Register in Studielink (see step 3 of the application process)
8 May 2025, 23:59 CET

Submit complete application (see step 5)
15 May 2025, 23:59 CET

If you wish to apply for housing

Register in Studielink (see step 3 of the application process)
23 February 2025, 23:59 CET

Submit complete application (see step 5)
1 March 2025, 23:59 CET
 

If you do NOT wish to apply for housing

Register in Studielink (see step 3 of the application process)
8 May 2025, 23:59 CET

Submit complete application (see step 5)
15 May 2025, 23:59 CET

Register in Studielink (see step 3 of the application process)
23 February 2025, 23:59 CET

Submit complete application (see step 5)
1 March 2025, 23:59 CET

If you are interested in a scholarship, you need to apply for both the Master's programme and the scholarship before 15 January, and register in Studielink by 8 January. Learn more at:

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

• Philosophy
• the UvA bachelor Bèta-gamma with a major in Philosophy
• Any discipline, and completed the extended minor in Philosophy (60 ECTS) at the University of Amsterdam
• Any discipline, including at least 60 ECTS or equivalent in Philosophy courses that meet the following requirements:
  1. the units of study cover at least two philosophical subdisciplines (i.e. Logic, Ethics, Philosophy of Language, Political Philosophy, Aesthetics, Philosophy of Science, etc.); 
  2. more than 12 ECTS in units of study have been taken on an advanced academic level; 
  3. at least one of the units of study has been finalized with a philosophical academic essay of at least ca. 3500 words.

If you fall into the last category, additional documents have to be submitted as part of your application (see below step 5 Submit your application form in MyInfo).

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). 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.

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.

You need to submit an enrolment request in Studielink for the Master's in Philosophy 60 EC or Filosofie 60 EC. 

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 MyInfo (see next step).

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.

Applying for programmes at multiple Graduate Schools?

It can take up to 24 hours for your fee payment to be registered in SIS and you are able to submit your application in MyInfo or Datanose. Make sure to pay your application fee at least 24 hours before the application deadline of your programme.

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 2025-2026.
• If you are an exchange student.
• 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.

Are you a Bachelor's student in 'Filosofie' or 'Wijsbegeerte' at the UvA and do you graduate before 1 September? Then you do not need to submit an application via MyInfo. Your enrolment will become definitive as soon as your university has registered your graduation. Your graduation date must be no later than 31 August in order to be able to start the Master's programme on 1 September.

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

Application documents

Make sure you are well prepared before you start your application, and you have all necessary documents ready. You are asked to upload the following documents:

• 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);
• motivation form (PDF);
• programme specific documents (see below).

*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.

Programme-specific document

If you cannot be admitted on the basis of a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy or having followed the extended minor in Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam, you will need to demonstrate that you have completed 60 EC or equivalent in philosophy courses that jointly meet the following requirements:

• Please indicate in the motivation form which subjects you see as a suitable background for the Master's in Philosophy. Motivate this by inserting course descriptions or links to the University's Course Catalogue. If a course has not been taught in a Philosophy department, specify which philosophical literature you have read for the course; and
• Add a proof of writing in the form of an academic philosophical paper in which mastery of academic skills such as source reference, correct representation of literature, and the ability to set up a philosophical argumentation is demonstrated. The piece must have a length of at least 3,500 words and philosophical sources must have been used.

You do not have to provide a motivation letter or a proof of writing if you did obtain a Bachelor's degree in Philosophy or the UvA Bachelor's Bèta-gamma, or completed the 60 EC minor in Philosophy at the UvA.