University of Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS), Graduate School of Humanities

AMS was designed in 2007 to offer talented and excellent, hard-working non-EU/EEA students the opportunity to pursue a degree in one of the academic fields covered by the UvA. The scholarship is € 10,000,- per year (with the possibility of extension for a second year for 1,5 and 2 year Master’s programmes if you meet the requirements). 

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates are selected for a scholarship on the basis of their academic excellence and promise in the proposed field, as evidenced by:

• the candidate’s academic record. Students from any discipline belonging to the top 10% of graduates from their class can apply;

• the academic quality of the educational institute where the undergraduate (or graduate) programme has been obtained;

• a letter of recommendation by a dean, teacher or academic supervisor;
• the quality of the letter of motivation (maximum 500 words) in which the candidate explains the reasons for choosing the specific Master’s programme (broader context, relevance for future career);
• a description of extracurricular activities such as participation in student committees, international experience, sports or music at a high level or volunteer work;
• proof of English proficiency (IELS/TOEFL) :TOEFL (internet-based) -  overall score of 100 (with a minimum score of 22 in each of the different components), IELTS (academic) - overall score of 7.0 (with a minimum score of 7.0 in each of the four components);
• the quality of the application as a whole (completeness, accuracy, consistency).

Duration of AMS scholarship

Selected students receive a scholarship for the official duration of the degree programme they are enrolled in:

• one year for one-year MA programmes and one-year variants of research master's programmes
• one and a half years for professional MA programmes
• two years for the two-year variant of research MA programmes
• two years for students who start a one year MA programme with an AMS scholarship and who continue their studies in a (one year) research MA.

The scholarship for the last three categories of students will only be continuedin the second year if the AMS student is making satisfactory progress towards the degree, i.e. have completed the courses of the first semester of the first year in time with a grade average of 7.5.

Students should be aware that the AMS is not a full scholarship. It is a significant contribution towards the costs of living in Amsterdam. It is necessary to find additional funding to be able to finance study and stay completely.

One of the requirements for being granted a residence permit in the Netherlands is that students must submit proof that they have sufficient financial means to finance their study. The UvA advises a budget, not including the tuition fee, of € 10,000 to € 14,000 per year to cover the costs for rent, insurance, living expenses, course books and local transportation.

This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:

http://gsh.uva.nl/ma-programmes/scholarships/amsterdam-merit-scholarship/ams-scholarships-for-students-humanities.html