Application and admission

If you wish to apply for UvA Housing, you need to apply before 1 March.

Applying for a scholarship?

If you are interested in a scholarship, you need to apply for both the Master's programme and the scholarship before 15 January. Learn more about scholarships in the Humanities on the website of the Graduate School of Humanities.

The Master's programme in Heritage and Memory Studies is open for application to students with a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in:

• the fields of cultural anthropology, cultural studies, (art) history, archaeology and prehistory, social geography, or urban planning;
• the humanities or social sciences with a minimum of 30 ECTS (equivalent to a full-time semester of academic studies) taken in the field of heritage and memory studies.

You will be considered for admission to the Master’s programme if you can demonstrate the following knowledge, insight and skills:

• You are able to conduct academic research independently and know how to formulate consistent and functional research questions, collect and critically evaluate source material, apply theory and communicate your research findings in logically structured writing. Substantial experience in doing research and academic writing is a plus.
• You have knowledge of basic theoretical notions in heritage and memory studies.
• You are eager to contribute to the research into and preservation, management or presentation of objects and sites.
• You have insight, preferably through some practical experience already gained in the field, into the type of work performed in the heritage sector.
• You fit the student profile.

If you are unsure whether you meet the entry requirements, you are advised to contact the programme coordinator before applying.

Pre-Master’s

It is not possible to apply to this programme with a degree from a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (hbo) or an international equivalent thereof. However, a pre-master’s programme in cultural anthropology, cultural studies, (art) history, archaeology and prehistory, social geography, or urban planning will enable you to meet the degree requirements for application. We do not offer a preparatory programme (schakelprogramma) specifically for this Master's programme. For further advice, please contact the programme coordinator before applying.

English language requirements

Master's students should be able to speak, read, write and understand English at an advanced academic level. Please check carefully whether you already meet the English language requirements or whether you need to arrange to take an official English language test. See the English language requirements on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

Selection procedure

Because of the limited number of places available, prospective students are subject to a selection process. We will compare your application  to that of other applicants, thereby assessing which candidates fit the student profile best.

Interview

The application for the Heritage and Memory Studies programme will entail an interview in English with an Admissions Board consisting of the coordinator for the MA track in Heritage and Memory Studies and at least one lecturer and one student from the programme, with in addition representatives from several heritage institutions affiliated with the programme as providers of internship positions. During the interview, candidates will be asked to further explain their motivation, reply to questions about their sample of academic work and indicate what type of internship they envision, preferably naming specific heritage organisations they are interested in. Applicants who are unable to attend an interview in Amsterdam may choose to be interviewed via an online video call.

Grade average

During the selection procedure for the Heritage and Memory Studies programme, preference will be given to students who have obtained at least the following grade average for the courses related to the dual master’s programme you are pursuing:

• A/3.6 (American system)
• 2.1 HONS (an upper second class honours degree in the British system)
• B (ECTS-system)
• 7.5 (Dutch system)

Students with lower grade averages are welcome to apply, particularly those who obtained a sufficient grade average in the advanced phase of their prior education. Please offer an explanation in your motivation form about what may have affected your academic development.

All students applying for a Master’s programme at the University of Amsterdam will need to start their application by submitting an enrolment application in Studielink. Studielink is the national online system for students who would like to pursue a degree programme at a Dutch university.

Before starting your application, make sure you have read the Studielink application procedure, including a Step-by-step guide to Studielink.

Applicants for Heritage and Memory Studies need to register in Studielink for Heritage Studies 90 EC (Dual) or Erfgoedstudies 90 EC (Duaal) at least 48 hours before the application deadline (see step 1). This is to ensure that you receive your login information (UvAnetID) in time to complete your UvA application in MyInfo (see step 5).

After submitting your enrolment application in Studielink, you will receive an email with your UvAnetID by email within 48 hours. Follow the instructions in the email to activate your ID as you will need it to complete your UvA application in MyInfo (see next step). If you already have a UvAnetID, you can skip this step.

After enrolling in Studielink, you will automatically receive an email with a link to your MyInfo UvA application form. To log in to MyInfo you need your UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents and submit your MyInfo application form before the application deadline. For detailed information, please follow the link to further information on applying in MyInfo below.

Before starting your application, please take the following into account:

Deadline

You need to submit your application before the application deadline applicable to you (please see step 1). Late applications will not be considered.

English language requirements

In your MyInfo application you will need to upload an English language test score report that meets the English language requirements. Before starting your application in MyInfo, make sure you check the English language requirements on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

Application fee

All applicants holding a nationality outside the EU/EEA are required to pay an application fee of €100 per Studielink enrolment before submitting your MyInfo application form. You will find payment instructions on your application form.

Application documents

As part of your application in MyInfo, you are required to upload transcripts, diplomas, a motivation form, a CV/resume, an English language test report (unless you are exempt) and programme specific documents (see below). Please find detailed information and guidelines on the application documents you need to upload in MyInfo on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

Programme specific document

The Admissions Board will request a sample of academic work written in English (750 words) in which you discuss and problematise a heritage or memory issue that illustrates how traces of the past (e.g. historic sites, objects, memorials) can be contested or instrumentalised. Use source citations: preferably MLA, but other referencing styles are accepted as long as used consistently. This document should give evidence of the candidate’s ability to:

• design and carry out a research project with proper source acknowledgements;
• form a logically-argued opinion on a current heritage or memory issue;
• express himself or herself effectively in writing.

Once we receive your complete application, it will be evaluated by our admissions committee. Late applications will not be considered. You will be notified about the admission decision by email. We aim to inform you within 8 weeks of the application deadline.

After you have been conditionally accepted to the Master’s programme, you will receive a separate email with a link where you can accept, defer or decline your offer. Please make sure you respond within 2 weeks. We will only continue to further process your application, including your housing and visa application (if applicable), after you have confirmed our Accept Offer.

Accept
You will receive more instructions on how to complete your enrolment in due time. For now, please read the steps below.

Decline
If you decide to decline our programme offer, make sure you also withdraw your enrolment application in Studielink to avoid receiving emails about completing your enrolment. 

If you have been (conditionally) admitted to our Master's programme, you can only start the programme in September if you have graduated from your Bachelor's before 1 September 2020*. In order for us to verify this, you are required to send us certified copies of your transcripts and degree certificates (we strongly advise against sending us original diplomas and transcripts). Note that you need to send us these documents by post. Plain copies or digital scans of the original certified documents are not accepted.

Please note that if the original language of your documents is in another language than English, Dutch, German or French, these documents must be translated into English by a sworn translator for application to the Graduate School of Humanities.

Deadlines for sending certified documents:
1 August: applicants with non-Dutch degree
24 August: applicants with Dutch degree

Postal address:
Universiteit van Amsterdam
Graduate School of Humanities, Admissions Office (room 0.11)
Spuistraat 134
1012 VB Amsterdam
The Netherlands

* If you have completed your studies, but the diploma itself will not be issued until after 31 August, please provide the Admissions Office with an official statement of graduation, signed and stamped by your university. In this graduation statement your university needs to declare that you have fulfilled all graduation requirements and have graduated from the Bachelor's programme, stating your exact graduation date. This graduation date must be a date before 1 September 2020.

In order to study in the Netherlands, you may need to apply for a residence permit and/or an entry visa. This depends on your nationality. You will receive an email from the immigration department with a link to an online application form after you have accepted our offer. More information on how to apply for UvA housing and on the UvA start appointment will become available in May.

Please keep in mind that the housing market in Amsterdam is very competitive and that applying for student housing through the UvA does not guarantee placement. For this reason, we advise you to start your orientation for housing options early and to always explore the private housing market as well. The UvA housing service is always offered for a fixed period of one year (two semesters) to new incoming international students. 

Get more information about practical matters for international students.

Online course registration for the first semester takes place in June. All information about course registration can be found via the link below. 

In the Course Catalogue, you can find the courses you will need to take each semester. The course catalogue for programmes starting in September is released in May. On www.rooster.uva.nl, you can enter your courses and see your own (weekly) timetable.

Find more information about course registration on the Graduate School of Humanities website.

A student ID card is a personal card which serves as proof of identity for examinations or borrowing library books. You will receive instructions on how to request your student ID card.

To help you get started in Amsterdam, the UvA and the Faculty of Humanities organise several mandatory and optional introduction sessions before the start of the semester. 

START appointment
During the individual Start appointment, you will be able to collect your student ID card and check the status of your enrolment. More information about the START appointment. 

Faculty introduction meeting
At the Faculty introduction meeting, which will take place in the week before the start of the semester, you will receive practical information about studying at the Faculty of Humanities and in Amsterdam. Moreover, it is a great way to meet other new students at the Faculty of Humanities. 

Intreeweek
The Intreeweek is a great way to get to know Amsterdam, the UvA and your fellow UvA students. The Intreeweek is open to international and Dutch students for a small fee. Each year, a team of dedicated students organise this major event to kick-off the new year. You can find details on the Intreeweek website. 

Programme-specific introduction
Most Master's programmes organise a programme-specific introduction during the Intreeweek. If applicable to your programme, you will receive an invitation from your Programme Coordinator separately. 

You will need to pay the tuition fee in order to complete your enrolment for a degree programme at the UvA. Find out how to pay the tuition fees.