Admission procedure

• Immigration requirements for international applicants

All applicants

Step 1 Find a supervisor

Only for applicants without a Dutch university "doctoraal" or master's degree:

Step 2 Admission by the Dean of the Graduate School


The formal decision on admission rests with the Dean of the Grdaute School. Upon admission, the PhD candidate (and the professor who will act as supervisor) will receive a formal letter of acceptance from the Dean.

To be admitted, please complete the Application Form for Admission (PDF / Word) and send it to:

Graduate School for Humanities
Dept. OWB
Leiden University
PO Box 9515
2300 RA Leiden
The Netherlands

This form is intended for formal, academic admission to the doctorate. It should be submitted before the start of your programme and not for admission to the defence upon completion of it.

Immigration requirements for international applicants

For international applicants additional administrative procedures may also apply in relation to visa, residence permit and/or work permit requirements set by the government. The personnel department will assist you in applying for the necessary permits. For more information please enquire at the relevant Graduate School and/or see: Coming to The Netherlands.