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Reviewed on Apr 23, 2025(Enrolled 2023)
What Students Say
Likes
- University promotes research.
- Faculties are very much knowledgeable.
- Faculties encourage you to do the best in academics and they are willing to help you for this.
Dislikes
- Most of the courses strictly focuses on academic research than industry.
- Some programs has large class sizes though this wasn't the case in my program.
- Campus is not big as compared to universities of other countries like UK and US.
Course Curriculum
10
- Course was quite a difficult one. There were some subjects, like Data Science Methods, Machine Learning and Optimisation, and Machine Learning in Finance, which was purely quantitative and exams were based on proof that questions only, which were not so easy to solve.
- Positive impact was that it prepared me to read the latest research papers and understand the maths behind any algorithms. Now I can read any latest AI research paper easily. Negative impact was that it was much more focused on academics, not touching on industry applications for some subjects.
Admission Experience
- I applied to 4 colleges.
- I got acceptance from University of Amsterdam (Netherlands), Tilburg University (Netherlands), University of Limerick (Ireland)
- From Vrije University (Netherlands), I didn't get acceptance.
- Reason of this is that there was no Data Science course in the VU, so I applied for the Econometrics program as I think this was the closest to Data Science. All other universities where I got admission had Data Science program and I wanted to get into this program. Plus, my academic background was also suitable for Data Science course.
- I chose the University of Amsterdam because, first of all, its ranking was better than other universities I applied to. Also, I was looking for a master's program for one year, and in Amsterdam everyone knows English. So, it was clear to me.
- Admission process is simple. You start by applying in the Studielink (a portal maintained by the Dutch government). Then they check your overall background. there are some courses that you must have studied in your bachelor's to become eligible for a particular master's program. Based on your undergraduate marks, GRE/GMAT and IELTS, they give a Yes/No on your admission decision.
- For my course, GRE/GMAT was both an option, with preference for GRE. Most of the management-related courses focus on GMAT and quantitative courses focus on GRE. For my course, the Quantitative Section minimum cutoff score was 158 and verbal marks aren't that important. I can't say about other courses. For master's program IELTS score cutoff was overall 6.5
- Overall, the admission process was nice. Everything is very much structured and online. However, during admission season, you might get delayed for some of your queries, as many people have questions and University staff take a maximum of 2 weeks to reply to your message.
- I applied for the September intake. University offers two intakes: September and February. MSc Data Science and Business Analytics is only offered during the month of September. And this is the story of many other courses as well.
- Admission process takes about 2 months. It all depends on whether you're providing the right data in the first go. If you provide some incorrect data, you will get an email to correct it, and this process will take time.
Class Schedule
10
- Classes were not evenly divided in a day; sometimes there was only one class a day, and sometimes there were two to three. Someday it might be off as well.
- My batch had 35-40 students. I was the only Indian student in my batch.
Faculty
10
- Student-to-faculty ratios vary programme by programme; there is not a single number that can be taken as a mark. For my course, lectures were combined for the whole class and for lab sessions, students were divided into two groups.
- Teaching methodology involves slides, case studies, and custom reading materials in soft copy form.
- I don't know about the point that any of the faculty members assist students in finding part-time or full-time jobs through their personal networks or references. Every faculty member was the best in their field. Hard to pick one.
Campus Life
10
- My university has approx. three campuses. It’s spread across the city. Different faculties are located in different parts of Amsterdam. Following is the list:
- Roeterseiland Campus—This is where you’ll find Social Sciences, Economics & Business, and Law. It's near the city centre and really modern.
- Science Park—Located in the east of Amsterdam, this is where the Science faculty is based. It's more like a traditional campus with labs, lecture halls, etc.
- City Centre (Oudemanhuispoort & around Spui) – This is the heart of the Humanities faculty. Some of the buildings are historic and give proper "old European university" vibes.
- Amsterdam Academic Medical Centre (AMC) – Located in the southeast, this is for students in Medicine.
- Each main location has its own library. There’s a sports centre called USC (Universitair Sportcentrum) with gyms, fitness classes, courts, etc. – quite affordable for students. Medical services are not directly provided on campus like in some universities.
- Intreeweek is the big intro week for new bachelor students – tonnes of activities, parties, and cultural stuff to get to know Amsterdam and meet other students. Different faculties organise career fairs, academic symposiums, and themed weeks (like Law Career Week or Sustainability Week). There are some student groups like VSAE, etc., that organise different events for the students.
Part Time Jobs
- These positions are pretty limited and mostly go to Master’s or PhD students. It’s not super common at the Bachelor’s level, but if you're doing well academically and have a good relationship with a professor, there’s a chance. So, I would not completely deny it but may be hard to get. So, overall, only a small portion of students get these roles – it's competitive and depends a lot on the department.
- TA/RA positions pay around €13–€17 per hour. For EU/EEA students, there’s no strict limit, but most do 12–16 hours per week during classes. For non-EU/EEA students, it’s legally 16 hours per week during the semester and full-time during holidays/summer break, as per Dutch immigration laws.
- Honestly, it’s not super easy to get part time job on campus – there are fewer on-campus opportunities, and competition is high. If you speak Dutch, it’s a big plus, especially for roles involving communication.
- 12-16 Euro is the standard rate in the Netherlands for the part time job. It should be manageble for the students as the number of classes per week is not that high. Also since attendance is not compulsory, if yoou're familair with the concept that is being taught in the class, you can think of skipping class and focusing on your work. Students usually search for part-time jobs through university portals, LinkedIn, or local job sites like Indeed or StudentenBureau. They submit a CV and cover letter, and if shortlisted, attend an interview—some roles may also require a basic Dutch language skill or work permit, depending on nationality.
Placement
10
- 80-90 % of the students get a job within the first six months after the completion of the program.
- Average salary depends upon prior work experience. Being a fresher will get you a lower salary, plus there would be difficulty in finding the job as well. But there are many traineeships that freshers can get into. Typically 3200-4700 Euros depending upon your experience, you can get.
- Most of the students found jobs through LinkedIn. There is no concept of Campus Placement. So you apply to their job portal and get shortlisted and get called. Most of my batchmates are placed in MNCs with the roles of Data Analyst, Data Scientist and Business Analyst.
- Universities are very few. For example, Amsterdam has only three public universities. So, more or less every company has an equal proportion of the students from each university. However, UvA is ranked higher in popularity given its academic excellence.
Accommodation
Off Campus
10
- I wasn't able to find the room initially through the student housing. So, I went to the private housing market for the room. I found the room via Kamernet.com, which is very popular in the Netherlands for finding rooms. They charge you approximately 30 euros for a monthly subscription.
- The initial rent was approximately 1000 euros. There are no on-campus rooms here.
- It is very hard to find room if you don't get it via Student Housing. You go to the private market and keep messaging 100 of Landlords and you hear back from only a few of them. Plus, not everyone wants to give room to international students.
- My recommendation would be to be ready mentally that it is not going to be easy and if you don't find the room via Student Housing, be active every day on private housing platforms to find the room. 20 to 25 minutes by the tram from my location.
Exams
- I sat for the exams like the GRE and IELTS.
- Overall band score of 6.5. Minimum score per subscore: Speaking and Writing a 6.5 and Listening and Reading a 6.0. Please also note that the IELTS Indicator test is not allowed. For my course SoP, LoR was optional, but I have uploaded them. A CV was compulsory to upload.
- For my program, it was not there, but for other programmes, it could be.
Fees
- Tuition fees for the Non-EU Student in my course were 16,500 euros, and hostel charges vary depending upon the student housing you get. There are options of 400 Euro, 510 Euro, 650 euros and 950 Euro approx.
- For international students, charges have to be paid yearly for the master's programme. Can't say about bachelors.
- 300 to 500 Euros considering transportation, food and other expenses. Rent can easily go from 800 to 1500 euros, depending upon the locality.
Scholarship
- No, I didn’t receive any scholarship during my course. As far as I know, I am not familiar with anyone from my batch who has received any scholarship or financial aid. I’m not entirely sure about the exact numbers, but based on what I’ve seen, it didn’t seem very common in my programme.
