University of Amsterdam: Ranking, Admission Requirement, Tuition Fees

Want to study at the University of Amsterdam? Here, we’ve compiled all you need to know about the University of Amsterdam from its ranking to the admission requirements, tuition fees and more.

The University of Amsterdam also known as Universiteit van Amsterdam in Dutch (UvA) is a public university that was established in 1632 and is situated in the Capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam.

It was formerly known as Athenaeum Illustre from 1632 to 1877 and as Municipal University of Amsterdam from 1877 to 1961. The University of Amsterdam is one of the publicly funded universities in Amsterdam and also one of the largest in the city.

Here is a table of what to expect from the article:

What You Need to Know About University of Amsterdam: Ranking, Admission Requirement, Tuition Fees

The University of Amsterdam is the third-oldest university in the Netherlands and also one of the oldest research universities in Europe with an estimated number of 31,186 students, 4,794 staff and 1,340 PhD students.

Equally, the main campus of the university is located in central Amsterdam and some of its faculties are situated in some surrounding boroughs. Basically, the University of Amsterdam has seven faculties and these faculties are: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Science, Law, Medicine, and Dentistry.

The University of Amsterdam also has good pedigree as the university has single-handedly produced six Nobel Laureates and five prime ministers of the Netherlands.

Most importantly, the majority of University of Amsterdam’s buildings are in the heart of Amsterdam with the exceptions of the faculties of Science, Medicine and Dentistry that are located outside the City Centre.

Also, the university is not a separate campus, so, therefore, students and residents mix well, thus making the city and its inhabitants to share cultural and academic ties to the school.

The University of Amsterdam is located within the Randstad, which is the largest metropolis in the country, with a population of 7.2 million inhabitants. Equally, the University of Amsterdam is renowned as a research institution and it is one of the largest research universities in the whole of Europe.

In 2010, the university had over 7,900 scientific publications credited to it. It is reported that the university spends an estimated sum of €100 million on research annually and receives €23 million via indirect funding and about €49 million from commercial partners for research.

Research prizes and grants are often given to faculty members, the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) usually give out these prizes and grants.

The University of Amsterdam has a central library, which is a wide one that is filled with over an estimated four million volumes. The central library of the university contains over four million books, 70,000 manuscripts, 500,000 letters, and 125,000 maps.

Facilities

It also has some peculiar collections of the Department of Rare and Precious Works, the Manuscript and Writing Museum, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana on Jewish history and culture, and the Department of Documentation on Social Movements.

Aside from the central library, some departments also possess their own libraries. In addition to the central library, there are roughly 70 departmental libraries in the university.

The university also has a printing press, which is known as “the Amsterdam University Press” and this printing press has a publishing list of over 1,400 titles in both the Dutch and English languages.

The University of Amsterdam also has museums. The museums include; the Allard Pierson Museum, the University Museum, the Museum Vrolik, The J.A. Dortmond Museum of Script, the UvA Computer Museum and the Zoological Museum Amsterdam. Each of these museums has some particular purposes.

The Allard Pierson Museum contains antiquities from the ancient world between 4000 BCE to 500 CE, notably from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Near East, and central Italy during this periods; the University Museum holds collections of the history of the university from 1632 till this present day; anatomical, zoological and teratological specimens are housed in the Museum Vrolik.

The J.A. Dortmond Museum of Script contains exhibits that shows the history of writing in the West from 3000 BCE until present; the UvA Computer Museum as the name implies, has displays that shows how computers of the past worked and how calculations were made before the advent of the electronic computer.

In addition, the Zoological Museum Amsterdam has a collection of millions of shells, insects, mammals, birds, fishes and other animals that are used in scientific researches.

University of Amsterdam Ranking

In the 2018-19 QS Rankings, the University of Amsterdam was ranked in the 57th spot and came up as one of three Dutch universities that made the top 100. In the Rankings by Subject Area, the University of Amsterdam was ranked globally in the top 50 for 20 subject areas.

Communication and Media Studies at the University of Amsterdam came up at number one in the global rankings. The University of Amsterdam also took the 4th spot for Dentistry and occupied the 14th spot for Sociology, Anthropology, Linguistics, and Geography. Psychology at the University of Amsterdam was ranked at 17 and came up at 23 for Education.

Also, in the 2017-18 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the University of Amsterdam was ranked at 59 and was the highest-ranked Dutch University.

Times Higher Education also included The University of Amsterdam in four of the eight top 100 sub-rankings for subject areas. The rankings based on subject areas are Social Sciences which ranked at 26 and the highest-ranked Dutch University. Arts and Humanities at the University of Amsterdam came up at 32. Clinical, Pre-Clinical, and Health took the 55th spot and Life Sciences ranked at 68.

In 2016, the University of Amsterdam was listed in the 101-150 group of the global top 500 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) ranking. The University of Amsterdam has remained in this same group for a number of years now.

In the 2017 Leiden ranking, the University of Amsterdam was ranked in the 74th position. In the ranking by fields, the University was ranked in the top 100 in two fields: Social Sciences and Humanities at the University of Amsterdam came up at the 8th position and Biomedical and Health Sciences occupied the 44th position.

University of Amsterdam Ranking in Netherlands:

The University of Amsterdam is ranked as number one at apex of the top 5 universities in the Netherlands; this position was arrived at due to the university’s rankings in the World University Rank and its size in enrolment, as it is the largest in the Netherland by enrolment.

University of Amsterdam Admission Requirement:

For prospective students to apply for the Bachelor’s and Master’s programme at the University of Amsterdam, they have to go through the following procedures:

1. Proceed to the university’s website and choose an English-taught course from the list of courses available in the Bachelor’s and Master’s programmes.
2. Then check the specific entry requirements and application deadline for the programme of your choice.
3. Afterward, start your enrolment application in Studielink. Studielink is the main application organization for all prospective students of the university and you have to register there before you can start your application process.
4. You will receive an email with your UvA student number and the next steps of the application process after you have registered in Studielink.
5. Applicants for the Bachelor’s programme would have to register for and participate in UvA Matching or the selection procedure.
6. After you have been awarded admission to the programme of your choice, you will have to pay your tuition fees. Note that at each step of the application process, you must meet each requirement necessary to proceed to the next.

University of Amsterdam Courses Offered:

The University of Amsterdam has a wide range of Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Doctoral degree programmes for prospective students.

Bachelor’s Degree Programme

The Bachelor’s program has both the Full-time and Part-time mode of study and there are four faculties; Economics and Business, Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, and Law. The University of Amsterdam offers prospective Bachelor’s students about 16 English-taught courses. The courses include:

• Actuarial Science
• Business Administration
• Communication Science
• Econometrics and Operations Research
• Economics and Business Economics
• English Language and Culture
• European Studies
• Liberal Arts and Sciences (Amsterdam University College)
• Linguistics
• Literary and Cultural Bachelor’s Analysis (Literary Studies)
• Media and Information
• Political Science
• Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics (PPLE)
• Psychology
• Sign Language Linguistics (Linguistics)
• Sociology

Master’s Degree Programme

The Master’s program has both the Full-time and Part-time mode of study and there are seven faculties; Economics and Business, Humanities, Medicine, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Science, Law, and Interdisciplinary. The Master’s program at the University of Amsterdam has the following program type:

• Master’s
• Research Master’s
• Dual Master’s
• Executive Master’s
• Joint Programme
• Advanced Master’s

Available Masters Programs

The University of Amsterdam offers prospective Masters Students about 201 English-taught courses. The courses include:

• Accountancy and Control
• Accountancy and Control: Accountancy (track)
• Control (track): Accountancy and Control
• Actuarial Science and Mathematical Finance
• General (track): Actuarial Science and Mathematical Finance
• Actuarial Science and Mathematical Finance: Quantitative Risk Management (track)
• American Studies (History)
• Ancient History (Classics and Ancient Civilizations)
• Ancient Studies (Classics and Ancient Civilizations)
• Archaeology of Northwestern Europe (Archaeology)
• Archival and Information Studies (Heritage Studies) (Masters)
• Archival and Information Studies (Heritage Studies) (Dual Masters)
• Argumentation, Rhetoric, and Communication
• Art Studies (Arts and Culture)
• Artificial Intelligence
• Artistic Research (Arts and Culture)
• Arts of the Netherlands (Arts and Culture)
• Bioinformatics and Systems Biology
• Biological Sciences
• Biological Sciences: Ecology and Evolution (track)
• Freshwater & Marine Biology (track): Biological Sciences
• Biological Sciences: General Biology (track)
• Biological Sciences: Green Life Sciences (track)
• Biomedical Sciences
• Medical Biology tracks: Biomedical Sciences
• Biomedical Sciences: Neurobiology tracks
• Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Business Administration (MBA)
• Business Administration (MSc)
• Digital Business (track): Business Administration (MSc)
• Business Administration (MSc): Entrepreneurship & Innovation (track)
• Business Administration (MSc): Entrepreneurship and Management in the Creative Industries (track)
• International Management (track): Business Administration (MSc)
• Business Administration (MSc): Leadership and Management (track)
• Business Administration (MSc): Marketing in the digital age (track)
• Strategy (track): Business Administration (MSc)
• Business Economics
• Business Economics: Competition Law and Economics (track)
• Managerial Economics and Strategy (track): Business Economics
• Business Economics: Neuroeconomics (track)
• Business in Society (joint Research Master’s program)
• Chemistry (joint degree UvA/VU)
• Chemistry: Analytical Sciences (track)
• Molecular Sciences (track): Chemistry
• Chemistry: Science for Energy and Sustainability (track)

Amongst a host of other Master’s programme courses.

University of Amsterdam Tuition Fees:

In the University of Amsterdam as well as other universities in the Netherlands, you are required to pay an annual tuition fee. There are two different fees: the statutory fee and the institutional fee. The fee you pay depends on your nationality status, degree programme and if you study either full-time or part-time.

STATUTORY FEE

The table below shows the statutory tuition fee for the 2023-2024 academic year.

The statutory fee is paid by students from the Netherlands, other countries within the European Economic Area (EEA), the EU, Switzerland and Suriname. This is only if these students meet the legal requirements.

Due to the bill approved by the Upper House of Dutch parliament to cut university tuition by half. All first-time applicants into higher education in or after 1 September 2023 will now pay a subsidized rate during their first year, as long as they are eligible for the statutory fee.

INSTITUTIONAL FEE

Institutional fee are for students that do not qualify for the statutory fees. The following sets of students are required to pay the institutional fee:

• International students who are not nationals of an EU or EEA Member State, Switzerland or Suriname
• Students who enrol in a second Bachelor’s programme after obtaining a Dutch Bachelor’s degree
• Students who enrol in a second degree programme after obtaining a Dutch Bachelor’s or Master’s degree.

The table below shows the institutional tuition fee per faculty for the 2023-2024 academic year.

Faculty of Humanities

Faculty of Medicine (AMC)

Faculty of Economics and Business

Faculty of Law

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Faculty of Dentistry

Faculty of Science

Amsterdam University College (AUC)

Note

Please take into note that the institutional fee does not apply to prospective students who have already obtained a Master’s degree earlier and now start a Master’s program in either education or health care. In such an event, the student gets to pay the statutory fee of €2,060.

Also, international students pay the same fee irrespective of whether the student is enrolled in a full-time or part-time program.

University of Amsterdam Scholarship Opportunities:

The University of Amsterdam has several scholarships and loan opportunities to offer international students to enable them to pursue a degree at the university without hassles.

The scholarships include:

• UvA Scholarships
• Faculty Scholarships

UvA Scholarships

The University of Amsterdam has two scholarships for intelligent and talented international students. These scholarships are to enable these international students to cover their studies at the university. The scholarships are:

Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS)

Intelligent, talented and outstanding students from outside the EU/EEA can apply for this Scholarship.

Who is eligible?

International students who have applied for a degree programme at the University of Amsterdam and hold a non-EU/EEA passport can submit an application for this scholarship.

How to apply?

Applications for this scholarship should be submitted to the Admissions Offices of the Graduate Schools. The deadlines for the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship vary per Faculty or Graduate School.

Specific eligibility requirements, selection criteria and application instructions can be found on the Faculty pages of the university’s website.

Holland Scholarship

International students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) can apply for this non-recurrent scholarship of €5,000. The scholarship is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in collaboration with 48 Dutch research universities and universities of applied sciences.

Who is eligible?

Prospective students who would like to do a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme at the University of Amsterdam and hold a non-EU/EEA passport can apply for this scholarship.

UvA exchange students who are going to a non-European country are also eligible for this scholarship.

How to apply?

The method of application for this scholarship differs from faculty to faculty. Most faculties do supplement the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship with the Holland Scholarship. Specific eligibility requirements, selection criteria and application instructions can be found on the Faculty or Graduate School websites.

The Holland Scholarships at the Faculty of Humanities is only available to Bachelor’s students and is awarded separately from the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship.

Faculty Scholarships

Some faculties have different numbers of scholarships for international students. The following faculties offer scholarships to international students.

• Economics and Business
• Humanities
• Social and Behavioural Sciences

Other Financial Aid Information

There are also some other financial aid information for prospective students.

• Other financial aid: scholarships, loans, studying abroad
• Studiefinanciering (for Dutch students)
• Beurzen (for Dutch students)

Conclusion

In all, the University of Amsterdam is a great place to get knowledge. The history behind the university and the alumni network is fantastic, the university boasts of a great number of well-known figures as their alumni.

As a student, either an international student or a Dutch student, when next you think of a university that offers a top of class academic activities and research all enmeshed in culture, think of the University of Amsterdam!

AUTHOR’S RECOMMENDATION

• University Of Amsterdam Merit Scholarships – AMS For International Students
• University of Amsterdam GMAT Scholarships in the Netherlands

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