In order to be eligible to apply to a Master’s programme at the Graduate School of Humanities, you must submit a complete digital dossier through MyInfo prior to the application deadline.
Please name your application documents according to the format: Application document_your full name (see the FAQ below).
It is possible to apply to the University of Amsterdam before you have obtained your Bachelor's diploma. If you have not yet completed your current degree programme, you must state your expected graduation date, give a list of the courses you still need to finish and submit copies of all transcripts obtained to date. Dutch law requires you to have obtained your Bachelor’s degree before you start your Master's programme in September 2020.
Digital copies of diplomas and transcripts are initially required. Print-screens from online grade registration systems are not accepted unless you are currently in the process of completing your Bachelor’s degree at the University of Amsterdam. Once you have been admitted, we will inform you how to submit certified copies. The documents must be in the original language. If they are not in English, Dutch, German or French, they must be accompanied by official translations into one of these languages.
In the Motivation form, which you can download below, you are asked to answer some questions about your educational background and your motivation for choosing a particular study programme. When applying for more than one study programme, you must upload a separate Motivation form for each programme. Please fill in this Motivation form and upload the Motivation form under ‘Motivation letter’ in your MyInfo application form.
Please note: the motivation form can only be filled out in a programme like Adobe Acrobat or Preview (Mac). It cannot be opened in your web browser.
If you are applying to a two-year Research Master's programme and if you have obtained a lower grade average than the required A/3.6 (American system), 2.1 HONS (British system), B (ECTS-system), or 7.5 Dutch system, you can add an explanation for this in the Motivation form.
Your CV (curriculum vitae) must be written in English and should contain your basic personal data, as well as a clear overview of your educational and professional history to date.
Please check the English language requirements of the Graduate School of Humanities to see if you need to upload an English language score report as part of your Master's application in MyInfo, or whether you are exempt or qualify to apply for an exemption.
Please note: you must have met the English language requirement by the application deadline applicable to you. If the application you have submitted does not contain proof that you meet the English language requirements, your application will be rejected.
For the following Master's programmes, applicants are required to upload one or more programme-specific documents:
Please check step 5 of the application process outlined under Application and admission on the webpage of your Master's programme for details about the programme-specific document(s) you need to upload.
A complete dossier consists of the following:
See above for the requirements per item. Once you have submitted the dossier in MyInfo, you will not be able to submit any additional materials for your application. If any of the above is insufficient or missing, your dossier is not complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Please make sure you upload your (preferably PDF) documents according to the format: Application document_Your full name (i.e. if your name is Alex Smith and you are uploading your motivation form, please upload the document as: Motivation form_Alex Smith etc. If your name is Max Johnson, you upload your CV as: CV_ Max Johnson).
Many applicants to Master's programmes are still in the process of finishing their Bachelor's degree. If this applies to you, then you can upload a transcript of records with the courses and grades obtained so far. Make sure to also include a list of courses from your Bachelor's that you still need to complete. Please note that it is a strict requirement that students starting their Master's on 1 September, need to have obtained their Bachelor's degree on 31 August at the latest.
You may apply for a maximum of two tracks. If you wish to do so, you can select a second track in the MyInfo application form. Please note that we will start by processing your first track. Only if you are not conditionally admitted to your first track will we continue to process your second track. If you are conditionally admitted to your first track, your application to the second track will be cancelled.
After you have submitted your MyInfo application form, it will be processed by the Admissions Office. Once your dossier has been found complete, it will be forwarded to the selection committee of your programme. Within 6 to 8 weeks after the application deadline we will inform you of the admission decision made by the selection committee.
If you have been conditionally admitted to one of our Master's programmes you can only start the programme in September if you have graduated from your Bachelor's before 1 September 2020*. The Admissions Office must verify this. The method of verification depends on your previous education.
For further information for students who have received a conditional offer, please check the information under After (conditional) admission (steps 7 to 13 of the application process).
In case you receive a conditional offer to one of our Master's programmes, you will need to send us the following documents by post in order to be unconditionally admitted. These documents need to be certified. Please find below the deadlines for sending in certified documents.
UvA Humanities students:
UvA students from other faculties:
Students with a Dutch Bachelor's degree:
Students with an international Bachelor's degree:
For further information for students who have received a conditional offer, please check the information under After (conditional) admission (steps 7 to 13 of the application process).
The Graduate School of Humanities does not accept late and/or incomplete applications to Master's programmes. If you submit an incomplete application or if you submit your application after the deadline applicable to you, your application will be rejected.
All transcripts and diplomas (or official graduation statements that include the date you graduated) sent to the GSH by post must be properly certified. A certified document is an official copy of the original document. It must show your full name, the name of the institution that issued the document and the inked stamp of your school or university, and the signature of the representative working at this institution. Watch the video below to understand exactly what is meant by a certified document:
In case you receive the hard copy of your diploma after 31 August, please send us a graduation statement instead, signed and stamped by a representative of your university, together with your certified transcript. Your official graduation date on this graduation statement needs to be 31 August 2020 at the latest.
Students who completed their Bachelor's at the University of Amsterdam do not have to submit certified documents.
For more information about practical matters after (conditional) admission, such as visa, housing and course registration, please check the information for admitted students under After (conditional) admission (steps 7 to 13 of the application process).