Tuition fee rates (Pre-)Master's programmes

Tuition fee rates academic year 2024-2025

• Statutory tuition fees 2024-2025

  If you meet all the conditions as stated on the website of DUO, you will pay the statutory tuition fees for academic year 2024-2025.

  Full-time, part-time and dual

  €2.530,00

• Institutional Fees 2024-2025

  If you do not meet all the conditions for the statutory tuition fee, you will pay the institutional fee for a programme at VU Amsterdam. This also applies to students who take a second funded master's programme after their first master's programme funded by the Dutch government. We also call this the 'second degree rate'. 

  The same fees apply to full-time, part-time and dual programmes.

  See the overview of institutional tuition fees for Master’s programmes 2024-2025..

• Fees for pre-master's programmes 2024-2025

  The fees for a pre-master's programme are equivalent to a fee equal to a maximum of a proportional part of the statutory tuition fee. The fee is €42.17 per EC and €1,265 for a 30 EC programme.

  Additional information

  • If you follow a bachelor's or master's programme at the statutory rate in addition to your pre-master's programme, you will pay the full statutory tuition fee once.
  • You can pay the fee with a Proof of Paid Tuition Fee (BBC) if you pay the statutory tuition fee at another Dutch higher education institution.
  • There is no right to a refund if you terminate the programme prematurely after completing your enrolment.
  • The costs for the part-time pre-master's programme Accounting & Control differ from the standard pre-master's rates. For more information, please see the programme page.

• Second study programme

  For a 2nd study, you will pay the institutional tuition fee rate equivalent to the statutory tuition fee rate if you:

  • started a 2nd master's programme during the 1st master's programme. You take the second master's programme without interruption. Even after you have completed the 1st master's programme (source: Central Government), or;
  • have completed a master's programme and are following a master's programme in the field of Healthcare or Education for the 1st time (source: Central Government), or;
  • are taking a 2nd VU master's programme immediately after having completed a 1st VU master's programme. Tuition fees will apply for the nominal duration of the 2nd VU master's programme +1 year if statutory tuition fees were payable for the 1st VU master's programme. Exceptions are master's programmes with maximum capacity:

  M Psychology

  M Neurosciences (research master)

  M Geneeskunde

  M Curating Art and Cultures

  M Tinbergen Institute Research Master in Economics (joint degree)

  Or;

  • have completed a master's degree in Medicine or an undivided degree in Medicine, are doing PhD research at the VU or UvA, have a written letter of intent from the Department of Oral, Maxillofacial and Maxillofacial Surgery at Amsterdam UMC, and are taking the master's degree in Dentistry.

  Important information:

  • this regulation concerns Bachelor's and Master's degrees obtained at a Dutch educational institution (HBO and WO). Foreign diplomas do not count in this regulation.
  • this regulation does not apply if the degree was awarded before 1 September 1991.
  • any specialisations that fall under one Bachelor's or Master's programme. These have the same ISAT code (also known as programme number) and are therefore considered the same study programme. Have you obtained a degree, and do you want to continue with another specialisation? Then you will pay the institutional tuition fees for the following academic year. 

• Exceptions

  Refugees and undocumented migrants
  Refugees pay the institutional fee equivalent to the statutory fee when:

  • tuition fees are paid by Stichting UAF, or;
  • they are Ukrainian refugees who in academic year 2022-2023 owed the institutional fee equivalent to the statutory rate. The tuition fee applies only for the master's programme started in academic year 2022-2023 and for the nominal duration of the master's programme +1 year.

  Residence permits
  There are 8 types of residence permits with which you pay the statutory tuition fee, subject to conditions:

  • type I: fixed-term regular residence permit (conditional aid);
  • type II: permanent residence permit regular;
  • type III: temporary asylum residence permit;
  • type IV: permanent asylum residence permit;
  • type V: residence permit for long-term resident;
  • type Article 50 TEU: residence document for (family members of) UK nationals subject to the operation of the Withdrawal Agreement (Brexit)
  • EU/EEA type: residence document for community nationals;
  • EU/EEA family member type: residence document for family members of community nationals.

  The Student Administration will assess your eligibility for tuition fee reductions after you send a copy of your residence permit (front and back in PDF format) to studentdesk@vu.nl. Is your residence document based on residence with a family member? Then also send the residence permit of the relative in question (front and back in PDF format) to studentdesk@vu.nl.

Tuition fee rates academic year 2023-2024

• Statutory tuition fees 2023-2024

  If you meet all the conditions as stated on the website of DUO, you will pay the statutory tuition fees for academic year 2023-2024.

  Take a look at the overview of statutory tuition fees for Master’s programmes 2023-2024.

• Institutional tuition fees 2023-2024

  If you are not a national of one of the EU/EEA countries, you will have to pay the institutional fees for a study programme at VU Amsterdam. This also applies to students who are following a second funded Master’s programme after their first funded Master’s programme. We also call this 'second degree tuition fees’. The same fees apply to full-time, part-time and work-study programmes.

  Take a look at the overview of institutional tuition fees for Master’s programmes 2023-2024.

  Institutional fees vs. statutory fees

  Are you paying the institutional tuition fee rate and do you think you are entitled to the statutory tuition fee rate because you have already applied for a residence permit? Then take the following steps.

  1. Upload your residence permit to your personal dashboard on VU.nl and send a copy (front and back in PDF format) to studentdesk@vu.nl.
  2. Is your residence permit based on residence with a family member? In that case, please also upload the residence permit of the family member in question and send a copy (front and back in PDF format) to studentdesk@vu.nl.
  3. Apply for a direct debit authorisation in Studielink before the final deadline (31 January for study programmes starting on 1 February and 31 August for other regular study programmes). You will not be able to enrol without this.

  Please note:

  • If it is decided that you are entitled to the statutory tuition fee rate, this will be adjusted with effect from the first day of the month following the validity date of your residence permit. We will make this adjustment up to and including the end of the academic year (31 August). After the close of the academic year, the fees will no longer be processed retroactively. If we do not receive your document until after 31 August of the current academic year, it is possible that you will have to pay the institutional fees for the first month(s) of classes.
  • Without a valid residence permit, you will not become enrolled. It is possible that you still need to apply for a residence document based on study, please read our visa page carefully to see what applies to you.

• Pre-master's (assessment) fees 2023-2024

  There are specific rules for pre-master's students, because they do not pay the regular tuition fees, but a pre-master's fee.

  Take a look at the overview of pre-master's programme fees 2023-2024.

  Additional information

  • For a pre-master's programme that includes more than 30 EC, you pay additional fees of € 38,55 for each credit point above 30 EC.
  • If, in addition to your pre-master's, you follow a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree programme at the statutory tuition fee rate, you pay only the statutory tuition fees for both programmes. Students are exempted from paying the pre-master's fees if they pay the statutory tuition fees at VU Amsterdam or any other (funded) institution.
  • The costs for the part-time pre-master's programme Accounting & Control differ from the standard pre-master's rates. For more information, please see the programme page.
  • As a pre-master's student it is possible to apply for a proof of paid tuition fees (also known as Bewijs Betaald Collegegeld or BBC), even though you pay pre-master's fees instead of the regular tuition fees.
  • Note: As a pre-master's student you will not receive a refund of the pre-master's fees when you decide to quit the programme.

  Costs of the pre-master's assessment

  In some cases you have to take a pre-master's assessment to be able to start the pre-master's programme. There might be costs associated with this. Those will be published on our website later this year. These costs will not be refunded, even if you later decide not to take part in the assessment or if it turns out that you are not eligible for admission to the pre-master's. Be sure to check this yourself in advance.

• Transitional arrangements and exceptions

  Transitional arrangements

  All transitional arrangements can be found in the Regulation for Application and Enrolment 2023-2024.

  Exceptions

  For possible exceptions per tuition fee rate, please refer to the Regulation for Application and Enrolment 2023-2024.

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