For Dutch HBO students | Admission and application

As a Bachelor's student from a university of applied sciences (HBO), you need to follow a pre-master's first.

You may be considered for admission if you have a certificate from a related technical bachelor’s at a university of applied sciences (HBO). You can only enter the Master's in Mechanical Engineering (ME) after you have met the requirements of the pre-master's. The purpose of the pre-master's is to bring your knowledge up to the required level. The pre-master's has a study load of 49 EC.

Admission requirements Mechanical Engineering

To qualify for the (pre-)master's in Mechanical Engineering, you have to meet the following conditions:

Condition 1: Completion of a HBO bachelor's in a related field
Whether you might be admitted to the (Pre-)Master's, depends on your previous education. There are several ways to find out if your bachelor's is sufficiently related.
Below, you can find a selection of HBO bachelor's that fit this Master's:
Related HBO bachelor's
Mechanical Engineering
Engineering, Design and Innovation
Automotive Technology
Other (related) bachelor's degrees could be admissible, too. Find out if your educational institution is listed below and select your bachelor's to see if you might be able to enrol in the (Pre-)Master's in Mechanical Engineering.
Can you follow this Master's with your previous Bachelor's?
Choose your current institution
Choose your current programme
Tip: is your educational institute not listed? Check if a similar bachelor's is offered at one of the listed institutes. If that one is admissible, then you might be eligible with your bachelor's too!
In all cases, the admission committee will conduct an individual assessment procedure to determine if you have sufficient basic qualifications in Mechanical Engineering. Therefore, know that you can always apply for admission.
Condition 2: Motivation and grades
- Clear and relevant statement of motivation for one of the specialisations.
- Motivational letter, explaining why you and the programme are a great fit (max. 2 pages).
- Your grades are above the average.
Recommendation: Pre-university level (VWO) of English and Mathematics
The (Pre-)Master's in Mechanical Engineering is taught in English. Therefore, you need to have a minimum level of English (VWO-level). This also applies to Mathematics (VWO-level). If you graduated with an HBO Bachelor’s, we assume your English and Mathematics level meets the requirements.
If you are unsure about your English and Mathematics level, we recommend you brush up your knowledge of English and Mathematics before starting with the Pre-Master’s. Additional courses can be taken at, for example, Babel and Boswell Bèta or the Open Universiteit. This is your own responsibility, we don’t require a certificate or other proof of your level.

Get insights into this pre-master's programme
You will be taught various scientific skills and your knowledge in mathematics will be improved.

During or after your HBO

You have the option to follow the pre-master's during your current HBO bachelor's within a transfer minor. It's an option worth considering as it saves you time and money: the programme fits within your minor space and you do not incur any extra costs because you have already paid tuition fees for your bachelor's. A second option is to first get your bachelor's degree and then transfer to this Master's via the pre-master's.

The pre-master's in a nutshell

Spend six months preparing yourself for the Master's in Mechanical Engineering
Get acquainted with scientific research skills, studying the field of Mechanical Engineering
Raise your knowledge about mathematics and statistics to an academic level
Complete the pre-master's during or after your HBO degree.

Do I need to apply for a Pre-Master's?

You cannot apply for the pre-master's directly. You need to apply for the Master’s programme via Studielink. University of Twente will alter this to a pre-master's registration. Once you are admitted, you get access to the pre-master's automatically.

Start your application

How you apply, depends on whether you take the pre-master's during or after your HBO bachelor's. If you take (part of) the pre-master's during your bachelor's, you apply for a transfer minor via the Kies op Maat website. If you decide to do the pre-master's after completing your bachelor's, you apply via Studielink.

Follow the pre-master's after your HBO bachelor's? Start here!

Didn't graduate yet?

You may be admitted to the pre-master's on the condition that you still have to pass. Therefore, you can start up your application even though you have not yet completed your HBO bachelor's. You may be granted a conditional acceptance based on your transcripts, detailed curriculum information, relevant research and expected graduation date. To finally be enrolled in the (pre-)master's, you do need to submit your bachelor's degree, once you have obtained this.

Start dates

After completing your HBO bachelor's and the pre-master's, you can start your Master's in Mechanical Engineering in February or September.

The pre-master's starts every September. Keep an eye on the application deadline and check them prior to your application. However, the deadline depends on the route you chose. For following the pre-master's during your HBO bachelor's – the so-called transfer minor – the deadline is earlier than the deadline when you wish to follow the pre-master's after the HBO programme.