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Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS)

The Communication Science Schools aim to attract the world’s brightest students to its international classrooms. Outstanding students from outside the European Economic Area (non-EEA) can apply for an Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS).

The AMS is a scholarship that covers (a part of) the tuition fee for the studies. The budget of the AMS scholarship for the following academic year is determined by the central UvA office each year in October. The number of scholarships for Communication Science students is determined on the basis of the available budget and shared on this website.

OCTOBER 2024 SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE: For the academic year 2025-2026, the AMS scholarship for our Bachelor's and (Research) Master’s students will be determined in November 2024 and then this website will be updated. 

Important to keep in mind! 

To be considered for the AMS, the Graduate School of Communication requires you to apply for our (Research) Master's programme before 15 January and to be admitted conditionally afterwards. Therefore, make sure that you also have applied for the programme before 15 January by following the steps on the application and admission webpage of the Communication Science Master's track of your choice. Importantly, you should fill out Studielink and MyInfo at least one week before the application deadline, since it will take time to process your application.

  • Application deadline
    Master's application deadline 15 January
    Questionnaire deadline 7 February

    Make sure to submit your application for the (Research) Master's programme before 15 January in order to receive our questionnaire. 

  • Requirements and Eligibility

    The AMS is reserved for exceptionally talented and motivated students with a non-European Economic Area (non-EEA) nationality. The scholarship is only available if you are starting your (Research) Master’s programme in Communication Science in September. You are not eligible if you are offered a place in our pre-Master's programme. The AMS requirements are:

    • You have a non-EEA nationality. Unfortunately, if you have two nationalities and one of them is EU/EEA, you will not be eligible for the AMS
    • You have an overall GPA of at least 8 (scale 1-10)
    • Your GPA belongs to the top 10% of your class or year
    • You meet our English proficiency requirements (check the admission and application website of the (Research) Master's track of your choice).
  • Selection procedure

    The selection procedure will strongly focus on academic performance and consists of five steps:

    1. Apply to the (Research) Master’s programme before 15 January 
     

    2. Fill out a questionnaire before 7 February
    You will receive a questionnaire before 31 January if you hold a non-EEA nationality and have applied to the (Research) Master’s programme per September. In this questionnaire, you will be asked whether you want to apply for the AMS scholarship and you will be requested to write a brief explanation to support your candidacy.

    3. Review and first selection

    After 7 February our AMS committee will review the applications of the students who meet the above-mentioned eligibility criteria. In your application, the committee will look at your:

    • motivation
    • GPA
    • extracurricular activities (cv)
    • English proficiency
    • proven affinity with academic research

    4. Invitation for AMS application

    Based upon these documents our committee will select the eight most outstanding candidates. These students are invited to submit a complete AMS application file. The complete application file consists of:

    • Application Form AMS
    • Curriculum Vitae
    • Motivation letter (max. 1 A4); in which you explain the reasons for choosing the specific Master’s programme (broader context, relevance for future career), and for applying for the AMS scholarship.
    • Certified grade transcript(s); including a GPA.
    • Proof of belonging to the top 10% of your class; a statement that indicates your ranking (if available). This statement is only accepted if it is signed by the examinations board or dean.
    • Description of extracurricular activities; such as participation in student committees, international experience, sports or music at a high level, or volunteer work.
    • Optional: One or two letter(s) of recommendation; written by a dean, teacher or academic supervisor.

    5. Selection

    After receiving the complete application packages from the eight invited candidates, our selection committee will select the AMS recipient. The selection is only amongst applicants from the Communication Science programme. All top eight candidates will receive an email about the outcome around the end of March.