Neurosciences

Check whether you meet the programme requirements and apply

• I have a Dutch university level (WO) Bachelor’s degree (VU Bachelor’s degree, VU pre-master's or Bachelor’s degree at another university)

  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. If you have read the admission criteria below and feel you are eligible for admission, please take the following steps to submit your application. Note that the initial application procedure is fully online and that scans of your relevant documents are required.

  Meet admission criteria
  In order to gain admission to one of the VU Amsterdam 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. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score.
  
  Specific admission requirements for the MSc Neurosciences programme
  To be considered for admission to the Master’s program in Neurosciences you must meet the following requirements:

  1. Hold an academic Bachelor’s degree in a relevant Beta Science discipline. This may include, but is not limited to, Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Psychology, Movement Sciences, Life Sciences, (Bio)Medical Engineering, Medicine, or University College. In general, you are eligible to apply if you completed courses in at least two of the following topics: neuro-anatomy and/or physiology, cell biology and/or biochemistry, genetics and/or genomics, neurological/neuropsychiatric disorders, statistics.
  2. Have good grades: A minimum undergraduate grade-point average of 7.5 (or international equivalent); and a minimum grade of 8 (or international equivalent), for both the Bachelor’s thesis and neuroscience-related courses is considered a plus.
  3. Possess well-developed academic skills including writing and presenting abilities, the ability to evaluate and apply knowledge, and the ability to engage in critical thinking. Having completed a BSc thesis to show well-developed academic skills is considered a plus.
  4. Have an active interest in neuroscience research and have clear ideas about a future career in neuroscience.

  Only in exceptional circumstances the Admissions Board may deviate from the specific admission requirements. If you believe your case is subject to such exceptional circumstances, then please explain so in your motivation letter. 

  Admission procedure
  The admission board evaluates whether an applicant meets the admission requirements based on review of their CV, academic transcript and motivation letter. The applicant is awarded a score of 0 to 10 based on a combination of these documents. Consequently, the admission board will make one of the following decisions.

  • Applicants with a score of <7.5 will be rejected.
  • Applicants with a score of >= 9.0 are considered directly admissible and will be guaranteed a spot in the Neurosciences Master cohort of 2025-2026.
  • Applicants with a score between 7.5 and 9.0 will be invited for an interview. During this interview, the admission board will discuss the applicant’s previous education, expectations of the program, potential knowledge gaps, and research interests. The applicant is awarded a score of 0 to 10 for this interview.

  For those applicants that were invited for an interview, a ranking will be made based on the combined score of the applicant’s documents (60%) and interview (40%). The top students in this ranking will be admitted to the MSc Neurosciences program at VU Amsterdam with a maximum capacity of 60 students.

  PLEASE NOTE that if you were invited to an interview, the final decision on your admission is only communicated when all applications are reviewed. The Admission Board strives to communicate this decision to all applicants before June 1^st.

  You can find all general information on admission and application to VU Master's programmes here.

• I have a Dutch higher vocational education (HBO) Bachelor’s degree

  A Bachelor's degree obtained at an applied university or higher vocational education (HBO in Dutch) does not grant direct access to the program.
  The Master's program Neurosciences does not offer a pre-Master's program. 

• Application with a Dutch degree

  The Neurosciences program is open to both Dutch and international students. The Faculty’s Admission Board will decide upon your admission after having evaluated your complete online application. You find all information about the general application procedure with a Dutch degree on the application page.

  Use this form to apply for the Master’s: Application form Master's Neurosciences.

  The application deadline is:

  1 June for holders of a Dutch bachelor’s degree (with a Dutch or EU/EEA nationality).

  Your application will be rejected in case you didn’t upload the required documents in ‘your dashboard’ within 6 weeks after your enrolment in Studielink, OR in case you’ve uploaded (one or more) of the required documents after June 1^st. Applications and documents submitted after the deadline will not be accepted.

  Required documents (deadline June 1^st)

  This Master’s programme requires students with a Dutch bachelor's degree to upload the following documents (in English) as soon as possible and in any case 6 weeks after your enrolment and before 1 June.

  • Letter of Motivation.
  • Curriculum Vitae.
  • Bachelor's transcript, including your GPA.
  • Course descriptions of the relevant courses you have taken during your previous higher education, including the literature used. You can use this format.

  Your online dashboard gives you an overview of the submitted and missing documents. Check your dashboard regularly.

• I have an international degree

  Admission requirements

  Students must meet the following admission requirements:

  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. We do not require a GRE or GMAT test score.

  2. Programme specific requirements
  

  • A Bachelor’s degree in Biology, Biomedical Sciences, or Psychology with a Biological Psychology or Neuropsychology profile;  
  • Or a Bachelor’s degree in a closely related programme like Movement Sciences, Life Sciences, (Bio)Medical Engineering, University College, or Medicine, with completed courses in at least two of the following topics:  
    • Neuro-anatomy and/or Physiology 
    • Cell biology and/or Biochemistry 
    • Genetics and/or Genomics 
    • Neurological/Neuropsychiatric disorders 
    • Statistics 
  • A high general academic level demonstrated by a minimum undergraduate GPA that is equivalent to a 7.5 in the Dutch grading system;  
  • Both Bachelor’s thesis and Neuroscience-related courses with a minimum grade that is equivalent to an 8.0 in the Dutch grading system: Having completed a Bachelor’s thesis to show well-developed academic skills is considered a plus, but is not a strict requirement; 
  • An active interest in Neuroscience research and having clear ideas about a future career in Neuroscience. 

   Only in exceptional circumstances the Admissions Board may deviate from the specific admission requirements. If you believe your case is subject to such exceptional circumstances, then please explain so in your motivation letter.  

  Admission procedure 
  The Admission Board evaluates whether an applicant meets the admission requirements based on review of their CV (30% of total score), academic transcript (40% of total score) and motivation letter (30% of total score). The applicant is awarded a score of 0 to 10 for each element. Consequently, the Admission Board will make one of the following decisions:

  • Applicants with an average score of <8.0 will be rejected
  • Applicants with an average score of ≥ 9.0 are considered directly admissible
  • Applicants with an average score of ≥ 8.0 will be invited for an interview. During this interview, the Admission Board will discuss the applicant’s previous education, expectations of the program, potential knowledge gaps, and research interests. The applicant is awarded a score of 0 to 10 for this interview.

  For those applicants that were invited for an interview, a ranking will be made based on the combined score of the applicant’s documents (60%) and interview (40%). Following the interview, the admission board will decide whether the applicant is 1) directly admissible, and will be guaranteed a spot in the programme’s cohort of 2025-2026, or 2) placed on the ranking list. The top students in this ranking will be admitted to the Neurosciences Master’s programme at VU Amsterdam with a maximum capacity of 60 students.

  Please note: if you were invited to an interview and you were consequently placed on the ranking list, the final decision on your admission is only communicated when all applications are reviewed. The Admission Board strives to communicate this decision to all applicants before June 15.

  How to demonstrate that you meet the above requirements

  You are required to indicate how you meet the programme specific admission requirements in your Application Form. The Admission Board will evaluate your Application Form and decide if your academic background is sufficient to gain admission to the programme.

  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. 

• Application with an international degree

  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 page. 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.
  
  Information on how to apply with an international university degree and deadlines can be found here. 

  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 www.vu.nl/scholarships 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.