes of your prior education. The Admissions Board makes the final decision on whether you can be admitted.

1. Basic requirements

You are expected to meet the following basic requirements:

• ≥26 EC in theory-oriented Communication Science courses grounded in the social and behavioural sciences. 
  Admission to our Master's programme in Communication Science requires at least 26 EC of theory-oriented coursework in Communication Science within the social and behavioural sciences. This coursework should provide knowledge of communication theories, concepts, and empirical research as studied from a social and behavioural scientific perspective. 
  
  The Admissions Board will assess whether you meet this requirement based on the completed courses within your individual Bachelor's curriculum. Please note that coursework in fields such as Cultural Studies, Language Studies, and Information Studies does not satisfy this requirement.
• ≥26 EC of Methods and Statistics (M&S) courses grounded in the social and behavioural sciences, of which ≥20 EC on quantitative data collection and analysis techniques, including ≥12 EC specifically on general linear modelling techniques, covering both ANOVA and regression analysis. 
  The Master's programme in Communication Science has its roots in the socio-behavioural sciences. In line with this tradition, the programme teaches you how to systematically study and measure media and communication processes and effects. To be admitted, you must therefore have completed relevant coursework in quantitative social and behavioural science research methods and data analysis. 
  
  Regarding methodology, the Admissions Board looks for evidence of a solid understanding of experimental, survey, and content analysis designs, randomisation, sampling, bias, measurement error, reliability, and validity. You should be able to explain the conclusions that can and cannot be drawn from different study designs. 
  
  Regarding statistics, the Admissions Board looks for evidence of a solid understanding of descriptive and inferential statistics, probabilities, random variables, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, and hypothesis testing. You should be able to apply statistical techniques including t-tests, ANOVA (factorial/mixed), correlation, regression, moderator and mediation analyses to test hypotheses, as well as provide an informed interpretation of the analyses results.
  
  A book that reflects the level of statistical knowledge that is needed is "Discovering statistics using SPSS" (6 or 7th edition) by Andy Field. 
• ≥12 EC of empirical research projects involving inferential statistics to test theory-oriented relationships grounded in the social and behavioural sciences, and about which you wrote an individual report.
  In addition to knowledge of socio-behavioural research methods and statistics, we require experience with the individual conduct of quantitative empirical research involving inferential statistics to test theory-oriented relationships grounded in the social and behavioural sciences. In order to ensure that you have this experience, the Admissions Board wants you to demonstrate that you have done (at least) one empirical research project of ≥12 EC on a topic within Communication Science or a related Social and Behavioural Science to test theory-oriented relationships grounded in the social and behavioural sciences and have written an individual research report about it.
  
  Please note: Experience with empirical research and/or writing a research report in the workplace cannot serve as a substitute for this requirement; you must have carried out empirical research, i.e. collected and analysed data, to test theory-grounded relationships.
• <30 EC of the study programme concerned internships, practically-oriented courses, and practical skills courses.
  Admission to our Master’s programme in Communication Science requires that less than 30 EC of your Bachelor’s curriculum consists of internships, other forms of practice-based learning, or practical skills-oriented courses. The Admissions Board will assess this on the basis of your official course list and descriptions. Practice-focused components that primarily aim at professional experience or applied skills (e.g. internships, consultancy projects, media production, event management, graphic design, computer programming, foreign language learning, sport) are counted towards this limit. If 30 EC or more of your programme is devoted to such components, your curriculum is considered to offer insufficient academic preparation in theory and empirical research for admission to the Master’s programme in Communication Science.

If you obtained a complete Communication Science Bachelor’s degree at the University of Amsterdam, University of Nijmegen, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, University Twente, Radboud University Nijmegen or the International Bachelor’s in Communication and Media at the Erasmus Universiteit Rotterdam prior to the start of the Master’s programme, you automatically meet all the basic requirements.

Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) required for applicants who obtained their Bachelor’s degree in a non-EU/EEA country

As part of the assessment of the undergraduate qualification, applicants with a Bachelor’s degree obtained in a non-EU/EEA country are required to submit a GRE score as part of their application. This allows us to better assess the background of applicants to determine whether they are sufficiently prepared for our graduate programme. The Communication Science Master’s degree programme at the University of Amsterdam is an empirically focused programme that places a high value on student autonomy and relies on small teacher-student ratios. Our focus on student autonomy means that students must enter our Master's classroom ready to learn in a self-directed manner. Students who have studied in our three-year Communication Science Bachelor programme (or other similar programmes in the Netherlands) have spent several years developing verbal, analytic, and quantitative thinking abilities that are critical for success in our programme. These students are offered direct admittance to our Master's programme. For applicants who have studied in other programmes in the EU/EEA, our experience shows that we can evaluate an applicant’s academic background and sufficiently determine if they are aptly prepared for study success in our Master's programme. For applicants with a Bachelor’s degree obtained outside the EU/EEA, however, it is more difficult to assess this student’s academic preparation. For this reason, we ask applicants with a Bachelor’s degree obtained outside the EU/EEA to also include a GRE score in their application dossier. This provides us with a more robust indicator of an applicant’s preparedness. For all applicants who obtained their Bachelor’s degree in a non-EU/EEA country, the GRE is required for finalising your application. A list of EU/EEA countries can be found here. If you have obtained or are going to obtain your Bachelor’s degree in a country that is not identified as an EU/EEA country, you are required to submit a GRE score (Graduate Record Examination) as part of your application. If you do not submit a GRE score, your dossier will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. 

Please be aware that home tests are not accepted, and that your GRE test may not be older than 5 years. Also note: It can take up to 2 weeks to receive your GRE results after the testing date.

Please keep in mind, while there is no minimum GRE score required, we encourage you to perform your best on this test.

In order to verify your GRE score we need to be listed as a designated score recipient. Please make sure to do this. The Graduate School of Communication institutional code is 3651.

2. English language proficiency (non-Dutch degree students only)

All Communication Science courses in the Master’s programmes are taught in English. You must therefore be able to read textbooks, understand lectures, take part in classroom discussions and produce written work in English. That is why we require evidence of English language proficiency from applicants with a non-Dutch degree who are NOT considered as someone whose first language is English. Please note that if you do not meet this requirement, admission is not possible. We only accept test results from TOEFL, IELTS and Cambridge Advanced English or Cambridge Proficiency English. Other English tests are not considered valid.

Requirements regarding English language level are*: 

*English language test results may not be older than 2 years. 
** The IELTS One Skill Retake, IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator and IELTS Online are NOT accepted.
*** The TOEFL ITP test (Institutional Testing Program) and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition are NOT accepted. MyBest scores are also not accepted.

How to submit your language test score
You must upload your test report with sufficient scores with your application. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. 
 
English test exemptions  

The following applicants are exempt from the English test requirement:

• Students with a Dutch Bachelor’s degree
• Students who were raised and had English-taught education in a country where English is the first language*
• Students who have completed at least 3 years of tertiary education or an entire Master's programme in English located in a country where English is the first language.* Note that this does not include English language education based in a non-English country.

* We consider the following countries as English-speaking: Australia, Canada (except for Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA.

Applicants who have completed secondary education located in an English-speaking country* can apply for a waiver of the test requirement. The Admissions Board will review such waiver requests on an individual basis. (NOTE: If this applies to you, make sure you apply for a waiver well in advance to leave time for an English test in case your waiver is not granted). 
 
In all other situations, an English language test is a requirement for finalising your application.

Before you can apply to an UvA teaching programme, you will need to submit an enrolment application in Studielink. We strongly advise you to apply to our programme in Studielink at least a week before the application deadline. Studielink is the national online system for students who would like to pursue a degree programme at a Dutch university. Before starting your enrolment application in Studielink, read the 'Step-by-step plans Studielink' (see below).

Please be aware that you can only select the specific track after first choosing the Communication Science Master's programme.

Note! Check your DigiD (before starting in Studielink): A DigiD (Digital Identification) is an online ID (username and password) that provides access to Dutch 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.

Note! Check the Language Settings of Studielink: If your Studielink account is set to the Dutch language, use the search term ‘Communicatiewetenschap’ to enrol for the one-year Master track. If you are planning to enrol for the Research Master’s programme, use the search term ‘Communication Science’.

It is NOT possible to directly apply for the pre-Master's. This can only be an outcome of your admission request for the Master’s programme. The Admission Board needs to invite you for the pre-Master's programme.

After submitting your enrolment application in Studielink, you will receive an email with your UvAnetID. This can take up to 48 hours. Follow the instructions in the email to activate your ID as you will need it to complete your UvA application.

Following the submission of your enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email from us within 48 hours. This message will contain a link to our online application system, SIS, where you are required to complete your application for the Master’s programme. As part of this process, you must upload all mandatory documents. Please ensure that your application is submitted in full before the stated deadline. 

Please note: Completing all the steps may take a few days. You might also need to look for or request certain documents. We therefore strongly recommend that you start well in advance.  

Documents should be uploaded in PDF format. Please make sure your application documents have ENGLISH* file names that include the following: Type document_your name (example: Course description research methods courses_Mary Wang). A complete application consists of the following documents:

• Curriculum vitae
• Statement of motivation (max. 450-500 words). Write a letter with your statement of motivation in English, containing answers to the following questions: 
  1. What is your primary motivation for wanting to pursue an academic-oriented Master's programme in Communication Science, rather than other fields of study?
  2. What is your primary motivation to pursue this Master's programme in Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam, and how does it fit into your plans for the next five years on an intellectual level, career level, personal level, or otherwise?

• Copies of higher education diplomas or an official graduation statement (if graduated)*. Official translations are required if the original documents are in another language than English, German, French, or Dutch. 
  * If you are not yet graduated, please be aware that we need to receive a certified hard copy of your diploma or transcript before the deadlines as stated at the bottom of step 1 (if you are conditionally accepted).
• Transcripts of all higher education grades and credits obtained. Transcripts must show all up-to-date grades/results and the number of credits obtained. Official translations are required if the original documents are in another language than English, German, French, or Dutch.
• Self-assessment form research methodology and statistics
• An individually written empirical research paper, based on quantitative research methods and inferential statistics. Preferably your thesis, but if you are not in possession of such a paper, please upload another research paper that has been written during your Bachelor’s or Master’s programme. If you have not written an individual quantitative research paper during your studies so far, please indicate this in your application. Please do not replace it with a group paper or other types of papers, such as argumentative essays or theoretical analyses. In case this paper was not written in English, German, or Dutch, a translation of the abstract, methods, and results sections needs to be created and uploaded together with the original paper.
• Description of courses followed in communication science and/or social sciences (if any). Descriptions must include information on the following aspects for each course: (1) the learning objectives, (2) the content discussed, (3) the literature used. Do not upload entire syllabi. Please make sure to upload the course descriptions in English (Dutch or German is allowed as well). If you have not taken any courses in communication and/or social sciences, please indicate this in your application via a short uploaded statement.
• Description of courses followed in research methodology and statistics (if any). The research methods course descriptions must include information on the following aspects for each course: (1) the learning objectives, (2) the content discussed, (3) the literature used and (4) an overview of the used research methods and different statistical techniques. Do not upload entire syllabi. Please make sure to upload the course descriptions in English (Dutch or German is allowed as well). If you have not taken any courses in research methodology and statistics, please indicate this in your application via a short uploaded statement.
• Proof English proficiency (only required for applicants with a non-Dutch degree). Submit your Certified English language test report as described in step 2 'Check entry requirements', section 'English language proficiency' (see above). OR Request to be waived for handing in an English Language proficiency test report, by selecting the following option in our online application system: "I have a diploma/ degree certificate obtained in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, or the USA". Please note, we don’t offer the option to request an exemption based on other grounds. We only consider requests based on reasons named under step 2 'Check entry requirements', section 'English test exemptions' (see above). Your application will only be reviewed after this waiver request has been accepted. If the board decides to reject your waiver request, you will need to reapply with a sufficient proficiency test before the application deadline.
• GRE report (only required for applicants who are currently completing or obtained their Bachelor’s degree outside the EU/EEA). If you have a Bachelor’s degree that is obtained outside the EU/EEA and want to be considered for this Master’s programme, you need to provide an official GRE General Test score report* (Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning and Analytical Writing) as part of your application. This means that you need to have taken the official test and received your results in time, to submit them along with the rest of your application (since only complete applications will be considered). A list of EU/EEA countries can be found here. If you have obtained or are going to obtain your Bachelor’s degree in a country that is not identified as an EU/EEA country, you are required to submit a GRE score report as part of your application. If you do not submit a GRE score report, your dossier will be considered incomplete and will not be reviewed. 

Please be aware that home tests are not accepted, and that your GRE test may not be older than 5 years. Also note: It can take up to 2 weeks to receive your GRE results after the testing date.

Please keep in mind, while there is no minimum GRE score required, we encourage you to perform your best on this test.

*In order to verify your GRE score we need to be listed as a designated score recipient. Please make sure to do this. The Graduate School of Communication institutional code is 3651.

​​​​​​​Please note! The aid of professional services for the application process to our programme (other than translation services) may lead to a direct rejection of your application, such as at the discretion of the Admission Committee.

All students applying for a Master’s degree programme with an international Bachelor’s diploma are required to pay a non-refundable €100 application fee*. Only after you have paid this fee the UvA can start to process your application. You can do so via the application portal SIS, as the final step. Submitting your form without paying the application fee is not possible.

You do not have to pay the application fee:

• If you have or will obtain a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university or university of applied sciences (HBO)
• If you have already applied and have paid the application fee for another Master’s programme at the UvA for the same academic year
• If you are applying through the Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF)

* Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. You are not entitled to a refund even if you do not submit your application form, if you submit an application form after the deadline (which will not be taken into consideration), or if you submit an incomplete application.

You can pay your €100 application fee by credit card (Mastercard, Visacard), Paypal, Bancontact or iDEAL.

Once we receive your complete application it will be evaluated by our admissions committee. You will be notified about their decision by email. The complete admission process can take up to 8 weeks for students with a non-Dutch degree and 4 weeks for students with a Dutch degree.

When you receive your official (positive) admissions decision, you will need to confirm or decline your participation in our Master’s programme through our application portal. Please make sure that you respond within the given reaction term of 2 weeks. If you do not respond before this date, your admissions decision will be voided and you will not have a place in the programme.

Defer participation

If you are admitted to the Master’s programme, you can defer your offer by one or two semesters. If you wish to defer, please use this form and select ‘My online application’ and underneath ‘Deferring my application’. We will then inform you of what steps to follow. If you are accepted to the pre-Master’s, you cannot defer your offer. You will have to re-apply (a different outcome might be possible).

Confirm participation

When you confirm your participation, you will receive more instructions on how to complete your enrolment in due time. For now, please read the steps below.

Decline participation

When you decline your participation you will also need to de-enroll yourself for the Master’s programme in Studielink.

By Dutch law, you must obtain your Bachelor’s (and/or Master’s) degree before the start of the (pre-)Master's programme. The Admissions Office needs to verify whether you have completed your previous education. Please send us digital copies of your final transcripts and degree certificates, so we can check them. You can find the deadline that applies to you in your conditional admission letter. Sending in certified documents is only required for non-Dutch degrees, as we can verify Dutch degrees through SIS or DUO.

What is a certified document? 
A certified document is an official copy of the original document provided by an authorised department of your institution of higher education or an authorised notary. 

What kind of certified documents do you need to send us? 

• Digital copies of your original higher education diploma(s)  
• Digital copies of your original final transcript(s)

Please note that:

• Documents not written in Dutch, English, German or French, must be accompanied by an official translation to English made by a sworn translator or a notary. 
• You have to send in certified documents of all previous (Bachelor's and/or Master's) programmes that you applied with.

Graduation statement
If your diploma will not be issued before the deadline, you can submit a graduation statement instead. In this graduation statement, your home institution needs to declare that you have met all graduation requirements and have graduated from your Bachelor's and/or Master's degree, stating your exact graduation date.  
The document should be on the official letterhead of your home institution and has to contain the following information: 

• First (given) name and Last name; 
• Date of birth; 
• Country of birth; 
• Current Bachelor’s education; 
• That you have completely met all graduation requirements of your Bachelor’s and/or Master’s programme; 
• Firm graduation date;  
• Stamp and signature from a representative of your home institution. 

How to submit your certified documents? 

• Through a secure portal: We accept certified documents sent to us through a secure portal, such as Parchment, Digitary, Hear, E-Script, Gradintelligence, or CSSD (formerly CHESICC). This can be sent to us via: Admissions-cs@uva.nl.
• Via email: We accept certified documents sent to us by an authorised department of your institution of higher education (such as the Registrar’s Office). Please ask the authorised department to send us your certified documents to: Admissions-cs@uva.nl.

We do not accept digital documents sent to us by students and/or from a student's email address. We also do not accept documents brought to us in person, as we need to receive them from your university directly.

What happens after we have received your documents? 
Once we have received your certified documents, we aim to verify them within 3 weeks. Upon successful verification, you will promptly receive an email confirming your unconditional admission.  
 

You will need to pay the tuition fee to finalise your enrolment for a degree programme at the UvA. Find out more about how to pay the tuition fees. 

To study in the Netherlands, you may need to apply for a residence permit and/or an entry visa. This depends on your nationality. Depending on your start moment, you will receive an email from the immigration department with a link to an online form in either May or November. More information on how to apply for UvA housing and on the UvA start appointment will become available in these months as well.

Please keep in mind that the housing market in Amsterdam is very tight and that applying for student housing through the UvA doesn’t guarantee placement. For this reason, we advise you to start your orientation for housing options early and to always explore the private housing market as well. The UvA housing service is always offered for a fixed period of one year (two semesters) to new incoming international students.

In order for you to participate in the courses of the (pre-)Master’s in Communication Science, you will have to register for your courses. The course registration periods are in June and December. Unfortunately, you will not be able to start the programme without course registration. More information on the course registration will be sent to you in May or November.

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.

Moving to another city is exciting, but it can also be overwhelming. UvA Student Services organises Start Appointments every year (free of charge). They will help you with practical issues that you may have regarding your transition to Amsterdam, such as registering at the municipality and opening a Dutch bank account. You will receive an invitation for the Start Appointment after you have submitted your immigration application. There are two different types of Start appointments: all-inclusive and regular.

Find more information on the website about arriving in Amsterdam.

To help you get started, the Graduate School of Communication organises a mandatory introduction day for all new (pre-)Master’s students. If you start the (pre-)Master's in February 2027 your introduction day will be on Thursday 28 January 2027, so be sure to save this date and arrive in Amsterdam well on time. The invitation and programme will be sent in December/January.