Admission requirements

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 new-style VWO diploma with profile Science and Health including the subject Physics,

• a new-style VWO diploma with profile Science and Engineering including the subject Biology,

• an Open University (OU) propaedeutic diploma, HBO propaedeutic diploma, HBO degree diploma, university propaedeutic diploma or university degree diploma.

Sufficient knowledge at VWO level of the subjects Physics, Chemistry, Biology and Mathematics is required.

Please note: an old-style VWO diploma (from before 2007) no longer qualifies for admission.

If you have a non-Dutch diploma equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma you qualify - in principle - for admission to this programme. Check if this applies to your diploma.

• List of non-Dutch diplomas equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma 2025-2026

Please note: 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.

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: as ‘Grundkurs’ up to and including the final year

  • Physics: as ‘Grundkurs’ up to and including the final year

  • 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
• US High School Diploma:
  - Mathematics: AP exam Statistics or Calculus
  - Physics: AP exam Physics 1+2 or AP exam Physics 1 + C: Mechanics or AP exam Physics 2 + C: Mechanics
  - Chemistry: AP exam Chemistry
  - Biology: AP exam Biology

• Diplôme du Baccalauréat Général:
  - Mathematics: Spécialité Mathématique (Première) + Mathématique Complémentaires (Terminale) or Spécialité Mathématique (Première and Terminale) or Spécialité Mathématique (Première and Terminale) + Mathématiques Expertes
  - Physics: Spécialité Physique-Chimie (Première and Terminale)
  - Chemistry: Spécialité Physique-Chimie (Première and Terminale)
  - Biology: Spécialité Sciences de la Vie et de la Terre (Première and Terminale)

  Additional subject requirement pertaining to non-Dutch entry qualifications 2025-2026.

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 admission.

In the evaluation of your previous education, it is possible that it is not clear whether you meet the subject requirements in a specific subject. Since study programmes can vary widely, we may require detailed information about the content of the specific subject you have taken in order to assess your knowledge level.

The knowledge requirements are based on the attainment levels for the final examination in Dutch pre-university education (VWO) and the national agreements made within the Dutch Central Committees for Entrance Exams (CCVX).

If this is applicable to you, we offer you the possibility to fill in a syllabus to have your knowledge of the specific subject assessed by the Colloquium Doctum committee. Guidelines and requirements of the syllabus can be found in the MyApplication portal.

The deadline for requesting the sufficiency check (and thus for uploading the syllabus) is 31 January 2025 (23:59 CET). Requests submitted after this date will not be taken into consideration.