The entry requirements below count for applications for September 2026.

Holders of one of the following degrees may be admitted to the programme:

• A bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, obtained at a university in the Netherlands.
• An academic bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, obtained at a university abroad, with comparable level as the bachelor’s programme of the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University.
• Academic bachelor’s degree obtained at a university in a related field: for instance Anthropology; History; Classics, provided the student has at least 60 credits belonging to the discipline of archaeology.

Holders of one of the following degrees may be admitted to the programme:

• A bachelor’s degree in Archaeology, obtained at a university in the Netherlands;
• A bachelor’s degree in Archaeology obtained at a university abroad, or an academic bachelor in a related field obtained at a university, provided the applicant has completed at least 60 EC of university-level coursework/fieldwork in Archaeology. This must include university-level knowledge and understanding in the following areas: 
  • archaeology of one or more regions and/or periods; and/or
  • archaeological theory, concepts, data, and disciplinary development; and/or
  • methods for the collection, documentation, analysis, interpretation and academic reporting of archaeological data; and/or
  • the role of archaeology, archaeological collections, and heritage in contemporary society.

There is no direct admission to the Research Master's programme in Archaeology. All applicants are required to follow Part 2 of the Application procedure.

In addition to the general admission requirements described above, additional admission requirements apply to the RMA:

• An average grade over the BA2 and BA3 of at least 7.5 and bachelor’s thesis graded with at least an 8.0. The thesis grade can be compensated with a higher average grade, but should at least be a 7.0.
  
  Or:
• Completion of the first semester of the MA Archaeology (i.e. 25 EC minimum) with at least an 8.0 average.
  
  And:
• Passed the selection interview in which the research proposal and the motivation of the student is assessed.

Please note: We advise all students, including Leiden University and Leiden University Archaeology students to apply for both the MA and RMA, to guarantee you a place in the MA in case you are rejected for the RMA. Note that the MA has no February intake.

It is not possible to be admitted to the RMA/RMSc Archaeology through a pre-master or bridging programme beforehand. Apply for the MA/MSc programme instead.

The following requirements apply:

• IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.

For other accepted exams, including score equivalency tables and criteria for the accepted exams, refer to our English language proficiency requirements.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old.

You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta, if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught degree at a Dutch research university or an English-taught bachelor’s degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences.