Amsterdam Merit Scholarship Funding and Renewal: What You Actually Receive
Most AMS awards are paid to you in monthly instalments while you pay full tuition yourself. And for two-year master’s, the second year is conditional — or not funded at all.
ScholarshipUnion Editorial
3 min read
Updated Oct 6, 2026
The old AES was remembered as “€25,000 for tuition and living”. The current AMS works differently in most faculties. Understanding the payment mechanics matters, because it decides how much cash you need on day one.
Not a tuition waiver
Science, Social Sciences and Child Development and Education all use the same wording: the scholarship “cannot be used as a (partial) tuition waiver”. You pay the full tuition fee to UvA. The AMS is then paid to you as a grant in monthly instalments. Science and Social Sciences add that you can pay the tuition in instalments. Economics and Business also says its award is not a fee waiver and pays it out in 12 equal instalments.
In effect the money roughly cancels out across the year — but you need a working payment plan and, for your visa, proof that you can cover living costs.
Amounts against the fee
UvA’s 2026–27 institutional fees for non-EU master’s students include €25,900 for a one-year Humanities or Law master’s, €21,800–€24,050 in Economics and Business, and €23,455 for most Social and Behavioural Sciences master’s. The 2027–28 fees are not yet published. Compare with the AMS:
| Faculty | AMS | What is left for you to fund |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities (LLAMS) | €37,500 (2026–27) | Housing, immigration fees and other costs, per the page |
| Science | €26,125 | Any fee above that, plus living costs |
| Economics & Business | Tuition + €5,000 | Most living costs |
| Social Sciences | Equal to tuition | All living costs |
| Psychology, Communication | Part of tuition | Remaining tuition and all living costs |
| Medicine (Medical Informatics) | €4,000 | Almost everything |
Only the Humanities award clearly exceeds a typical one-year fee, and even that page warns the LLAMS “does not cover the full amount of your study and stay”.
Renewal for two-year master’s
Faculties →Many UvA research master’s and most Science MSc programmes take two years. Faculties handle year two in three different ways.
Year-two funding requires completing the first year “with good results (at least 40 ECTS)”, plus attendance of all classes, good progress and effort.
“Continuation for subsequent year(s) of study depends upon satisfactory study progress”, with roughly 80% of credits in any one year.
The award runs for the duration of the programme, “1 year, without prolongation”. If you need extra time, it is not funded.
Law, Psychology, Communication Science and Humanities do not state renewal rules. Humanities LLAMS is only for one-year programmes. Ask the faculty in writing.
A full year at UvA is 60 ECTS. The Science threshold of 40 ECTS leaves some room for one failed or postponed course, but not much. Plan your first-year course load with that number in mind.
Combining the AMS with other money
Most faculties exclude anyone who also holds a full-coverage scholarship for the same period. Psychology says you cannot receive “other financial assistance providing substantial coverage”. Humanities says you cannot hold another scholarship at the same time. Partial support from family, savings, a loan or an employer is generally fine — declare it in your financial plan. When in doubt, ask before you accept a second award.
Visa and proof of funds
As a non-EU student you need a Dutch residence permit for study, which UvA requests for you. Science requires that you have “sufficient funds for living expenses” and can comply with Dutch visa requirements. Your AMS letter counts toward that proof only for the amount it actually pays; the rest must come from you. UvA’s visa and housing deadline for the September 2027 intake in Business Administration is 1 April 2027.
No AMS page promises housing. Amsterdam’s student housing market is tight; apply for UvA-arranged housing by the programme’s housing deadline as soon as you are admitted.