FAQ - APPLICATION AND SELECTION STUDY ABROAD (OUTGOING EXCHANGE)

Bachelor students need to have obtained their full first year before departure, not before the application.

For the selection, the GPA and study progress will play an important role. All required documents are considered in the selection process. Generally, a minimum GPA is not required (only for some partner universities, see Partner universities list). The selection is a internal process, the foreign university is not involved.

In the motivation letter, a preliminary studyplan is required. Students may also include (extra-curricular) activities, that are study-related, and may have influenced the study progress or grades.
 

3 choices are recommended, max 5 can be given. If you are only interested in 1 university, you give 1 choice only.  We will do our very best to select students for their first-choice destination.

This is hard to say and will vary over the years. Generally, English speaking countries are popular (USA, Canada), but also large cities tend to be popular (Tokyo, Seoul) and top-ranked universities (ETH).

Bachelor students/free minor abroad: check the free minor requirements on the student portal TU Delft. Check the instructions on Brightspace.

Master students/Master specialisation and electives: check the requirements for the Master specialisation and electives on the Graduation portal TU Delft. Check the instructions on Brightspace.
 

In general, exchange students do not have the option of taking a re-sit abroad. In case the student fails an exam, it is possible to take another course when back at TU Delft for the remaining study credits.

It is recommended to be prepared for your appointment: read the information that is available, attend the Study abroad presentation in October or study the ppt slides on Brightspace. There are open hours, and (online or on campus) appointments are made online.

Academic semesters not always align with the TU Delft schedule. Always check when courses start and end, when exams take place, and when your exchange will be finished. Do not assume that the university will change their schedule for an exchange student.

It is good to start looking around early, but you cannot start making reservations for housing after you are officially admitted at the university. Mostly, the partner university will inform you where to start looking.Are there any housing associations working with TU Delft? No, there are not.

Be careful, be realistic, be on time.
 

Bachelor students upload one PDF with the transcript of records of their Bachelor studies. Master students upload one PDF with both the transcript of records of their Bachelor studies, as well as the transcript of records of all results they have obtained during the Master studies. Send an email from your TU Delft account, including your student number, to Servicepunt TBM Servicepunt-OTBM@tudelft.nl with your request. 

If you wish to go to a university that has no exchange agreement with TU Delft, you may inquire to register as a ‘freemover’ student. A freemover student is an exchange (or ‘non-degree’) student, who has to pay the tuition fee to the host university for the study period at that university. Not all universities will allow freemovers.

Start with the link to the partner university website (Partner universities (tudelft.nl) and search for the course catalogue for incoming exchange students. 

Almost all universities offer a number of courses in English. Their course catalogue will indicate which courses are given in English. When it is indicated that a course is given in the local language (Spanish, Italian) it will not be an option (unless you speak the language).

Read several student reports for your destination on partneruniversities.tudelft.nl to find example study plans.

Contact other students who are selected for the same university.

Only as a last resort, contact the foreign university for advice.
 

Most partner universities require the majority of courses to be chosen at the main Faculty (fi 50, 60 or 70%), which leaves a few courses to be selected outside the main Faculty. Always check the rules beforehand!

In many cases, the Faculty TPM offers bilateral agreements with a specific Faculty/Department or School (such as CMU Pittsburgh, or TU Munich). In general, this excludes courses at other Faculties or Departments, although sometimes an exception can be made.
 

February starters have the option of applying to one of the leftover places to do the exchange in semester 2. The list of leftover places is posted on Brightspace/study abroad. Places are filled on a first-come-first-served basis. Always contact the international office internationaloffice-tbm@tudelft.nl about your plans.

Some universities require a language test in the language of instruction. This is communicated on their website (for incoming exchange students). In some cases, a statement from TU Delft can replace the official test. Osiris issues a standard statement on the English level of the student.
Within the EU an English test is not required. However, some universities in Germany require a German test, some universities in Italy an Italian test and PUC Chile requires a Spanish test (B2 level). 
Some universities outside EU will require an English test (not older than 2 years). The level that is required differs per university. You may choose to take TOEFL or IELTS. The Cambridge CAE is also accepted generally. 
Applying for the test and waiting for the results takes time! Please, plan this well in advance.
 

Numerous scholarships are provided by the EU, the Dutch government and private organizations. For instance, ERASMUS+ scholarship is available within Europe, while the NL scholarship and STIR are available for exchanges outside Europe. 

• FAQ on ERASMUS+ scholarship (study or internship abroad):
  Frequently asked questions (tudelft.nl)
• FAQ on STIR fund (study abroad):
  Frequently asked questions (tudelft.nl)
• FAQ on NL scholarship (study or internship abroad):
  Frequently asked questions (tudelft.nl)

TPM offers the TPM fund to students to help them with their travel expenses.

• More information can be found here: Outgoing exchange (tudelft.nl)