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Distance Exams for Incoming Exchange Students

In certain cases, incoming exchange students can submit a request to take an exam abroad. If permission is granted, the exam can be taken at the student's home university. Please check the FAQ below for further information.

Which schools offer distance exams?

Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM) and Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) offer distance exams for courses taught at their school.

Tilburg School of Humanities and Digital Sciences (TSHD), Tilburg Law School (TLS) and Tilburg School of Theology (TST) do not allow distance exams.

What are the conditions to be granted a distance exam?

Tilburg School of Social and Behavioral Sciences (TSB) and Tilburg School of Economics and Management (TiSEM)

You can apply for a distance exam if you have academic obligations at your home university at the time of the exam. In addition, the following requirements apply:

  1. The exam in the home country will need to be taken simultaneously with the exam in Tilburg (even with a time difference).
  2. The home institution supports the decision and will facilitate your distance exam by:
  • Agreeing that all correspondence exchanged on this subject will be conducted by the exchange coordinators of both the home and host institution;
  • Agreeing to find a proctor who will be present during the full length of time the exam takes place;
  • Agreeing to e-mail a scanned copy of the exam to the exchange coordinator of the host institution immediately after the exam has taken place;
  • Agreeing to comply with all other preconditions stated on the cover page of the exam.

Please note: 

  • The above requirements only apply to written exams. Digital exams must always be taken on the Tilburg University campus.
  • If you obtained a passing grade for your first attempt at the exam, you are not permitted to request a re-sit distance exam.
  • You must have participated in the first exam attempt in order to be considered for a distance re-sit exam. Distance exam requests for re-sits will denied if you did not participate in the first attempt. You are exempt from this rule if the reason why you didn't participate in the first attempt was due to a clash with another exam.
How do I request a distance exam?
  1. Make sure the course is offered by either TiSEM or TSB, since the other schools do not allow distance exams.
  2. In case of academic obligations at your home university: download and print the Approval Home University form, complete the top part and ask your home university coordinator to complete, sign and stamp the form.
    Complete the Distance Exam Request form and make sure to upload the completed Approval Home University form in the “document” section.
  3. Note that your request will not be taken into consideration if the completed and signed Approval Home University form is not included.
    In case of severe medical reasons or family emergencies (TSB only), please upload proof of these circumstances in the “document” section.
  4. Submit the distance exam request form.

IMPORTANT NOTE: For a distance exam you also have to register in Osiris. Without a valid registration your exam grade cannot be processed, so make sure to register before the deadline. 
(You can already register for the distance exam without having heard from the Examination Board. If your request is denied, please de-register).

When do I apply for a distance exam?

For TSB exams, the Examination Board should receive your request at least 6 weeks before the date of the exam. For TiSEM exams, the Examination Board should receive your request at least 4 weeks before the date of the exam.

If your grade for the first attempt was not registered within this time, then you may submit your request within 1 working day after your grade has been published.*

* Note that requests that are submitted less than 1 week before the exam date may not be processed in time for us to make the necessary arrangements.

How will I know if my request is granted?

The Examination Board will inform you via e-mail if your request is granted. The Study Abroad and Exchange office will handle all practical matters pertaining to the distance exam.

When do I take my exam?

Distance exams always take place simultaneously (on the exact same date and at the exact same time) with the on-campus exam in Tilburg. If you are in a different time zone and the exam is not scheduled yet, we will do our utmost to schedule the exam at a suitable time for all parties concerned. However, this cannot be guaranteed. If the exam is already scheduled, we cannot adjust the time anymore. 

Can I take a distance exam at a different date and/or time?

Distance exams always take place simultaneously with the on-campus exams in Tilburg. Exam times cannot be adjusted to account for a time difference once an exam is already scheduled. No exceptions are made to this rule.

Who do I contact if I have any other questions?

For general information about distance exams please contact the Study Abroad and Exchange Office.