Start your application procedure on time 

You need to submit your enrolment request in Studielink, activate your UvAnetID and submit your complete application in SIS  before the deadline stated below. It may take several days to complete all these steps. We recommend you to register in Studielink at least 48 hours before the deadline of your programme.

Application deadline  

• Studielink (advisory deadline): 30 March 2026, 23:59 CEST  
• SIS application: 1 April 2026, 23:59 CEST 

Please note that applications received in SIS after the deadline will not be considered for admission. 

To be considered for a scholarship, you must submit both your LLM application and scholarship application by 15 January at 23:59 CET. Please note that if either application is incomplete, we will not be able to process your scholarship application.

Law Scholarships - University of Amsterdam

Admission to the Master’s programme is determined based on 2 aspects: 

1. Academic background 
2. English language proficiency 

The Master's programme in International Criminal Law - Joint Program is a selective, specialised programme open to a limited number of motivated, ambitious students. A selection procedure applies whereby students with the most competitive applications will be admitted to the programme. In accordance with the agreement with Columbia Law School, a maximum of 8 students will be selected by the UvA to participate in the Joint Program. Applicants will be selected on the basis of study results and motivation by a Selection Committee. The criteria that are employed by this committee are as follows: 

• Academic performance 
• Motivation 
• Demonstrable affinity with and/or relevant experience in the field of study of the relevant programme 

Academic background 

Your academic background must include a Bachelor’s degree in academic higher education in one of the following degree programme: 

• A Bachelor’s degree in law from a research university (Dutch: WO). 
• A Bachelor’s degree in the law track of PPLE (Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics) from the University of Amsterdam. If you did not complete the law track, then you will need to have obtained at least 45 ECTS of law courses as part of your completed PPLE programme.  
• A Bachelor’s degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences from any University College in the Netherlands, including at least 45 ECTS of law courses as part of this completed programme.  
• A Bachelor’s degree comparable to a Dutch Bachelor’s degree in European Studies or International Relations, including at least 45 ECTS of law courses as part of this completed programme. 
• A Bachelor’s degree from a research university (Dutch: WO) in another discipline, provided that at least 60 ECTS of law courses were obtained as part of this completed programme.  
• A Bachelor’s degree in Law from a university of applied sciences (Dutch: HBO-Rechten, RIO code 39205) followed by the Dutch-language Pre-Master’s programme with ‘civiel effect’ at the Open University (Schakelzone Recht). 

All applications will be evaluated on an individual basis. Diplomas will be evaluated in accordance with guidelines set by the NUFFIC. 

English language proficiency 

In an international environment, sufficient mastery of the English language is critical for academic success. Students must take an English-language proficiency test to demonstrate their ability. The Amsterdam Law School accepts the following tests and test results: 

• TOEFL* (Test of English as a Foreign Language) - The minimum required TOEFL score 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.  
• IELTS Academic ** (International English Language Testing System) - The minimum required overall IELTS score is 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 for each individual component. 
• Cambridge English Language Assessment: minimum grade C1 Advanced with a minimum score of 190. 

Please note: The Amsterdam Law School only accepts English language proficiency test results that are no more than two years old on the day you submit your application in SIS. 

* The TOEFL ITP test (Institutional Testing Program) and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition are NOT accepted. Please note that we do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores. The required scores need to be obtained in one attempt.   
** The IELTS Academic Online, IELTS General Training and IELTS Indicator are NOT accepted. Please note that we do not accept the IELTS One Skill Retake. The required scores need to be obtained in one attempt. 

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

• Students who have received their prior education in English in one of the following English-speaking countries: Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. Please note that if your education was bilingual, you do not qualify for this exemption; 
• Students who possess an international or European baccalaureate diploma (provided that it is an English-language diploma); 
• 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). Please note that if your education was bilingual, you do not qualify for this exemption; 
• Students who possess a Bachelor’s diploma from a Dutch research university.

Questions? Please take a look at our FAQ. 

Ask the Admissions Office of the Amsterdam Law School a question:

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

When registering in Studielink, first select 'International Criminal Law' as your study programme. You will be asked to select the specific track during a following step. In Studielink you can only register for one track of the LLM programme. If you are interested in applying for both tracks, you can do so during the application in SIS. 

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 that you 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'. 

Download the Step-by-step guide to Studielink (pdf) 

Go to Studielink 

After submitting your enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email with your UvAnetID. Follow the instructions in this email to activate your UvAnetID as you will need it to complete your application. 

After submitting an enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email within 24 hours with a link to submit your application. To log in to SIS you need your activated UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents, pay the application fee (if applicable) and submit your application before the application deadline.

Required documents

Only completed applications will be processed. An application consists of the following documents: 

• Curriculum Vitae (CV) written in English, which includes the grades received for courses relevant to ICL.
• A motivation letter written by yourself in English (maximum 400 words) which states:  
  1. Your relevant background and reasons for choosing to study international criminal law (maximum 200 words), and: 
  2. Your reasons to apply for LLM International (and/or Transnational) Criminal Law at the University of Amsterdam (maximum 200 words). 

Note: Your CV and motivation letter should be together in one Word/PDF document. This same document can be uploaded for both the CV and motivational letter in the application form.  

NB: The misuse of ChatGPT and other AI tools by the applicants may affect the outcome of the selection. 

• 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. There is a specific field in the application form for this.)
•  A copy of your university diploma (if it has already been obtained). 
• English language proficiency test results with sufficient scores (see Entry Requirements). Please note that you cannot submit your English language proficiency test after submitting your application form.

In case any of the above mentioned documents are missing, your application will be considered incomplete and we cannot process your application. 

Paying the application fee

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. Paying the application fee is the last step in submitting your application.

You can pay your €100 application fee by credit card (Mastercard, Visacard), PayPal, Bancontact or iDEAL. Only after paying the fee, will you be able to submit your application.

You don't have to pay the application fee: 

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

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.  

Once we have received your application, it will be evaluated by our Admissions Board. Only those applicants who fulfil the entry requirements for the master’s programme International Criminal Law Joint program, will be presented to the Selection Committee after the application deadline. The Selection Committee does not review applications on a rolling basis. You will be notified about the decision by email. 

Accept 

If you meet all the entry requirements and the Admissions Board has approved your application, we will send you a letter of conditional acceptance by email. Please accept your offer in SIS within 2 weeks. If you do not respond to your offer within 2 weeks, we cannot continue with your admission process (and visa request if applicable). Please note that accepting the offer does not oblige you to start the programme. You will still be able to withdraw your enrolment request in Studielink until 31 August.

It is not possible to defer your offer for this programme. If you are unable to start the programme, you are welcome to apply again for the next academic year. However, we cannot guarantee that you receive an offer again. 

Decline 

If you decline the offer in SIS, please do not forget to also cancel your enrolment request in Studielink.

The Admissions Office needs to verify whether you have successfully completed your previous education. Therefore, we need to receive digital copies of your degree certificate(s) and final transcript(s) before the start of your programme. For instructions on how to submit digital documents, please go to this webpage. Please note that we cannot accept digital documents submitted by students themselves.

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 tuition fees in the Netherlands to see which matters of your enrolment possibly still need to be completed. 

Practical information 

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 a 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 by email explaining how to request your student ID card.  

Course registration 

After you have been (conditionally) admitted to the LLM programme by the Amsterdam Law School you will be signed up for courses by the Amsterdam Law School for the first semester.

For questions on course registration, please contact our Education Desk. 

Courses per semester 

You will find a course overview per semester (with course descriptions) in the online Course Catalogue. 

Academic calendar 

The academic year is divided into two semesters, each lasting 20 weeks. Semester 1 classes begin in the first week of September. Semester 2 classes begin in the first week of February. 

Go to the academic calendar 

For international students moving to another country, while exciting, can also be overwhelming. Plan your arrival date and find out what you need to do once you arrive in the Netherlands. 

To help you get started, the Amsterdam Law School organises an Introduction Day for all new Master’s students the week before teaching starts. You will receive information on the Introduction Day by email before you start your studies in September. 

For more information about the scholarships we offer and how you can apply, please visit the scholarship webpage. 

When you submit an incomplete application file, we will remind you to provide us with the missing document(s). In case you do not provide us with the missing document(s) before the indicated deadline, we will close your application file. You are welcome to apply again with a complete file as long as you submit your application file before the application deadline that applies to you. 

In order to finalise your enrolment, you need to complete all the items on your enrolment checklist in SIS.