Every programme at the University of Amsterdam has its own entry requirements, application procedure and deadlines. Check the Pre-Master's list below or select your Master’s programme to see if they offer a pre-Master’s programme.

View list of Pre-Master's programmes
View list of Master's programmes

Admission and application

You can apply for a pre-Master’s programme through the Master's programme itself. In your application for the Master’s programme, our admission officers will determine whether there are deficiencies in your prior education and which additional courses you need to take in order to meet the entry requirements for the Master’s programme.

To qualify for a pre-Master’s programme, you are allowed to have a maximum of 60 EC in deficiencies. If you have successfully completed the pre-Master’s programme, you will receive a confirmation of admissibility to the related Master's programme. Please note, a pre-Master’s programme is not a Bachelor’s degree, it is a six-month to one-year  bridging programme.

Admission via second bachelor

A pre-Master’s programme cannot contain more than 60 credits. If you have a greater deficiency, you are required to follow a second Bachelor's programme in order to be admitted to the Master's programme. You may in some cases be granted exemptions for parts of this second Bachelor's programme, depending on your previous education.

Tuition fees

The tuition fees for your pre-Master’s programme depend on the number of credits (EC) you need to obtain. You can calculate the tuition fee on our website to see how much it will cost. If you also follow courses outside the pre-Master’s programme in question, you will be required to pay the institutional tuition fee.
Restitution is not possible for pre-Master's programmes.

Entry visa and residence permit

In order to study in the Netherlands, you may need to apply for a residence permit (VVR) and/or an entry visa (MVV). This depends on your nationality. For more information on visa and residence permits, please visit uva.nl/visa.

The Immigration Office may apply for a residence permit for students undertaking a pre-master’s programme, provided that this is a requirement for admission to the master’s programme. This is because national migration regulations do not allow universities to submit a residence permit application solely for a pre-master’s programme, as it is not considered a standard bachelor’s or master’s programme.

Therefore, the Immigration Office will need to submit a residence permit application covering both the pre-master’s and master’s programmes, treating the pre-master’s programme as a preparatory year or semester, depending on its length.

If you’re not sure if you require a residence permit and/or entry visa, check the list of degree programmes to see what the requirements are for your programme.

Please note that not all UvA pre-master’s programmes allow us to apply for a residence permit for non-EU students. Most pre-master’s programmes permit this, provided that the student is directly admissible to the master’s programme, the master’s programme starts immediately after the pre-master’s programme without any gap, and the specific master’s programme is clearly indicated.

For pre-master’s programmes where direct enrolment in the master’s programme is not possible, you will need to submit an official (conditional) enrolment letter from the faculty. This letter must confirm that, upon successful completion of the pre-master’s programme, you will be directly admitted to the master’s programme.

As long as you have conditional acceptance to the programme, you will automatically be invited to the immigration process, which begins three months before the start of the semester. You can find the necessary documents on our website.
Please note that if a student does not complete the pre-master’s programme within the academic year or semester allocated for the preparatory programme, the residence permit will be revoked.