Admission requirements
On this page, you will find important details of the application process (such as deadlines, admission requirements, required documents and application assessment) for the bachelor's programme in Brain Science for academic year 2024-2025.
Selection
The bachelor's in Brain Science is a fixus programme with selection by the educational institution. This means that you go through a selection procedure after applying. Not everybody who qualifies for admission will be offered a place in the study programme. Maastricht University (UM) performs a pre-selection, afterwards Studielink takes care of the allocation procedure.
Only a limited number of students can be admitted each year; 150 for the academic year 2024-2025. For the academic year 2024-2025, all available places will be allocated by means of selection.
See the Selection Bachelor Brain Science Regulations for 2024-2025.
The information on this page is for students who would like to start in academic year 2024-2025.
Non-EU students: make sure to check the study progress requirements.
Important deadlines for application for this study programme
The bachelor’s programme in Brain Science starts in September.
The deadlines below are applicable for applying for a start in September 2024.
When you want to apply or are applying for this study programme, it is important that you inform yourself of the deadlines that you need to meet. The important deadlines when applying for this study programme are provided in the table below.
Note: if you are viewing this webpage on your phone, we recommend that you use landscape mode.
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). If you have a (foreign) diploma that requires a further ‘sufficiency check’, you need to upload a syllabus per subject (deficiency) that needs to be checked in the My-Application portal. This will be communicated to you via the My-Application portal. For every subject labelled as deficient, you need to present a plan of action for how you plan to eliminate that deficiency before the start of the academic year 2024-2025. Please note: a sufficiency check takes time, so make sure to apply as early as possible if you expect that it is not clear right away whether you qualify for admission! Non-EU/EEA applicants require a visa or residence permit. |
Between 15 January - 1 February 2024 |
The selection procedure will be accessible in the MyApplication portal between 15 January - 1 February; you will be notified via email. |
Up to and including 1 March 2024, 16:59 CET |
Deadline for completing the selection procedure |
15 April 2024 |
Your ranking number will be published in Studielink Please note: you must accept your place in Studielink within two weeks (14 x 24 hrs). This is an absolute deadline! If you don't accept your placement by the deadline, you will forfeit the place you have been offered and the next candidate in the ranking is offered the opportunity to accept the placement. |
Up to and including 16 July 2024, 15:59 CET |
Deadline for providing evidence that you eliminated all your subject deficiencies Next, send a certified copy of the passed Boswel-Bèta, CCVX or similar exam by postal mail as soon as possible to: Maastricht University If you are unable to provide evidence that you eliminated all your deficiencies before 16 July 2024, 15:59 CET, you need to send an email to fpn-bacheloradmissions@maastrichtuniversity.nl |
Please note: if your diploma or degree is not on the list of European previous education (see here), UM will assess on an individual basis whether your previous education makes that you qualify for admission. This assessment will take extra time. Therefore, if your diploma is not on the list, please apply as early as possible, preferably before 1 November 2023. If you register after 1 November 2023, you risk that your qualification for admission and/or eliminating one (or more) of your deficiencies will not be completed in time. Resulting in not being able to start the study programme in the academic year 2024-2025.
General requirements: previous education
Whether you qualify for admission depends, among other things, on your previous education. Please check below which requirements apply to you, and which steps you must take in order to qualify for admission.
Applicants with a Dutch diploma
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, in principle, you qualify directly for admission.
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:
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.
Your previous education must not only be equivalent to the Dutch VWO level, but 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 diploma requirements for these required subjects for several European diplomas.
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. This assessment will take extra time. Therefore, if your diploma is not on the list, please apply as early as possible, preferably before 1 November 2023. Please be aware that if you register 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 on time. As a result, 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 Brain Science, you need to have the following subjects in your previous education: Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, and Biology with a duration and depth equivalent to the Dutch VWO. 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 and 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 of the four compulsory subjects (Mathematics, Chemistry, Physics, and Biology) and therefore qualify for an exemption (sufficiëntieverklaring) for these subjects on an individual basis. This assessment 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 for the bachelor Brain Science. 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. 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.
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, even if you were offered and have accepted a placement for the bachelor's in Brain Science based on the selection.
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, you will be required to demonstrate sufficient knowledge and skills through an additional satisfactory examination at CCVX or Boswell-Bèta.
Uploading certificates in MyApplication portal
Once you have successfully completed your additional examinations, you need to upload the certificates in the My-Application portal.
Only certified copies of the CCVX or Boswell-Betà certificates are accepted!
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 fpn-bacheloradmissions@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, so please take this into account and be sure to contact us in a timely manner.
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, fill it in and upload it again.
Be aware: the deadline for handing in the required sufficiency check is 31 January 2024, 15:59 CET.
Applicants without the appropriate diploma and 21 years of age or older
If you do not have the required diplomas, you may still qualify for admission by participating in the so-called Colloquium Doctum (entrance examination). For this, you must be 21 years of age or older.
In order to obtain the Colloquium Doctum, you must demonstrate with certificates that you have mastered the required subjects at Dutch VWO-level new style. It concerns: English, Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics.
You are responsible for obtaining the certificates yourself.
- You can take courses in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics at Boswell-Bèta;
- For the exams in Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics, you can go to Boswell-Bèta and/or Central Committees for Entrance Exams (CCVX) – entrance exam;
- For the English subject, submit one of the following language test certificates;
- IELTS:6.0
- TOEFL iBT: 80
- TOEIC listening and reading: 670; speaking and writing: 290
- Cambridge First B2: Grade B (scale 173-175) or, Grade C (scale 169-172)
- TOEFL Paper-delivered Test: Reading: 20-30; Listening: 20-30
Once you have passed the exams, you must upload the 5 certificates in the MyApplication portal, and once uploaded, notify the UM Admissions Office via e-mail (study@maastrichtuniversity.nl).
Additional requirements
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 prior 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
- Document(s) that demonstrate your proficiency in English
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 fpn-bacheloradmissions@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 this study programme, it is useful to know how we assess your application. You can find more information in this section.
Fixus programme
The bachelor Brain Science programme is a so-called fixus programme. This means that there is a limited number of places available. Below you will find more information on the selection procedure.
Selection procedure
Maastricht University (UM) will first assess whether your previous education makes that you qualify for admission to the bachelor programme you applied for. Therefore, it is very important that you check beforehand whether you meet the admission requirements and that you have a feasible plan to eliminate any deficiencies in your previous education.
You will be informed by email whether you are admissible for the selection procedure. If so, you will be invited to participate in the selection procedure, which consists of an online questionnaire and online test. The invitation for the selection will be sent in the week after the application deadline.
You can do all of the parts online at a time that suits you. You must complete the selection procedure before 1 March 2024, 17:00 CET. Make sure you start on time. You can complete the selection procedure in parts and even go back to change your answers
Please note: once you have submitted the selection procedure, it cannot be changed and you cannot retake it.
Read more:
More information on the selection procedure and selection criteria for 2024-2025.
Please note: you have three selection attempts for this programme. Read more about selection attempts.
Assessment and ranking score
The criteria examined during your assessment are: your motivation, your secondary education grades, your study attitude and orientation and your score for the test that is part of our selection procedure.
Based on the results the UM ranks the candidates. On 15 April 2024 you will be informed about your ranking number via Studielink.
The allocation starts at the top of the ranking. Students who are offered a place, based on their ranking number, must confirm/accept their place in Studielink within 14 days after they have been offered a place. This is an absolute deadline!
Please also send a certified copy of your diploma (as soon as available) by regular post to:
Maastricht University Student Services Centre
UM Admissions
PO Box 616
6200 MD Maastricht
The Netherlands
More information
- For questions about the selection procedure please email fpn-bacheloradmissions@maastrichtuniversity.nl
- For general questions about application, enrolment and admission tasks/documents please email study@maastrichtuniversity.nl
Read more about the variety of application processes within Maastricht University
Please note: only complete applications will be assessed. We therefore recommend that you adhere to the deadlines provided in the table under ‘Important deadlines for application for this study programme’ on this page.
Selection attempts
Over the years you're allowed to participate in the selection procedure for this programme up to three times (selection attempts). Each year, one selection procedure takes place.
A selection attempt will be registered if:
- you have (had) an active application for the bachelor Brain Science in Studielink after 15 January 2024,
- you do not complete the selection procedure and still have (had) an active application after 15 January 2024,
- you withdraw your application after 15 January 2024.
No selection attempt will be registered if:
- you withdraw your application in Studielink before 16 January 2024.
Please note: in case you fail your final secondary school exams, the used-up selection attempt can be annulled. Please contact the Student Services Centre about this.
Binding Study Advice (BSA)
For this study programme we intend to apply a ‘Binding Study Advice (BSA)’. This means that you must obtain a minimum number of ECTS in your first year (the norm is set each academic year and laid down in the Education an Examination Regulations). Students who do not meet the criteria will receive a Negative Binding Study Advice (NBSA). An NBSA means that you will not be allowed to re-register for the bachelor Brain Science programme at UM for the next four years. Students who risk an NBSA will receive a warning after the first semester.