You are eligible to apply for the Research MA Linguistics if you have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic bachelor’s degree, in Linguistics, a language and culture programme or a comparable degree with a relevant specialisation with at least 30 EC of academic study of linguistics subjects, of which at least 20 EC in core subjects (such as phonology, phonetics, syntax, morphology, semantics, language typology).
• Knowledge, understanding and skills with respect to:
  • The ability to understand basic linguistic analyses and read linguistic literature (in English) at the appropriate (handbook) level; and
  • The ability to collect linguistic data and discover patterns in them.

In addition, you must also meet the following qualitative admission requirements:

• Good grades comparable with an average mark of at least 7.5 (Dutch grading system) for their entire bachelor’s programme; and 
• A grade for the bachelor’s thesis of an 8 or higher; and
• Affinity with and suitability for linguistics research in the specific field of the programme; and 
• Demonstrable motivation to study the research MA programme

• You are asked to provide a transcript of records and diploma of the relevant obtained academic degree.
• Affinity with the field should be demonstrated by a “Research Proposal”. All applicants are required to submit a Research Proposal of approximately 1000 words, accompanied by an annotated bibliography of at least five (5) items, outlining the topic or field of research that the applicant wishes to pursue at Leiden University, indicating the names of one or two faculty members who might guide that research.
• Your motivation should be demonstrated by a well-argued and structured admission letter in which you indicate why you want to follow the programme and convincingly discuss what makes you a good candidate for the research MA programme. The statement should be between 700 and 1,500 words.
• You are required to submit two letters of recommendation (from your teachers, mentors, or supervisors) that comment on your independence as a researcher, your originality and motivation and affinity with linguistics and languages.

For further information on the admission procedure and required application documents please see this web page.

In order to successfully participate in this programme, you must be proficient in English. The following requirements apply:

IELTS: 7.0; for the ‘speaking’ and ‘writing’ components a minimum score of IELTS 6.5 is required.

• We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
• We do not accept IELTS General Training or IELTS Indicator.

TOEFL (Internet based) 100, for the ‘speaking’ and ‘writing’ components a minimum score of TOEFL 22 is required.

• We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situations only:
  You took the test before 1 Sept 2022 (and it is not more than 2 years old), or you are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country.
• We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™  or institutional tests such as ITP.

See also the English test score equivalency table of Leiden University.

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; or if you have completed an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university.

Note that for this research master programme you cannot be granted an exemption for the English proficiency test based on a Dutch pre-university (vwo) diploma.

According to Dutch law, Leiden University is required to reimburse students with a Dutch pre-university (VWO) diploma for any extra costs they make for meeting the English language requirements. You can be reimbursed for the costs of the English language test if you meet the following conditions:

- You have obtained a Dutch VWO-diploma; and
- You have successfully completed the English language test; and
- You are admitted unconditionally to the research master programme; and
- You are enrolled in the research master programme.

After admission to the programme, you will be informed on how to submit the request for reimbursement of the test costs.

For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.