Amsterdam Merit Scholarship 2027: Study at UvA, Netherlands

What Is the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship 2027?

The Amsterdam Merit Scholarship 2027 is a merit award for outstanding students from outside the European Economic Area who start a Master's programme at the University of Amsterdam in September 2027. Each faculty runs its own round with its own amount, and most faculties close on 15 January 2027.

Status, checked 9 November 2026: the 2027-28 rounds are open now on UvA's official faculty pages. The Faculty of Science page confirms one Amsterdam Merit Scholarship of 26,125 euros for the September 2027 start. The Amsterdam Law School page confirms its round is open with a deadline of 15 January at 23:59 CET, though its 2027-28 amount is still to be announced. The Graduate School of Social Sciences page confirms its round closes later, on 15 February 2027. Every figure in this article comes from those official pages, read today.

Here is the first thing to understand, because it changes how you should read every other scholarship guide on the internet. The Amsterdam Merit Scholarship has existed since September 2007, when UvA created it to attract strong non-EU/EEA students to its international classrooms. Nearly two decades later, it is still one award per faculty in most cases, not one award per programme and not one award per student. The Faculty of Science, with all of its Master's programmes combined, awards exactly one. The Law School awards exactly one a year. The Graduate School of Communication awards one, or at most two.

That scarcity is the story of this scholarship, and it is why the article is built faculty by faculty instead of as one smooth description. A single paragraph claiming "the AMS is worth 26,125 euros" would be wrong for a law student, wrong for a social sciences student, and wrong for a humanities student.

The Faculty Table: What Each Version Pays and When It Closes

Five faculty versions carry verified 2027-28 details on UvA's official pages today. Read the row for your faculty and ignore the rest, because the other rows do not apply to you.

Faculty or school	Amount for September 2027	How many	Deadline
Faculty of Science (MSc)	26,125 euros, paid in monthly instalments	1 across all MSc programmes	15 January 2027
Amsterdam Law School (LLM)	To be announced for 2027-28	1 per year, by lottery	15 January 2027, 23:59 CET
Graduate School of Social Sciences (GSSS)	Equals the tuition fee	Limited number	15 February 2027, 23:59 CET
Graduate School of Communication	Entire tuition fee for the first year	1	15 January 2027
Graduate School of Humanities (Letje Lips AMS)	4 awards of 23,500 euros, plus 1 full-ride award of 40,000 euros	5	15 January 2027, 23:59 CET

Three details in that table deserve a second look. First, the Science grant of 26,125 euros is not a tuition waiver, and UvA says so in plain terms on the page. You still pay the full tuition fee, in instalments if you wish, and the grant arrives separately in monthly instalments. Second, the Law School awards its single scholarship by lottery. Every applicant who meets the requirements goes into a random draw. Third, the Humanities version, called the Letje Lips Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, is the only one that can cover more than tuition. Its full-ride award of 40,000 euros is aimed at a student from a non-privileged background who wants to use a Master's programme to build a more just, inclusive, and multicultural world.

The odds are worth stating plainly, because UvA publishes them. At the Graduate School of Social Sciences, two scholarships were awarded in 2025, which was 1.5 percent of the scholarship applications received, according to the school's own official page. One and a half percent. That is the number to carry into your planning. It means you should apply as if the scholarship will not come, with a funding plan that works without it, and treat the award as a windfall if it arrives.

Who Can Apply?

Every faculty version shares the same core test. You must hold a non-EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans, known as Studiefinanciering, and you must not be eligible for the reduced EEA tuition fee. You must be applying to a Master's programme at UvA for the first time, be able to comply with Dutch visa regulations, and enrol as a full-time student. You must not already hold a full-coverage scholarship for the same period of study.

Beyond that shared core, each faculty adds its own bar, and the bars are high. The Faculty of Science selects from the top 10 percent of graduates in their class, which it translates as a GPA of 3.5 on the American 4-point scale, first-class honours or upper division in the British system, or 8 or higher on the Dutch 10-point scale. It also requires that you completed your previous academic programme no longer than three years ago, and it weighs the academic quality of your previous university, a motivation letter of at most 500 words, and your CV, including extracurricular activities. The Law School sets its GPA bar at 4.0 in the American system, first-class honours in the UK system, or 8.0 on the Dutch scale, and it counts only the law courses in your degree if your bachelor's was not in law. The Graduate School of Communication requires an overall GPA of at least 8 on the 10-point scale, and it only considers students starting a Research Master's or one-year Master's in Communication Science in September. The Graduate School of Social Sciences requires unconditional admission to one of its selective English-taught Master's programmes, and the programme must be your first in the Netherlands. Students who need a pre-Master's first are not eligible, with one narrow exception for a summer school programme in research methodology.

The Humanities version has its own character. The Letje Lips scholarship is for a first-time student at a Dutch university, admitted to a one-year, non-selective English-taught Master's programme. Research Master's and dual Master's programmes are excluded. If you are selected and conditionally accepted, you must hand in your certified documents by 1 August 2027 at the latest, and be fully enrolled as a full-time student by 31 August 2027. One more condition cuts across all faculties: the scholarship is only for students starting in September. There is no February start, and no transfer of the award to another academic year.

How to Apply

There is no stand-alone AMS portal and no separate scholarship website to register on. You apply for the scholarship inside your Master's application, and each faculty's route differs slightly, so follow the route for your faculty.

Step	What to do
1. Register in Studielink	Start your UvA Master's application through Studielink, the Dutch national portal. You will then receive login details for UvA's own system, SIS
2. Complete the Master's application	Submit your full Master's application before your faculty's deadline. For most faculties that is 15 January 2027; for Social Sciences it is 15 February 2027. An AMS application without a timely programme application is invalid
3. Tick the scholarship box	On your application form, UvA asks whether you want to be considered for a UvA scholarship. Check the box. On the Law School application this is the Scholarship tab
4. Upload the faculty documents	Science and Law ask for a motivation letter of at most 500 words. Social Sciences asks for a single self-composed PDF containing your CV, motivation letter, letter of recommendation, and financial plan
5. Pay the application fee	100 euros, non-refundable, for applicants with a non-Dutch diploma, paid by credit card when you submit. You do not pay it if you hold a Bachelor's degree from a Dutch university
6. Communication Science only: the questionnaire	Apply before 15 January, then complete the questionnaire you receive before 31 January, and return it before 7 February. Eight candidates are invited to submit a full file, and the winner is chosen from those eight

The Social Sciences financial plan deserves a note, because it catches people out. The GSSS page asks for a plan that shows you need the scholarship and that you have enough funds to cover all other costs. That is not a formality. The AMS covers tuition, not living costs, so UvA wants proof that you can live in Amsterdam for a year without the scholarship. Write the plan with real numbers, and include the living-cost figures from the next section.

What the AMS Does Not Cover

Honesty first: the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is not a full scholarship, except for the single Humanities full-ride award of 40,000 euros. The core AMS covers tuition, or part of it, and nothing else. It does not pay your rent, your food, your insurance, or your flights. UvA's own living-expenses page puts the cost of living in Amsterdam at 975 to 1,500 euros a month, including rent but not tuition, based on the university's published figures. Accommodation alone runs 650 to 1,200 euros a month, general living expenses 400 to 500 euros, and insurance 35 to 100 euros. Over a twelve-month year, that is roughly 11,700 to 18,000 euros of living costs on top of tuition, and the scholarship pays none of it.

Add the one-off costs. The application fee is 100 euros, non-refundable, for applicants with a non-Dutch diploma. The visa and residence permit fee is 254 euros, a one-time charge for non-EU nationals. Neither is covered by the AMS. A student who wins the Science grant of 26,125 euros still pays full tuition first, then receives the grant in monthly instalments, and still needs to fund a year of Amsterdam living costs from savings, family support, or another funder. That structure is not a flaw in the scholarship. It is the design, and it is written on the official pages for anyone who reads them.

There is one more trade-off worth naming. Because each faculty awards so few scholarships, the application effort is real and the probability of success is low. A 500-word motivation letter, a recommendation letter, and a financial plan, all for a 1.5 percent chance at Social Sciences, is a poor return if it is your only funding plan. It is a good return if it sits alongside other applications, to the university's other funds, to Dutch national schemes, and to funders in your home country. The AMS works best as one line in a funding strategy, not as the strategy itself.

Important Dates

Date	What happens
15 January 2027	AMS deadline for most faculties: Science, Law (23:59 CET), Communication Science, Humanities (23:59 CET). Your full Master's application must be in by this date
31 January 2027	Communication Science applicants receive the scholarship questionnaire by this date
7 February 2027	Communication Science questionnaire due
15 February 2027, 23:59 CET	AMS deadline for the Graduate School of Social Sciences. No late applications are accepted
March 2027	Selection takes place at the Faculty of Science and the Graduate School of Social Sciences
End of March 2027	Law School applicants are informed of the lottery outcome
April 2027	Science applicants are informed; Communication Science final selection is announced to all eight shortlisted candidates
Mid-May 2027	Social Sciences and Humanities applicants are informed of the outcome
1 August 2027	Humanities (Letje Lips) selected students: certified documents due
31 August 2027	Humanities (Letje Lips) selected students: fully enrolled as a full-time student
September 2027	Master's programmes begin at the University of Amsterdam

One warning about the dates: the 15 January deadline is the date your complete Master's application must be submitted, not the date you should start it. The Communication Science page advises filling in Studielink and the online application system at least one week before the deadline, because processing takes time.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deadline for the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship 2027?

For most faculties, 15 January 2027. The Law School closes at 23:59 CET on that day, and so does Humanities. The Graduate School of Social Sciences is the exception, closing on 15 February 2027 at 23:59 CET. There is no grace period.

How much is the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship worth?

It depends on your faculty. Science awards 26,125 euros for the September 2027 start. Social Sciences awards an amount equal to the tuition fee. Communication Science covers the entire tuition fee for the first year. The Law School amount for 2027-28 is still to be announced. Humanities offers four awards of 23,500 euros and one full-ride award of 40,000 euros.

Is the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship fully funded?

No, with one exception. The core AMS covers tuition, or part of it, and does not cover living costs, which UvA estimates at 975 to 1,500 euros a month. The single full-ride Letje Lips award of 40,000 euros in Humanities is the exception, and it is awarded to one student.

Do I apply for the scholarship separately?

No. You apply inside your Master's application in SIS, by ticking the scholarship box and uploading the documents your faculty asks for. An AMS application without a timely programme application is invalid.

Who is eligible?

Non-EU/EEA students applying to a UvA Master's programme for the first time, who are not eligible for Dutch study grants or the reduced EEA tuition fee, and who can comply with Dutch visa rules. Each faculty adds its own grade bar, typically a GPA of 8 on the Dutch 10-point scale or its equivalent.

How competitive is it?

Very. Each faculty awards one scholarship in most cases, and the Graduate School of Social Sciences awarded two in 2025, which was 1.5 percent of the applications it received. The Law School awards its single scholarship by lottery among eligible applicants.

Is there an application fee?

Yes. UvA charges a non-refundable application fee of 100 euros for applicants with a non-Dutch diploma, paid by credit card when you submit. There is no separate fee for the scholarship itself.

When will I hear the result?

It depends on your faculty. Law applicants hear by the end of March, Science applicants in April, Communication Science candidates in April, and Social Sciences and Humanities applicants by mid-May 2027.

Conclusion

The Amsterdam Merit Scholarship is a small, sharp opportunity: one award per faculty, a deadline of 15 January 2027 for most of them, and an amount that ranges from a tuition fee waiver to 26,125 euros, with a single 40,000-euro full ride in Humanities. Its value is real, and so is its scarcity. The students who benefit from it are the ones who read their faculty's own page, meet its grade bar, tick the scholarship box in time, and fund the rest of their year from other sources. If your programme sits under Science, Law, Social Sciences, Communication, or Humanities, open your faculty's page today, check the deadline against your application, and submit a week early.

Apply on Official Website: Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, Faculty of Science, University of Amsterdam · Law School: Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, Amsterdam Law School · Social Sciences: Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, Graduate School of Social Sciences · Communication Science: Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, Graduate School of Communication · Humanities: Letje Lips Amsterdam Merit Scholarship, Graduate School of Humanities. Confirm your faculty's amount, deadline, and document list on the official site before you apply.

By Kashan Ajmeri, Opportunity Wave, 9 November 2026. Sources: University of Amsterdam, official Amsterdam Merit Scholarship pages for the Faculty of Science, the Amsterdam Law School, the Graduate School of Social Sciences, the Graduate School of Communication, and the Graduate School of Humanities (uva.nl and gsh.uva.nl), plus the university's official living-expenses and application-fee pages, checked 9 November 2026. The 26,125-euro Science award, the Law School lottery and 15 January 23:59 CET deadline, the 15 February 2027 Social Sciences deadline, the Communication Science questionnaire timetable, the 23,500-euro and 40,000-euro Humanities awards, the 1.5 percent Social Sciences success rate, the 975 to 1,500 euros monthly living-cost range, and the 100-euro application fee are from UvA's official pages.