Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication
Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication

Application

International Bachelor Communication and Media
IBCoM student

The International Bachelor Communication and Media (IBCoM) welcomes applications from candidates who meet the entry requirements and whose intellectual ability, education, international orientation and mindset and personal motivation will both benefit from, and contribute to, the programme. 

From 1 October you can start your application in Studielink for 2025-2026. 

Our application deadline is 15 March 2025, 23:59 CET. 
Please note: we cannot and will not consider applications that have been submitted after the deadline. 

Applicants are encouraged to apply early, as it will allow us to communicate the results of the selection process to you earlier. It will also allow you ample time to make (alternative) arrangements for your studies.  

Please note: only applications submitted in the Application Portal after applying in Studielink will be taken into consideration. If you are applying with a non-Dutch diploma, then you need to pay a € 100 non-refundable application fee.

Application

All applications for IBCoM start in Studielink, which is the Dutch national registration system for higher education.  

Once you have completed all the necessary steps in Studielink, you will be asked by email to complete your application in the Application Portal, where you need to upload your documents and you can keep track of your application. Do not forget to upload all required documents by the deadline of 15 March.  

If you have questions regarding your application, then please take a look at our FAQ section first, and otherwise contact the ESHCC Admissions Office.  

Application deadlines 

The application deadline to submit your application in the Application Portal: 

  • 15 March 

Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency: 

  • Non-EEA students: 1 May 
  • EEA students: 1 August

Step 1: Studielink  

Apply no later than 15 March 2025. From 1 October, you will be able to apply for IBCoM through Studielink. 

Please note: if after applying in Studielink you do not receive an email from us with your login details for the Application Portal, then please contact the IT Service Desk at it.servicedesk@eur.nl.  

Automatically generated emails may end up in your spam or junk folder. Therefore, check these folders!  

Step 2: Application Portal  

Once you have completed your application in Studielink a follow-up email will be sent to you. You will be asked to login to the Application Portal to upload your documents and answer some final questions. You need to submit your application in the Application Portal no later than 15 March.   

Application fee 
All students applying with a non-Dutch diploma are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of € 100. In the Application Portal, you will be asked to complete the application fee. Only after a successful payment, you can proceed with your application. Applications without payment will not be considered.  

Please upload the following documents:  

  • Motivation letter, maximum two pages, see the section “Writing your motivation letter” below. (You need to use the template; all other documents are not accepted.)  
  • English language test results (if applicable).  

Dutch student: 

  • VWO: Your official 5 VWO end-of-year report and your most recent 6 VWO grade list.  
  • HBO propedeuse: Your most recent transcript of records.  

Please note: screenshots are not accepted. 

International student: 

  • Your secondary school diploma and your final grade list or, if you do not have a diploma yet, a diploma statement, your most recent grade list and your end-of-year report from your penultimate year. If the documents are not issued in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish, then you need to submit official translations as well.

Please note: we cannot and will not consider applications that have been submitted in the Application Portal after the deadline.  

The IBCoM programme aims to attract students with the right mind-set. Those who are really interested in the concept of the international classroom, who are eager to closely cooperate with people from different backgrounds. Hence, your motivation letter is a very important part of your application for IBCoM.  

Please use the template that you can download below! All other documents are not accepted. Please stick to a maximum of two pages. When saving your motivation letter, choose save as -> save as type -> choose PDF file. 

Motivation letter template

Once your application has been submitted in the Application Portal, we will let you know if you need to upload any additional documents or if your application is complete.   

The admissions office will inform you whether or not you have been selected for the programme and, if applicable, under what conditions (e.g. obtaining your diploma).   

When? By 15 April 2025 (at the latest)  

We would like to know whether or not you will be accepting our offer. Instructions will be sent to selected students by the admissions office. You need to follow all instructions very carefully and accept our offer in the Application Portal.

If you have been (conditionally) admitted, then you will need to submit the required additional documents.  

Deadline for submitting certified copies of your diploma and your final grade list:  

  • 1 August 

Deadlines for submitting proof of English proficiency: 

  • Non-EEA students: 1 May 
  • EEA students: 1 August 

Your registration as a student at Erasmus University Rotterdam is only complete if you also have arranged payment of your tuition fee.   

As of approximately mid-June, you will be able to arrange payment of tuition fees. You start with entering your payment details in Studielink (see your 'to do list' in Studielink). On our website you will find detailed information regarding payment of your tuition fees. If you still have questions, then please contact the Erasmus Student Service Centre.  

Non-EEA students need to meet all immigration requirements. Once you are selected for the programme, our immigration officers will reach out to you. You can already have a look at our immigration website as well.  

The ultimate date for finalising your registration is 31 August, but please do not wait until the last minute!  

Once you have completed all the steps of admissions and enrolment you can download a proof of enrolment from Osiris Student.  

  1. Log into Osiris with your ERNA id and password. 
  2. Click on the menu (three stripes on top left-hand side) to select ‘My details’  
  3. Click on ‘Enrolment degree programme’  
  4. You will find the programme you applied for with a button below stating ‘Declaration of enrolment’ 
  5. Click this button to download your proof of enrolment  

It is advisable to arrive in Rotterdam well in time for the first lectures.  

ESN Introduction Days and the Eurekaweek are planned for mid-August and are a nice way to get settled before classes start.  

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, all students applying for a bachelor's programme with a non-Dutch diploma are required to pay a non-refundable application fee of €100.

The ultimate date on which you will find out the outcome of the selection procedure, is April 15. We have a rolling application procedure, which means that we review applications as they are sent in, and you can already receive the outcome early if you apply early. 

No, we do not. We only have an annual intake, which is in September. 

Yes, you can apply for IBCoM. If you get an offer from us, it will be a conditional offer. 

Please read the information on this website carefully and follow the instructions. More information about this test can be obtained via the ESSC.

Your current school/university can provide you with an official grade list. This needs to be stamped and signed.

You can take the following English language test for admission:

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, then we recommend that you take the IELTS or the TOEFL (you need to take the test in a test centre, online IELTS and TOEFL tests are not allowed). 

We do not allow any transfers into the programme, not in September, nor in January or February. All IBCoM students have to start in year one of the Bachelor's programme, and complete all three years. It is not possible to transfer any credits.

Exemptions based on previous education are rarely granted and can only be applied for after being accepted into the programme. The Examination Board will deal with such a request, based on your personal file.

It is important to realize that the Binding Study Advice (BSA) applies, which means that you have to obtain all 60 ECTS of the IBCoM BA-1. In addition, we have mandatory attendance of the workgroups and quite a number of deadlines for assignments, hence we do not recommend combining two studies. If you have further questions about this, please contact the student advisor.

No, we do not accept deferrals. You would have to apply again next year. 

You can find out more about housing on this page. All international students who are invited to join the programme, will receive an email from our Admission Officers with information about housing.

It is advisable to arrive in Rotterdam from the end of August. The IBCoM programme organizes a yearly introduction week for first year students, which will take place at the end of August or in the beginning of September (date to be announced by email when you have been admitted). Lectures start the week after that. Other introductions, such as ESN and the EUReka week are mid-August and are also a nice way to get settled before classes start.

Yes, we do. All students to whom this applies, will automatically receive further information. If you already want to have more information, please visit the immigration website.

Please visit the website of the international office.

Is this your programme?

Your application in Studielink Visit the Bachelor Open Day on 4 October 2025!

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