The information on this page applies to the September 2026 intake. Applications open on 1 October 2025.

Amsterdam Merit Scholarship (AMS)

We aim to attract the world’s brightest students to our international classrooms. Therefore, outstanding students with a non-EU nationality, can apply for the Amsterdam Merit Scholarship. The value of the scholarship is €6,000 per year (a total of €18,000). A few scholarships are available each year. Last academic year, we could award 1 scholarship per programme.

Application deadlines

 The results of the Scholarship committee will be announced at the end of April.

General Criteria Amsterdam Merit Scholarship

To be considered for the scholarship applicants need to meet the following general criteria:

• You hold a non-EU nationality only.
• You have excellent academic results (for example 90-100% / A+(+))
• You are not entitled to receive a Dutch study grant or loan ("Studiefinanciering").
• You do not receive a full coverage scholarship for the same period of study as the AMS.
• You have submitted a complete application to one of the Economics and Business' programmes before the scholarship deadline.
• You will register and participate in the early selection/matching rounds, see application form.
• You are able to comply with Dutch visa regulations as indicated by the Dutch Immigration Service (IND).

Selection criteria

The best candidates are selected for a scholarship on the basis of their academic excellence and promise in the field. This means that your application will be compared with other applications for the available scholarships. You need to provide:

• An excellent GPA (for example 90-100% / A-A+)
• An excellent UvA Matching result (for Bachelor's Actuarial Science, Business Analytics, Econometrics and Data Science). Applicants must register and participate in the early selection/matching rounds, see application form.
• An excellent selection result (Bachelor's Business Administration and Economics and Business Economics)
• Motivation letter (not more than 300 words) to tell us why you deserve this scholarship, including eventual financial needs
• Proof of English proficiency (if applicable)*:
  • TOEFL IBT: overall score of 100 (minimum score of 22 in each component, but higher subscores give you an advantage);
  • IELTS (Academic test): overall score of 7.0 (minimum score of 7.0 in each component, you can apply with a subscore of 6.5 but higher subscores give you an advantage);
  • Cambridge Assessment English: Certificate in Advanced English: 190 points overall and in each skill or Certificate of Proficiency in English: 190 points overall and in each skill.

*You are exempted from taking the English test if you have a secondary school diploma from a school located in and accredited by the respective authorities in Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa, the UK, or the US. See the website for other exemptions.

Application process

1. Apply for the Bachelor's programme via Studielink and the SIS 'My Applications'.

2. Apply for the scholarship before the deadline in Embark.

Please upload the following additional documents in the scholarship application in Embark

1. Recommendation letter by a dean, teacher, or academic supervisor
2. Motivation letter explaining why you deserve this scholarship (300 words):  

• Why would you need a Scholarship?
• Why would you deserve a Scholarship? Include a description of academic excellence and if applicable other merits.

Please note: We will only take your application for the scholarship into consideration if it is complete, before the scholarship deadline.

Limited number of scholarships

We provide a limited number of scholarships for excellent students. Last year we offered 1 Scholarship per programme.

Payment of the scholarship

Please note that the scholarship works on a reimbursement basis and is not a tuition fee waiver. You will therefore have to arrange the payment of your tuition fee yourself. The scholarship will be paid out in 12 equal instalments.