Entry requirements
Admission is based on a strict selection procedure. The Faculty's Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application. In order to gain admission to one of our Master's programmes, 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.
The Master's programme is intended for students with an academic Bachelor's degree in English Language and Culture. It is also suitable for students with other Bachelor's degrees in Humanities (e.g. History, Comparative Literature, Cultural Studies, American Studies) who also have a solid background (at least 30 credits) in English and American literature and culture.
English language requirements
You must always present official test results proving your proficiency in English. You can apply online without having the test results, but in case you haven't taken a test yet we advise you to plan a test date as soon as possible. The qualification or test result must have been awarded no more than two years prior to the proposed date of enrolment. Below you will find the minimum English test scores for the English taught programmes at the Faculty of Humanities:
- TOEFL score 600 paper based with a minimum of 55 in each of the subtests plus 4.0 in TWE, score 250 computer based or score 100 internet based with a minimum of 20-23 in each of the subtests).
- IELTS score of 7.0 overall band score (with none of the separate section scores dropping below a minimum score of 6.5).
- Cambridge English: Cambridge Proficiency Exam with score A, B, or C; or Cambridge Advanced Exam with score A, B, or C.
Exemptions from providing the English test scores are applicable to students, who:
- have completed an English-taught secondary or higher education degree in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, New Zealand or Australia; or
- have earned a Bachelor's or Master's degree in an English-taught programme accredited by NVAO in the Netherlands, or
- have earned a Bachelor's or Master's degree in an accredited English-taught programme in another member state of the European Union
The required evidence should, if possible, be included with the complete application. If either unsatisfactory or no evidence of English language proficiency has been provided with the application, admission will be conditional upon the provision of such evidence. This condition will be clearly indicated on the offer letter and must be fulfilled before enrolment at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.
