The Australian company Navitas will be arranging the International Foundation Year (IFY) for the University of Twente in the coming five years. This week a corresponding agreement was signed by the two parties, to take effect as of the 2019/2020 academic year. The IFY is a preparatory programme for international students which they can attend before taking a Bachelor’s programme at the University of Twente.
On Thursday 19 July 2018 the agreement was signed by Victor van der Chijs, President of the Executive Board of the University of Twente, and Paul Lovegrove, CEO University Pathways Division Europe of Navitas. Navitas is a leading supplier of international education and a listed company with its head office in Sydney, Australia. The company emerged as the best candidate from the selection procedure held by the UT.
International Foundation Year
The IFY, also known as the Pathway Programme, is a tailor-made programme for international students which gives them a sound basis for participating in academic education at the University of Twente. In recent years the number of participants in the IFY has increased to around 100 students a year. Students are required to fund this year themselves.
Prospective students who are participating in the IFY undergo an intensive one-year programme at the UT campus. Working in small groups, they hone their knowledge and expertise in specialist areas that require knowledge within the Bachelor’s of their choice, and they upgrade their English to the necessary level. The programme also deals with study skills in line with the Twente Educational Model.
Optimum preparation
“For us as a university it’s important that prospective students from abroad are able to begin their programme well prepared,” says Victor van der Chijs on behalf of the University of Twente. “It can’t always be assumed that the education they have previously experienced is a good match for our Bachelor’s programmes. For instance regarding the focus or the level of specific subjects that are essential for successful participation in a Bachelor’s programme at the UT. By offering students an extensive programme that’s more or less comparable with a pre-Master’s for a Master’s programme, we ensure that they can participate optimally from day one.”
