University of Twente removes option for cum laude PhD graduation due to 'gender bias'

Starting in 2026, researchers at the University of Twente (UT) will no longer be able to obtain their doctorates "cum laude" (with honors). The distinction, intended for doctoral research of "exceptional scientific quality," "systematically disadvantages" female PhD candidates, the university wrote in a message on its website on Wednesday. Therefore, the designation will be removed from the doctoral regulations.

As far as we know, the UT is the first Dutch university to implement this measure. Unlike bachelor's and master's programs, where the distinction cum laude is awarded based on a student's grades, the assessment of doctoral degrees is subjective. The distinction can provide an advantage when applying for jobs and research grants.

In 2018, research by NRC revealed that men at Dutch universities are much more likely to receive their doctorates cum laude than women. This "gender bias" was confirmed in 2023 by research conducted by sociology professor Thijs Bol, based on data from the University of Amsterdam. Male PhD candidates were 1.8 times more likely to receive their doctorates cum laude than women. This unequal distribution was present in all fields. The gap was greatest when the doctoral committee was composed entirely of men.

Bol supports abolishing the distinction. "Selection in science is necessary; jobs and grants are scarce. But graduating with honors is an arbitrary threshold with a complicated, opaque procedure," he said in a previous interview with this newspaper.

Within the Netherlands, graduating cum laude can be advantageous, but internationally, the distinction has little significance. In many countries, it doesn't exist.