Admission requirements
On this page, you will find the most important information about the application (such as deadlines, admission requirements, required documents and application and selection assessment) for the bachelor’s programme in Biomedical Sciences for academic year 2024-2025.
The information on this page is for students who would like to start in academic year 2024-2025.
Please note: as of academic year 2025-2026, there will no longer be a selection procedure for the bachelor's in Biomedical Sciences.
Important deadlines for this study programme
The bachelor’s programme in Biomedical Sciences starts in September.
The deadlines below are applicable for applying for a start in September 2024.
If you want to apply or are applying for this study programme, it is important that you inform yourself of the requirements and the deadlines that you need to meet. The important deadlines are provided in the table below.
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Date | What you need to know about this date |
---|---|
1 October 2023 |
Studielink is open for applications for the academic year 2024-2025 |
Up to and including 15 January 2024, 23:59 CET* |
Deadline for completing the entire application process for all applicants (both EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA applicants) Please note: applicants should now be checking whether they need a sufficiency check. Non-EU/EEA applicants require a visa or residence permit |
Up to and including 31 January 2024, 16:00 CET* |
Deadline for handing in all required documents for the sufficiency check If you have a (foreign) diploma that requires a further sufficiency check, you need to upload a syllabus per subject that needs to be further investigated (deficiency) in the MyApplication portal. This will be communicated to you via the MyApplication portal. Please note: a sufficiency check takes time, so make sure to apply as early as possible if it is not clear-cut whether you qualify for admission. |
Up to and including 16 July 2024, 16:00 CET* |
Deadline for providing evidence that you eliminated all your deficiencies Next, send a certified copy of the passed Boswel-Bèta, CCVX or similar exam by postal mail as soon as possible to: If you are unable to provide evidence that you eliminated all your deficiencies before 16 July 2024, 16:00 CET*, you need to send an email to selectionbms@maastrichtuniversity.nl. |
*Be aware of the time zone in the Netherlands (CET) and check possible time difference!
General requirements: previous education
Whether you qualify for admission - based on the applicable requirements for the academic year 2024-2025 for the bachelor's programme in Biomedical Sciences - depends among other things on your previous education. Please check below which steps you need to take to qualify for admission.
Applicants with a Dutch diploma
In principle, you qualify directly for admission if you hold a new-style VWO diploma with the profile Natuur en Gezondheid (Science and Health) including Physics, or the profile Natuur en Techniek (Science and Engineering) including Biology then.
For the following Dutch diplomas, Maastricht University (UM) will assess whether you qualify for admission. This depends on your previous education, and whether this guarantees sufficient knowledge at VWO-level of the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics.
You also need to be able to prove you hold:
- a Dutch VWO diploma from before 2007,
- a propaedeutic diploma from a university of applied sciences (HBO), or
- an Open University (OU) propaedeutic diploma or an OU bachelor’s diploma.
Applicants with a non-Dutch diploma
If you have a non-Dutch diploma equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma, you qualify for admission. Check whether your diploma is on the list of non-Dutch diplomas equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma. If your diploma is not on this list, UM must first assess your diploma on an individual basis to see if you qualify for admission.
Next to equivalence to the Dutch VWO level, your previous education must also contain specific subjects. The subjects Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology need to have been included at VWO exam level in your previous education. Please see the list of European diplomas, with the requirements for these required subjects.
Please note: if your diploma is not on this list of European diplomas, UM must first assess your diploma on an individual basis to see if you qualify for admission. For this, several verified documents are required, which you will have to gather and upload. Detailed information on this will be provided in the MyApplicant portal, which you can access after registering in Studielink. Note that this assessment will take extra time. Therefore, please apply as early as possible if your diploma is not on the list, preferably before 1 November 2023. Please be aware that if you register after 1 November 2023, you take the risk that assessing whether you qualify for admission will not be completed on time and/or your possible deficiencies will not be assessed on time. Meaning that you may not be able to start the study programme in the academic year 2024-2025.
Additional subject requirements for non-Dutch applicants
To qualify for admission to the bachelor’s programme in Biomedical Sciences, you need to have the following subjects in your previous education with a duration and depth equivalent to the Dutch VWO: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology. The following diplomas satisfy those requirements:
- German ‘Zeugnis der allgemeinen Hochschulreife’: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry: as ‘Grundkurs’ up to and including the final year. Biology as ‘Leistungsfach’
- Belgian Diploma of Secondary Education of one of the following tracks:
- Greek-Sciences
- Latin-Sciences
- Modern Languages-Sciences
- Sciences-Mathematics - Diploma International Baccalaureate from Geneva with
- Mathematics Analysis and Approaches HL or SL, or
Mathematics Applications and Interpretations HL, or
Mathematics SL or HL (exam before 2021).
- Physics SL or HL
- Chemistry SL or HL
- Biology HL - Diploma European Baccalaureate with
- Mathematics: written or oral exams, at least 3 hours/week in the last 2 years;
- Physics: written or oral exams
- Chemistry: written or oral exams;
- Biology: written or oral exams, at least 4 hours/week in the last 2 years. - British A/AS levels, (I) GCSEs and/or AICE:
- Mathematics: GCE A or AS level
- Physics: GCE A or AS level
- Chemistry: GCA A level
- Biology: GCE A level
As stated earlier: if your diploma or degree differs from those listed above, UM will assess whether you can demonstrate sufficient knowledge on the four compulsory subjects (Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology) and therefore qualify for an exemption (sufficiëntieverklaring) for these subjects on an individual basis. For this, several verified documents are required, which you will have to gather and upload in the MyApplicant portal. The assessment by UM is based on the attainment aims for final examination in Dutch secondary education (VWO) in the relevant subject and the national agreements made within the Central Commissions Pre-examination (in Dutch: CCVX) and Boswel-Bèta. The assessment takes extra time, so be sure to register as early as possible, preferably before 1 November 2023.
Eliminate missing subjects (deficiencies)
If you already have, or will be, awarded a Dutch secondary education (VWO new style) or equivalent diploma, but you do not (completely) satisfy the additional subject requirements for Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and Biology (meaning that these subjects were not included in your curriculum and therefore you did not take part in a final examination for these subjects, resulting in (one or more) deficiencies), you must take (an) additional examination(s) to qualify for admission to the bachelor's programme in BMS. These examinations can be conducted both in Dutch and English at Centrale Commissies Voortentamen (CCVX) or Boswell-Bèta. Please note: you have to arrange these examinations yourself.
German students can also opt to complete the so-called Vorsemester at the Rheinische Bildungszentrum in Cologne for deficiencies in Biology, Physics or Chemistry.
Please be aware that if you apply after 1 November 2023, you are taking the risk that assessing whether you qualify for admission and/or you eliminating one (or more) of your deficiencies will not be completed in time. As a result, you may not be able to start the programme in the academic year 2024-2025.
Please note! Proof of an extra examination in a certain subject at a different institute than the ones mentioned above (CCVX/Boswell-Bèta/Rheinische Bildungszentrum) does not automatically mean that you satisfy the requirements for that subject. The level of the extra examination will need to be assessed on an individual basis. Strict requirements concerning number of study hours, content, difficulty of the material dealt with, and examinations completed apply here. In case of doubt, we will require you to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and skills through an additional satisfactory examination at CCVX or Boswell-Bèta.
Please note! In specific cases, Boswell-Bèta offers the possibility for foreign students to take these examinations online. You have to contact Boswell-Bèta personally to request an online examination.
Uploading certificates in MyApplication portal
Once you have successfully completed your additional examinations, you need to upload the certificates in the MyApplication portal.
The CCVX or Boswell-Betà certificates must be received as certified copies. You can send these by postal mail to:
Maastricht University
Student Services Centre
UM Admissions
Post box 616
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
If you are unable to meet all subject requirements before the start of the academic year, you need to send an email as soon as possible to selectionbms@maastrichtuniversity.nl, and we will jointly look for a possible solution. You must submit proof that you meet the statutory (further) previous education requirements 2024-2025 by 16 July 2024, 16:00 CET at the latest. Please be sure to contact us on time.
Applying for sufficiency check
If UM determines after receiving your application that you have a (foreign) diploma that requires a further sufficiency check for one or more subjects, you need to apply for this.
You need to compile and hand in a file per subject (so for every subject for which sufficiency is not yet clear) as part of the sufficiency check. This/these separate file(s) then need to be uploaded to the MyApplication portal. This assignment is also shown as a task in the MyApplication portal: you can download a syllabus per subject to complete and upload.
Be aware: the deadline for handing in the required sufficiency check is 31 January 2024. Requests handed in after this date will not be taken into consideration.
Applicants without the appropriate diploma and 21 years of age or older
If you do not have the necessary diplomas, you may still be eligible for admission with an entrance exam (the Colloquium Doctum exam). For this, you must be 21 years of age or older.
The Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences (FHML) of the UM does not organise a Colloquium Doctum exam. You must demonstrate with certificates that you have mastered the required subjects at Dutch VWO-level new style. These are: English, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.
You must arrange obtaining the certificates yourself.
- You can take courses in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics at Boswell-Bèta
- For the Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics exams, you can go to Boswell-Bèta and/or Central Committees for Entrance Exams (CCVX) – entrance exam
- For the English subject, you can go to Babel and/or the UM Language Centre
Once you pass the exams, you must upload the certificates in the MyApplication portal.
Let UM Admissions Office know via email (study@maastrichtuniversity.nl) that you have uploaded the certificates in the MyApplication portal. In the subject of your email, place: for the attention of UM Admissions.
Language requirements for English-language programmes
As English is the language of instruction in this study programme, it is essential that your English language skills are good enough for you to undertake intensive and challenging academic courses that are taught and examined in English.
Answer the questions below to find out if you meet the language requirements.
Applicants who received their previous education in a non-EU/EEA country (handling fee)
Applicants for this study programme who received their previous education in a non-EU/EEA country will have to pay a handling fee. More information on this handling fee and how to arrange this payment can be found on the Handling fee page.
Documents required for application process
During the application process for this study programme, you will need to complete a number of tasks for which you will often have to upload documents. Uploading is done via the ‘MyApplication portal’. You need to do the following in the MyApplication portal:
- Upload a recent portrait picture
- Upload a copy of your valid passport or your EU identity card
- Upload a copy of your most recent grades transcript and a copy of your diploma if you have obtained it
Documents that might be required depending on your (academic) background
- Check if you need to pay a handling fee (administration costs and arrange the payment
In principle, this only applies if you received your previous education in a non-European country, but please check for exemptions to this rule!.
If applicable: upload the exemption form ‘handling fee’ if you think that you are eligible for exemption based on the above information. - Check if your knowledge of Mathematics is sufficient and provide proof
- Check if your knowledge of Biology is sufficient and provide proof
- Check if your knowledge of Physics is sufficient and provide proof
- Check if your knowledge of Chemistry is sufficient and provide proof
- Check if your language proficiency in English is sufficient
Answer the questions concerning language requirements under ‘Language requirements for English-language programmes’ on this webpage to find out if you need to provide additional documentation. The outcome of your answers will indicate which document(s) you can use to prove your proficiency.
You must submit evidence that you satisfy all the statutory previous education and/or additional subject requirements 2024-2025 by 16 July 2024, 16:00 CET at the latest. You can do this by means of a VWO diploma with the required final exam subjects, or an equivalent diploma, or a diploma supplemented with CCVX or Boswell Bèta certified certificates. If you are unable to demonstrate that you have rectified any deficiencies by 16 July 2024, 16:00 CET at the latest, for example because your exam results will only be issued after 16 July 2024, then you must send an email to selectionbms@maastrichtuniversity.nl. Bear in mind that institutes such as CCVX and Boswell Bèta have a maximum of 20 working days to make the result known. Therefore, make sure you take your exam on time.
Disclaimer
- Maastricht University will keep your personal information confidential.
- The information provided is stored in a secure environment and treated according to the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
- Maastricht University will not share your information with third parties without your prior explicit permission.
How do we assess your application?
When you want to apply or are applying for a study programme, it is useful to know how we assess your application. You can find more information about this in this section.
Maastricht University (UM) will first assess whether your previous education makes that you qualify for admission to the bachelor's programme to which you applied. Therefore, it is very important that you check beforehand whether you meet the admission requirements and that you have a realistic plan to eliminate any deficiencies in your previous education.
Please note: the application is not complete until you have met all admission and enrolment requirements, including the timely elimination of any deficiencies and payment. See the heading 'General requirements: previous education’ for information on deficiencies.
Study advice at end of bachelor year 1
At the end of year 1 of the study programme, every student receives advice on whether or not to continue his/her study. This advice is not binding. However, students must obtain a predetermined number of study credits to be admitted to the second year of the programme. The number of credits that must be earned, is documented in the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) of each study programme.