Your secondary school diploma should be equivalent to the level and content of a Dutch VWO secondary school diploma. In addition, mathematics must be one of the subjects of your final examinations.

To check if your diploma is equivalent to a Dutch VWO diploma, we provide a diploma calculator to check the international requirements. If your education is not listed, you can still apply. We assess your documents on an individual basis.

How to check the diploma requirements:

1. Type in your country or diploma
2. Check the basic diploma requirements. These are the minimum diploma entry requirements for every student
3. Check the extra/alternative diploma requirements per Bachelor’s programme. These are the additional requirements including mathematics requirements, grades, entry exams or extra academic requirements.

No rights may be derived from the diploma calculator for your future application.

Information for HBO-p students

If you have obtained or will obtain a Dutch HBO-p certificate and you have a sufficient level of mathematical skills, you can apply for this programme. The mathematics proficiency required for this Bachelor's programme is equivalent to Dutch VWO mathematics A or B. In case you don't meet this requirement, you can make up for your deficiency by obtaining a mathematics A certificate.

The following institutes offer a mathematics A certificate course which meets the mathematics requirement. You have to register for the exam before the application deadline of 15 January and upload proof of registration in your application::

• CCVX Mathematics A
• State Exam Registration in Dutch (registration deadline 31 December)
• James Boswell Bèta Mathematics A Certificate
• Korteweg de Vries Mathematics A Certificate
• OMPT-F Students must score at least 60%, and are permitted only one attempt for this programme. 

In addition to the above diploma and mathematics requirements, non-EU students are required to submit an English proficiency test.

Transfer from another university

In general, it is not possible to transfer any coursework from another university to this Bachelor’s programme. All students must therefore apply and be accepted as a 1^st-year student. For any further questions about exemptions within your study programme, you can contact the study advisers.

Please note that we do not accept foundation programmes from other universities or institutions.

During this Bachelor’s, you must be able to read textbooks, understand lectures, participate in classroom discussions and complete written assignments in English. Therefore, you have to verify your English proficiency (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR): level C1) in your application. Also, if you opt for the Dutch track in which you will take Dutch lectures and do assignments and your thesis in Dutch, the level of English proficiency is required.

Proof of sufficient English language proficiency

The requirement for sufficient English language proficiency can be met if you have obtained or will obtain one of the following:

• English-taught secondary education in Australia, Canada (with the exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States of America;
• International Baccalaureate diploma with English as an IB exam subject;
• European Baccalaureate diploma, with the subject English as first or second language (minimum final score result: 6);
• French Diplôme du Baccalauréat Général with Baccalauréat Francais Internationale (BFI)/Option Internationale du Baccalauréat (OIB), section britannique/américaine;     
• Valid English language proficiency test certificate. Please see below for the approved tests and minimum scores.

If your diploma is not mentioned above, please consult the diploma calculator to see if your prior education exempts you from taking the English language proficiency test.

Tests and required scores 

• TOEFL iBT Test: minimum total score of 92 with a minimum of 22 per subscore. You can use the institution code 9011 to have your score report sent to us. 
• IELTS Academic: overall band score of 6.5 with a minimum of 6.0 per subscore. Please note that the IELTS Indicator test is not allowed. 
• Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency: overall score of 180 and a minimum of 180 per skill. 

Other test versions or modules are not accepted. Examples of this include but are not limited to: IELTS Indicator, IELTS One Skill Retake, TOEFL Home Edition, TOEFL MyBest Scores, etc.

Validity of scores 

• Test scores may not be older than 2 years, counting back from the start of the programme. If you are applying for the September 2025 intake, we do not accept English proficiency tests taken before September 2023.
• Sufficient test scores received after the application deadline are accepted, as long as your English proficiency test was taken before the application deadline. 

Make sure to plan your test on time; test dates fill quickly, and it can take several weeks for you to receive your results. Applications without a sufficient score or with a test date after the application deadline, will not be accepted.

Our Bachelor’s programmes at UvA Economics and Business include mathematics courses that demand excellent mathematical and statistical skills. After submission of your complete application, the Admissions Office will evaluate whether your coursework in mathematics is sufficient for this Bachelor’s programme.  

Given the significant role mathematics plays in our programmes, your secondary school diploma must include mathematics in the final examination. We expect all secondary school students to have successfully completed mathematics with a passing grade. Please use the diploma calculator to see the specific mathematics requirement per country and/or diploma type.

If you do not meet the mathematics proficiency requirement as it is stated in our diploma calculator, you might be able to take one of the mathematics A certificate courses in order to be eligible. Unless a mathematics A certificate course is already mandatory for your diploma type.

Only if you would like to start the Dutch track and you have international prior education you are required to take a language proficiency examination in Dutch before you are admitted to a degree programme that is (partly) taught in Dutch.