European Economics PhD Letters: EUI and Tinbergen

European Economics PhD Letters: EUI and Tinbergen

The European University Institute (EUI) asks economics applicants for a research statement of at most 1,500 words that ends with a summary of the advanced economics and mathematics courses you took, with textbooks and topics. Tinbergen Institute asks for a letter of motivation of at most 2 pages (300–500 words per page) that includes a short research proposal. Both ask for evidence a US-style statement can leave to the transcript: that you are ready for first-year theory.

These programmes start with coursework. CEMFI says its PhD begins with "a rigorous coursework stage -equivalent to a master's degree-". Tinbergen is a two-year research master that feeds PhD positions at its partner schools. EUI admits to its second year "based on exams in first-year courses". So the letter is not a dissertation plan and not a bid for one supervisor. It is evidence that you can pass the first year and that you already know which questions pull you. If you have a draft, a quick check against the economics PhD statement rubric is a good first pass.

Every programme page quoted below was checked on 31 October 2026. EUI states on its programme page that the content "is subject to change until the next call opens in November 2026", so recheck it after the call opens.

The structure you are applying into

Two more rules shape the EUI file. EUI says "Applicants for the Economics Department provide a short research statement rather than a full research proposal" (selection criteria). And its policy is "not to offer individual guidance and advice on dissertation proposals. Do not contact potential supervisors but read the information on research themes and indicate one or more professors who could supervise your dissertation in the application form."

EUI also sets an AI rule for this document, quoted in full: "The research statement should also meet the requirements established by the EUI Guidelines for the Responsible Use of Artificial Intelligence for Research (PDF). In particular, candidates should refrain from using Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) autonomously to write substantial or integral parts of the document. When using Gen AI to produce novel content, they must acknowledge and reference the parts of the content that have been AI-generated."

What EUI's three parts ask for

EUI's page sets the order. In its words, the statement:

1. "should start with a short motivation of the candidate for pursuing a PhD in Economics at the EUI."
2. "should describe the relevant background information, including short abstracts of ongoing and completed research (e.g. Master thesis) and intended areas of graduate research."
3. "should provide a summary of relevant advanced-level economics and mathematics courses the candidate has taken so far, with a brief description of textbooks and topics."

Part 3 has no counterpart in a US-style statement. Do it as a compact list, one line per course: course name, level, textbook, the topics that matter. "Advanced Microeconomics (master's level): Mas-Colell, Whinston and Green, chapters on general equilibrium and mechanism design" tells the reader more than "strong background in microeconomic theory". Our guide on whether a master's can fix economics PhD math gaps helps you decide which courses to list first.

What Tinbergen says it assesses

Tinbergen's admission requirements say: "The assessment of applications is based on academic performance (e.g. grades for (recent) courses and for quantitative courses) and research potential (e.g. research ideas, PhD attitude, research experience). But also collegiality is considered relevant (e.g. positive attitude, ability to work in teams and communication skills)."

The letter's content is set on the application procedure page: "an elaboration of your specific area of academic interest (research topic that you want to work on including a short research proposal); how your past education and other experiences have prepared you to be successful in our program; what you hope to achieve (your professional plans and career goals) and why this program is the best place for you to pursue your interests."

Other rules that change the file:

• GRE. For non-Dutch degrees, "applicants with a Q score below 160 will not be considered."
• Two letters, from people who "can assess your research potential and your suitability for a research-oriented master program".
• Writing sample, if you have one: "a written piece of research, e.g. Bachelor or Master thesis."

The Tinbergen FAQ adds one line worth following: "Frame your entire application (CV, motivation letter, recommendation letters) around your interest in academic research and future PhD ambitions."

How this letter differs from a US econ SOP

Much of the US advice still applies: preparation first, a provisional research direction, no social-mission opening. Our economics PhD statement of purpose guide covers it. Four things change:

1. The limit is a rule, not a norm. 1,500 words at EUI; two pages of 300–500 words at Tinbergen. Count before you upload.
2. Courses go in the letter. EUI wants textbooks and topics. A US SOP can leave courses to the transcript.
3. Faculty names move. EUI puts potential supervisors in the form and tells you not to contact them. At Tinbergen, the programme page says first-year visits to research groups "allow students to explore potential supervisors and fields of specialization". Name research areas in the letter, not a supervisor.
4. A short proposal is expected at Tinbergen, but not a dissertation plan. One question, why it is open, and a first approach is enough.

Our view: in a European coursework-first economics letter, spend the most words on readiness: courses, methods and one piece of research you can explain. Spend fewer on the future topic. The basis: EUI's admission to the second year rests on first-year exams, Tinbergen's first year is 12 core courses, and both pages ask you to show preparation explicitly.

The countercase: if you already hold a strong research master's and a working paper, you may be a better fit for a European PhD position advertised by a department, where a fixed project and a named supervisor matter. That is a different letter: see the PhD motivation letter or cover letter guide. And if you are also applying to US programmes, see the US PhD statement for European applicants.

Constructed example: a Tinbergen-style letter from a central bank analyst

Constructed example, written by us, not a real applicant statement. Context (invented): Camila Rojas, economics graduate from a Chilean university, two years as an analyst at a central bank, applying to the Tinbergen Research Master. The letter below is 398 words (headings included), one page within Tinbergen's 300–500 words per page.

Area of academic interest. I want to study how households form inflation expectations when the central bank changes its communication. At work I build the monthly nowcast of core inflation, and I have seen survey expectations move after policy statements even when forecasts did not change. I do not yet know whether that reflects learning, attention or trust. A short proposal: use the bank's monthly household survey, which asks the same respondents twice a year, to test whether respondents who report reading the policy statement update more after a change in wording than those who do not. A first approach is a difference-in-differences design around three wording changes since 2019, with the limits that self-reported reading is noisy and the sample is small.

Preparation. My undergraduate degree included intermediate micro and macro, two econometrics courses (cross-section and time series) and real analysis. My weakest area is dynamic optimization: I studied it alone using lecture notes and solved problem sets, but I have not taken it for credit. I would take the advanced mathematics track only if the Director of Graduate Studies approves it; otherwise I would start with the normal version. At the bank I estimate small Bayesian VAR models in Python and Dynare. My undergraduate thesis estimated pass-through from the exchange rate to food prices; the main result did not survive a change in the sample period, and I wrote that section first.

What I hope to achieve. I want to write a PhD thesis on expectations and policy communication and then work in research, either in a university or in a central bank research department. I am applying to a research master rather than directly to a PhD because I need the first-year core courses before I can work on this question with the right tools.

Why this programme. The first year's core sequence covers the macroeconomics and econometrics I lack. The visits to research groups in the first year would let me test which research group my question fits before choosing a supervisor. A cohort with diverse interests matters to me: at the bank I learned most from colleagues outside my unit, and I would bring two years of working with real survey data to study groups.

Collegiality. At the bank I organized a weekly reading group for junior analysts. It ran for eighteen months and moved online when the team split across two offices.

What makes it work against Tinbergen's own list. It states an area and a short proposal with a design and its limits ("research ideas"). It names a real weakness and a plan for it, which reads as readiness rather than a gap. It explains why a research master and not a PhD. It ties the "why this programme" paragraph to features the programme's own page describes. Every fact about Camila, the survey and the results is invented.

Checklist before you upload

1. Did you count words against the programme's limit (EUI at most 1,500; Tinbergen at most two pages of 300–500 words)?
2. For EUI, are the three parts in the stated order, with courses, textbooks and topics in part 3?
3. For Tinbergen, does the letter cover all four items the application page lists?
4. Is there one research question, not a dissertation plan?
5. Is your thesis summarized as a short abstract with your own decisions?
6. Have you avoided naming a supervisor as if agreed? At EUI, potential supervisors go in the form.
7. Does your GRE Quantitative score meet Tinbergen's floor of 160 if you hold a non-Dutch degree? For a social sciences research master's rather than economics, see the research master motivation letter in the Netherlands, which works through UvA's 750-word statement and research questions.

Get a free review of your motivation letter

Get a free Quick Review of your motivation letter against GradPilot's economics PhD statement rubric. It reads whether your letter states a clear economics research direction, shows how you reason about a research question, and explains how your preparation supports doctoral study. For Tinbergen and other Dutch research master's programmes, the Research Master's motivation letter rubric for the Netherlands reads the research direction, past research evidence and programme fit.

More economics and PhD guides:

• Economics math camp before the semester: what to do about a weak first-year start.
• Economics predoc: one or two years before a PhD: the US alternative route.
• Research statement vs SOP vs research proposal: what each document does.
• US or European PhD: compare the whole offer.
• All PhD essays and graduate school essays guides.

Sources

Retrieved 31 October 2026, except where noted.

• European University Institute, Doctoral Programme in Economics, information for applicants, selection criteria and FAQ (2027–28 call, "subject to change until the next call opens"): research statement rules, AI rule, supervisor rule, deadline, second-year admission.
• Tinbergen Institute, admission requirements, application procedure, deadlines, programme structure and FAQ (cohort 2027–2029): letter rules, assessment criteria, GRE floor, deadlines, first year.
• CEMFI, PhD in Economics and Government (current page): programme structure. The admission page returned an error on 31 October 2026 and is not quoted.