Admission

Students who hold any of the following diplomas are welcome to apply:

• Dutch VWO diploma: you can apply with any of the four profiles 6 VWO: Economy and Society, Culture and Society; Nature and Health, Nature and Technology
• Propedeuse HBO, diploma from the first year of a four-year Dutch HBO programme (proficiency in Mathematics at the VWO level and English test is required).
• International Baccalaureate (IB), including Math Standard Level A&I with a minimum grade 5, Math Higher Level A&I is sufficient as well as Math A&A on Higher Level or Standaard Level.
• European Baccalaureate (EB), including Mathematics (3 hours).
• Another secondary or high school diploma equivalent to the Dutch VWO diploma and including English and Mathematics, please refer to the list of most common diplomas granting you access to studies at a research university.

You meet our English language requirements when:

• You have a VWO-grade of 7 or higher in English (final exam VWO-6);
• You hold an International Baccalaureate Diploma, English A (HL or SL 4 or higher), English B (HL 4 or higher);
• You hold an European Baccalaureate diploma including English as 1st or 2nd language;
• You obtained at least 2,5 years of secondary education in Australia, Canada (other than Quebec), New Zealand, South-Africa, The USA, the UK or Ireland (Please note that possessing a passport from an English speaking country without attending school in one of the above-mentioned countries does not grant exemption);
• You have obtained an hbo diploma at a University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands where the language of instruction of the complete programme was English. Please submit proof thereof by uploading a statement by the university confirming this. (Not applicable when you have only completed the first year/propedeuse);
• The GCSE O-level English first language is only accepted for those students who apply on the basis of GCSE O-levels + GCE A-levels;

If you do not meet one of the above requirements, you may demonstrate proof of proficiency in English through any of the following tests:

• TOEFL iBT (code: 2641). with a minimum overall score of 92 (www.ets.org/toefl);
• IELTS with a minimum score of 7.0 overall (www.ielts.org);
• Cambridge C1 Advanced (former CAE): minimum grade C/180;
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency (former CPE): minimum grade C/180;

Important! Test scores may not be older than two years at the time of application. Note that it takes several weeks before the results of the tests are known. If you have not yet taken any English test, we recommend that you take the IELTS or TOEFL.

Mathematics proficiency is part of the selection procedure, as its courses prepare you for a Bachelor of Science degree upon graduation.

To assess your math proficiency, we look first and foremost at whether Mathematics is part of your final exam, as well as the level and result. The required level needs to be comparable to the Dutch VWO curriculum. Once you have applied for IBCoM, the Admissions Office will let you know whether or not you meet the entry requirements. The overview below will give you a general idea of the level we are looking for, and the diplomas that meet the requirements.  

The following diplomas are estimated to be at the same level as the Dutch VWO:

• German Abitur, European Baccalauréat (EB), all with a sufficient grade for mathematics.
• International Baccalauréat (IB) including Math Standard Level A&I with a minimum grade 5, Math Higher Level A&I is sufficient as well as Math A&A on Higher Level or Standaard Level.

Under some circumstances, the following diplomas with a sufficient grade for mathematics are also sufficient:

• Aruban or Antilles VWO, Austrian Maturazeugnis, Belgian Diploma van Secundair Onderwijs, British A-levels, Danish Studentereksamen, Finnish Ylioppilastuskintotodistus/ studentexamenbevis, French Baccalauréat (Mathematique Specialite or Mathematique complementaire en Terminal), Norwegian Vitnemål for Videregående opplaering, Swedish Slutbetyg and Swiss Maturität.

If you do not hold any of the above mentioned diplomas, we strongly encourage you to provide us with proof of a sufficient command of mathematics. It allows the Selection Committee to better consider the quality of an application, as a timely submission of these test results demonstrates the applicant’s dedication and motivation.

We accept the following standardized tests:

• SAT Maths level 1 with a minimum score of 540;
• ACT with a minimum score is 22;
• OMPT-A with a minimum score of 70%.

You can register through the respective website and take the test at a location near you. Please let us know when you will be taking the test if you cannot yet include it in your application, so we can take this into consideration during the selection process. 

This also applies to applicants with a Dutch HBO diploma.

We welcome applications from all types of educational backgrounds, and we value variety within IBCoM. Therefore, if you do not have the opportunity to take either of these tests or do not meet the Mathematics requirements, you can still be admitted to IBCoM.

We would like to point out that Mathematics, and specifically Statistics, are an important part of academic research in IBCoM. A solid command of Mathematics/Statistics will greatly benefit the applicants study success. Therefore, we advise students that do not meet the Mathematics requirement to study Statistics over the summer.

The IBCoM programme aims to offers its students an international classroom and a cosmopolitan learning environment and seeks to select candidates who are eager to closely cooperate with people from different backgrounds.

In addition to the general entry requirements, the Selection Committee will therefore pay due attention to the motivation letter in admitting students to the programme. The programme seeks to attract students who, in one way or another, can be expected to make a significant contribution to a diverse and vibrant international classroom.

Please adhere to the required format for the letter, as outlined on the application page under the section "Writing your motivation letter".