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Two admissions systems, one city
Before you look at any date, understand the structural split that makes Amsterdam different from most expat cities. Roughly half the international provision sits inside the Dutch state-funded system as Dutch International Schools, which receive a government subsidy and therefore charge a few thousand euros a year rather than the full private rate. The Amsterdam International Community School is the flagship example, with subsidised Dutch international education across primary and secondary. The other half are fully independent fee-paying schools, led by the International School of Amsterdam in Amstelveen and the British School of Amsterdam near the Vondelpark. The admissions rhythm differs by track: the subsidised schools run a waiting pool allocated by anticipated start date, while the private schools admit on a rolling basis where places exist. Knowing which track a school sits on tells you what kind of deadline you are really facing.
The 2026 application window
Amsterdam follows the Dutch academic calendar, which begins in the second half of August. The city sits in the North holiday region, where the 2026 summer holiday runs from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 16 August, so the new school year starts shortly after that. The working window for a 2026 entry therefore runs through the preceding autumn, winter and spring. There is no hard citywide cut-off, but the practical pattern is clear: Early Years and the first primary groups fill earliest at the popular schools, senior and IB Diploma places need to be settled before the autumn term, and a late application narrows you to whichever schools still hold space in your child's exact year group. The honest reading is that the absence of a fixed deadline is not the same as open-ended availability. For the seasonal rhythm of term dates and statutory breaks that shapes these windows, see our Amsterdam school holidays and term dates 2026 guide.
This matters most for families arriving on a fixed corporate timeline. If your relocation only confirms in spring 2026, treat that as the lower bound of the realistic window and widen your shortlist accordingly, because the subsidised schools in particular may already have a waiting pool in your year group by then.
Main intake points by school
The leading schools publish how their admissions work, and knowing it tells you where the genuine deadlines bite. The table below summarises the confirmed pattern at three of the most established Amsterdam options across the two tracks.
| School | Confirmed admissions pattern for 2026 |
|---|---|
| Amsterdam International Community School (AICS), subsidised | Applications run through the OpenApply platform. Depending on year group and campus there may be a waiting pool rather than an immediate offer; the school allocates places by anticipated start date and charges a non-refundable registration fee once a place is offered. |
| International School of Amsterdam (ISA), Amstelveen, private | An IB continuum school for ages 2 to 18 that admits where places are available. The IB Diploma intake requires joining Grade 11 by 1 October, so the start of the autumn term is the effective Diploma deadline. |
| British School of Amsterdam (BSA), private | English National Curriculum from age 3 to 18 across two campuses near the Vondelpark. Applications are accepted year round, with popular year groups filling earliest and a registration fee on application. |
Two points follow. First, a waiting pool is not a queue you can jump by paying early: the subsidised schools weight your anticipated start date and the year group's availability, so an honest, early enquiry is worth more than a late rush. Second, the IB Diploma 1 October rule at ISA is a true hard deadline rather than a soft preference, because the two-year programme cannot be started later. For families weighing the IB route specifically, our IB curriculum guide explains how the Diploma intake differs from earlier entry.
Not sure which deadlines apply to your child?
The school finder filters Amsterdam schools by curriculum, district and entry year, so you can see which schools still have your year group open.
Use the school finderDocument and fee deadlines
The quiet deadline that derails more Amsterdam applications than any form is documentation. Schools ask for the child's passport, recent school reports and, for relocating families, evidence of your registration with the municipality once you arrive. The subsidised Dutch International Schools admit on the basis of an international background and an anticipated relocation, so proof of your move helps the admissions team place your child correctly. Registration and assessment fees are charged when a place is offered rather than at the moment of enquiry, so budget for those alongside the first tuition invoice. Tuition timing differs by track: the subsidised schools bill a modest annual contribution, while the private schools bill larger termly or annual invoices with the first falling around the August restart. Our guide to international school fees in Amsterdam sets out the bands and timing across both systems. If you want the application steps in order rather than the deadlines alone, our how to apply to international schools in Amsterdam walkthrough covers the full sequence.
How to time your application
Three practical rules hold across the city. Enquire the moment your move is likely rather than confirmed, because the subsidised schools place you in a waiting pool by anticipated start date and an early file genuinely helps. Apply to a portfolio rather than a single school, mixing a subsidised option such as AICS with a private one such as ISA or BSA so you are not exposed to a single waiting list. And confirm in writing whether an enquiry counts as an application, because the OpenApply step and the paid enrolment step are separate. For families still deciding when in the year to move, our best time to move to Amsterdam for international schools guide weighs the August entry against the relocation calendar. Younger families can also see stage-specific timing in our Amsterdam primary schools guide.
Amsterdam admissions deadlines 2026: FAQ
There is no single citywide deadline. Amsterdam runs two parallel systems. The Dutch government subsidised international schools, such as the Amsterdam International Community School, place applicants in a waiting pool and allocate seats by anticipated start date rather than a fixed cut-off. The fully private schools, such as the International School of Amsterdam and the British School of Amsterdam, take applications year round and fill popular year groups earliest, so applying well before the late August start widens your choice.
The Amsterdam International Community School manages applications through the OpenApply platform. Depending on the year group and campus there may be a waiting pool rather than an immediate offer, so families are advised to enquire early and contact the admissions team for current availability. A non-refundable registration fee is charged once a place is offered and the enrolment form is completed.
Students entering the IB Diploma Programme at the International School of Amsterdam must join Grade 11 by 1 October, because two full years are needed to complete the courses. This effectively makes the start of the autumn term the working deadline for Diploma entry, while earlier year groups are admitted where places are available.
Amsterdam sits in the Dutch North holiday region, where the 2026 summer holiday runs from Saturday 4 July to Sunday 16 August. The new academic year therefore begins in the second half of August 2026. International schools set their own first day around that window, so confirm the exact date with each school.