Entry Requirements

For a candidate to be able to start a PhD at Wageningen University & Research funding must be guaranteed.

Below the tuiton fees for the different PhD categories are listed.

Click here for more information about funding and financial support.

Scholarship PhD candidates

Scholarship candidates can only be accepted to the Wageningen PhD programme in case they meet one of the following conditions (applicable at the time of admission):

(these conditions will be adjusted/increased every 6 months)

• A scholarship with an amount for living allowances that is sufficient for the whole PhD trajectory (for candidates starting between 1 January 2024 and 30 June 2024 this amount is EUR 1750,- per month), or;

• A scholarship with an amount for living allowances that is equivalent to the IND budget threshold (this will be EUR 1564,47 from 1 January 2024 to 30 June 2024) and a guaranteed future adherence to the IND budget threshold. This should be included in the agreement between the scholarship PhD candidate and the scholarship provider.

For more information about the IND budget threshold see the immigration website from the Dutch government (income requirements > Application for a residence permit as a researcher, guest lecturer or physician in training to be a specialist).

The candidate must have obtained a master’s degree that is comparable to a Dutch MSc. This is evaluated by NUFFIC, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education. Hence, accredited master’s degrees obtained in the Netherlands are automatically recognised. See “Required documents” for details on documents that must be submitted depending on where the candidate obtained the master’s degree.

When a master’s degree is not recognised by NUFFIC, as equivalent to a Dutch master's, a Qualifying Exam (QE) may be required. If a qualifying exam is required, this will be indicated by PhD Services. The content is determined by the promoter in consultation with the candidate, in accordance with the rules for QE. These rules are stated in the Doctorate Regulations, which are determined by the Academic Board of Wageningen University & Research. Note that this QE exam is not part of the Training and Education Programme as formulated in the Training and Supervision Plan (TSP). The QE must be obtained within the first year of the PhD project.

In order to be admitted to the PhD program, the PhD candidate must demonstrate sufficient proficiency in the English language, as well as the Dutch language when the thesis is written in Dutch, at the level established by the Academic Board.

English language proficiency

There are no language requirements when the PhD candidate:

• has completed a master degree at a Dutch University;
• comes from an English speaking country and/or;
• has completed a higher education with English as the main language of instruction.

There are language requirements when the PhD candidate:

• does not have a master degree at a Dutch University;
• does not come from an English speaking country and/or;
• has not completed a higher education with English as the main language of instruction.

When the PhD candidate has language requirements to be met, an internationally recognized Certificate of Proficiency in the English language must be submitted.

This must be done prior to the registration at the graduate school and the test results may not be older than 24 months at the moment of application.

Note: a PhD candidate cannot be registered in the Hora Finita without meeting the language requirements. Hora Finita is the PhD registration system of Wageningen University & Research.