Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship 2014
Graduate School of Humanities
In 2014, the Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship (AES) will be launched, targeting exceptionally talented new Master’s students from outside Europe.
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About the Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship (AES)
The AES is a full scholarship of € 25,000, covering tuition and living expenses for one academic year, with the possibility of an extension for a second year for two-year Master’s programmes. Scholarship recipients will join extracurricular activities and become part of a selective community.
AES application deadline
The deadline for applications is 1 February 2014. The application process for the 2014-2015 academic year will open in November 2013. Candidates who are awarded an AES scholarship will be contacted in April 2014.
Requirements
Candidates wishing to apply for an AES scholarship must meet the following requirements:
- 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). The scholarship office should be notified as soon as possible of any change in nationality, type of residence permit, and/or possible Studiefinanciering support throughout the academic year.
- Have applied to an English-taught MA programme at the Graduate School of Humanities by 1 February. Please check our general entry requirements.
- Have applied to a Master’s programme at the University of Amsterdam for the first time. AES will not be awarded to candidates who are admitted for a second Master’s programme at the University of Amsterdam.
- 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 may not receive another scholarship for the same period of study as the AES. Please notify the scholarships office when another scholarship has been awarded and accepted.
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 (IELTS/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); Students with a BA degree completed in the U.S, Canada, U.K, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand are exempted from submitting an English language test.
the quality of the application as a whole (completeness, accuracy, consistency).
How to apply?
On the online application form for the Master’s programmes, all non-EU/EEA students have the option to apply for the AES scholarship. Assemble the required documents (see below) and upload them as one document called Application AES and your first and last name. For example: Application AES Anita Haas. Do this before 1 February 2014. Incomplete files will not be taken into consideration.
A selection committee of the Graduate School will decide whether you will be pre-selected for an AES scholarship. Candidates who are awarded an AES scholarship will be contacted in April 2014.
Application documents
To apply for an AES scholarship we require the following five documents:
Note that you might need to upload some of the same documents for your Master’s application as well.
- proof that you belong to the 10% of graduates from your class. Please let your dean fill in the Declaration of Excellence that can be found here.
- a letter of recommendation by a dean, teacher or academic supervisor;
- an AES letter of motivation (maximum 500 words) addressed to the director of the Graduate School of Humanities, in which you explain the reasons for choosing the specific MA programme in the Humanities (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. You may take the following tests: TOEFL (internet-based test) – overall minimum score of 100 (with a minimum score of 22 in each of the different components), or IELTS (academic test) – overall minimum score of 7.0 (with at least 7.0 in each of the four components), Certificate in Advanced English exam (CAE) – minimum score: A, or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) – minimum score: B.
