Doing your PhD at the UT

When you first arrive at the University of Twente as a (foreign) PhD or even before, you often have to arrange certain paperwork and affairs, like housing, employment contracts and maybe a VISA and health insurance as well. The Personnel Department can give you information on your contract and initial forms that have to be filled out regarding your contract.

At the University of Twente many affairs are handled via internet. We use the university web portal which provides news for employee, but also gives you the opportunity to change administrative information (address, bank account number etc) online. At the start of your PhD you get an employee number and a password to do so.

Information on how to use the computer, internet and email facilities at the University of Twente can be obtained via the ICT service centre and the Notebook Service Centre. The University of Twente has several software licenses for scientific software packages which you are allowed to use under certain conditions. As a PhD student you are allowed to use some scientific software packages with a cheap student license on your own laptop or computer at home as well. Ask one of the employees of the ICT service centre or visit their website for more information.

The website of the University of Twente also provides information on VISA, housing, health insurance and so on. This information is gathered on the Students Information page. Other information on immigration procedure for academic visitors can a.o. be found on and the site of NUFFIC (Netherlands organization for international cooperation in higher education).

The UT Campus has a supermarket, book store, house doctor, dentist, physiotherapist, sporting & cultural facilities and many things more. Moreover your Employee Card, which you will obtain in the first weeks after your arrival, is also a valid Campus Card and will give you free access to sport and cultural facilities on the Campus after activaiton. Your Employee Card can also be used to rent book at the University Library.