From 1 October, you can start your application for the academic year 2026-2027 in Studielink. The application deadline is 15 April for non-EEA students and 15 May for EEA students. Only applications started in Studielink and submitted in the Application Portal of Erasmus University Rotterdam will be considered. After you have submitted your application in the Application Portal, the admissions committee will assess your application. You will be informed about the outcome of your application by email.
Below you will find the application procedure. If you have any questions about your application, then please reach out to the ESHCC admissions office.
Application
- Bachelor's diploma - if already available
If you have not yet obtained your bachelor's diploma, then you may already apply. However, in that case any offer of admission made to you will be conditional upon obtaining your diploma. The deadline to submit your diploma is 1 August. - Translation of your bachelor's diploma in English
If the original is not in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish. We only accept official translations. - Most recent transcript of records
The transcript of records must list all grades received. - Translation of your transcript of records in English
If the original is not in Dutch, English, German, French, Italian, or Spanish. We only accept official translations. - GPA (Grade Point Average) - if available
Your GPA is based on the weighted average of all grades from your programme. - Proof of English proficiency
Preferably an IELTS Academic or a TOEFL iBT (you need to take the test in a test centre; we don't accept the IELTS Online, the TOEFL Home Edition, and similar online tests). If you have not yet obtained proof of English proficiency, then you may already apply. However, in that case any offer of admission made to you will be conditional upon submitting proof of English proficiency. We recommend that you schedule your test as soon as possible. - Curriculum vitae in English
- Essay or paper written in English
You are free to choose the subject of the essay or the paper. You may submit an essay or a paper that you have written during your bachelor programme. The purpose is to give the admissions committee an impression of your academic writing and analytical skills. The required length of the essay or the paper is five to ten pages. Don't forget to include a reference list. - Motivation letter in English
Maximum two pages.
| Application | Deadline |
| Non-EEA students | 15 April |
| EEA students | 15 May |
Considering the time needed to arrange a visa and/or a residence permit, students from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) need to submit their application by 15 April.
You will be informed about the outcome of your application by 1 July at the latest. We have a rolling admissions process, which means that we assess applications as they come in. This also means that when you apply early you may receive the outcome of your application early.
Applications will be assessed from January at the earliest.
Step 1: Apply in Studielink (the Dutch national registration system for higher education)
Step 2: Complete your application in the Application Portal
After you have applied in Studielink, you will receive an email with your login details for the Application Portal. You can start working in the Application Portal, save your entries and use your login details to return to the Application Portal later. In the Application Portal you are invited to complete your application by uploading the required documents and answering some additional questions. Once you have done this, you need to submit your application by the application deadline.
We will only start processing your application after you have submitted it in the Application Portal (by clicking the 'Submit application' button on the last page of the questionnaire).
Please be aware that automatically generated emails may end up in your spam or junk folder. Therefore, check these folders!
If after applying in Studielink you do not receive an email from us with your login details for the Application Portal, then please contact our IT Service Desk.
The programme’s admissions committee will assess your application. You will be informed by email whether or not you are admitted to the programme. You can check your application status at any time by logging in to the Application Portal.
After assessment of application
The admissions committee will inform you about their decision. The outcome can be one of the following:
Approved
You are unconditionally admitted to the programme. Please indicate within three weeks in the Application Portal whether or not you accept the offer.
Conditionally approved
You are conditionally admitted to the programme; your offer mentions the conditions of your admission. Please indicate within three weeks in the Application Portal whether or not you accept the offer.
Furthermore, you are requested to submit by email any missing documents by the deadline. This could be:
- Certified copy of diploma and/or transcript: ultimately by 1 August
- English language test results:
- Non-EEA students: ultimately by 1 May (due to the time needed to arrange visa)
- EEA students: ultimately by 1 August
Once we have approved the documents, your status will change to ‘Approved’.
Declined
You will receive an email informing you about the reason(s) for rejection.
If you still have questions after checking this page, then you may find the answer in our FAQ section. You can also send an email to the ESHCC Admissions Office.
Your registration as a student at Erasmus University Rotterdam is only complete if next to the admission documents you have arranged payment of your tuition fee. If you are a non-EEA student, then you also need to meet all immigration requirements. Our immigration officers will assist international students with arranging immigration formalities. Once you are admitted to the programme, our immigration officers will reach out to you.
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.
The ultimate date for finalising your registration is 31 August, but please do not wait until the last minute! This deadline does not apply to students that need a visa and/or a residence permit to study in The Netherlands; this deadline will be communicated to you by the immigration office.
Once you have completed all the steps of admissions and enrolment you can download a proof of enrolment from Osiris Student.
- Log into Osiris with your ERNA id and password.
- Click on the menu (three stripes on top left-hand side) to select ‘My details’.
- Click on ‘Enrolment degree programme’.
- You will find the programme you applied for with a button below stating ‘Declaration of enrolment’.
- 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.
Looking for information on practical matters such as housing and insurance? Information on these subjects can be found on our practical matters website.
Frequently Asked Questions about Application for our master programmes
After a successful registration in Studielink you will receive an e-mail with a link to the Application Portal where you need to continue your application.
Please make sure to complete your application in the application portal. Only then your registration can be reviewed.
No, this is not possible. All (pre-) master programmes at Erasmus School of History Culture and Communication start in August/ September.
Please first check the inbox and spam folder of your email account. If you still are not able to find your account details, we kindly request you to contact our IT department by e-mail it.servicedesk@eur.nl to request your ERNA details.
Go to the login page of the Application Portal and click on ‘forgot username’ and/or ‘forgot password’ (upper right corner of the screen). Subsequently, follow the instructions. If that does not work, please contact Erasmus Student Service Centre.
Your eligibility can only be determined after you have submitted an application together with the required documents. We will not assess prior requests by email. For this reason, we encourage you to apply officially for admission. Your application will then be assessed by the programme’s admissions committee.
Unfortunately, you cannot apply directly for a Master’s degree programme. You will have to apply for a pre-master’s programme first (if available). After finishing the one-year pre-master’s programme, you will be automatically admitted to the related Master’s degree specialisation.
No, it is not possible to transfer grades or credits obtained at another university
Yes, you can apply and we will consider your application. However, any offer made to you will be conditional until you meet all of the entry requirements. If admitted, you will get permission to submit your diploma (or graduation statement) after the application deadline, but ultimately 10 August.
No, it does not affect your chances in any way.
Yes, you can apply and we will consider your application. However, any offer made to you will be conditional until you meet all of the entry requirements. Please plan your test as soon as possible. Bear in mind that it will take several weeks before you receive an official copy of your test results. If you are admitted, please send us your language test results no later than the deadline mentioned in your admissions offer. Without official proof of your English language proficiency at the required level, we cannot register you as a student for the programme!
- IELTS Academic with a minimum overall band score of 7.0 and minimum subscores of 6.5
- TOEFL iBT with a minimum score of 100 and minimum subscores of 23
- Cambridge C1 Advanced or Cambridge C2 Proficiency with a minimum score of 185
Please note:
- Test results of the First Certificate in English (FCE) and the TOEIC-test are not accepted!
- Please plan your test as soon as possible. Bear in mind that it will take several weeks before you receive an official copy of your test results.
English tests must be less than two years old at the time of application.
Yes, after you have sent your results to us, we will verify the results online.
An official translation is normally done by a registered sworn translator normally associated with a notary. Alternatively, an institution issuing the respective document may be rightful to issue official translations. Please note that you must send a copy of the documents in the original language along with the translation.
A certified copy is a copy of a filed document, legal or other, which contains a seal and a signature that establishes that the document is genuine, a true copy. A document may be certified by an official authorised person (a university, a notary, a sworn translator etc.). Applicants with Dutch prior education do not have to send us certified copies, we are able to verify your previous education online.
Please email your document to masteradmission@eshcc.eur.nl Our Admission's Officer will add them to your file.
Some universities do not issue diplomas until late summer or even early autumn - even if technically you have already graduated. If this applies to your university, please ask them to issue an official graduation statement, confirming you have indeed met all requirements (with a date before 1 September) needed for graduation. Please email this document to masteradmission@eshcc.eur.nl at the latest by 31 August. It should be a certified document, i.e. it should carry the university’s stamp, signature and a date.
Only if you apply for our Research Master, you are required to submit two reference letters.
For all other programmes these documents are not mandatory. However, you may include additional documents if you believe this will contribute to your profile.