You are eligible to apply for admission if you hold an academic Bachelor's degree from an accredited research university in:

• History;
• European studies with a major in European History  (UvA);
• Humanities, Liberal Arts, Social Sciences, or Law, with a minimum of 30 ECTS related to the field of study of history taught from a Humanities perspective, and/or mass violence and genocide.

If you obtained your degree outside the Netherlands, the minimum level of your diploma should be at least equivalent to or comparable to three years of a Dutch research-oriented university. The assessment of whether your degree is considered equivalent will be completed by professional diploma evaluators according to the guidelines set forth by Nuffic, the independent organisation for internationalisation in education in the Netherlands. More information on this assessment can be found on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

Hbo-bachelor not eligible

It is not possible to apply to this programme with a degree from a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (hbo) or international equivalent. We do not offer a pre-Master's programme (schakelprogramma) for this Master's.

New Master's students should be able to speak, read, write and understand English at an advanced academic level. Please check carefully on the page below whether:

• you already meet the English language requirements based on your prior education; or
• you need to arrange to take an official English language test. If you have serious reasons to believe you should be exempted from taking an official English language test, you will need to file a strongly motivated, official exemption request at the Graduate School of Humanities’ Examinations Board. Please note that there is a strict deadline in place for such a request, which is one month prior to the Master's application deadline.

This is a selective Master's programme, which means that apart from having to meet the entry requirements, you also need to meet the selection crtieria. The selection criteria are as follows:

Motivation statement

You must submit a completed motivation form as part of your application. In your statement, be sure to explain:

• Why you want to pursue this particular master's programme, and which elements of the programme are of particular interest to you.
• How this programme fits with your career goals and future ambitions.
• How your previous education (and possible work experience) relates to the programme's focus areas and objectives.

Make sure your motivation aligns with the structure and objectives of the programme. You can download the motivation form in the step 'Submit your application form in SIS'.

Research Proposal

Applicants must submit a self-written research proposal (max. 500 words) in English on a topic related to Holocaust, genocide, memory, or mass atrocity studies. The proposal should:

• Present a clear and focused research question;
• Explain the relevance of the topic and its connection to Holocaust and Genocide Studies;
• Show familiarity with relevant theoretical frameworks and analytical tools;
• Outline a brief plan of investigation (sources, methods, evidence);
• Reflect on ethical or historiographical challenges;
• Be well-structured, clearly written, and consistently referenced (Chicago Style preferred).

This proposal demonstrates your ability to design a meaningful research project and your academic preparedness for the programme.

All students applying will need to start their application by submitting an enrolment request in Studielink, the Dutch online system for students applying for a degree programme at a Dutch university. 

Applicants for Holocaust and Genocide Studies need to register in Studielink for History or Geschiedenis. When asked, select Holocaust and Genocide Studies as the track you intend to follow.

It is extremely important that you register in Studielink at least 48 hours before the application deadline (see above). This is to ensure that you receive your login information (UvAnetID) in time to fill in your UvA application in SIS (see next step).

After registering in Studielink, you will automatically receive an email with a link to your SIS UvA application form. To log in to SIS you need to have activated your UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents and submit your SIS application before the application deadline.

Please make sure that in Studielink (step 4) you have selected Holocaust and Genocide Studies as the track you intend to follow, and it is the selected track in your SIS application. Because this is a selective Master's programme with an earlier deadline, only applications where the programme is indicated as the first choice will be processed. You can select a non-selective track of the Master's in History as your second choice.

Application documents

Make sure you are well prepared before you start your application, and you have all necessary documents ready.

The following documents are required for all Master's programmes at the Graduate School of Humanities:

• curriculum vitae;
• proof of language proficiency (if required, see language requirements);
• transcript of records, up-to-date and issued by your home institution (if you are already a student at the UvA, a screenshot from SIS is sufficient);
• diploma (if already obtained)* or list of courses yet to complete;
• translation of your diploma and transcript of records (if they are not in English, Dutch, German or French);
• relevant course descriptions.

*Please note: If you have not yet obtained your diploma but are in possession of all other application documents, you may proceed with your application - as long as you obtain your Bachelor's degree before 1 September. If you have a non-Dutch prior education, please bear in mind that you must submit your certified documents before 1 August.

Additional documents

In addition to the application documents that must be submitted for all Humanities Master’s programmes, applicants are expected to submit:

• motivation form (PDF)
  Ensure that you download, open and save the motivation form in Adobe Acrobat or Acrobat Reader.

• research proposal (for requirements see step 3: selection criteria)

This programme does not require any additional documents, such as a reference letter. Only the above-mentioned documents are taken into consideration by the Admissions Board.

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 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 academic year 2026-2027.

• If you are an exchange student.
• If your tuition fees for the 2026 - 2027 academic year are paid by the Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF). If so, your application fee will be refunded.

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

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