Law

Admission

Law degree (LLB)

You can be admitted to the programme, to all specializations.

Other academic degrees
If you have an academic degree which is relevant for the specialization that you wish to pursue, you may also be admitted, if you:
- have completed at least 60 EC in law courses; and
- have acquired knowledge of and insight into the area(s) of law relevant to your specialization to at least the level of the end-terms of the VU Law bachelor.
In practice, this means that you must have obtained both introductory and advanced level courses in the area(s) of law relevant to your chosen specialisation.

Find out if you are eligible before you apply? Send us the following documents (see Contact details):

• scan (provisional) transcript(s)
• description of the relevant courses
• indicate which specialization you wish to pursue

You cannot be admitted to the programme with a degree which is not relevant for the specialization, not even if you have completed 60 EC in law courses.

Dutch Language requirements for specializations offered in Dutch
To be admitted you must prove you have the required Dutch language proficiency.

VU pre-master

The faculty offers a pre-master's programme via the Open University, SchakelzoneRecht, in Dutch for students with an HBO Rechten degree (Dutch track; an HBO Rechten with an English-language track does not offer admission). On the basis of this pre-master you meet all the admission requirements.

Admission

You can be admitted to the programme on the basis of one of the HBO Bachelor's degrees listed below in combination with a relevant pre-master:

• HBO-Rechten plus VU SchakelzoneRecht (in Dutch)
• HBO-Rechten plus doorstroomprogramma HvA-VU (in Dutch) at Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences
• HBO-Rechten plus pre-master Law with 'Civiel effect'  which is equivalent to the VU SchakelzoneRecht

Please note that an HBO-Rechten with an English-language track does not offer admission, not even with a pre-master. 

Vrije Universiteit does not offer a pre-master in English for this master. 

Admission on the basis of a different degree from a University of Applied Sciences is not possible.

1. Academic requirements

Your previous education needs to be deemed equivalent to at least a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree (wetenschappelijk onderwijs, WO) obtained at a research university (nominal duration 3 years). Please find more information about your admissibility with a non-Dutch degree here.

2. Programme specific requirements

Law degree
You can be admitted to the programme if your degree is assessed as the equivalent of a Dutch academic Bachelor's degree in Law and if you have completed enough courses relevant to the specialization(s) which you wish to pursue. 

Other academic degrees 
If you have an academic degree which is relevant for the specialization which you wish to pursue, you may also be admitted, if your degree is assessed as the equivalent of a Dutch academic Bachelor's degree and you:
- have completed at least 60 EC in law courses; and
- have acquired knowledge of and insight into the area(s) of law relevant to your specialization to at least the level of the end-terms of the VU Law bachelor.
In practice, this means that you must have obtained both introductory and advanced level courses in the area(s) of law relevant to your chosen specialisation.

You cannot be admitted to the programme with a degree which is not relevant for the specialization, not even if you have completed 60 EC in law courses.

Admission on the basis of a degree from a University of Applied Sciences in not possible.

3. English-language proficiency requirements

You will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency. You can find an overview of relevant information to demonstrate your English language proficiency on the language requirement page.

First check whether you meet the admission requirements.

To apply, it is not necessary that you have already obtained your bachelor's degree; you must, however, graduate by 31 August.

You can apply from 1 October. The application deadlines are:

Use this application procedure for Dutch degrees.
Please note: on Studielink you apply to the master 'Law'. On VU Dashboard you can specify which specialization(s) you wish to pursue.

If you are considering pursuing more than one specialization, then contact the academic advisors first to be informed about the requirements for combining specializations. You can add an additional specialization at a later stage. 

For this Master’s programme you must upload the following documents (PDF) in your VU Dashboard: 

• certified transcript of grades obtained so far (HBO degree plus pre-master);
• to be formally admitted, you must submit proof before 31 August (for start 1 September) or 31 January (for start 1 February) that you have completed the pre-master. 

For this master you do not need to provide a letter of motivation, letters of recommendation or a thesis.

First check above whether you meet the admission requirements.

Students can only apply with an HBO-Rechten with a Dutch language track, kindly check our Dutch website for the application procedure.

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:

Please note: on Studielink you apply to the master 'Law'. On VU Dashboard you can specify which specialization(s) you wish to pursue.

If you are considering pursuing more than one specialization, please contact the academic advisors first to be informed about the requirements for combining specializations. You can add an additional specialization at a later stage. 

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.