University of Twente ends cum laude honors for Ph.D. students over gender bias concerns
The University of Twente will eliminate the cum laude distinction for doctoral graduates starting January 1, citing research that shows the honor is not based on objective criteria and systematically disadvantages women. The university becomes the first in the Netherlands to remove the award for all Ph.D. recipients.
Tom Veldkamp, rector of the University of Twente, told Het Parool that the distinction, traditionally given for dissertations of “excellent scientific quality,” cannot be applied objectively in practice. He referenced a 2023 study by the University of Amsterdam (UvA), led by sociology professor Thijs Bol, which found that women are nearly 50 percent less likely than men to receive cum laude honors, even when evaluated by the same reviewer.
“The gap between men and women is largest when the promotion committee is composed entirely of men,” Bol noted. “Once the number of female members increases, the gender difference decreases. There is a clear pattern of homophily: male reviewers favor male candidates.”
The UvA, in contrast, will retain the cum laude distinction for Ph.D. students but plans reforms to address the disparities. A university spokesperson said, “We also see differences in awarding cum laude. Relatively, it is given more often to men than to women.”
The spokesperson added, “We have discussed this multiple times in our promotions board, even after Bol’s publication. We want to maintain the distinction so excellent Ph.D. students can stand out. At the same time, equal opportunities for everyone are paramount. We will implement other measures, such as raising awareness among promotion committees, creating more balanced committees, and revising evaluation criteria. This is work in progress.”
Meanwhile, the Vrije Universiteit (VU) abolished cum laude honors for medical students in 2022 to reduce stress and improve the quality of training for future doctors.
