You are eligible to apply for the MA Literary Studies: French if you have:

• A bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in French Language and Culture, Romaanse Talen en Culturen: Franse taal en cultuur or European Languages and Cultures: French.; or
• A bachelor’s degree from a research university, equivalent to the level of a Dutch academic Bachelor’s degree, with:
  • Active (writing, speaking) and passive (reading, listening) proficiency in French at the final level of the degrees referred to in the first bullet point; and
  • At least 40 EC of courses in French Literature and Culture; and
  • Demonstrable knowledge of and insight into the connections with French-speaking regions elsewhere in the world (so-called Francophonie); and
  • Demonstrable knowledge of and insight into the historical development of French literature (Middle Ages, Early Modern, and Modern); and
  • Substantial literary research skills, demonstrated in a BA thesis and/or substantial research papers written as part of a BA programme.

The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to the level and content of a bachelor’s degree from a Dutch research university in French Language and Culture on the basis of the requirements specified above.

Students with a Bachelor in French Language and Culture from Leiden University are directly eligible for admission. Students can apply in Studielink. There is no need to submit an application for admission using the online application portal.

If you have a bachelor’s degree from a research university that does not meet the requirements specified above, you may be eligible for the pre-master’s programme tailored to your individual background. After submitting your application in Studielink, the Board of Admissions will decide whether you can be directly admitted to the master’s programme or whether you will first need to complete a pre-master’s programme. It is not possible to apply for a pre-master’s programme directly. Once you have completed the imposed pre-master programme, you will be admitted to the master’s programme. For more information about the individual pre-master’s programme, please read more here.

If you have a Bachelor’s degree in French from a university of applied sciences, equivalent to the level of a Dutch hbo bachelor’s degree (i.e. lower secondary education teaching qualification, or tweedegraads), the Board of Admissions may impose the 60 EC pre-master’s programme. Read more about the pre-master’s programme.

February 2024 intake:

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

• IELTS: 7.0; with a score of at least 7.0 for each component.
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training or IELTS Indicator.
• TOEFL (Internet based) 100, with a score of at least 25 for each components.
  • 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.

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 obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university.

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

From September 2024:

French at level CEFR C1, as evidenced by an appropriate test (DALF C1 with a C1 score for each of the subtests).