Language is present in all aspects of our daily lives and our capacity to use it makes human beings unique as a species. In the Bachelor's programme in Linguistics, students will explore both the structure and acquisition of language as well as the diversity of language around the world.

Studying with a foreign diploma at the University of Amsterdam means that a student's preparatory education must be equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma. The starting level of a regular study programme at Dutch universities is comparable to that of other European countries, which is usually one or two years higher than in most countries outside of Europe. A student's diploma or certificate from prior education will be compared with the list of country qualifications that has been drawn up by the Netherlands Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (Nuffic).