In the midst of the unrest and disruption, the Germans re-opened the University of Leiden for ten days. As it happened Roelfzema had been studying hard and took this opportunity to take exams. Taking his exams in formal tuxedo, as was the custom of his student society Minerva, he passed and was awarded his doctorate in law on 10 June 1941. He was the first member of his class to attain the degree. Leiden was closed again soon afterwards. Three weeks later he was an , a Dutchman who escaped Nazi control by finding a way to reach England. Roelfzema, Peter Tazelaar, Bram van der Stok, Gerard Volkersz and Toon Buitendijk posed as crew members aboard the , a Swiss freighter bound for New York City. The ship was intercepted in the North Sea by the British cruiser , suspecting her to be a German supply ship. The "Devonshire" escorted her to Thørshavn, in the Faroe Islands, were the stowaways were brought ashore. Roelfzema persuaded the captain of the British cruiser to give them passage to Britain.