Graduate School

Admission requirements

MPhil/PhD program

The MPhil program is a selective program that is geared towards excellent students who want to pursue a PhD in Economics at the Tinbergen Institute. Admissions are highly selective and competitive. A maximum of around 30 students may enroll each year. Students are selected by the institute's Admission Board in a rigorous and careful process.

All prospective students who wish to pursue an MPhil or PhD at Tinbergen Institute should follow the application procedures outlined below. MPhil courses are at an advanced (PhD) level and are challenging even to students who already hold advanced master degrees. We therefore advise all applicants to start with the first year of the MPhil program. See FAQs 11-14 for more detailed information.

  1. Students must have at least a Bachelor's diploma, preferably in economics, econometrics, mathematics, or physics. The Bachelor's program should have been completed before the start of the MPhil program.
  2. Recent GRE (Graduate Record Examinations) results are required from all (including Dutch) applicants. Scores that are more than two years old are not valid and will not be considered. Successful applicants typically perform among the top- 10% of test-takers on the quantitative part of the GRE; applicants with a score below 750 will not be considered. Tinbergen Institute's code number for the GRE is 3811.
  3. An excellent command of English is crucial. Students whose native language is not English are therefore required to demonstrate English proficiency in one of two ways:
    1. by holding a degree from a Dutch university or an institution at which English is the language of instruction, or
    2. by scoring at least 600 on the paper-based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL ), 250 on the computer-based TOEFL, 100 on the internet-based TOEFL or 7 on the IELTS (International English Language Testing System) test. Scores that are more than two years old are not valid and will not be considered. Tinbergen Institute's code number for the TOEFL is 3811.
      Note: Chinese nationals should meet the institute's IELTS or TOEFL iBT requirement, because this is a condition for obtaining a NESO Certificate (see below).
  4. Chinese nationals are required to register with the Netherlands Education Support Office (NESO ) in Beijing to obtain a NESO Certificate.
  5. Students should be strongly motivated to pursue a PhD in economics at the Institute. Such motivation will be assessed by a written letter of intent. An interview with the Director of Graduate Studies and/or members of the Admission Board may be part of the selection procedure. Applications should include two letters of recommendation supporting the capability and aspirations of the applicant (in sealed and signed envelopes if submitted by the applicant).

As part of the immigration procedure, Chinese nationals are required to register with the Netherlands Education Support Office (NESO ) in Beijing to obtain a NESO Certificate.

Other admission criteria being equal, preference is given to candidates who show capacity for higher academic performance.