FAQ

If the form incorrectly gives the Netherlands as the country when you are filling in your previous qualifications, you do not have to do anything about this. It is a technical error in the interface. The country has been registered correctly in our back-office system.

Your application has to be completed in the online application form so please upload all the requested documents in the application form. If the Admission Office requires hardcopies of your documents you will be informed about this via email.

If you have yet to complete your bachelor’s programme, you can still apply for admission to a master’s programme at the University of Twente. You may be granted a conditional acceptance based on your transcripts, detailed curriculum information, relevant research and expected graduation date. However, you must submit your bachelor’s degree before you can start the master’s programme.

Course descriptions provide the University of Twente a better understanding of the content of your educational background. The list of course descriptions should contain an overview of (only) those courses relevant for your chosen Master’s programme at the University of Twente. Each description should include the title (the same as in the Transcript of records) a course summary and the books used. Typically your university can provide you with these descriptions.

You do not have to send reference letters while applying for admission. Please include the names and addresses of your referees in the online application form.

You will be informed by e-mail when we receive your application documents.

In order to provide you with accurate information about the deadlines for application, check the admission deadlines before you start the application procedure.

An English test is a requirement in your online application. We can’t  process your application without proof of sufficient mastery of the English language and the other required documents. Please keep in mind that we need the scores before the application deadline.

If you have submitted your application and required documents online via the application portal site, you do not need to provide hard copies at this time. As soon as the Admission Office has reviewed your documents, you will be informed by e-mail.

If you are from an English-speaking country in Africa, you will have to take one of the approved university English tests. Please check our admission requirements for international students.

The English proficiency test is a mandatory requirement unless you are a native English speaker from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States of America. If you have obtained a relevant Bachelor’s degree from an accredited academic institution in the Netherlands or if  you have obtained a Bachelor degree (3 year) in one of the following countries: Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, United Kingdom or United States of America you are not required to take an English proficiency test. 

If your application is incomplete this means that one of the required documents is still missing. When you login to your application you can see what document(s) you still need to provide in order for your application to be complete.

If you are studying to obtain your Bachelor’s degree at a university in- or outside the Netherlands you can apply for one of the Master’s programmes of the University of Twente. You may be granted a conditional acceptance based on your transcripts, detailed curriculum information, relevant research and expected graduation date. However, you must submit your Bachelor’s degree before you can start the Master’s programme.

When you have completed the application procedure and have been admitted (or provisionally admitted) to the university the Admission Office will send you an email with a link to the Entrance Acceptance Form (EAF). Please fill in the form and return it to the Admission Office via email before the deadline. Check the overview of deadlines.

Provided that your Entrance Acceptance Form has been received before the deadline, International Office will send you an email telling you what steps you need to take to complete the visa application procedure. Please note, International Office cannot start the visa application process earlier than four months before the official starting date of your degree programme.

The Entrance Acceptance Form lets us know that you want accept the offer of the University of Twente and intend to start your study at our University. Once you have submitted your Entrance Acceptance Form (EAF) the Admission Office will start the enrolment procedures and you will receive an email from International Office explaining the visa and housing application procedures.

You will receive an email with login credentials for the OSIRIS application where you can upload your documents. You can continue your application via the OSIRIS application, using the login credentials provided to you via email. Also carefully check your junk mail to see if you did receive the message.

If you have already previously applied via our online application portal or don’t receive the email from OSIRIS, we have to check your application. This is done on a daily basis but it, therefore, might take some time for you to receive the email. If you don’t receive an email within a week after you applied please contact the Admission Office via: studentservices@utwente.nl

Read all information regarding scholarships and scholarship application procedures on our website. 

You can only ask to be nominated for a scholarship after you have been admitted (or provisionally admitted) to a Master’s degree programme.

Unfortunately, the Dutch government has discontinued the Huygens Scholarship Programme.  Please keep in mind that you can only ask to be nominated for a scholarship once you have been admitted (or provisionally admitted) to a Master’s degree programme.

- EU/EEA, Switserland: No entry visa required, no residence permit required. 
- Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, South Korea or USA: No entry visa required, a residence permit required for stays of 90 days or more.

- All others: A entry visa required and a residence permit required for stays of 90 days or more

International Office of the University of Twente helps students who have been admitted (or provisionally admitted) to a degree programme to arrange and apply for  visa. Under Dutch law, students cannot apply for a visa individually. All international students, once admitted (or provisionally admitted) to a Bachelor’s, Master’s, or exchange programme requiring a visa or residence permit will be contacted byInternational Office automatically and will receive assistance with all visa procedures.

The IND is the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service. It is run by the Ministry of Security and Justice and is the official national organization that handles all visa and residence permit applications and extensions in the Netherlands. International Office will contact the IND on your behalf to arrange for your visa application to be processed. Under Dutch law, students are not allowed to apply for a visa individually.

International Office will send your visa application to the Dutch immigration authorities (IND). The IND takes approximately 3 weeks to approve or turn down your visa application. Once the IND has processed your application, International Office will inform you by email about the final decision. If your application is approved, you will be asked to contact the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Passport, Visas & Consular Affairs) in your country of origin. The Embassy will let you know where to pick up your approved visa. Many Embassies are not able to place the visa in your passport themselves and need to send your passport to another office. This procedure may take up to two weeks, which means you will be without your passport during that time.

Please note: distribution and opening times of embassies may vary. We strongly recommend that you make an appointment as soon as you receive the confirmation that your visa has been approved. 

International Office receives many documents daily. As a result you will not receive a confirmation of all documents received. If any necessary documents are missing from your visa application, International Office will contact you by email.

When you have completed all of the necessary paperwork for the admission procedure and have been admitted (or provisionally admitted) to the university, the Admission Office will send you an Entrance Acceptance Form (EAF). Fill in the form and return it to the Admission Office before the deadline. Check this site for a complete overview of the deadlines.

Provided that your entrance acceptance form has been received before the deadline, International Office will send you an email telling you what steps you need to take to complete the visa application procedure. Please note, International Office cannot start the visa application process earlier than four months before the official starting date of your degree programme,

All international Master, Bachelor, and exchange students who require a visa will be guided through the application procedures by International Office. Once you have submitted your Entrance Acceptance Form (EAF), you will receive an email from International Office explaining the visa application procedures. As soon as International Office has received all the required information from you, your visa application will be send to the Dutch immigration authorities (IND). Please note,International Office cannot start the visa application process until four months before the starting date of your degree programme.

International Office will send you the visa application documents,, which you should fill in and return to International Office. These will then be sentdon to the Dutch immigration authorities (IND), where your application will be processed within approximately three weeks. When the IND has processed your visa application, International Office will inform you about the decision by email. International Office cannot influence the IND procedures in any way. If the IND has not informed International Office of the status of your visa application within five weeks, International Office will contact the IND to find out why the application has not been processed.

Once you have received an email from International Office stating that your visa application has been approved, you can pick up your entry visa at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Passport, Visas & Consular Affairs Office) closest to your permanent residence. Please note: the Embassy may take approximately two weeks to actually place the visa sticker in your passport, and you will be without your passport during that time.

International Office will inform you by email when the Dutch immigration authorities (IND) has sent a confirmation letter stating that your visa application has been approved. This email will tell you how to collect your entry visa. You can collect it from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Passport, Visas & Consular Affairs Office) closest to your permanent residence. Please note: the Embassy may take approximately two weeks to actually place the visa sticker in your passport, and you will be without your passport during that time.

We advise you not to book your plane ticket until you have an entry visa. You may choose to make a refundable reservation when you book your flight. We strongly advise you to contact the airline to find out whether your plane ticket can be refunded in the event that your visa application is delayed.

You do not need to apply for your residence permit separately. International Office will apply for both your residence permit and your visa at the same time. You will receive your residence permit shortly after your arrival in the Netherlands.

ABN AMRO Bank has a formal agreement with the University. During the introductory period for new students, you will be asked to hand in a bank application form. Approximately one week later you can visit the bank’s Enschede branch to activate your account. It is not possible to activate your account before you arrive in the Netherlands. You can also participate in introduction days for further support.

Administration costs for obtaining a visa and residence permit are € 300. International Office will automatically deduct this amount from your scholarship funds (if applicable) or from the amount of money you transferred to the UT as part of your visa application procedure and transfer it to the Dutch immigration authorities (IND). The administration fees for obtaining a visa are set by Dutch law. International Office does not have the authority to change the cost of official government procedures.

Overview about PhD positions and programmes

Overview postdoc positions and research programmes

Overview Master’s degree programmes

Upon completion of your studies, you are required to de-enrol as a University of Twente student. If you do not do so on time, you will continue to be charged full tuition fees. Please visit the Student Service Desk located in the Vrijhof Building for more information on de-enrolment. Bear in mind that you may need to take care of other official matters when you leave, such as de-registering at the municipality, closing your bank account and cancelling your health insurance policy.

The UT International Office mediates for both on- and off-campus furnished accommodation for international students.

Because of limited availability, you must be (provisionally) accepted to an English taught UT study programme in order to be eligible for furnished housing mediated by International Office. Master students can apply for furnished housing by filling in the online application form for housing. You will receive a link to this form by email after you return your fully completed Entrance Acceptance Form (EAF).

International Office works with a waiting list (i.e. they work with a ‘first come, first served’-policy). International students are, therefore, advised to apply for accommodation as soon as possible. International Office will do its best to find suitable accommodation for you, however, no guarantees can be given due to the limited availability of accommodation. You are, therefore, strongly encouraged to explore alternative ways of finding accommodation as well.

Unfortunately the University of Twente does not provide the possibility to follow courses to bridge gaps in your previous education.