Admission Requirements and Application Procedures

Admission Requirements

The Institute of Philosophy recognises all international agreements made by Belgium with respect to degree equivalencies.

All candidates for admission to the Philosophy Programme in English have to meet our general admission requirements and follow the application procedure (see below).

In addition, there are specific requirements for each of the different philosophy programmes:

• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (BA)
• Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (BA) - abridged programme
• Master of Arts in Philosophy (MA)
• Master of Philosophy (MPhil)
• Doctoral (PhD) Programme

Application Procedure and General Requirements

The Institute of Philosophy recognises all international agreements made by Belgium with respect to degree equivalencies. In addition, all candidates for admission to the Philosophy Programme in English are required to do the following:

1. Follow the application instructions set out at www.kuleuven.be/application

2. Submit official transcripts. Please note that you first need to upload a copy of your transcripts and diplomas as a pdf file into your application file and then you need to send official copies, together with the prinout of your application form, to the central International Office. Official transcripts and diplomas should be certified as true and original by either the educational institution that issued them or by the local Belgian diplomatic office. Photocopies and faxes are not accepted.
   For more information, please see Steps 4 and 5 at www.kuleuven.be/application.
   Students applying to the BA programme submit official high school transcripts and diploma and, in case they request admission with advanced placement, also all official higher education transcripts. Students applying to the BA Abridged, MA or MPhil submit official transcripts from every institution of higher education they attended. Academic records must show the dates of your enrollment, all subjects or courses, units, credits or hours, and grades in each subject. cannot be accepted. If the original is in a language other than English, Dutch, French, or German, you must include an official translation along with the original. All records must include a complete description of institutional grading scales, or other standards of evaluation with maximum grades and minimum marks indicated. If you still need to complete your studies at the time of the application, please submit intermediate transcripts. Please note that you will be required to submit your final transcript upon enrollment.
   Records submitted cannot be borrowed, returned to you, or sent elsewhere. 

3. All non-native English applicants -- applicants who are not citizens of Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America or who have not obtained a previous diploma in one of these countries -- must submit a certificate proving their proficiency in English. The Institute of Philosophy requires a minimum score of 100 pt. on the internet-based TOEFL, 600 pt. on the paper-based TOEFL or an IELTS score of 7 - 7.5 pt. If an applicant can provide a proof that s/he successfully completed at least one year of study in secondary or higher education or a whole of at least 54 credits in higher education in English, s/he may request the Board of Admissions to be exempted from submitting another proof of language proficiency. However, in this case additional evidence of English proficiency may be required.

4. Non-EEA applicants are required to upload a proof of payment of the application fee made either via bank transfer or via credit card. Please see Step 6 at www.kuleuven.be/application.

5. All applicants are required to upload into their application file a passport photograph and a photocopy of the identity page of their passport.

6. Three letters of academic recommendation are required. Have them written by your instructors or people who know you well as a student, and have 2 sets sent directly by the persons who write them.

7. Upload a sample of what you regard as your best written work in philosophy. This should preferably be a research paper or thesis that you have submitted as part of course work at a previous school. Students applying to the BA and the BA Abridged programme may submit a research paper from another subject in the Humanities or an extensive letter of motivation. The writing sample must be in English.

8. All applicants are required to upload into their application file a letter of motivation in English where they explain why they would like to study philosophy at the Institute of Philosphy.