Frequently Asked Questions
How many first-year students does this programme have?
We begin every school year with an average of 75 to 100 first year students.
How high is this programme's success rate?
About 75 per cent of first-year students continue on to the second year without any hold-ups. And about 55 per cent receive a Bachelor's diploma after 4 years.
What is the difference between this programme and similar ones elsewhere?
The Civil Engineering programme at Twente stands out because of its combination of engineering and management, its project-based education, its small-scale and its focus on application. You can read more about that here.
What is the difference between the Civil Engineering programme at the University of Twente and a similar programme at a university of applied sciences (‘hbo’ in Dutch)?
The main difference between Civil Engineering at a university and at ‘hbo’ is the academic level. At a research university the programme is more abstract and the teaching pace is higher. At a research university you learn to reflect on the solutions you have found, by answering questions like: Why is this the best solution? Is there an alternative? Can it be improved? Can it be more efficient? Here the focus is on coming up with your own solution, whereas ‘hbo’ programmes centre more on carrying out an existing solution.
What is the male/female ratio in this programme?
There are about 10 girls for every hundred students. We would love to welcome more ladies into the programme.
Where can I find information on the subjects I will have later on?
You can always take a look at the website for current students – the so-called training site. If you have a specific question about a subject, please contact us. We will be happy to help!
How much mathematics is there in the first year?
Civil Engineering is a technical programme. This means that mathematics plays an important role in all subjects.
What language are the textbooks in?
English.
Does the programme involve any other costs, aside from tuition and textbooks?
On top of tuition and textbooks there are other costs if you want to study. For example, you will need a laptop. You might also have travel expenses, and if you don't live at home then you need to think of the cost of rent and food. You can get an estimate of what living in Enschede costs on this website. And you can read more here about living on campus.
Do I need a laptop?
The way we teach at the university makes a laptop indispensable. For Civil Engineering a standard laptop will suffice. However, in order to guarantee compatibility between the software we use in this programme and your laptop, we advise you to use a laptop that runs on Microsoft Windows. We have an attractive deal for students who purchase their laptop via the University of Twente. Read more here.
In what language are the lectures taught?
As of the 2017-2018 academic year, this programme will be completely English-taught. So having a good knowledge of English is an advantage when you start studying.
Is there any tutoring?
Of course! At university you are expected to be independent and take care of things yourself. But not everything is self-explanatory, especially when you are starting out. You can always go to a tutor if you have questions.
Can I travel abroad during my studies?
Yes, that is possible. There are various ways of giving your studies an international flavour. About 30 per cent of our Civil Engineering students choose to do their graduation assignment abroad and more and more students (about 10 per cent so far) choose to complete their electives abroad. For example, you can do some subjects at a foreign university. This will usually be a university with which our Civil Engineering programme has a student exchange agreement.