Before applying, please make sure that you meet the following requirements:

• You have a Bachelor's degree* in a relevant discipline with an average score of 7.5 (out of 10) on your preliminary examinations in the second and third years of your completed Bachelor's program, and a minimum score of 8 on your final Bachelor's thesis, or equivalent scores for these study units in a non-Dutch higher education system.
• Or, you have a Master's degree*; in a relevant discipline with an average score of 7.5 (out of 10) on your preliminary examinations of your completed Master's program and a minimum score of 8 on your final Master's thesis, or equivalent scores for these study units in a former or non-Dutch higher education system.
• Sufficient talent, affinity and motivation with respect to doing scientific research, as demonstrated in the Bachelor's or Master's thesis (or a comparable essay), or in a dedicated research proposal.
• An adequate knowledge of English is required. Please send us a certified copy of ONE of the following English proficiency tests: Academic IELTS (min. 7.0 overall/6.5 on parts), TOEFL (min. paper-based: 600, internet-based: 100; 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. 7.0 overall/6.5 on parts)
• TOEFL (min. paper-based: 600, internet-based: 100; the TOEFL Institutional Code for Tilburg University is 9860)
• Cambridge Proficiency Examination


• *To students who have successfully completed a Master's or a comparable final academic examination in a relevant discipline, the Admissions Committee proposes a reduced programme, which, according to the Admissions Committee, warrants successful completion of the program of the program with all exemptions from units of study take into account.

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) (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 2000 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 2000 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) Certified copies of your original final diploma('s) and final grade transcript(s) + (a sworn/certified translation into English)
• I) Academic IELTS, TOEFL or Cambridge Proficiency Examination certificate (Exemption form, only if applicable)
• J) Extra letter of motivation (only if you wish to be considered for TUSAE or TSHS) (format)
• K) Nuffic (formerly NESO) certificate (Chinese applicants only!)
• L) Proof of Dutch Language Proficiency (only if you wish to apply for a Dutch-taught program)

Master’s students who wish to be considered for a scholarship/grant under the Tilburg University Scholarship for Academic Excellence (TUSAE) or Tilburg School of Humanities scholarship (TSHS), need to apply separately for this scholarship before April 1st of each calendar year. The outcome of the scholarship selection process will be announced in June each year. Scholarships provided by Tilburg University are only available for the Fall Intake. Spring Intake students who wish to apply for a scholarship provided by Tilburg University, need to apply before the deadline of April 1st of the year before the start of the program, in other words, students who wish to start in February 2014, should apply before April1st, 2013!

• 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! Afterbeing 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