Biomedical Sciences

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)

  The Biomedical Sciences programme 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.

  Specific requirements for the Biomedical Sciences Master’s programme:

  Knowledge and understanding:
  A minimum of 24EC in molecular biology and a minimum of 24EC in human biology, including at least one dedicated course in:

  • Cell biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Statistics

  And preferably

  • (Human) anatomy and physiology
  • Histology and pathology

  Research laboratory skills:

  • Practical laboratory techniques gained in courses
  • A bachelor research internship/thesis of ≥12EC, working on an individual biomedical research question.  The internship should have been performed at a research laboratory within a university, academic medical center or acknowledged research institute.

  Additional admission requirements for specialisation Neurobiology
  Applicants who wish to follow the specialization Neurobiology must, in addition to the requirements above, also meet the following requirements with regard to: knowledge and understanding (at least one dedicated course or internship) in Neuroscience.
  
  In addition to the admission requirements above, the following selection criteria apply:

  • A high level of relevant knowledge and skills, demonstrated by an average mark of at least 7.0 for the specific molecular and human biology courses (mentioned above) of the Bachelor’s degree programme, excluding internships/projects.
  • Motivation for the programme, demonstrated by a letter including motivation for the (possible) specialisations, knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master.
  • A high general academic level: Academic skills and critical thinking, demonstrated during an interview, including an assessment of a scientific article.
    • Any individual who has obtained a Bachelor of Science degree at a Dutch University and meets the admission requirements (courses/skills) and the average mark of at least 7.0, meets the ‘academic level’ criteria. Did you obtain a Bachelor of Science degree at a Dutch University and meet the admission requirements (courses/skills), but you have an average mark lower than 7.0? Then you are invited to do the interview with assessment to demonstrate your academic level.

  Interview procedure: 
  During the interview, the admissions board will discuss your motivation and experience and assess your ability to function at an academic MSc level, through an assessment based on an article chosen by the admissions board.

  Required documents: 

  • Curriculum Vitae, including bachelor’s internship information (research question, methods, location)
  • Statement of Intent (motivation letter), containing at least: motivation for the (possible) specialisations/knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master. And possibly: short description research internship, description knowledge in required courses (if not clear from transcript), and why you feel you fit our admission and selection criteria.
  • Transcript, including your GPA!

  Capacity restriction:
  The capacity of the specialisation Neurobiology is fixed at a maximum number of students (10-25) per academic year. Placement will be based on the following: background/proven interest in Neurobiology and motivation for Neurobiology within the master’s programme Biomedical Sciences, based on CV, transcript and statement of intent (grades will only be taken into account in case of equal scores). Based on these criteria, the Admission Committee assigns a priority number, with the lowest number giving first right of placement. If you cannot be placed in Neurobiology, you can still start the specialisation Immunology or Infectious Diseases within this programme.

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

  The master's programme of Biomedical Sciences programme 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.  

  Only a Bachelor's degree “Biology and Medical Laboratory Research” obtained at higher vocational education (HBO) can grant admission, when you fit the requirements below and you have passed the assessment. (no premaster offered).

  Other Bachelor's degrees obtained at higher vocational education (HBO) in most cases do not grant access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students with a biomedical internship stand a chance of admission).

  Specific requirements for the Biomedical Sciences master’s programme:

  Knowledge and understanding:
  A minimum of 24EC in molecular biology and a minimum of 24EC in human biology, including at least one dedicated course in:

  • Cell biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Statistics

  And preferably

  • (Human) anatomy and physiology
  • Histology and pathology

  Research laboratory skills:

  • Practical laboratory techniques gained in courses
  • A bachelor research internship/thesis of ≥12EC, working on an individual biomedical research question.  The internship should have been performed at a research laboratory within a university, academic medical center or acknowledged research institute.

  Additional admission requirements for specialisation Neurobiology
  Applicants who wish to follow the specialization Neurobiology must, in addition to the requirements above, also meet the following requirements with regard to: knowledge and understanding (at least one dedicated course or internship) in Neuroscience.
  
  In addition to the admission requirements above, the following selection criteria apply:

  • A high level of relevant knowledge and skills, demonstrated by an average mark of at least 7.0 for the specific molecular and human biology courses (mentioned above) of the Bachelor’s degree programme, excluding internships/projects.
  • Motivation for the programme, demonstrated by a letter including motivation for the (possible) specialisations, knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master.
  • A high general academic level: Academic skills and critical thinking, demonstrated during an interview, including an assessment of a scientific article.

  Interview procedure: 
  During the interview, the admissions board will discuss your motivation and experience and assess your ability to function at an academic MSc level, through an assessment based on an article chosen by the admissions board.

  Required documents: 

  • Curriculum Vitae, including bachelor’s internship information (research question, methods, location)
  • Statement of Intent (motivation letter), containing at least: motivation for the (possible) specialisations/knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master. And possibly: short description research internship, description knowledge in required courses (if not clear from transcript), and why you feel you fit our admission and selection criteria.
  • Transcript, including your GPA and propedeuse!

  Capacity restriction:
  The capacity of the specialisation Neurobiology is fixed at a maximum number of students (10-25) per academic year. Placement will be based on the following: background/proven interest in Neurobiology and motivation for Neurobiology within the master’s programme Biomedical Sciences, based on CV, transcript and statement of intent (grades will only be taken into account in case of equal scores). Based on these criteria, the Admission Committee assigns a priority number, with the lowest number giving first right of placement. If you cannot be placed in Neurobiology, you can still start the specialisation Immunology or Infectious Diseases within this programme.

  Language requirements:
  Students with a HBO degree (in Dutch) must take an English Language Test, unless you qualify for an exemption of this requirement or by proven proficiency during the interview. Check the requirements and exemptions on the webpage.

  You can also submit the result of the English language test after you have been conditionally accepted, the deadline for submitting the test result is August 31st. Please send a scan of your test result to toelating.beta@vu.nl.  For more information see under the heading ‘Application with a Dutch degree’ below.

• Application with a Dutch degree

  The Biomedical Sciences programme 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.

  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.

  • Statement of Intent (motivation letter), containing at least: motivation for the (possible) specialisations/ knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master. And possibly: short description research internship, description knowledge in required courses (if not clear from transcript), and why you feel you fit our admission and selection criteria.
  • Curriculum Vitae, including bachelor’s internship information (research question, methods, location).
  • Bachelor's transcript, including your GPA (HBO: including propedeuse).

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

  Additional required document (only for HBO students, deadline August 31^st)

  • HBO students need to send in a sufficient English language test result if needed (check the requirements and exemptions on the webpage).

  You can also submit the result of the English language test after you have been conditionally accepted, the deadline for submitting the test result is August 31^st. Please send a scan of your test result to toelating.beta@vu.nl.

• I have an international degree

  The Biomedical Sciences programme 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.
  
  In order to gain admission to the Biomedical Sciences Master’s programme, you will need to have at least a Bachelor’s of Science 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. A Bachelor's degree obtained at an applied university or higher vocational education (HBO in Dutch) in most cases does not grant direct access to the programme (only exceptionally high ranking students stand a chance of admission).

  The application deadlines are:

  • 1 February for international students applying for one of the VU scholarships.
  • 1 April for non-EU/EEA students.*
  • 1 June for non-Dutch EU/EEA students.

  *non-EU/EEA students who do not need a study visa and/or a residence permit can still apply until 1 June.
  
  Specific requirements for the Biomedical Sciences Master’s programme:

  Knowledge and understanding:
  A minimum of 24 ECTS in molecular biology and a minimum of 24 ECTS in human biology, including at least one dedicated course in:

  • Cell biology
  • Biochemistry
  • Genetics
  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Statistics

  And preferably

  • (Human) anatomy and physiology
  • Histology and pathology

  Research laboratory skills:

  • Practical laboratory techniques gained in courses
  • A bachelor research internship/thesis of ≥12EC, working on an individual biomedical research question.  The internship should have been performed at a research laboratory within a university, academic medical center or acknowledged research institute.

  Additional admission requirements for specialisation Neurobiology
  Applicants who wish to follow the specialization Neurobiology must, in addition to the requirements above, also meet the following requirements with regard to: knowledge and understanding (at least one dedicated course or internship) in Neuroscience.

  In addition to the admission requirements above, the following selection criteria apply:

  • A high level of relevant knowledge and skills, demonstrated by an average mark of at least 7.0 for the specific molecular and human biology courses (mentioned above) of the Bachelor’s degree programme, excluding internships/projects.
  • Motivation for the programme, demonstrated by a letter including motivation for the (possible) specialisations, knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master.
  • A high general academic level: academic skills and critical thinking, demonstrated during an interview by: Academic skills and critical thinking, demonstrated during an interview, including an assessment of a scientific article.

  Interview procedure:
  During the interview, the admissions board will discuss your motivation and experience and assess your ability to function at an academic MSc level, through an assessment based on an article chosen by the admissions board.

  Required documents: 
  You can find an explanation of each document on the application page for international students. All documents should be provided in English.

  • Curriculum Vitae, including bachelor’s internship information (research question, methods, location)
  • Statement of Intent (motivation letter), containing at least: motivation for the (possible) specialisations/knowledge curriculum and clear ideas about future career/added value of the master. And possibly: short description research internship, description knowledge in required courses (if not clear from transcript), and why you feel you fit our admission and selection criteria.
  • Transcript, including your GPA!

  Capacity restriction:
  The capacity of the specialisation Neurobiology is fixed at a maximum number of students (10-25) per academic year. Placement will be based on the following: background/proven interest in Neurobiology and motivation for Neurobiology within the master’s programme Biomedical Sciences, based on CV, transcript and statement of intent (grades will only be taken into account in case of equal scores). Based on these criteria, the Admission Committee assigns a priority number, with the lowest number giving first right of placement. If you cannot be placed in Neurobiology, you can still start the specialisation Immunology or Infectious Diseases within this programme.

  English language requirements:
  If you are applying for one of our English-taught Master's degree programmes you will have to demonstrate sufficient English language proficiency by submitting English test results. 

  Although complete applications are preferred, you can begin your application before you have completed the test and then submit your passing score once you have been conditionally admitted.

  You can find an overview of all accepted tests and scores that can be used 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.