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
For this programme it is also possible to start in February. For a February start, EU students must submit a complete application before 1 January. Your enrollment must be completed on 31 January. EU/EEA students must submit a complete application before 1 December to receive assistance with accommodation. The enrollment deadline is 15 January. All non-EU/EEA applicants must submit a complete application before 1 November for the February intake and complete their enrollment before 1 December.
Non-EU/EEA applicants with scholarship
Non-EU/EEA applicants* who wish to be considered for a scholarship must submit a complete application before 1 March.
*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, Sweden, Switzerland.
Admission requirements
In order to get admission to this Master’s you’ll need a completed Bachelor’s degree from a research university in Linguistics or a specific language such as German or Dutch. Students who completed a Bachelor of Arts including one of the Radboud University minors 'Het menselijk taalvermogen' or 'Miltilingualism in Europe' may also apply. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Information Studies can apply as well, provided they have successfully completed at least 30 EC worth of real linguistics courses (language proficiency courses, for instance, do not count). The Admission Board will evaluate whether the linguistic background in your previous education is sufficient for enrolment.
If you do not meet these admission requirements, it may be possible to take a one-year pre-Master’s programme if your proficiency in Dutch is minimally at C1 level. After successful completion of the pre-Master's, you can enrol in the Master's programme a year later. This also applies to students with a relevant Bachelor’s diploma from a university of applied sciences (Dutch: HBO; German: Fachhochschule). Depending on your background and prior education, it may be possible to take the Dutch pre-Master's Linguistics.
Your admission into this programme depends on your previous education. You are admissible if you have a completed Bachelor’s degree from a Research University in Linguistics or a specific language such as German or Dutch. Students with a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Information Studies can also apply, provided they have successfully completed at least 30 EC worth of real linguistics courses (language proficiency courses, for instance, do not count). Your degree has to be equivalent to a Dutch research university diploma. The Admission Board will determine if an international student has the required knowledge to be admitted.
For those who don't meet the requirements
Radboud University does not offer a pre-Master’s programme with which to enter the Master's programme in Linguistics, unless your proficiency in Dutch is minimally at C1 level. If you do not meet the academic admission requirements, but are fluent in Dutch, you may want to have a look at the pre-Master's.
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 and subscores ≥22
- An IELTS Academic (note: not IELTS online) score of ≥7.0 (overall band) and 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.
Please send a detailed email to the admissions [at] ru.nl (Admissions Office)title="Admissions Office", stating clearly which diplomas you have achieved and in which country you have achieved them. We will then advise you which procedure to follow in your specific situation.
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 submitted an enrolment request 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. If you have not submitted your application after this period, it will be automatically cancelled.
You will be asked to upload the following documents:
- Bachelor’s diploma or equivalent
In OSIRIS Application, please list the full, official name of the diploma that you have or will receive. Please use the language and name in which the diploma is issued. If you have graduated, you are required to upload your diploma.
- An official transcript of your Bachelor's degree or equivalent
If you have not obtained your degree, upload your most recent transcript of records. If you have graduated, please upload your full and complete transcript of grades. Also, please upload the description of the grading scale that can usually be found at the end 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 a legally sworn translator. Certified 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, please 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, please 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 your 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 your 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 Master's programme and you will be asked to upload them to 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 allowed 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 are required to 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. Please 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.