The programme starts once a year, in September.

• Applicants with a non-EU/EEA nationality
  Apply between 1 October and 1 March (for enrolment in September)

1. Submit an enrolment application in Studielink before 1 March (see step 3)
2. Submit a complete application via our online application system before 1 March (see step 6)
3. In order to enroll in September we need to have received official certified copies of your degree certificate and transcripts before 1 August (preferably before 1 July). These documents should be sent through a secure portal of via email (see step 9)
    

• Applicants with a Dutch or other EU/EEA nationality
  Apply between 1 October and 1 June (for enrolment in September)

1. Submit an enrolment application in Studielink before 1 June (see step 3) .
2. Submit a complete web application form before 1 June (see step 6). 
3. In order to enroll in September we need to have received official certified copies of your degree certificate and transcripts before 31 August (preferably before 1 August).  These documents should be sent through a secure portal or via email (see step 9).

It may take a couple of days to complete all steps of the application procedure, so make sure to start your application well in time. Make sure to fill out Studielink as well as our online application system before the application deadline.
Note: you may apply before finishing your Bachelor's programme. However, you must obtain your Bachelor's degree and show us a valid proof of graduation by 1 August. 

2.1 Entry requirements

The entry requirements for the Research Master Child Development and Education are outlined in the document below.

For information in Dutch please check the Studielink section on our Dutch site.

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

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 you to apply for your DigiD at least three weeks before registering in Studielink.

Before starting your enrolment application in Studielink, read the 'Step-by-step guide to Studielink'. 

Submit enrolment application in Studielink

After submitting your enrolment application in Studielink, you will receive an email with a confirmation of your application, and information about where to submit the application form and upload the required documents. Please note that it may take some time before you receive this email. If you have not received an email within 48 hours (in working days), please contact us.

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

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.

Paying the application fee at Amsterdam Law School, Faculty of Science, Graduate School of Child Development and Education, Graduate School of Communication, Graduate School of Humanities, Graduate School of Psychology or Graduate School of Social Sciences

If you apply for a master’s programme at one of the faculties above, you first need to pay your application fee in SIS. You can pay your €100 application fee by credit card (Mastercard, Visacard), GooglePay, ApplePay, Bancontact or iDEAL.

Only after paying the fee, you can start your application in our online application system or DataNose. It is not possible to start your application without first paying your non-refundable application fee.

Note that 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 our online application system or Datanose. Make sure to pay your application fee in time and at least 24 hours before the application deadline of your programme.

 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 you are an exchange student.
• If you are applying through the Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF).

Please, note: 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.

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 (see step 7. 'Upload required 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

In our online application system you will be asked to upload certain documents, including your academic transcripts, grading scheme, copies of your academic diplomas, cv, copy of your passport, English language proficiency test score and course descriptions from the course catalogue provided by your university. 

Applicants must submit an application file consisting of the following documents:

1. Application: A completed web application form.
2. Statement of purpose: A letter of motivation (about 500 words, in English) in which you explain why you wish to attend the programme and what your specific interests are (i.e., in what field(s) you want to specialise).
3. Academic transcript: A copy of your Bachelor’s degree if you have already graduated (not relevant for students with a Dutch Bachelor's degree). Please note that non-EU/EEA students need to make sure that we receive a certified copy of the Bachelor’s degree through a secure portal or via email, no later than 1 August.
4. List of courses in research methods and statistics: provide a description of the courses (content, literature) that you took as part of your former studies (this is not necessary for students who followed a bachelor Pedagogical sciences or Psychology at a university in The Netherlands).
5. Written academic work: Provide an example of individually written academic work (e.g., a paper or thesis). If you do not have an individual writing sample, we advise you to write a paper especially for application purposes. If you choose to do so, the paper you write should be between 1000 and 1500 words and you may choose your own subject matter. You may want to write about the subject you wish to explore for the research master’s thesis. References should be included where appropriate in the running text, and a full reference list should be included at the end (the reference list does not count to the number of words).
6. Curriculum vitae: A resume of your experience and skills in academic research, clinical work, or other work (if applicable; 2 pages maximum).
7. Letter of reference: Two letters of reference; at least one letter should be from an academic staff member. Referees will be asked to send the letter of reference directly to the admissions committee (in the application form, you will only have to fill in the details of the referees).
8. Proof of English language proficiency, if required. See the information about entry requirements for more information.

Application fee: Students whose application is based on a diploma from a university in a non-EU/EEA country have to pay an application fee of 100 euro.

The admissions committee studies the application file. If the educational background of the candidate fits the entry requirements of the research master programme, the candidate will be invited for an online application interview.

For any questions about the programme, its entry requirements or the application process, please contact the programme coordinator via resma-cde-fmg@uva.nl.

The admission committee will inform you via e-mail within 4 - 6 weeks.

You may have been conditionally admitted to the programme, but still required to complete the M&S course and pass the Inferential Statistics Exam in order to be fully eligible for the programme. The data for the exam are as follows:

• Late April/Early May: First opportunity for non-EU students
• Late May: Second opportunity for non-EU students / First opportunity for EU students
• Mid-June: Second opportunity for EU students

It is also possible that you are still required to complete base course 1 and 2.

More information about the courses/exams will be given in the conditional letter.

After you have been (conditionally) accepted to the Master’s programme and we have sent you the letter of (conditional) acceptance, you will receive an email with the official offer. Please follow the instructions and confirm this Accept Offer. We will only continue to further process your application, including your housing and possibly visa application, after you have confirmed our Accept Offer.

• If you have been (conditionally) admitted to our Master's programme, we need to verify your previous education. This means that we have to check whether you have successfully completed your Bachelor’s programme. Verification is done based on the records provided by DUO.

For international students:

• If you completed your Bachelor’s programme abroad, please send us certified copies of your transcripts and degree certificates, so we can check them. You need to send us these documents through a secure portal or via email. We do not accept digital documents sent to us by students and/or from a student email address. You may also need to submit an official English test score report.
• You can find more information about the certified documents and where to send them to in your (conditional) acceptance letter.
• We will need to have received these official documents at the latest one month before the start of the programme.

Please see here for more information on how to submit certified documents.

If you are an international student, you will need to arrange a variety of practical matters before starting your studies. This includes your visa or residence permit, insurance and housing. You will receive an email with more information about this after you have been admitted.

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 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.

Get more information about practical matters for international students.

The introduction day for the Research Master Child Development and Education will take place in the week before the start of the new academic year. Make sure that you attend the introduction day, so you can meet your fellow students and teachers.

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. 

Once you are admitted, follow the instructions provided by the faculty or programme staff regarding courses for which you might need to register separately.

You will need to pay the tuition fee in order to complete your enrolment for a degree programme at the UvA.

Find out more about how to pay the tuition fees.