Admission requirements
The information on this page is for students who would like to start in academic year 2025-2026.
Please click here to look into the admission requirements for academic year 2024-2025.
Important deadlines for application
The research master Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience starts in September.
The deadlines below are applicable to applicants who want to start their studies in September 2025.
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 2024 | Studielink is open for applications for the academic year 2025-2026 |
| 1 February 2025, 23:59 CET | Application deadline for non-EU/EEA applicants who want to be considered for the UM NL-High Potential Scholarship or the UM Brightlands Talent Scholarship |
| 1 March 2025, 23:59 CET |
Deadline for completing the entire application process for all applicants Non-EU/EEA applicants need to require a visa or residence permit. |
More information
If you have questions regarding the admission requirements, or the application process, please send an email to:
fpn-researchmaster@maastrichtuniversity.nl
General requirements: previous education
The admission requirements for academic year 2025-2026 for the research master Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience depend on your previous education. Please check below which requirements apply to you.
The Board of Admissions of this programme assesses applications holistically on a broad range of criteria. Because we aim to create an interdisciplinary mix of students, we cannot state which university bachelor’s degree is suitable for the research master and which one is not. Students with university bachelor’s degrees as diverse as political sciences, philosophy, liberal arts, psychology, psychobiology, physiotherapy, neuroscience, biology, biotechnology, health sciences, biomedical engineering and economics have successfully applied in the past.
Clearly, some bachelor’s degrees are intrinsically more suitable for specific specialisations. For example: a molecular biology bachelor’s degree fits better with the 'Fundamental Neuroscience' or 'Drug Development and Neurohealth' specialisations than with the Clinical Psychology or Neuropsychology specialisations.
The reverse is true for a bachelor’s degree with a focus on clinical psychology. At the same time, there are no strict exclusives. To give an example: an applicant with a bachelor’s degree in political sciences or history may have taken a one-year break to work in a neuroscience lab, where he/she might have shown great talent for experimental work, statistics and programming, as evidenced by an excellent motivation letter, and perhaps even a co-authorship on a conference abstract or paper. An application of this applicant to for example the Cognitive Neuroscience specialisation may well be competitive. Such applications are exceptional, but some have been successful in the past. Therefore, you should highlight in your application all aspects and strengths of your background that make you a fitting candidate for your chosen specialisation.
Equivalent bachelor's degree
Applicants need to have a bachelor’s degree that is equivalent to a Dutch university bachelor’s degree. In order to determine if a bachelor’s degree is equivalent to a Dutch university bachelor’s degree, the Board of Admissions makes use of NUFFIC diploma recognition. NUFFIC issues recommendations on the value of higher or secondary education diplomas obtained outside the Netherlands. Where possible, the foreign diploma is compared to a Dutch diploma. As well as evaluating the diploma, NUFFIC is also able to determine whether a study programme or an educational institution is officially recognised. Bachelor’s degrees that NUFFIC judges as non-equivalent to a Dutch university bachelor’s degree will not be admitted. If you are uncertain whether your bachelor’s degree is equivalent to a Dutch university bachelor’s degree you are strongly advised to submit a request via the NUFFIC website to have this checked prior to submitting your application.
Important note: the Board of Admissions cannot give any advice about your admission chances on the basis of email information. If you want to know if you qualify for admission, you must apply in Studielink/MyApplication portal.
Additional requirements
Language requirements for English-language master's 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 in the MyApplication portal. The list below gives you an insight into what documents you will (and might) need to prepare.
Required documents for all applicants to this study programme
- A recent passport picture*
The passport picture must satisfy certain requirements. You can find these requirements in the task description 'Upload portrait picture' in the MyApplication portal. - A copy of your valid passport or your EU/EEA identity card*
Make a copy of the page with your personal details. Save this copy as ‘passport copy’ and not as ‘passport picture’. - A copy of your most recent grades transcript AND/OR a copy of your bachelor’s diploma
If you have not graduated yet, you can upload the official grades transcript of your bachelor's programme. - A curriculum vitae
List your education, relevant extracurricular activities and internship/professional experience. - A motivation letter (max. 500 words)
You are requested to fill in the motivation letter form that will be offered to you in the MyApplication portal under the task 'Upload motivation letter'. In this letter you specify why you want to follow this master’s programme and the specialisation of your choice. You must explain how you fulfil the admission requirements for this master's programme and how your background fits with the specialisation of your choice. - An Academic Background Form
The document 'Academic Background Form' that needs to be filled in will be offered to you in the MyApplication portal under the task ‘Proof your academic capabilities’.
*As a UM student it is not necessary to upload this document in the MyApplication portal. Unless your passport is not valid on 1 September 2025; in that case you do have to upload a copy of your passport.
Documents that might be required depending on your (academic) background
-
Document(s) that demonstrate your proficiency in English
Answer the questions concerning language requirements under ‘Language requirements for English-language master’s 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.
Please note:
- Make sure to upload the documents in the MyApplication portal in PDF or Word-format on time and before the application deadline.
- Do not upload Zip files, we cannnot open these files.
- All documents must be in English.
- Only completed applications will be taken into consideration. Note that after the deadline there is no possibility anymore to revise your application. Therefore we recommend that you start your application on time.
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 about this in this section.
The research master Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience is a selective programme with a maximum enrolment of 24 new students per specialisation each year.
Selection procedure
The main steps in the selection procedure involve an assessment of your application, which may result in an invitation for an interview. Upon completion of the selection procedure, a message will be sent to you about your application status (details below).
Assessment of your application
After receipt of all required documents, the Board of Admissions will carefully assess your application. Using all your submitted documents, the Board will assess your application on a number of criteria, which include:
- knowledge, skills and experience in the area of your chosen specialisation that you acquired in the past;
- your motivation for choosing a specialisation and ability to acquire new knowledge and skills in the area of that specialisation;
- general motivation and ability for conducting research;
- attitude and communication skills necessary for functioning in a Problem-Based Learning teaching environment, and for the development of a research career in academic, industrial, clinical, governmental and other settings;
- openness to learning within an international academic environment;
- excellent command of written and spoken English.
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.
Interview
An (online) interview is part of the further selection procedure. It consists of a further assessment of the above-listed criteria. Interviews will take place in March/April.
Message about your application status
Based on the documents you have submitted and the selection procedure for your chosen programme, the UM decides on whether to offer you a place in this study programme. Once the UM has made this decision, you will be informed about it by email. We strive to let you know if you are offered a place or not within six weeks from the application deadline.
If there are more candidates than places, candidates that qualify for admission may be placed on a waiting list. This means that the final acceptance decision is delayed and that the UM offering you a place in the study programme depends on the availability of places. Candidates that have been placed on the waiting list will receive regular updates on the status of their application.
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