Admission

After enrolling in Studielink, you will receive login code for your personal intake dashboard. Here you must upload:

For both the MA Animation and the MA of Arts in Fine Art & Design:

1. Questionnaire for Avans

2. Avans Masters of Arts – Questionnaire note

3. Curriculum Vitae (max. 1 A4)

Overview of your education and professional/artistic achievements.

Specific admission requirements:

4. Personal Statement (min. 1 A4)

MA Animation describe:

• The formal, technical, thematic, and theoretical concerns in your practice
• How you envision your practice developing during the Master
• Why this program is suited to your goals
• Your understanding of the Master Animation curriculum

MA of Arts in Fine Art & Design (Situated Design, Visual Arts & Post-Contemporary Practice and Ecology Futures) describe:
Your current practice—formal, technical, thematic, theoretical—and how it aligns with the Master program.

MA Health by Design describe:
Your personal statement should be a concise summary of your practice, giving a clear sense of the formal, technical, thematic and theoretical concerns that your work explores. It should also indicate how you see your practice developing in the future and how that relates to the Master programme you have applied for at the Avans Professional Masters. The statement should show that you understand the programme we offer and motivates why you are best suited to further development of your practice within the programme.

5. Practice Portfolio

MA Animation:
A practice portfolio should contain visual documentation of projects and practice development undertaken during the last 3 years and should provide a good impression of your design and storytelling skill set. Please also specify your role in a project you performed within a team. If you wish to submit a link to a website you may do so, in addition to submitting a portfolio. This can also be a link to your website (put your link on a PDF and upload the document)

MA of Arts in Fine Art & Design (Situated Design, Visual Arts & Post-Contemporary Practice and Ecology Futures) describe:
Visual documentation from the last 3 years (max. 25 images + optional video/sound). Include an image list (title, year, dimensions, duration). A website link in PDF is allowed.

MA Health by Design describe:
Depending on your field of expertise, we would like to see a visual overview/summary of relevant projects you have completed at the intersection of art, design, health, and technology. This can be in any format, such as printed, PDF, website, or other. In the case of a digital medium, ensure that it can be displayed on any laptop. In the case of a website, include the link in a PDF and upload the document. In the case of a tangible product, ensure that it is delivered to us safely and legibly and request a delivery confirmation.

6. Research Proposal (max. 2 A4)

MA Animation:
The Research Proposal should outline the research that you wish to develop in relation to the practice during the Masters program. We encourage you to reflect on your practice in relation to the wider field of animation practices and to cultural, theoretical, and historical contexts in contemporary society. Please reflect on a subject you find interesting, considering the following:

1. Context: What is your research about? Why is it relevant?
2. Admission: How does it relate to your current practice? What do you want to develop further during the year?
3. Framing: Try to formulate a preliminary research question.

MA of Arts in Fine Art & Design (Situated Design, Visual Arts & Post-Contemporary Practice and Ecology Futures):
Outline your intended research inquiry and relate your practice to broader cultural, theoretical, and historical contexts.

MA Health by Design:
Practice-oriented artistic/design research is defined as research into the specific forms, meanings, knowledge and experiences that arise from the production of artistic/design works. We encourage you to reflect on your expertise and professional discipline in relation to diverse contexts in the broad domain of health and well-being and in contemporary society. The difference with your personal statement is that this concerns what you are currently doing or have done in your work/practice/studies. The research proposal you describe may, of course, still change during your studies for our Master program in Health by Design.

General note| Use of Generative AI:

The MA Animation & MA in Arts in Fine Art & Design has strict policies on the use of generative AI. Any use of generative AI in submitted materials must be specified in the materials themselves. Please specify which AI tools were used and how they were applied in your work.

Important:

Enrollment is only final when all required documents (diploma + translation, passport copy, English language test results) have been uploaded to the Avans Student Administration. You will receive a link after enrollment. For questions: studentenadministratie@avans.nl

Once your file is complete and you have been accepted to our Master programme, you will receive an official letter of acceptance.

Selection Criteria

Assessment is based on the following Master-level competencies:

1. Knowledge & Insight
   • Creative ability
   • Contextual awareness
2. Application of Knowledge
   • Creative ability
   • Critical reflection
   • Innovation
   • Collaboration
3. Forming Judgements
   • Creative ability
   • Critical reflection
4. Communication Skills
   • Communicative ability
   • Organisational ability
5. Ability to Learn
   • Critical reflection
   • Innovation

There is a last-minute deadline on 31 August (EU only), but we strongly advise not to wait until then, the study starts 1 September 2026.

After reviewing your documents, the admissions committee will decide whether a Teams interview is required.
A positive review leads to a Teams  interview assessing:

• Study motivation
• Research interests
• Artistic/animation skills
• Theoretical knowledge

A negative review means there will be no interview. Admission is not guaranteed solely based on the interview. Feedback and the final decision follow afterwards.

You must be fluent in English (minimum IELTS 6.0, or equivalent).
A Bachelor program taught in English may also be accepted as proof.

You must be able to:

• Understand and take notes during English-taught lectures
• Read and use specialist literature
• Understand professional terminology
• Write at Master’s level

More info:
🔗 Language Requirements – Avans  English language requirements | Avans University of Applied Sciences
For questions: studentenadministratie@avans.nl

Student housing information
🔗 Avans Accommodation  Accommodation in ’s-Hertogenbosch | Avans University of Applied Sciences

Please note:

• Register for housing early to improve your chances, so early application is advised.

Avans rooms are for individual students (not for partners).

All Master programs at Avans are fully accredited by the NVAO (www.nvao.com).
For information about Dutch higher education and degree recognition:
🔗 Why NL? – Study in NL  Why NL? | Study in NL
Recognition in your home country:
🔗 ENIC-NARIC centers  www.enic-naric.net

Tuition fee information:
🔗 Tuition Fees – Avans  Tuition fees | Avans University of Applied Sciences
(Non-EER students must pay before 15 June 2026.)

Scholarships:
🔗 Scholarships – Avans Scholarships | Avans University of Applied Sciences