Deadline: 15 January 2014.

The Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship, is a new prestigious scholarship programme targeting exceptionally talented Master’s students from outside Europe. The AES is a full scholarship of €25,000 (covering tuition and living expenses) for one academic year with the possibility of extension for a second year (for two-year Master’s programmes).

Eligibility:

• Hold a non-EU/EEA passport and not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans (Studiefinanciering; for more information please refer to www.DUO.nl).
• Be (provisionally) admitted to an English-taught Master’s degree programme at the University of Amsterdam which is registered in the Central Register of Higher Education Programmes (CROHO; for more information refer to: www.DUO.nl).
• Be (provisionally) admitted to a Master’s programme at the UvA for the first time. AES will not be awarded to candidates who are admitted for a second Master’s programme at the UvA.
• Be able to comply with Dutch visa regulations as indicated by the IND (Dutch Immigration Service).
• Be enrolled at the UvA as a full-time student for the academic year and the programme for which the scholarship is awarded. Scholarship continuation is not guaranteed when a candidate changes his or her Master’s programme.
• The candidate should not receive another scholarship for the same period of study as the AES. Notify the scholarships office when another scholarship has been awarded and accepted.

• Students from any discipline belonging to the top 10% of graduates from their class may apply.
• Selection is on the basis of academic excellence, ambition and relevance for a student’s future career.
• Scholarship recipients will join extracurricular activities and become part of a selective community.

Selection criteria

Eligible candidates are selected for a scholarship on the basis of their academic excellence and promise in the proposed field as evidenced by:

• the candidate’s academic records. Students from any discipline belonging to the top 10% of graduates from their class can apply;

• the academic quality of the educational institute where the undergraduate (or graduate) programme has been obtained;

• a letter of recommendation by a dean, teacher or academic supervisor;
• the quality of the letter of motivation (maximum 500 words) in which the candidate explains the reasons for choosing the specific Master’s programme (broader context, relevance for future career);
• a description of extracurricular activities such as participation in student commissions, international experience, sports or music at a high level or volunteer work;
• proof of English proficiency (IELS/TOEFL) :TOEFL (internet-based) –  overall score of 100 (with a minimum score of 22 in each of the different components), IELTS (academic) – overall score of 7.0 (with at least 7.0 in each of the four components);
• the quality of the application as a whole (completeness, accuracy, consistency).

How to apply

Faculties and graduate schools offering AES

The faculties and graduate schools award scholarships themselves; as such, regulations may vary. Students interested in an Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship may contact the faculty or international school offering the study programme of their choice for more information.