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, Econometrics or Finance 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. 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 on February 1st 2012, 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 Q score below 160 (tests taken on or after August 1, 2011) or 750 (tests taken prior to August 1, 2011) 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 organization for international cooperation in higher education ) in Beijing to obtain a Nuffic Certificate.
  5. Students should be strongly motivated to pursue a PhD in economics, econometrics or finance at the Institute. Such motivation will be assessed by a written statement of purpose. 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).

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