Amsterdam Merit Scholarship

• For the September 2026 start one Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS) of €24,875 will be available. 
• The scholarship cannot be used as a (partial) tuition fee waiver; the AMS recipient must still pay the full amount of tuition fee (with the possibility to pay this amount in monthly instalments). 
• The grant is paid in monthly instalments.
• Selection takes place in March.
• AMS applicants will be informed in April whether – or not- they have been selected.

Application deadline

The application deadline is 15 January.

Requirements

Candidates wishing to apply for an AMS programme should: 

• not have an EU/EEA or Suisse nationality
• not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans (for more information please refer to www.duo.nl)
• not be eligible to pay the reduced tuition fee rate for EEA students at the UvA
• not receive a full coverage scholarship for the same period of study as the AMS
• submit a complete application to one of the MSc programmes (see the website of your MSc programme for the application and admission procedure)
• be (or will be) admitted for the first time to one of the UvA MSc programmes
• be able to comply with the conditions to obtain a Dutch visa (if applicable)
• have completed their previous academic programme no longer than 3 years ago
• have sufficient funds to cover all other costs. For more information, check: Living expenses and money matters

The International Team should be notified as soon as possible of any change in nationality, type of residence permit or additional financial support throughout the academic year.

Selection criteria for the scholarship

The Faculty of Science has one Amsterdam Merit Scholarship available. In addition to the admission requirements of the Master's programme, eligible candidates are selected on the basis of their academic excellence and promise in the proposed field as evidenced by: 

• The candidate’s academic records. Students belonging to the top 10% of graduates from their class can apply. This generally means an overall GPA equivalent to:
  • 3.5 (American system, 4-point scale)
  • 1^st class honours/ upper division (British system)
  • 8+ (Dutch EC-system, 10-point scale);
• The academic quality of the educational institute where the candidate’s obtained (or will obtain) their (under)graduate degree;
• The quality of the motivation letter (maximum 500 words), in which the candidate explains the reasons for choosing the specific Master’s programme in a broader context and the relevance of obtaining this scholarship for their future academic career;
• The candidate’s curriculum vitae, including a description of extracurricular activities such as participation in student commissions, international experience, sports or music at a high level or volunteer work

Failure to meet one or more of the requirements or selection criteria automatically means that the student is not eligible for this scholarship.

How to apply

Application for the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is part of the Master’s programme's application procedure of your choice. On your application form we ask whether you want to be considered for a UvA scholarship. Please check this box if you want to be considered and if you fulfill all requirements mentioned above.

Two-year Master’s programme

Students who are awarded an AMS are expected to complete their first year of study with good results (at least 40 ECTS) in order to receive the scholarship for the second year as well. The Faculty of Science requires that students satisfy the supplementary requirements imposed on students by the faculty or programme, such as the obligation to attend all classes, good progress and effort.

Questions

If you have any questions, please contact the Internation Team using the form below.