Students

Choose your destination

Do you think you’d like to spend some time studying at an international campus? Then you’ll need to do the following:

  1. Choose your destination
    Orient yourself. Read about the country, city and university of your choice and learn from the experiences of other students who’ve gone there before you. You can read blogs by Tilburg University students who are currently on international exchanges. They’re fun and informative. Keep them in mind when making your decision.

  2. Set your budget
    Do you live on a tight budget? It would be a shame to miss out on an international experience just because of money. Why not consider a more affordable destination? There are plenty of ways to finance your stay, and expenses vary considerably country to country. Day-to-day living in Milan (Italy) or Sao Paolo (Brazil) is considerably more expensive than life in Brno (Czech Republic) or Stellenbosch (South Africa). And do you insist on a room of your own, or could you share living space with roommates on campus? If you want to tour the country, you can go first class but there are of course many cheaper alternatives. Compared to other options for an extended stay abroad, an International Exchange is relatively cheap since you only pay the Dutch tuition fees. You yourself will have considerable influence on all other expenses related to your international experience. If you are dreaming about going abroad, then you should travel and live smart, but there’s no reason for just staying at home.

  3. Decide when and for how long you want to go abroad
    A Spring or Fall semester? Or a full year?

  4. Check any language requirements
    Some destinations have language requirements for international students. Does this apply to your destination? Don’t be surprised at the last minute: check any language requirements early in the orientation phase.

  5. Check for grants or scholarships
    There are plenty of ways to finance your stay. If you are selected for an exchange, there are opportunities available for receiving a grant for your stay abroad. Whether there is a grant available and how high it is depends on your destination and previously awarded grants. You may be eligible for an Erasmus grant or a Study Abroad Allowance through Tilburg University. There are also various other organizations which make grants available for international exchanges under certain conditions. The Nuffic website has a convenient overview of these organizations.

  6. Get advice
    The exchange coordinators’ door is always open. They will be pleased to share their knowledge and experience with you and help you make your choice.

  7. Application
    Once you've decided on your destination, you will need to submit your application to your School's exchange coordinator. Hand in your application no later than March 30 if you wish to go abroad in the following academic year.

    1. Download the Tilburg University application form
    2. Complete the form and collect the supporting documents:

    Motivation letter
    We expect your motivation letter to be 2-3 pages long. Generally speaking we expect you to tell us why you want to go on exchange, why you want to go to the universities of your choice, and why you want to go to the country or city of your choice, but feel free to add anything else. Keep in mind that we expect you to motivate all three of your destination choices!
    Tips:

      • Be creative!
      • Try to explain why an exchange is important to you, and what it would add to your study program/career plans/personal life/etc. Keep in mind that we receive hundreds of motivation letters , so don’t just write about general things like “I want to gain a different perspective”, “I want to improve my intercultural skills” or "I want to live the American Dream", but explain it a bit more and tell us what difference an exchange would make for you personally and in your specific situation.
      • Keep in mind that you are applying for an academic exchange, not booking a holiday! The cultural experience is very important, so do write about why you are interested in a specific country’s culture/economic situation/history/language/etc, but don’t write about how beautiful the landscape is, the many trips you can make in the area or the weather. Travel and social activities are part of your exchange, of course, but don’t make them the most important argument in your motivation letter. The courses offered at the host university of your choice are your best argument for why you are interested in that particular university.
      • As an exchange student you are an ambassador for Tilburg University, so you can also write about why you would be a good ambassador for the University and the city of Tilburg.

    Indication of courses
    Look up on the partner university website which courses will be available to exchange students in the semester you are applying for and make a list of the courses you are interested in following. If the courses of your exchange semester have not been published by the host university yet, please look at the courses offered during the previous year.
    Also explain why you want to take these particular courses, i.e. how do they fit into your study program and/or career plans. We expect you to list 5-6 courses. More information about which courses you can do during exchange at each partner university can be found on this website, on the specific partner’s page.
    Remember, it is your own responsibility to make sure the partner university you are interested in has enough courses on offer for you to transfer to your program here at Tilburg University! Some partner universities have limited choice in courses, so make sure your destination of choice fits into your academic progress to prevent any delay in your studies after your exchange.

    Printout of exam results
    We need an overview of your courses and grades so far in order to determine your average grade and get an idea about your study progress. You do NOT need to hand in an official transcript from the Central Student Desk, it is sufficient to print out your Study Progress from Blackboard. Just log on to the Student Portal and go to “My Study”. Click “Check Study Results” and then “Progress”. Print this page and include it with your application.

    Curriculum Vitae
    Please add your curriculum vitae, listing any job experience, membership of student associations or student unions, volunteer work, international experience, language skills, etc.

    Study Plan
    Your Study Plan contains an overview of your entire study career at Tilburg University. We advise you to use the study plan format the academic advisors made for your convenience. Start with this current academic year and work your way up to your graduation year. Make sure to schedule the courses you still need to do of previous years (e.g. first year courses) in this academic year. Do not forget to include your study abroad semester in the study plan and be sure to make a realistic study plan. For some students it is possible to obtain 42 ECTS per semester, for others it is not. Know your study limits; sometimes this means it will take you four years to obtain your bachelor degree instead of three. This is not the end of the world as long as you spend the extra year well!

    Photocopies
    Please make two copies of the application form and all supporting documents, and include these copies in your application package. This means that you have to hand in three sets: one original application package, and two copies.

    NOTE: All documents need to be in English