If you successfully complete the pre-Master’s programme within a year, you will automatically be admitted to the Master's programme you wish to pursue. However, you do need to complete the programme within one year, as you cannot start the Master's without fully meeting the entry requirements. After completing the pre-Master's programme you will not receive a diploma or certificate.

Programme

If you have obtained an academic Bachelor’s degree, you do not need to take the two Academic Skills courses (2 x 6 ECTS), which means that the programme will comprise 30 ECTS instead of 42 ECTS. Below you see the programme of the current academic year; the courses in the coming academic year may differ slightly. The Course Catalogue for the new academic year will be published in May.

Recommended for Comparative Literature

Recommended for English Literature and Culture

Recommended for Literature, Culture and Society

Application procedure

Your application to the Graduate School of Humanities always starts by submitting an enrolment request for the Master's programme you wish to pursue. You can only submit an enrolment request for the pre-Master's if you have been admitted to the Master's programme on the condition of successful completion of the pre-Master's programme.

1. Check the application deadline
   As you must first submit an application for the Master's programme, the application deadline of the Master's you wih to pursue applies. This is 15 May for students with a Dutch or EEA nationality, and 1 March for students with a non-EEA nationality.
2. Submit an enrolment request in Studielink for the Master's Literary Studies
   Please complete all of the steps of the application process for the Master's programme of your choosing, including the application in MyInfo and the submission of all required application documents. This will ensure that you can automatically be admitted to the Master's in the following academic year.
3. Wait for the admission decision
   The selection committee will assess your prior education. If you are able to meet the entry requirements for the Master’s by completing the pre-Master’s programme, you will receive a rejection for the Master's and a positive decision for the pre-Master’s.
4. Submit an enrolment request in Studielink for the pre-Master’s Literary Studies
   Only after you have been (conditionally) admitted to the pre-Master’s do you register for the pre-Master’s Literary Studies in Studielink (Literary Studies - Schakelprogramma). You will be informed by email in more detail.

Important information for non-EEA students

If you need a visa for your stay in the Netherlands, please note that the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) only issues visas to pre-Master's students for the duration of one year. If you do not complete the programme in one year, you cannot continue your studies anywhere in the Netherlands.

Costs

The tuition fee rate for a pre-Master’s programme in the academic year 2023-2024 is €38.56 per ECTS, with a maximum of €2,314. This means that for a 42 ECTS pre-Master’s programme, the fee is €1,620; for a 30 ECTS programme, the fee is €1,157.

More information