Admission and application
Admission period
Dutch degree
- Start date
- End date
International degree, EEA student
- Start date
- End date
International degree, non-EEA student
- Start date
- End date
Admission requirements
In order to get admission to this Master’s you’ll need a completed Bachelor's degree in Communication and Information Studies or a related area. In general, students' previous education should reflect their affinity with the following four subject areas: Communication Studies, Management Organisation, Intercultural Communication or (Inter)Cultural Studies and Foreign Languages or Linguistics.
Students who do not fully meet these requirements may be eligible to apply for one of the pre-Master’s programmes in Global Communication and Diversity. If you have a degree from a University of Applied Sciences, it may be possible to join the Master's programme after completing a pre-Master’s that will get you up to speed with your colleagues who hold a university degree. We offer a number of pre-Master’s programmes.
After successfully fulfilling the requirements of the pre-Master's programme students can be admitted to the Master’s. Are you unsure if you are eligible? Please submit your application in Studielink. Please note that EU/EEA students are not required to pay the handling fee. Students can submit an application without any obligations to start the programme.
- Experience in quantitative research
As conducting communication research is an essential component of this programme, candidates should have experience in doing quantitative research (e.g. experimental or survey research) and knowledge of basic inferential statistics (e.g. t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square) - English proficiency
In order to be able to participate successfully in this programme, you are expected to be highly fluent in both written and spoken English.
Your admission into this programme depends on your previous education. You are admissible if you have a completed Bachelor's degree in Communication and Information Studies or a related area. In general, your previous education should reflect your affinity with the following four subject areas: Communication Studies, Management & Organisation, Intercultural Communication or (Inter) Cultural Studies, and Foreign Languages or Linguistics. Your degree has to be equivalent to a Dutch research university diploma. The Admission Office will determine if you have the required knowledge to be admitted.
For those who don't meet the requirements
Students who do not fully meet these requirements may be eligible for one of the pre-Master’s programmes in Global Communication and Diversity.
After successfully completing the pre-Master's programme students are admissable to the Master’s.
Are you unsure if you are eligible? Please submit your application in Studielink. Please note that EU/EEA students are not required to pay the handling fee. Students can submit an application without any obligations to start the programme.
*EU/EEA countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands (including the Dutch Caribbean), Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain or Sweden.
In order to take part in this programme, you need to have fluency in both written and spoken English. Applicants without a Dutch Bachelor's degree or VWO diploma need one of the following:
- A TOEFL iBT score of ≥100, subscores ≥ 22
- An IELTS Academic (note: not IELTS online) score of ≥7.0, all subscores ≥ 6.5
- Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English (CAE) or Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) or Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency with a mark of C or higher
- Bachelor’s Degree from a Research University in Australia, Canada (excluding Quebec), Ireland, New-Zealand, United Kingdom or the United States of America, where the language of instruction was English.
Experience in quantitative research
As conducting communication research is an essential component of this programme, candidates should have experience in doing quantitative research (e.g. experimental or survey research) and knowledge of basic inferential statistics (e.g. t-test, ANOVA, Chi-square).
Application procedure
To apply for a programme, you need to submit a request for enrolment in Studielink before the application deadline. Before you apply, please check the admission requirements and then follow the steps below.
Steps
Step 1: Submit your enrolment request via Studielink
Apply for your chosen Master’s programme via Studielink. You can apply for a programme for the following academic year from 1 October onwards.
If you completed a Bachelor’s programme at Radboud University that grants you direct admission to your chosen Master’s programme, you can skip the steps below and enrol in the Master’s programme after you have applied in Studielink.
Step 2: Complete the digital questionnaire
If your previous education needs to be assessed, you will receive the login details for the digital questionnaire 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 submit your completed questionnaire and the required documents by 1 July at the latest. If you complete the questionnaire after 1 July, there is no guarantee that we will be able to process your application for admission in time.
Step 3: Keep an eye on your inbox
Your request for admission will then be processed. You will be informed of the admission decision by email within approximately three weeks after submitting the digital questionnaire. There are three possible outcomes:
- You will be granted unconditional admission.
- You will be granted conditional admission. This means that there are conditions that you will need to fulfil before definitive admission can be granted. You will receive an email about what these conditions mean.
- You will not be granted admission. Your application will then be withdrawn from Studielink and unfortunately you cannot enrol for this programme.
The details of this outcome will be forwarded to the email address that you provided in Studielink.
Have you been admitted to the Master's?
Congratulations! Then go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.
In order to apply you must first make sure you meet the admission requirements of the Master's programme you would like to apply for. The application procedure then consists of two steps: first, creating an enrolment application in Studielink, then uploading documents in OSIRIS Application.
Steps
Step 1: Create 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.
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.
You will be asked to upload the following documents:
- 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.
Reference letters are not required for non-selective programmes; however, it is still possible to upload one to your application if you wish.
- 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 page for full details.
- Handling fee
Non-EU/EEA applicants must pay a handling fee before their application can be processed. Visit the Handling Fee website for full details and how to pay.
- Nuffic Certificate (Chinese students only)
Chinese students are required to apply for a Nuffic Certificate regardless of the level and location of their previous education. The certificate is not required for the application, but if you are admitted to the programme, you will need this certificate by 1 June for the visa procedure. Find more information about it on the Study in Holland websites.
Step 3: Admission decision
Your request for admission will then 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 unconditionally admitted.
- You are admitted under certain conditions. There are conditions that you must first meet in order to enroll.
- You will not be admitted. Your application in Studielink will be withdrawn.
You will receive the outcome via the email address you entered in Studielink.
Have you been admitted to the Master's?
Congratulations! Then go to the enrolment procedure and follow the steps to enrol.
Questions?
Please contact us via admissions [at] ru.nl.