International and European Governance (MSc)
Admission requirements
Do you know which master’s programme you want to follow at Leiden University? First, check the admission requirements.
1. Academic requirements
Students who have a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Leiden University are always eligible for direct admission. They can register through Studielink. All others need to apply through Studielink and through the online application system.
In order to be considered for the Public Administration Master’s programme, you should possess:
- a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration or a Bachelor’s degree in a closely related discipline from a recognised university.
Related disciplines are considered to be Political Science, Public Management, Public Policy, Economics, Business Management, and Sociology. Students coming from a related discipline should still officially apply. In exceptional cases, a bachelor’s degree in International Relations, International Studies, European Studies, or Organization Studies will be acceptable, provided that a substantial number of courses related to public administration are included in the bachelor’s programme.
In case you have a Bachelor’s degree in another discipline in the
- Social and Behavioral sciences (for example, Psychology)
- Law
- or the Humanities (for example, History)
- and you have demonstrated academic excellence, proficiency in English, and interest in issues of public policy and administration (evidenced in, for example, the choice of elective courses, Minor programs, internships, or work experience), you might be considered for admission to a pre- master programme. Successfully completing the pre-master programme grants access to the Public Administration Master’s programme.
In case you have a Dutch higher professional education (HBO) degree in
- Public Administration or a closely-related discipline, you might be considered for admission to a bridging programme (pre-master), provided that you have demonstrated high academic potential (at least higher than average grades) and interest in issues of public policy and administration (evidenced in, for example, work experience in the field).
2. Language requirements
You must be proficient in English if you want to be admitted to most master’s programmes. You can find the exact language requirements per programme under each programme description.
Exams accepted
- IELTS: academic modules only; overall 7.0 with a minimum band score on each component of 6.5.
- TOEFL: IBT 100 (internet-based) with a minimum score on each component of 22 (reading, speaking, writing, listening).
- Cambridge English Exam: CPE/ CAE 185 with a minimum component score of 176.
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Cambridge English Exam equivalences
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Other exam criteria
- Exam results may not be more than two years old.
- Institutional exams, such as ITP-TOEFL, cannot be accepted.
- Chinese students who need a Nuffic certificate should take either an IELTS or a TOEFL IBT exam.
Exemptions
You can be exempted from submitting one of the above-mentioned English exam results if:
- Obtained a diploma from a Dutch university
- You have an (English-taught) International Baccalaureate.
- You completed your secondary or higher education in the USA, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia or Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada).
- For certain master’s programmes, you have an English-taught, university-level degree from a Dutch research university. Refer to the relevant programme description.
- At the discretion of the Board of Admissions, if you are a Dutch student with pre-university education (VWO) level English.
In exceptional cases, students who otherwise qualify for an exemption but whose application documents cast doubt on their English proficiency may be asked to sit an English exam.
Submitting your exam results
All English exam results must be uploaded to the online application system.
Your English exam results must be checked for authenticity by the Admissions Office before the deadline for applying for a visa/residence permit (if applicable), or before the start date of your programme. To make this possible, please do the following:
- TOEFL exam: tell ETS to send your original results report to Leiden University Admissions Office – institution code 0504.
- Cambridge certificate: send your ID number and your “secret number” (check the Candidate Results Online service) to Leiden University Admissions Office.
- IELTS: a scanned exam result is sufficient - no further steps will be required.