Article 18

1. The supervisor shall make a proposal to the Dean of the faculty within which the degree is to be obtained, for the appointment of a professor of the university as chairman and also member of the Assessment Committee.
2. The supervisor and the proposed chairman of the Assessment Committee shall jointly make a proposal to the Dean for the appointment of the other members of the Assessment Committee, subject to the provisions of Article 19, Paragraph 1. The proposed chairman of the Assessment Committee shall ascertain that the proposed members are prepared to join the Assessment Committee.
3. Final appointment of the Assessment Committee shall be done by the Board of Deans, on the written proposal of the Dean of the faculty concerned.

Article 19

1. The following may be appointed as members of the Assessment Committee.
   a. at least two and up to five professors attached to a Dutch or foreign university, or emeritus professors who are still authorized to supervise doctoral dissertations;
   b. at least one and up to two experts who have written dissertations and are sufficiently expert in the area covered by the topic of the thesis.
2. The total number of members stipulated in Paragraph 1 under a and b, shall be at least three and no more than five, on the understanding that half or the majority of the Committee shall comprise the professors stipulated in Paragraph 1 under a. Furthermore, half or the majority of the members must be employed at the university.
3. Neither a supervisor, nor a co-supervisor can be appointed as members of the Assessment Committee.

Article 20

1. Within four weeks of receipt of the thesis, the Assessment Committee shall decide whether the doctoral candidate has demonstrated his or her ability to carry out independent scholarly work by means of the thesis and that the thesis can be accepted as a doctoral dissertation and that he/she can be admitted to the degree ceremony. If the Assessment Committee has points of criticism with regard to the thesis, which is such that it would be possible to improve the thesis within a period of four weeks, then the Committee may decide to extend the period of approval by four weeks. In such case the chairman of the Committee shall consult with the supervisor.
2. The decision to admit the doctoral candidate to the degree ceremony shall be taken with or without the application of the provisions of Paragraph 1, second sentence, if the majority of the Committee with no more than one opposing vote accepts the thesis as a doctoral dissertation. The decision to admit the candidate shall be taken immediately after the period of four, or eight, weeks mentioned in Paragraph 1 has expired.
3. The Committee shall not include any recommendation for changes or additions to the thesis and shall not make any conditions relating to its decision to admit the doctoral candidate.
4. The decision of the Committee on the admission or rejection of the doctoral candidate to the degree, shall be made in writing by the chairman of the Committee to the (primary) supervisor, who will forthwith inform the candidate, the Board of Deans and the Dean of the faculty in writing.
5. Upon receipt of the decision to admit the doctoral candidate to the degree, the doctoral candidate shall decide, in consultation with the supervisor and the secretariat of the Board of Deans, on a date for the ceremony. Subsequently, the doctoral candidate shall propose a date to the Rector in the form of a draft of the dissertation’s title page and its reverse side. The proposed date of the ceremony should be at least ten weeks after the signing of this proposal.
6. The Rector of the university shall set the place, the day and the hour of the ceremony and shall initial the draft of the title page by way of approval.

Article 21

1. On the basis of the responses received from the members of the Assessment Committee, as meant in Article 20, Paragraph 1, the chairman may propose to the members of the Committee that the distinction cum laude be added to the doctoral degree in due course.
2. The decision on a proposal as meant in Article 21, Paragraph 1, shall be taken by the Assessment Committee, with no more than one opposing vote (or one abstention). If the supervisor (after consultation with any co-supervisor) also agrees, the Chairman of the Assessment Committee shall contact the Rector of the university to ensure that one or two external authorities in the field of science concerned are consulted with regard to the intention to award the designation cum laude.
3. To be eligible for the designation cum laude, a dissertation must be of exceptionally high quality, which may be decided on the basis of the following criteria:
   a. the dissertation formulates clear theoretical and normative basic principles;
   b. to this end, the dissertation contains a thorough and exhaustive analysis of a particular scientific problem;
   c. the dissertation places this analysis (and hence the problem) within a wider theoretical framework;
   d. the dissertation shows that the doctoral candidate is able to transcend the boundaries of the field of science concerned and is not bound by its natural assumptions;
   e. the dissertation must make a significant contribution to the academic debate, leading to new points of view or insights, and
   f. the dissertation must be readable and accessible.
4. If the expert(s) consulted agree that awarding the designation cum laude would be justified, the Rector shall ensure that the members of the Supervisory Committee are informed of this proposal and advice before the ceremony.
5. The Supervisory Committee shall decide after the defence of the dissertation, by a written vote on the proposal after having taken the decision to grant the doctorate. The distinction shall be awarded if a majority of at least two thirds of the votes cast are in favour.