Students with a Bachelor in Psychology from Leiden University are directly eligible for admission, if at least the appropriate specialisation course is completed. There is no need to submit an application for admission using the online application portal.

The entry requirements with regards to the specialisations for current Psychology Bachelor students from Leiden University who would like to continue a master's in Leiden can be found in the PDF file.

Prospective students should:

• have earned a Bachelor degree in Psychology at a Research University (not at a University of Applied Sciences / Professional Education) or demonstrate the ability to meet the requirements for such a degree, and;
• have sufficient knowledge of Methodology and Statistics (at least 20 EC): introductory and more advanced courses in methods and statistics of psychological research (including psychometrics, multivariate data analysis) and the use of SPSS, and;
• have obtained at least 30 ec in advanced courses on a third year Bachelor level on topics pertaining to this master specialisation, and;
• possess the skills, understanding and knowledge that are required for earning the bachelor’s degree; more specifically knowledge on university level of the following topics:
  • Introduction to Psychology
  • Social and Organisational Psychology
  • Personality Psychology
  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuropsychology and/or Psychophysiology and/or Biopsychology
  • Clinical and Abnormal Psychology
  • Developmental and Educational Psychology
  • Theory or training in interpersonal skills, such as interview, counselling, discussion techniques
  • Theory or training in psycho diagnostics

Leiden offers a pre-master’s programme in Psychology for a specific group of students. Completing the pre-master's grants you access to the Master's programme in Psychology. Note that the pre-master’s programme does not prepare for the five clinical specialisations. Read more about our pre-master's programme.

The following requirements apply*: 

• IELTS Academic modules only, on paper or on computer: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Skill Retake
• TOEFL internet based: 90 overall, with at least 20 for each separate component.
  • We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
    You are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country.
  • We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™  or institutional tests such as ITP.

• Cambridge English Exam C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced (180), with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.

Note that English test results may not be more than two years old and must be obtained in one single test.

*You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta; or if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university or (for September intake) a diploma of an English-taught higher professional education (hbo) programme completed at a Dutch university of applied sciences.

For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.