Computer Science

Check whether you meet the programme requirements and apply

• Coronavirus: additional information admission

  Generally speaking, students must complete their Bachelor’s or pre-Master’s before starting on their Master’s programme. This is known as the ‘BSc-before-MSc rule’. Due to the corona crisis, however, some students have had to partially stop their studies, resulting in an unfortunate delay.

  There has been examined how an exception to this BSc-before-MSc rule can be made possible for Master’s programmes at VU Amsterdam. This means that, under certain conditions, students who are lacking credits for no more than a few courses including their bachelor project, will still be able to start their Master’s at VU Amsterdam next year. This is a one-off measure. The missing credits must be completed during the 2021-2022 academic year, in other words no later than August 31 2022. Please read carefully below which rules apply for admission into this Master’s programme.

  The following rules apply this year for admission into this Master’s programme:

  Target group	Number of EC at least achieved / % EC achieved
  Bachelor students at a Dutch University (incl. VU)	150 EC
  Current pre-Master students	24 EC
  HBO Bachelor students	210

  Please note that, apart from the rules above, the following passages are still applicable and must be met to be considered for admission into the Master’s programme:

  • Admission criteria / requirements that are not EC related
  • English language proficiency requirements

  Do you meet these conditions or do you expect to meet these conditions by 31 August at the latest? If so, you can request exceptional admission no later than 1 August. You can do this by completing and submitting the form. 

  Do you want to start a Master’s programme in September?  Then complete the form for exceptional admission to a Master’s programme.

• I have a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor’s degree, VU pre-Master or Bachelor’s degree at another university)

  The Computer Science Master's programme is open  to students with an academic degree in Computer Science or a related field like Informatics, Business Analytics or Artificial Intelligence. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application. 

  In order to gain admission to the Computer Science Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent. Academic writing skill is to be demonstrated by submitting a thesis. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score.

  Specific requirements for the Master’s programme Computer Science
  For admission to the Master's programme Computer Science, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a closely related programme is required. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:  

  • Programming 
  • Algorithms 
  • Computer Systems 
  • Computer Networks 
  • Software Engineering 
  • Logic 

  Any one of the following subjects will increase your chances of admission:  

  • Databases 
  • Automata 
  • Graph Theory 
  • Compilers 
  • Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence 
  • Mathematics (Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Statistics)

  This list is not exhaustive and having these courses on your diploma does not guarantee admission. However they are a strong indication of your admissibility.

• I have a Dutch higher vocational education (HBO) Bachelor’s degree (pre-Master)

  A Bachelor's degree obtained at a Dutch University of Applied Sciences (HBO) in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission). Holders of a University of Applied Sciences Bachelor's degree (HBO) are are advised first to contact the Master’s coordinator before applying. An individual programme will be designed for the student in consultation with the coordinator. For further information regarding procedures on composing the pre-Masters' programme for Dutch University of Applied Sciences graduates see also this page (Dutch).

  The pre-Master's programme
  The pre-Master's programme Computer Science enables you to gain admission to the Master's programme Computer Science (if the deficiency can be addressed in a programme of at most 30 ECTS). You'll follow a customized individual programme that is mainly composed of Computer Science Bachelor's courses. 

  You have to complete the pre-Master's programme (30 ECTS) within 1 year. After you have finished the programme you can be admitted to the Master's programme Computer Science. For further content questions contact the study advisor of the Master's programme Computer Science, dr. N. Silvis-Cividjan: n.silvis-cividjian@vu.nl. 

  General language proficiency requirements
  The general requirements regarding language proficiency are found here. You can send a copy of your English test to the following address: toelating.beta@vu.nl.

  Coronavirus additional information admission pre-Master's programme
  Generally speaking, students must complete their Bachelor’s or pre-Master’s before starting on their Master’s programme. This is known as the ‘BSc-before-MSc rule’. Due to the corona crisis, however, some students have had to partially stop their studies, resulting in an unfortunate delay.

  There has been examined how an exception to this BSc-before-MSc rule can be made possible for (pre)Master’s programmes at VU Amsterdam. This means that, under certain conditions, students who are lacking credits for no more than a few courses (this may also be the final project), will still be able to start their pre-Master's programme at VU Amsterdam next year. This is a one-off measure. The missing credits must be completed during the 2021-2022 academic year, in other words no later than August 31 2022. Please read carefully below which rules apply for admission into this pre-Master's programme.

  The following rules apply this year for admission into this pre-Master's programme:

  Target group	Number of EC at least achieved / % EC achieved
  HBO bachelor students	210 EC
  University level (WO) students	150 EC

  Please note that, apart from the rules above, other admission criteria / requirements that are not EC related are still applicable and must be met to be considered for admission into the pre-Master's programme.

• Application with a Dutch degree

  The Computer Science programme is open to both Dutch and international students, with an academic degree in Computer Science or a related field like Informatics, Business Analytics or Artificial Intelligence. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application.

  In order to gain admission to the Computer Science Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score. A Bachelor's degree obtained at an applied university or higher vocational education (HBO in Dutch) in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission).

  Specific requirements Computer Science Master's programme
  For admission to the Master's programme Computer Science, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a closely related programme is required. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:  

  • Programming 
  • Algorithms 
  • Computer Systems 
  • Computer Networks 
  • Software Engineering 
  • Logic 

  Any one of the following subjects will increase your chances of admission:  

  • Databases 
  • Automata 
  • Graph Theory 
  • Compilers 
  • Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence 
  • Mathematics (Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Statistics)

  This list is not exhaustive and having these courses on your diploma does not guarantee admission. However they are a strong indication of your admissibility.

• I have an international degree

  The Computer Science programme is open to both Dutch and international students. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application.

  In order to gain admission to the Computer Science Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited research university including at least three full years of academic study amounting to a minimum of 180 ECTS or equivalent. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score. A Bachelor's degree obtained at an applied university or higher vocational education (HBO in Dutch) in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission).

  Specific requirements Computer Science Master's programme
  For admission to the Master's programme Computer Science, a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a closely related programme is required. In general, we expect the following subjects to be part of your Bachelor's programme:  

  • Programming 
  • Algorithms 
  • Computer Systems 
  • Computer Networks 
  • Software Engineering 
  • Logic 

  Any one of the following subjects will increase your chances of admission:  

  • Databases 
  • Automata 
  • Graph Theory 
  • Compilers 
  • Machine Learning or Artificial Intelligence 
  • Mathematics (Linear Algebra, Discrete Mathematics, Statistics)

  This list is not exhaustive and having these courses on your diploma does not guarantee admission. However they are a strong indication of your admissibility.

  Please check here which documents you need to submit for this programme.

  English language requirements
  VU Amsterdam requires all applicants to take an English test. You can, however, begin your application without having the test results. Exceptions are made for students who have completed a Bachelor's or Master's in Canada, USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia.

  The minimum English language proficiency requirements for admission to this Master's programme are:

  • IELTS: 6.5 overall

  • TOEFL Internet-based test: 92 overall

  • Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English (CAE): A, B, C

  • Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE): A, B, C

  Please note that students who need a study visa must submit their English test results before 1 June. All other students have to submit the test certificate before 31 August (preferably sooner).

  TOEFL and IELTS tests must have been completed no more than two years before 1 September of the year in which your course starts. Note that TOEFL MyBestScore is not accepted. Our institution code is 7947.

  A PDF copy of your English test result can be sent to the following email (for non-Dutch degree holders): masters.fs@vu.nl
  The general requirements regarding language proficiency are found here.

• Application with an international degree

  If you want to apply for a Master's programme at VU Amsterdam, the application procedure depends on your previous degree(s) and whether you obtained your diploma in the Netherlands or abroad. You find all information about the application procedure with a Dutch or international degree on the application page. Once you have completed the application, our International Student Advisors will contact you via email.

  Application fee & deadlines
  All students seeking admission to an international Bachelor’s or Master’s programme with an international degree are required to pay a non-refundable € 100 application fee. Only after you have paid this fee will we be able to start the evaluation of your application file. If you are applying for more than one programme, you will only need to pay the application fee once. Your application fee payment is valid for two years. 

  Information on how to apply with an international university degree and deadlines can be found here.
  For more information, international students may also contact the International Student Advisor: masters.fs@vu.nl. 

  Grants and scholarships
  As an international student planning to study at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, you can apply for a variety of grants and bursaries. Detailed information about scholarships and deadlines can be found on www.vu.nl/scholarships or www.grantfinder.nl. 

  Student Ambassadors
  Some International students are happy to tell you about their experience with living and studying in Amsterdam. These Student Ambassadors come from all over the world and have attended various Bachelor's and Master's programmes. Our Student Ambassadors are listed here on this webpage: vu.nl/ambassadors. Reach out to them and get their stories about being a student at VU Amsterdam.

• Additional costs

  Master students Computer Science will have to spend approximately 200 euro per year for buying books. Students are expected to possess a laptop computer, running either Windows 10 or mac OSX, for participating in educational activities (which comes down to approx. 300 euro per academic year).