Admission and application
Admission period
Please select your nationality and previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period
Please select your previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period with Dutch degree and Dutch nationality
Please note
- Students with a Dutch degree can apply after 1 May, but keep in mind that we can no longer guarantee that your application can be processed at this point.
Admission period with non-Dutch degree and Dutch nationality
Admission period
Please select your previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period with Dutch degree and nationality EU/EEA country
?
Please note
- Students with a Dutch degree can apply after 1 May, but keep in mind that we can no longer guarantee that your application can be processed at this point.
- Apply by 1 May at the latest if you want to receive housing assistance by Radboud University.
Admission period with non-Dutch degree and nationality EU/EEA country
?
Please note
- Do you have an international degree? For EU/EEA students it is also possible to apply after 1 May, but no later than 1 July. However, we can no longer guarantee that you application can be processed at this point.
- Apply by 1 May at the latest if you want to receive housing assistance by Radboud University.
Admission period
Please select your previous education to view the admission periods.Admission period with Dutch degree and nationality non-EU/EEA country
?
Please note
- Do you want to apply for a Radboud scholarship? Then you need to apply for this programme by 31 January at the latest.
Admission period with non-Dutch degree and nationality non-EU/EEA country
?
Please note
- Do you want to apply for a Radboud scholarship? Then you need to apply for this programme by 31 January at the latest.
Dutch degree
Admission requirements
The Master's programme in Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Computing is a selective programme, which means that a placement process applies. The outcome of the assessment of your previous education determines whether you can be admitted to the placement process. You are admissible to the placement process if you have completed a Bachelor's degree in:
- a Bachelor's degree in Artificial Intelligence from Radboud University
- a Bachelor's degree in Artificial Intelligence/Kunstmatige Intelligentie from the University of Amsterdam, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, or Utrecht University
- a Bachelor's degree in Lifestyle Informatics from the Vrije Universiteit
- a Bachelor's degree in Data Science and Knowledge Engineering from Maastricht University
- a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Science and Artificial Intelligence from Tilburg University
Students who have completed the pre-Master’s programme in Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Computing at Radboud University, have already participated in the placement process. As such, they are directly admissible to the Master’s programme Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Computing.
Have you completed or will you complete a Bachelor’s degree in a different field from a university? In that case you may be admissible to the placement process if your previous education contains:
- Substantial knowledge of Computer Science (in particular sufficient programming experience and software development experience, approximately 15-24 EC
- Demonstrable knowledge, approximately 18-24 EC, in disciplines such as cognitive science or cognitive neuroscience as well as more advanced knowledge of Artificial Intelligence methods and techniques such as neural and Bayesian networks and computational and formal modelling
- A sufficient Mathematics background (knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, statistics), approximately 12 EC
- A broad knowledge of core Artificial Intelligence techniques (such as logic, machine learning, search & planning, reasoning under uncertainty) at an introductory level, approximately 12-18 EC.
If you do not meet the admission requirements for the Master's specialisation in Cognitive Computing, it might be possible to be admitted to the pre-Master's programme.
Candidates who meet the admission requirements will be included in the placement process. During the placement process, the Admissions Board determines which of the admissible candidates can be offered a place to study in the Master’s programme based on the following criteria:
- Motivation letter. During your initial application, you will be asked to submit a letter (max. 2 pages, single-spaced) outlining your motivation for the programme. Kindly mention why you prefer this particular specialisation and argue why you think you are suited for it. Furthermore, please provide an outline of your educational background, your English skills, your (relevant) working and research experience and other relevant skills and background knowledge that you may have.
- Academic performance. During your initial application, you will be asked to submit a transcript of grades, based on which we will assess your academic performance.
- Resume. During your initial application, you will be asked to submit a resume. Background knowledge in mathematics (calculus), statistics and computer programming (e.g., MATLAB or Python) is recommended for this programme and demonstrable knowledge in these areas is therefore expected to be included in your resume.
- The department may ask for an interview (in-person or online) if additional information is required before you are selected for a place in the programme.
Students who have obtained a degree from a university of applied sciences (German: Fachhochschule or international equivalent) are not admissible to the Master's or pre-Master’s in Cognitive Computing. However, admission to the pre-Master’s in Intelligent Technology may be possible.
Non-Dutch degree
Admission requirements
The Master's programme in Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Computing is a selective programme, which means that a placement process applies. The outcome of the assessment of your previous education determines whether you can be admitted to the placement process. For this, you will need a completed Bachelor’s degree in Artificial Intelligence or a related area equivalent to a Dutch Bachelor's degree from a research university. This does not include a Bachelor’s from a university of applied science (in German; Fachhochschule).
You may be admissible to the placement process if you have obtained:
- Substantial knowledge of Computer Science (in particular sufficient programming experience and software development experience, approximately 15-24 EC
- Demonstrable knowledge, approximately 18-24 EC, in disciplines such as cognitive science or cognitive neuroscience as well as more advanced knowledge of Artificial Intelligence methods and techniques such as neural and Bayesian networks and computational and formal modelling
- A sufficient Mathematics background (knowledge of calculus, linear algebra, statistics), approximately 12 EC
- A broad knowledge of core Artificial Intelligence techniques (such as logic, machine learning, search & planning, reasoning under uncertainty) at an introductory level, approximately 12-18 EC
Students who have completed the pre-Master’s programme in Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Computing at Radboud University, have already participated in the placement process. As such, they are directly admissible to the Master’s programme Artificial Intelligence: Cognitive Computing.
If you do not meet the admission requirements for the Master's specialisation in Cognitive Computing, it might be possible to be admitted to the pre-Master's programme.
In order to take part in this programme, you need to be proficient in both written and spoken English. Students with a Bachelor's degree obtained in Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ireland, New-Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States, where the language of instruction was English, are exempted from the language requirements. Other candidates need to have obtained one of the certificates below before the enrolment deadline (you will not be needing these certificates when you apply at Radboud University).
TOEFL iBT
- Minimum score: 100
- Subscores: 22
Please note: the TOEFL Home Edition is not accepted.
Candidates who meet the admission requirements will be included in the placement process.
Placement process
During the placement process, the Admissions Board determines which of the admissible candidates can be offered a place to study in the Master’s programme based on the following criteria:
- Motivation letter. During your initial application, you will be asked to submit a letter (max. 2 pages, single-spaced) outlining your motivation for the programme. Kindly mention why you prefer this particular specialisation and argue why you think you are suited for it. Furthermore, please provide an outline of your educational background, your English skills, your (relevant) working and research experience and other relevant skills and background knowledge that you may have.
- Academic performance. During your initial application, you will be asked to submit a transcript of grades, based on which we will assess your academic performance.
- Resume. During your initial application, you will be asked to submit a resume. Background knowledge in mathematics (calculus), statistics and computer programming (e.g., MATLAB or Python) is recommended for this programme and demonstrable knowledge in these areas is therefore expected to be included in your resume.
- The department may ask for an interview (in-person or online) if additional information is required before you are selected for a place in the programme.
Application procedure
You must first make sure you meet the admission requirements of the Master's programme you would like to apply for. To apply for a programme, you need to submit an enrolment application in Studielink before the application deadline and follow the steps below.
Steps
Step 1: Submit an enrolment application in Studielink
You can apply for a Master’s programme at Radboud University via Studielink. You can apply for a programme for the following academic year from 1 October onwards.
Step 2: Complete the digital questionnaire
If your previous education needs to be assessed by the Admissions Committee, you will receive login details for a digital questionnaire, OSIRIS Application, at the email address that you provided in Studielink. You will need to log in to the questionnaire, and once you have completed it you will need to upload the requested documents.
Please make sure that you complete the questionnaire and upload the documents before the application deadline. If you do this after the deadline, there is no guarantee that we will be able to process your application for admission in time. You can find the application deadline at the top of the Admission & Application page of the Master's programme.
Step 3: Keep an eye on your inbox
Your completed questionnaire will be processed. Within approximately 3 weeks after you have submitted the digital questionnaire, Student Admissions will inform you by email about the admission decision. There are three possible outcomes:
- You are admitted to the placement procedure.
- You are admitted to the placement procedure under certain conditions. There are conditions that you will need to fulfil before you will be able to enrol in the study programme.
- You will not be admitted to the placement procedure. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn. You will receive further details by email about why your application was rejected.
The details of this outcome will be sent to the email address that you provided in Studielink.
Step 4: Participate in the placement procedure
Have you been admitted to the placement procedure? Then you will receive an email from the Master's programme about what the placement procedure looks like and what actions are expected of you. Based on the placement procedure, it will be assessed whether you will be selected for the Master’s. There are two possible outcomes:
- You are offered a place in the Master’s.
- You are not offered a place in the Master’s. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn and, unfortunately, you cannot enrol for this programme.
Have you been offered a place in the Master's programme?
Go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.
Links
Application procedure
In order to apply you must first make sure you meet the admission requirements of the Master's you would like to apply for. The application procedure then consists of three steps: creating an enrolment application in Studielink, uploading documents in OSIRIS, then the placement procedure.
Steps
Step 1: Submit an enrolment application in Studielink
To apply for a Master’s programme, you have to create an account and an enrolment application in Studielink (the national online registration system for Dutch universities). First you will be asked to fill in your previous education, then select the programme you wish to apply for in the list that appears. In order to submit an enrolment request in Studielink, you will need the following:
- Your own DigiD account. If you do not (yet) live in the Netherlands, you cannot use DigiD and you will need to log in with a Studielink username and password. Do you live in the Netherlands but do not have a DigiD account? Make sure that you apply for an account well before the application deadline. It usually takes 5 working days for a DigiD account to be activated.
- Contact information, such as your phone number and email address.
Step 2: Upload documents in OSIRIS Application
After you have created an enrolment application in Studielink, you will receive an email with personal login details for OSIRIS Application. You have a maximum of 56 days or until the application deadline to upload your documents and submit a complete application. After this period, if you have not submitted your application, it will be automatically cancelled.
Which documents are requested depends on the programme. During the application process in Studielink, you will find out which of the following documents you need to submit:
- Bachelor’s diploma or equivalent
In OSIRIS Application, list the full, official name of the diploma that you have or will receive. Use the language and name in which the diploma is issued. If you have graduated, we require you to upload your diploma.
- An official transcript of your Bachelor's degree or equivalent
If you have not obtained your degree, upload the list of grades received so far. If you have obtained your degree, upload your full and complete transcript of grades. Also, upload the description of the grading scale on the overleaf page of your transcript (if applicable).
If you have already graduated from your previous education and are currently still studying please upload transcripts and diplomas from all degrees (post-secondary school).
- Sworn translations of diploma and transcript
Translations need to be made by an officially recognised translator. Official translations are not required if your diploma and transcript are originally in Dutch, English or German. If your school provides English versions of your documents, upload those along with versions of the documents in the original language.
- Course description for unfinished courses
If you have not yet completed your degree, upload a list of the courses that you are currently taking or still need to take, including the course content, the number of hours and the literature used per course, see example below in downloads. Be sure to include information about research courses, practical work and a thesis/internship (if applicable).
- Course description for finished courses
Upload a list of all the courses you have taken during your degree, including the course content, the number of hours and the literature used per course, see example below in downloads. Be sure to include information about research courses, practical work and a thesis/internship (if applicable).
- Personal statement/motivation letter (depending on programme)
Your personal statement should contain, at least, a brief description of why you have chosen this specific Master's programme and how it fits your previous education.
For the motivation letter please describe your future plans and what you would like to learn and research at Radboud University. What are the topics of the research you would like to do? Please be specific about your ambitions and explain how your previous education prepared you for this specific Master's programme. This will allow us to find out if your previous education is appropriate. Last but not least, include your interest in studying at Radboud University (specific disciplines, facilities or other considerations).
- Reference letter(s)
Reference letters are required if you are applying for a scholarship and/or a Selective Masters programme and you will be asked to upload them to your OSIRIS Application. Please note, these must be signed and stamped or signed and on official letterhead.
- Overview of education/experience
Please upload an overview that contains, in chronological order, information about your education and knowledge/experience acquired during an internship, training, or work; for example, a resume.
- English language certificate
You are permitted to apply without a language certificate. However, if you are admitted to the programme and a language certificate is listed as a requirement in your admission email, you will be required to provide proof of proficiency before the enrolment deadline. If you can prove English proficiency through your previous education, a certificate is not required. Visit the language requirements website for full details.
- Handling fee
Non-EU/EEA applicants must pay a handling fee before their application can be processed. Visit the handling fee page for full details and how to pay.
Step 3: Participate in the placement procedure
After you have completed your application in OSIRIS Application, the Admission Board will assess your application. Keep in mind that next to eligibility you must also participate in a placement procedure.
Have you been admitted to the placement procedure? Then you will receive an email from the Master's programme about what this placement procedure looks like and what actions are expected of you. Based on the placement procedure, it will be assessed whether you will be selected for the Master’s. There are two possible outcomes:
- You are offered a place in the Master’s.
- You are not offered a place in the Master’s. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn and unfortunately you cannot enrol for this programme.
You will receive the outcome via the email address you entered in Studielink.
Have you been offered a place in the Master's?
Congratulations! Then go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.