Law and Politics of International Security

Check if you meet the admission requirements and apply.

• Merit based admission

  Admission to this interdisciplinary Master’s programme is based on a relevant degree, and on merit and your fit with the programme.  

  Applicants should have a degree in either :

  • Law, with at least one course in the field of international law; or
  • Political science, with at least one course in International relations; or
  • International Relations; or
  • Other bachelor degrees, with at least 18 EC in courses in International law and/or international relations and/or international security

  Merit is demonstrated by academic excellence, as evidenced by your overall grade average, admission essay and academic English proficiency. Ideally you should have a GPA of 7.5 according to the Dutch grading system.  Please note that VU Amsterdam will convert international grades and decide on the international grade equivalents for the Dutch grade of a 7.5.

  Fit with this programme is demonstrated by your motivation, CV, (optional) courses and extracurricular activities and (substantiated) interest in international law, politics and security issues.

  Your application will be reviewed by staff members of the LPIS master programme, of both the faculties of Law and Social Sciences. They will provide an advice to the Admission Board, that will take the final decision whether you will be admitted to the programme.

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

  Admission

  You can apply with the following Bachelor's degrees:

  • Law (LLB) with at least one course in the field of international law
  • Political Science with at least one course in International relations
  • International Relations
  • Other bachelor degrees with at least 18 EC in courses in International law and/or international relations and/or international security

  VU pre-master's
  The faculty does not offer a pre-master's for this master.

• I have a Dutch higher vocational education (HBO) bachelor’s degree (pre-master's)

  Admission

  You cannot be admitted on the basis of a degree from a university of applied sciences (HBO), nor on the basis of an HBO degree with a completed pre-master's.

• Application with a Dutch degree

  Application

  First check whether you meet the admission requirements.
  You can apply from 1 October. The application deadline is 1 June.

  Use this application procedure for Dutch degrees but please upload the documents as mentioned below and not the documents mentioned on the general application procedure webpage. The other website can be used for general information about the application procedure but mentions a different set of documents. 
  For this Master’s programme you must upload the following documents (PDF) on your VU Dashboard: 

  • letter of motivation, explaining why you wish to join the programme
  • short essay as proof of academic writing in English (about 750 words), in which you discuss a current issue of ‘law and politics in international security’ and argue how this issue is relevant to the LPIS program, making use of relevant academic literature. Please include references (in-text or footnotes) and a full bibliography.
  • curriculum vitae
  • certified transcript in English of grades obtained so far; please include the GPA

  Only complete dossiers will be considered. We may ask for additional information on your academic record if this is deemed necessary to come to a decision.

  Decision schedule

  Application dossier complete by 1 April	decision by 1 May
  Application dossier complete by 1 June	decision by 1 July

• I have an international degree

  Admission

  You can apply with the following academic Bachelor's degrees:

  • Law (LLB) with at least one course in the field of international law
  • Political Science with at least one course in International relations
  • International Relations
  • Other bachelor degrees with at least 18 EC in courses in International law and/or international relations and/or international security

  You cannot be admitted on the basis of a degree from a university of applied sciences.

  We use the UK Naric comparison system and the Nuffic comparison and validation programmes to assess your application. Especially students from non-EEA countries should factor in the possibility that a relevant Bachelor’s degree may not be sufficient for acceptance to this Master programme.

  Proof of sufficient proficiency in English

  If you are applying for one of our English-taught Master's degree programmes you will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency by submitting English test results.  

  Although complete applications are preferred, you can begin your application before you have completed the test and then submit your passing score once you have been conditionally admitted. 

  You can find an overview of all accepted tests and scores that can be used to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page.

• Application with an international degree

  Application documents

  To apply you are required to provide the following documents: 

  • Scan of your passport or national ID card (ID for EEA students only) valid at the start date of the programme.
  • Master Application File please download the correct file from this website. In this file you can see which documents are required to apply for your programme. 
  • Proof of English language proficiency (if already obtained) upload your proof of English language proficiency or English language test results. Please find the English language requirements here. 

  After having prepared the required documents, please follow the online application procedure. 

  Application fee & deadlines 

  All students seeking admission to an international 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.

  The application deadlines are:

  • 1 December (with complete dossier) for international students applying for one of the VU scholarships
  • 1 April (with complete dossier) for degree holders from non-EU/EEA countries
  • 1 June (with complete dossier) for degree holders from EU/EAA countries

  Important: all international students applying for university accommodation and non-EU/EEA students who need a visa or resident permit are strongly advised to apply well before 1 April. To get a decision in time, your application dossier must be complete by the mentioned deadlines. This includes the payment of the application fee. 

  Decision schedule

  For students applying for a VU Scholarship only: Application dossier complete by 1 December	decision by 15 January
  Application dossier complete by 1 April	decision by 1 May
  Application dossier complete by 1 June	decision by 1 July

  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 our Scholarships webpage or www.grantfinder.nl.  

  International Student and Alumni Ambassadors

  Our International Student and Alumni Ambassadors are happy to tell you all about their experiences with studying at VU Amsterdam and living in Amsterdam.

  • Our Student Ambassadors are current students at VU Amsterdam that represent a wide variety of programmes and countries.
  • Our International Alumni Ambassadors are VU Amsterdam graduates who are currently either working in the Netherlands or abroad, or doing a PhD or (second) Master's.

  You will find the full overview of our Ambassadors here: vu.nl/ambassadors. There you can chat with them directly.