University of Amsterdam Scholarships for International Students 2026

There are no online scholarships for online programs for regular degrees at University of Amsterdam.

At the master’s level, there are Child Development and Education, Communication Science, Economics and Business, Humanities, Law, Medicine, Psychology, Science, and Social Sciences. At bachelor’s level, the coverage is narrower, especially Economics and Business, Social and Behavioural Sciences, and Psychology, with Economics and Business scholarships specifically mentioning areas such as Business Administration, Economics and Business Economics, Actuarial Science, Business Analytics, and Econometrics and Data Science. So business, humanities, law, medicine, and STEM are all represented. For engineering, UvA is better described as offering engineering-related fields such as Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Security and Network Engineering, and Software Engineering and Green IT rather than a broad classical engineering faculty.

The main UvA-wide answer is that the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is primarily for non-EU/EEA students at both bachelor’s and master’s level. That matches the UvA stories here: winners came from Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Ecuador.

Often yes, but not always. At bachelor’s level, UvA generally requires proof of English at C1 level unless you qualify for an exemption through your prior education, with common minimums such as IELTS 6.5 overall or TOEFL iBT 92. At master’s level, the exact test and score depend on the faculty or programme, but IELTS/TOEFL are commonly required unless you qualify for an exemption. This matches the recipient stories. According to Melina Coelho Garcia, “To study at the UvA, I had to take the IELTS.” Banu Keikina also said she had to retake IELTS before applying for her master’s because her earlier result had expired.

There is no single university-wide minimum grade that covers every programme. For bachelor’s admission, UvA checks your country-specific or diploma-specific eligibility. For master’s admission, some programmes publish minimum GPA thresholds, while competitive scholarships usually expect much more. For example, UvA’s Master’s in Artificial Intelligence lists a minimum equivalent of 6.5 Dutch / 3.0 US / 2.1 UK, Business Administration asks for an average GPA of 7.0 or higher, and some scholarship pages mention very high benchmarks such as 3.7 or even 4.0 equivalents. The recipients were clearly strong applicants: Banu Keikina had a 4.16/4.30 GPA, Melina Coelho Garcia had 9.7/10, and Belén Estrella Fiallo reported 92/100 in her bachelor’s plus 18.9/20 in the IB.

There’s no official university-wide age limit on the UvA scholarships. The published criteria focus on nationality, admission status, grades, motivation, financial situation, documents, and visa compliance, and age is not a standard published requirements.

A good academic background for UvA scholarships usually means a relevant prior diploma or degree, strong grades, a clear fit with the programme, proof of English if required, and a complete application. For the main Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, the standard starting point is usually non-EU/EEA status plus an application to a UvA degree programme, while faculty-level scholarships may additionally ask for recommendation letters, a motivation letter, or proof of financial need. The recipient stories make this more concrete: Banu Keikina paired a 4.16/4.30 GPA with seven internships; Melina Coelho Garcia combined a 9.7/10 law GPA with research, moot competitions, and NGO work; and Belén Estrella Fiallo described strong grades plus student groups, creative work, and a professional portfolio.

For undergraduate applications, the general UvA checklist usually includes your diploma and transcripts for secondary education and any higher education, an English test certificate if required, and a CV. If you have not yet graduated, UvA also asks for your most recent official transcript and an official statement with predicted final grades. You also need a passport or ID page for Studielink, and certified translations when documents are not in English, Dutch, German, or French.

For graduate applications, the exact list varies by programme, but UvA pages commonly ask for academic transcripts, a grading scheme, diploma copies, a CV, a passport copy, English-language proof, and sometimes course descriptions or thesis information. Scholarship applications can add a motivation letter, recommendation letter, and financial plan. This fits the recipients’ experiences closely. Banu Keikina said she prepared her passport scan, transcripts, certificates, diplomas, grading explanation, and CV in advance, while Melina Coelho Garcia wrote that “The differential aspect to apply for this scholarship is the motivation letter.”

Yes. UvA currently charges a non-refundable €100 application fee for bachelor’s applicants with an international diploma and a non-refundable €100 application fee for master’s applicants with an international bachelor’s diploma. There are exceptions for some categories of applicants, so it is still worth checking your exact route.