StudyDesk Scholarships
About the scholarship
The Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS) rewards outstanding non-EU/EEA students joining the University of Amsterdam for the first time on a degree programme. Each faculty sets its own award and criteria, so the AMS is best understood as a family of faculty-level merit grants rather than one fixed package.
An important detail: the scholarship is a cash grant paid in monthly instalments — at some faculties it equals the tuition fee, but it cannot be used as a tuition waiver. Example figures: the Faculty of Science offers one AMS of EUR 26,125 for the September 2027 start, while the Amsterdam Law School’s 2027-2028 amount had not been announced at the time of research — check the faculty page for the figure that applies to you.
Eligibility
- Hold a non-EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans.
- Admitted for the first time to a UvA degree programme — students already enrolled in a UvA bachelor’s or master’s are excluded.
- Enrolled full-time for the academic year in which the scholarship is awarded.
- Able to comply with Dutch visa regulations.
- Not receiving another full-coverage scholarship for the same study period.
- Individual faculties/Graduate Schools may add academic criteria — check your faculty’s page.
Benefits
- A merit grant set by your faculty — e.g. EUR 26,125 at the Faculty of Science for the September 2027 start.
- Paid as a cash grant in monthly instalments, giving flexibility beyond the tuition bill.
- Recognition as an Amsterdam Merit Scholar, which strengthens your profile for internships and further study.
Documents required
- The scholarship application submitted together with the programme application — the two travel together.
- A motivation letter and CV (exact documents vary per faculty/Graduate School).
- For Economics and Business, applications open at the beginning of October each year — prepare your materials over the autumn.
- Since requirements differ by faculty, confirm the document list on your faculty’s AMS page before submitting.
How to apply
- Apply for your UvA programmeChoose an eligible master’s and submit the programme application for the 2027 intake.
- Submit the AMS application with itComplete the faculty scholarship application — motivation letter, CV and faculty-specific documents — at the same time as the programme application.
- Beat the faculty deadlineMost faculties: 15 January 2027, 23:59 CET. Graduate School of Social Sciences: 15 February 2027, 23:59 CET. Selection takes place in spring, with results in April/May.
FAQs
No — it is a cash grant paid in monthly instalments. Even where the amount equals the tuition fee, it cannot be applied as a waiver.
It varies by faculty. The Faculty of Science offers EUR 26,125 for the September 2027 start; other faculties set their own amounts, and some (e.g. the Law School) had not published the 2027-28 figure yet.
No — you must be admitted to a UvA degree programme for the first time.
No — recipients of another full-coverage scholarship for the same period are excluded.
Selection happens in spring, with results announced in April or May.
Verified 21 Oct 2026 via 3 official UvA pages (Amsterdam Law School AMS page: faculty-level award, monthly instalments, not a waiver; Mathematics MSc scholarships page: Science faculty EUR 26,125 for Sep 2027 start; Social Sciences AMS page: 15 Jan / 15 Feb 2027 deadlines, spring selection, April/May results). No fact stated from fewer than two agreeing sources; Law School 2027-28 amount was not published at research time.
