Fees and Scholarships

Please be aware that Semester in Amsterdam is a non-government-funded study abroad program. For this reason, there is no EU tuition fee. However, many EU students are able to get government funding to study abroad. Please check with your provider or home university to see if this is possible.

Tuition Fees for the Semester in Amsterdam programme are based on international student rates and cannot be modified. Please note that tuition fees do not include visa or housing costs. 

Housing costs are not included in tuition fees and are determined by the housing provider. If you are participating through a study abroad provider or partner university, these costs may be paid for you. If you're not sure, please check with your home university or study abroad provider.

Prices may vary based on room size and location; it is therefore not possible to provide an exact rental price per month, but you can find a general estimate below. The housing provider may also require an application fee as well as a refundable security deposit of approximately €1000 - €1500. Please check with the housing provider for exact details.

• VU Housing Application Fee: €250 per semester or €500 per academic year
• Our Campus/Our Domain: €900 - €1100 per month (all monthly rental costs included).
• Hotel Jansen: €850 - €1000 per month (all monthly rental costs included).

You can find more information about the available housing locations and the application process here.

2024-2025 Visa Fee: €275

Depending on your nationality, you may not need a visa or residence permit, in which case you do not have to pay the visa fee. EU students are not required to submit an immigration process or pay the visa fee. You can find more information about applying for a visa or residence permit here.

Payment of Tuition Fees

The Semester in Amsterdam programme offers two scholarships in the amount of €2,500 each (to be subtracted from tuition costs) to prospective Semester in Amsterdam students. Please note that the scholarships do not cover all expenses and scholarships cannot be combined. You can choose to apply for more than one scholarship to increase your chances, but you will only receive one.

Please also note that in order to be eligible, you should first submit a completed application for the Semester in Amsterdam programme. Semester in Amsterdam is a separate programme from the Exchange programme at VU Amsterdam. Exchange students are unfortunately not eligible for this scholarship.

All application materials should be submitted to semesterinamsterdam@vu.nl by no later than the deadlines listed below.

Application Deadlines for All Scholarships:

We offer one scholarship worth €2,500 to the winner of the Equal Access Scholarship. The Equal Access Scholarship is offered to students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds who are not eligible for government funding and have less access to financial and educational resources. 

Priority is given to students who face additional barriers in higher education including (but not limited to) first-generation students, students with refugee status, students with a disability, and young parents or caregivers with sole parent responsibilities.  

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants should demonstrate that they come from a low socioeconomic background or face current socioeconomic obstacles
• This scholarship is only available to students who are not eligible for government funding. If the majority of your tuition fees are covered by government funding or grants which do not have to be paid back, you are unfortunately not eligible for this scholarship. 
• This scholarship can only be deducted from tuition fees. In order to be eligible for this scholarship, you must apply to the programme directly by submitting an application here and pay the tuition fees independently. This scholarship is not available to students who apply to Semester in Amsterdam via a study abroad provider or university that pays the tuition fees on your behalf.

Required Application Materials

• Curriculum vitae (CV) including contact information, work experience, education, skills, languages, and any additional relevant information.
• Motivational Essay of 500-1000 words describing your socioeconomic circumstances and the barriers you have experienced and/or overcome in order to access higher education. This letter should also include any relevant personal, professional, or academic goals and how you plan to use your Semester in Amsterdam to work towards these goals in order to create a positive impact in the future for yourself and your community.
• A personal or professional letter of reference from a person who can attest to the obstacles you have had to overcome in order to study abroad.

We offer one scholarship worth €2,500 to a motivated student who has demonstrated academic excellence.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 85%. For example, if the highest possible mark is a 10, you must have a GPA of at least 8.5. We will take into account differences in grading cultures. 
• While no official language certificate is required, applicants should have an excellent mastery of English.

Required Application Materials:

• Full name, nationality, name of home university, and main focus/area of study.
• Academic Transcripts with GPA clearly stated.
• Motivational Essay of 500 - 1000 Words Indicating: why participation in the Semester in Amsterdam Program and the courses you have chosen are relevant to your personal, professional, and academic goals, how you will use this knowledge to make a positive impact in the future for yourself and your community, and any relevant information about yourself.
• Professional Letter of Reference Including his or her experience working with you (either in an academic, professional, or volunteer setting), his or her motivation for recommending you for the scholarship, and complete contact information.

The VU Fellowship Programme - VUFP offers talented international students the unique opportunity to pursue a Master’s degree at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

One VUFP scholarship is specifically reserved for an applicant who previously completed a semester or full academic year abroad at VU Amsterdam via the Semester in Amsterdam programme and is now applying for a full-time Master's programme at VU Amsterdam. Students who are not selected for the scholarship reserved for Semester in Amsterdam alumni can still be considered for a normal VUFP scholarship. Please refer to the VUFP page via the link above for application instructions and let us know once you have applied.