Amsterdam Merit Scholarship at the Graduate School of Social Sciences, University of Amsterdam 2027/2028

About this scholarship

A merit scholarship equal to the tuition fee for students from outside the EU and the EEA who are admitted to an English-taught master's at the Graduate School of Social Sciences of the University of Amsterdam, starting in September 2027. Very few are given: two in 2025.

Funding type

Covers: an amount equal to the tuition fee, paid to you in monthly instalments. It is not a fee waiver. You still pay the full tuition fee yourself, and you can pay it in instalments. Does not cover: living and other costs. Your financial plan must show that you can pay them. In a programme longer than one year the scholarship continues only with good study progress, about 80% of the credits each year.

Tuition fees

Covered

Living costs

Not covered

Travel

Not specified

Insurance

Not specified

Eligibility requirements

Nationalities

All nationalities

Residence condition

No residence condition

A passport from outside the EU and the EEA, and no right to Dutch student finance or the lower statutory fee Full and unconditional admission to one of the English-taught selective master's programmes of the Graduate School of Social Sciences This must be your first programme in the Netherlands, at bachelor's or master's level Not open to candidates who must first follow a pre-master's programme No other full scholarship for the same period Selection on academic excellence, the recommendation letter and the quality of the motivation letter

Minimum grade

Not stated

Work experience asked for

Not stated

Return condition

Return condition not stated

How to apply

Straight to the provider

Language requirements and exemptions

Language test required IELTS TOEFL iBT Cambridge English PTE Academic Other test Waiver possible

English at C1 level is required, shown by a test taken within the last two years. For example IELTS Academic 7.0 with at least 6.5 in each part, TOEFL iBT 100 with at least 24 in reading, 22 in listening, 24 in writing and 25 in speaking, or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with 185 overall and at least 180 in each part. LanguageCert and PTE Academic are also accepted. Check the Graduate School's English page for the other scores and exemptions.

University admission details

Admission included in application?

In the master's application form in SIS you tick that you want to be considered for the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, then upload one PDF with the scholarship documents under Additional documents, as the item Scholarship motivation letter. Deadlines for non-EEA applicants for September 2027: register in Studielink by 5 February 2027 and submit the application in SIS by 15 February 2027. The programme page gives 17:00 CET for both, while the Graduate School's deadline overview gives 23:59, so keep to 17:00. The scholarship PDF is due by 15 February 2027, 23:59 CET. Selection takes place in March, and you hear the result by mid-May 2027 at the latest. Admission decisions come between 26 April and 3 May 2027. The application fee is EUR 100 for applicants with a bachelor's degree from outside the Netherlands.

Required documents

Master's application documents: CV, motivation, transcripts, diploma if already obtained, course descriptions, research questions, English test result, a sample of academic writing, and the names of two referees One scholarship PDF with your CV, scholarship motivation letter, a recommendation letter from a professor and a financial plan

Application steps

Choose an English-taught master's at the Graduate School of Social Sciences and check its entry requirements. Register in Studielink before 5 February 2027, then pay the EUR 100 fee in SIS. In SIS, tick the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship option. Put the CV, scholarship motivation letter, recommendation letter and financial plan into one PDF and upload it under Additional documents. Submit everything by 15 February 2027.

Requirement checklist

Scholarship contacts

AMS questions, Graduate School of Social Sciences: [email protected]Copy

Universities and contacts