Applicants who have completed one of the following diplomas at Tilburg School of Humanities will be admitted directly to the program:

• A Bachelor's diploma in Communication and Information Sciences
• A Bachelor's diploma in Liberal Arts and Sciences with major in Humanities
• A Pre-Master's diploma in Communication and Information Sciences
• A Master's diploma

Another diploma?
If you have completed an equivalent program in the Humanities/the Arts, Social Sciences or Information Sciences at another Dutch university, you can take part in the selection procedure carried out by the Admissions Committee. If you are in doubt, we would always advise you to submit an application anyway. An important requirement for being admitted to the Master's program is an adequate knowledge of statistics and research methodology, since this forms an important part of the program. If these courses were not a standard part of your Bachelor's program, you will need to take them as additional courses in your Master's program.

An adequate knowledge of English is required. Please send us a certified copy of ONE of the following English proficiency tests: Academic IELTS (min. 6.5 overall/6.0 on parts), TOEFL (min. paper-based: 577, computer-based: 233, internet-based: 90; the TOEFL Institutional Code for Tilburg University is 9860) or Cambridge Proficiency Examination. The English proficiency tests must be less than two years old at the time of application.

You are exempt from an English test:

• A) If you are a native English speaker, i.e. if you are a citizen of one of the following countries: Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States of America.
• B) If you completed all your secondary education in English. This only applies to scholars from the following countries: Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States of America.
• C) If you completed all your university education in English. This only applies to scholars from the following countries: Australia, Canada (with exception of Quebec), Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States of America.
• D) If you have an International Baccalaureate (IB) or European Baccalaureate (EB) diploma with English as the language of instruction.
• E) If you completed a 4-years Bachelor’s program (of at least 240 ECTS credits) fully in English in an accredited University of Applied Sciences (HBO) in the Netherlands.
• F) If you completed a 3-years Academic Bachelor’s program (of at least 180 ECTS credits) fully in English in an accredited Research University the Netherlands.
• G) If you completed a 1 or 2-years Academic Master’s program (of at least 60 or 120 ECTS credits respectively) fully in English in an accredited Research University the Netherlands.

In all other cases, please send us a certified copy of ONE of the following English proficiency tests:

• Academic IELTS (min. 6.5 overall/6.0 on parts)
• TOEFL (min. paper-based: 577, computer-based: 233, internet-based: 90; the TOEFL Institutional Code for Tilburg University is 9860)
• Cambridge Proficiency Examination

If you have a Dutch Diploma:

Apply only, if you have the following required documents:

• A) A completed application form, dated and undersigned (1 form per program you are applying for!) (sample)
• B) An authenticated copy of your (recent) original grade transcript(s) + (a sworn/certified translation into English if it is not in Dutch or English) (sample)
• C) A copy of your Bachelor's or Master's thesis or an essay completed during your studies (only in English and at least 1500 words) [if you have not yet written a thesis, then read section D]
• D) A dedicated writing sample in form of an academic essay or research proposal (only in English and at least 1500 words
• E) Letter of motivation (1 letter per program you are applying for!) (format)
• F) Curriculum Vitae
• G) Photocopy/scan of your currently valid passport

Other required documents which you can upload/send later:

• H) Academic IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge Proficiency Examination certificate (Exemption form, only if applicable)
• I) Proof of Dutch Language Proficiency (only if you are not Dutch and wish to apply for a Dutch-taught program)

• Step 1: Before you start/continue with your application at Tilburg University, you need to register through Studielink. Please sign up for the right program. For detailed information regarding Studielink please download this manual! As soon as you have completed your registration through Studielink, you should proceed with Step 2!
• Step 2: Fill out the online application form. Before you print the application form, please check whether all details you have filled in are correct.
• Step 3: Please make sure you print the completed application form and sign it.
• Step 4: In order to complete your application you need to collect all the required documents and upload a clear scan of each required document in the Digital Application Box (DAB). DAB is an application which provides you the opportunity to create your personal account and upload your application documents into it.

Note: If you wish to send in your complete application package by post, this must be received by the admissions officer before the end of the deadline! Should you decide to send the documents via courier (UPS, TNT, DHL) or any other way, you will need to send it to the following address:

Tilburg University
Tilburg School of Humanities
Board of Examiners
Warandelaan 2
5037 AB Tilburg
The Netherlands


• Step 5: Within 1 week, you will receive confirmation of the receipt of your documents from the Admissions Officer.
• Step 6: Read this manual in order to learn about DAB and how to upload your application documents!
• Step 7: The Admissions Committee will handle applications on an individual basis. They will take 4 weeks to make their decision to assess your application package.
• Step 8: You will receive a letter of notification, stating the committee’s decision. The notification letter will be sent to you within 1 week after the decision of the Admissions Committee.
• Step 9: You can either start studying immediately or you will still need to meet additional requirement. The total application procedure takes up to 6 weeks, therefore it is recommended to apply as early as possible!

Please ensure that you submit your application in good time, even if you have not yet made up your mind whether you want to do the program or not. That way you will receive the admission documents with plenty of time to spare.

Please feel free to contact us, with any personal queries about the program, scholarships, admissions and enrollment. You can contact us before, during or even after you submit your application. Our international team will be glad to answer all your questions about studying at Tilburg School of Humanities and provide you with detailed practical information! After being admitted to one of the programs at Tilburg University, a number of arrangements (visa, housing, insurance etc.) must be made before your arrival. For more practical information, please visit the Prepare before you leave website