Start your application procedure on time 

You need to submit your enrolment request in Studielink, activate your UvAnetID and submit your complete application in SIS  before the deadline stated below. It may take several days to complete all these steps. We recommend you to register in Studielink at least 48 hours before the deadline of your programme.

Early bird application deadline 

• Studielink (advisory deadline): 13 January 2026, 23:59 CET 
• SIS application: 15 January 2026, 23:59 CET

Application deadline for students who need a visa (non-EU/EEA) and/or want to apply for UvA housing 

• Studielink (advisory deadline): 30 March 2026, 23:59 CET  
• SIS application: 1 April 2026, 23:59 CEST  

Application deadline for those students who do not need a visa and will not apply for UvA housing 

• Studielink (advisory deadline): 30 May 2026, 23:59 CEST 
• SIS application: 1 June 2026, 23:59 CEST 

Please note that applications received in SIS after the deadline will not be considered for admission. 

Applicants who would like to be considered for a scholarship must send their motivation letter before 15 January 2024. You can find more information about the available scholarships and how to apply for them on the tuition fee and scholarships webpage. 

Discount

The first 10 applicants who have submitted their application with all required documents, are eligible for a discount of 10% (€3,000) on their tuition fee. This discount can not be combined with the UvA scholarship. You will enjoy a 10% discount applied to your invoice in October.

The Master's programme in Technology Governance is a selective, specialised programme open to motivated and ambitious students.  

Entry requirements 

1. Academic background 
2. English language proficiency 

Selection criteria

In addition to the admission requirements, the selection committee assesses applications for admission based on the following selection criteria:

• Demonstrable affinity with and/or relevant experience in the field of study of the programme
• Motivation
• Academic / professional performance

We strive to create a diverse student population within the programme, in terms of disciplinary background; work experience; as well as gender, and cultural, social, economic background.

Please note that the selection process also consists of an interview. You will receive an invitation after your application has been reviewed.  

Academic/professional background

The candidate must satisfy one of the following sets of requirements:

• Have completed a Master’s degree in law from a Dutch or foreign research university (Dutch: WO) which is equivalent in level and workload to the University of Amsterdam’s Master’s degree in law.
• Have completed a Bachelor’s degree in Law from a Dutch or foreign research university (Dutch: WO) which is equivalent in level, ECTS and content to the University of Amsterdam’s (UvA), and has at least 3 years of relevant work experience in technology governance-related jobs in the public or private sector.
• Have completed a Master’s degree from a research university (Dutch: WO) in any discipline, and has obtained at least 30 ECTS of law courses during Bachelor’s or Master’s university education.
• Have completed a Master’s degree from a research university (Dutch: WO) in any discipline, combined with relevant work experience which includes at least 1 year work experience in technology governance related jobs in the public or private sector which may serve as a substitute to formal legal education.

All applications will be evaluated on an individual basis. Diplomas will be evaluated in accordance with guidelines set by the NUFFIC. 

Note: If you are not sure whether you satisfy the entry requirements, please consult us in advance and send us your CV, transcript and qualifications and we will be happy to advise you on your eligibilty to apply for this programme.

English language proficiency 

In an international environment, sufficient mastery of the English language is critical for academic success. Students must take an English-language proficiency test to demonstrate their ability. The Amsterdam Law School accepts the following tests and test results: 

• TOEFL* (Test of English as a Foreign Language) - The minimum required TOEFL score is 100 iBT, with a minimum of 24 for subscores reading and writing, a minimum of 22 for subscore listening and a minimum of 25 for subscore speaking.  
• IELTS Academic ** (International English Language Testing System) - The minimum required overall IELTS score is 7.0, with a minimum score of 6.5 for each individual component. 
• Cambridge English Language Assessment: minimum grade C1 Advanced with a minimum score of 190. 

Please note: The Amsterdam Law School only accepts English language proficiency test results that are no more than two years old on the day you submit your application in SIS. 

* The TOEFL ITP test (Institutional Testing Program) and the TOEFL iBT Home Edition are NOT accepted. Please note that we do not accept TOEFL MyBest scores. The required scores need to be obtained in one attempt.   
** The IELTS Academic Online, IELTS General Training and IELTS Indicator are NOT accepted. Please note that we do not accept the IELTS One Skill Retake. The required scores need to be obtained in one attempt. 

The following students are exempted from the above-mentioned test requirements: 

• Students who have received their prior education in English in one of the following English-speaking countries: Australia, Canada (except Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom or the United States. Please note that if your education was bilingual, you do not qualify for this exemption; 
• Students who possess an international or European baccalaureate diploma (provided that it is an English-language diploma); 
• Students who have completed a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme taught entirely in English (note: this does not include exchange, summer school or other non-degree programmes). Please note that if your education was bilingual, you do not qualify for this exemption; 
• Students who possess a Bachelor’s diploma from a Dutch research university.

Questions? Please take a look at our FAQ. 

Ask the Admissions Office of the Amsterdam Law School a question:

Before you can apply to the UvA, you will need to submit an enrolment request in Studielink. Studielink is the national online system for students who would like to pursue a degree programme at a Dutch university. 

Check your DigiD (before starting in Studielink) 

A DigiD (Digital Identification) is an online ID (username and password) that provides access to government administration websites. 

• Students who do not live in the Netherlands can use Studielink without a DigiD. 
• Students who currently live in the Netherlands will need their DigiD to use Studielink. We strongly recommend you to apply for your DigiD at least three weeks before registering in Studielink. 

Read the step-by-step guide to Studielink 

Before starting your enrolment application in Studielink, read the 'Step-by-step guide to Studielink'.  

Download the Step-by-step guide to Studielink 

Go to Studielink 

Please note that in Studielink and SIS you will see (links to) information for Master's applicants of regular LLM’s. Be aware that not all information applies to applicants to this programme. For the right information, please visit the pages linked to the Advanced Master programme, such as ‘Tuition fee’. 

After submitting your enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email with your UvAnetID. Follow the instructions in this email to activate your UvAnetID as you will need it to complete your application. 

After submitting an enrolment request in Studielink, you will receive an email within 24 hours with a link to submit your application. To log in to SIS you need your activated UvAnetID. Please fill out the application form, upload the required documents, pay the application fee (if applicable) and submit your application before the application deadline.

Required documents 

 Only complete online applications will be processed. A complete application contains the following documents:  

• Curriculum Vitae in English  
• Motivation letter. The misuse of ChatGPT and other AI tools by the applicants may affect the outcome of the selection.  
• A copy of university transcripts including grades. Please note: if you have a non-legal Master’s degree, please provide us with an overview of which courses on your transcript are law courses, including a document with course descriptions or syllabi of these courses.There is a specific field in the application form for this. 
• A copy of your university diploma (if it has already been obtained).  
• Proof of your English language proficiency with sufficient scores (see Entry Requirements).  Please note that you cannot submit your English language proficiency test after submitting your application form.  
• A Master’s thesis or other written work in English (with a relation to technology governance). In the absence of a dissertation written in English, applicants have to submit a writing sample (minimum 4000, maximum 8000 words) in English, demonstrating their professional/ academic writing skills. The writing sample may be a (published) academic or professional journal article, policy report, court submission, or commentary. 
• If appropriate: evidence that you have work experience in technology governance. 

In case any of the above-mentioned documents are missing, your application will be considered incomplete, and we cannot process your application.  

Paying the application fee

All students applying for a Master’s degree programme with an international bachelor’s diploma are required to pay a non-refundable €100 application fee. Paying the application fee is the last step in submitting your application.

You can pay your €100 application fee by credit card (Mastercard, Visacard), PayPal, Bancontact or iDEAL. Only after paying the fee, will you be able to submit your application.

You don't have to pay the application fee: 

• If you have of will obtain a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university or university of applied sciences (HBO). 

• If you have already applied and have paid the application fee for another master’s programme at the UvA for the academic year 2026-2027. 

• If your tuition fees for the academic year 2026-2027 will be paid by the Foundation for Refugee Students (UAF). If so, your application fee will be refunded.

The application fee is non-refundable. You are not entitled to a refund even if you do not submit your application form, or if you submit an application form after the deadline (which will not be taken into consideration), or if you submit an incomplete application.  

Once we have received your application, it will be evaluated by our Admissions Board. Only those applicants who fulfil the entry requirements for the advanced LLM will be presented to the Selection Committee after the application deadline. You will be notified about the decision within 4 weeks after the application deadline (15 January / 1 April / 1 June). 

Accept 

If you meet all the entry requirements and the Admissions Board has approved your application, we will send you a letter of conditional acceptance by email. Please accept your offer in SIS within 2 weeks. If you do not respond to your offer within 2 weeks, we cannot continue with your admission process (and visa request if applicable). Please note that accepting the offer does not oblige you to start the programme. You will still be able to withdraw your enrolment request in Studielink until 31 August.

Defer 

You are allowed to defer the start of your studies for up to one year, provided the admission criteria remain unchanged from the previous year. To defer, you must cancel your current enrolment request in Studielink. When applications open for the next academic year, submit a new enrolment request in Studielink. You will also need to submit an application in SIS, for which you can use the same documents as the previous year. Additionally, upload your letter of (conditional) acceptance from the previous year to ensure your application is recognised as a deferral. You will not need to pay the application fee again.

Decline 

If you decline the offer in SIS, please do not forget to also cancel your enrolment request in Studielink.

The Admissions Office needs to verify whether you have successfully completed your previous education. Therefore, we need to receive digital copies of your degree certificate(s) and final transcript(s) before the start of your programme. For instructions on how to submit digital documents, please go to this webpage. Please note that we cannot accept digital documents submitted by students themselves.

You will need to pay the tuition fee in order to complete your enrolment in a degree programme at the UvA. Find out more about tuition fees in the Netherlands to see which matters of your enrolment possibly still need to be completed. 

Practical information 

If you are an international student, you will need to arrange a variety of practical matters before starting your studies. 

Visa, residence permit, insurance 

The first step is to determine whether you will need a visa and/or residence permit. Then you need to arrange your insurance. 

Housing 

The UvA does not offer student housing on our campuses. We recommend that you familiarise yourself with the housing market in the Netherlands before you choose your study programme. It can be difficult to find available housing in Amsterdam, so you will need to start looking for yourself as soon as possible via Dutch student housing websites. For international students, the UvA has a limited number of rooms available throughout Amsterdam, which you can apply for via UvA Housing. Please note there are not enough rooms available via UvA Housing to accommodate all international students. As placement for UvA Housing is not guaranteed, we advise you to start your orientation for housing options early and to always explore the private housing market as well.

A student ID card is a personal document which serves as proof of identity for examinations and library privileges. You will receive instructions by email explaining how to request your student ID card.  

Course registration 

After you have been (conditionally) admitted to the LLM programme by the Amsterdam Law School you will be signed up for courses by the Amsterdam Law School for the first semester.

For questions on course registration, please contact our Education Desk. 

Courses per semester 

You will find a course overview per semester (with course descriptions) in the online Course Catalogue.

Academic calendar 

The academic year is divided into two semesters, each lasting 20 weeks. Semester 1 classes begin in the first week of September. Semester 2 classes begin in the first week of February. 

Go to the academic calendar 

For international students moving to another country, while exciting, can also be overwhelming. Plan your arrival date and find out what you need to do once you arrive in the Netherlands. 

To help you get started, the Amsterdam Law School organises an Introduction Day for all new Master’s students the week before teaching starts. You will receive information on the Introduction Day by email before you start your studies in September.