FAQ on coronavirus for prospective students

Bachelor’s programs:
Until now, the date of 1 May was used nationwide as the deadline for EEA students for registration in Studielink. Due to the current situation, it has been agreed that this deadline will be postponed to a later date.

This means that for a Bachelor’s program which had May 1 as its deadline, you can now apply until June 1 at the latest.

For Bachelor's programs, the university offers an activity within the framework of the study choice check (matching). To participate in this activity, you should preferably apply for the Bachelor's program before 1 May so that you can participate in the study choice check/matching. For students enrolling between May 1 and June 1, we will endeavour to offer a study choice check/matching activity, but we cannot guarantee this at the moment.

For more information about the Bachelor's programs:

www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/bachelors-programs

Master’s programs:The deadline for our Master’s programs remain unchanged and can be found on the web page of the program you would like to apply for:

www.tilburguniversity.edu/education/masters-programmes

You can submit your application without the Statement of Educational Institution but with your most current grade list. If you meet our other admission requirements, you will be admitted conditionally, but you must provide your high school diploma and final grade list at a later stage.

If your school is not able to stamp your grade list, you can ask your school to send your Transcript of Records directly to your International Admissions Coordinator.  However, if that is not possible, please upload an unofficial document in your application. If you meet our admission requirements, you will be conditionally admitted and must hand in an official grade list (and diploma) at a later point in time.

You can submit your application without the results of GMAT/GRE/IELTS/TOEFL/Cambridge exams. If you meet our other admission requirements, you will be conditionally admitted but must provide these test results at a later point in time. Most test centers are offering tests online until test centers can reopen. We accept the results of the following online tests: TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition test, TOEFL IBT Plus for China (for applicants living in Mainland China), the GRE General Test and the GMAT Online exam. We do not accept the IELTS Indicator test. 

More information about GMAT

More information about GRE

More information about TOEFL

If your university is able to send your Transcript of Records directly to your International Admissions Coordinator, please ask them to do so.  However, if that is not possible, please upload an unofficial version from your university’s student information system.  If you meet our admission requirements, you will be admitted conditionally, and you must hand in an official Transcript (and diploma) at a later stage.

If your documents are in English, Dutch, French or German, we can accept these for your application without a translation. If you are admitted, you must hand in an official Transcript and diploma with a certified translation (if the documents are not issued in English or Dutch) at a later stage.

If your documents are not in English, Dutch, French, or German, please ask the certified translator to e-mail the translation to your International Admissions Coordinator directly.

If neither of the above applies to you, unfortunately, you will not be able to apply at this stage.

Under the current circumstances, Nuffic Certificates will be issued without English language test results.  If admitted, you must provide your English language test results to your International Admissions Coordinator at a later stage.

There is some flexibility with regard to the deadline of August 1.  However, please contact your International Admissions Coordinator towards the end of July to confirm when you will be able to send us your diploma and final grade list.

Yes, as long as the full IB diploma meets the conditions indicated in the conditional admission letter, we will accept the full IB diplomas issued this year.  Please remember: we do not accept IB certificates for admission.

Yes, as long as your A level (and GCSE) results meet the conditions indicated in your conditional admission letter, we will accept the A level certificates for admission.

Yes, as long as your A level results meet the conditions indicated in your conditional admission letter, we will accept the Cambridge International A level certificates for admission.

We are working with both the Dutch Immigration Service (IND) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (who are responsible for our embassies/consulates) to arrange that visas will be processed and issued on time for your arrival in Tilburg during August/September.  If there is continued disruption to services offered by the IND and/or Dutch embassies/consulates due to the coronavirus pandemic, we will inform you.

Students of an academic Bachelor's program that provides admission to the Master's program in question who have not yet completed their entire program and still have to complete a maximum of 12 EC from their previous program are admitted to take examinations in the academic year 2020/2021 in the Master's program in question.

The Bachelor's thesis must be completed. This regulation applies to Tilburg University Bachelor’s students and to Bachelor’s students of other universities (within the EEA). The other admission requirements will of course continue to apply.

PLEASE NOTE: Parliament is preparing legislation, which will probably contain additional requirements.

Students from outside the EEA will continue to be admitted to the study program only on presentation of their diploma of admission.

Students of a pre-Master’s program are admitted to the corresponding Master’s program if they have not yet completed the entire pre-Master’s program, but still have to complete a maximum of 6 EC. This decision only applies to the intake in 2020/2021. This does not apply to students who were removed from the study program earlier in the academic year in connection with the study progress requirement. You cannot obtain a Master's degree if you have not obtained your Bachelor's degree.

PLEASE NOTE: Parliament is preparing legislation, which will probably contain additional requirements.

If you have experienced a delay in the final phase of your Bachelor's program at a university of applied sciences due to the corona measures, it is possible to submit a "completion advice" instead of your diploma. This "completion advice" must be issued by your higher professional education institution (hbo) and should be handed in to the Student Desk.

Of course you should also follow the application procedure as indicated on the website. Based on your positive "completion advice", it will be decided whether you can be admitted. You then have until August 31, 2021 to obtain your diploma. If you have not obtained your diploma by August 31, 2021, you must leave the program. 
PLEASE NOTE: enrollment in the subsequent Master's program is only possible after you have submitted your Bachelor's diploma. 
This regulation only applies to Dutch students and students following a program of study at institutions within the EEA. In addition, the regulation only applies to students who were enrolled at an institution of higher education in the academic year 2019/2020.

If you experienced a delay in the final phase of your propaedeutic year at a university of applied sciences due to the corona measures, it is possible to submit a "completion advice" instead of your diploma. This "completion advice" must be issued by your higher professional education institution (hbo) and should be handed in to the Student Desk.

Of course you should also follow the application procedure as indicated on the website. Based on your positive "completion advice", it will be decided whether you can be admitted. You then have until January 1, 2021 to obtain your diploma. If you have not obtained your diploma by January 1, 2021, you must leave the program. 

This regulation only applies to Dutch students and students following a program of study at institutions within the EEA. In addition, the regulation only applies to students who were enrolled at an institution of higher education in the academic year 2019/2020.

Due to the COVID-19 situation, you might consider deferring your application, even though all programs of study will be offered online in September. If you wish to do so, please see below how to proceed: 

If you wish to defer from the September 2020 to the February 2021 intake, this is possible. 

• You do not have to apply again. Our International Admission Coordinator will contact you after October 1 to confirm your situation. 
• Important: not all Pre-Master’s and Master’s programs have two intakes! The intakes are given on the website of each program.
• Please contact your International Admissions Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm your deferral.  You must cancel your Studielink registration yourself.

If you wish to defer to the academic year 2021-2022, starting in September 2021, this is possible.

• Tilburg University will be changing to a new online application system called OSIRIS Aanmeld. 
• Therefore, you will have to apply again after October 1, 2020.  
• We will inform you about the new deferral procedure after October 1, 2020, with an explanation about the new application procedure.
• Important: it is not possible to defer your admission for our Bachelor’s program in Psychology
• Please contact your International Admissions Coordinator as soon as possible to confirm your deferral.  You must cancel your Studielink registration yourself.

PLEASE NOTE: that in both cases we cannot guarantee the admission criteria will remain the same for the next intake. Admissions requirements might change and, should this be the case, you would need to meet them for the new intake in order to be admitted. 

Together with all other research universities and universities of applied sciences in the Netherlands, Tilburg University follows the guidelines of the central government of April 21, 2020, and has cancelled all events up to September 1, 2020. Therefore, the last couple of months, we have offered our information/orientation events online.

Online orientation on your choice of study

We understand that at the moment it is difficult to properly orientate yourself on your choice of study, when you cannot walk around our campus or attend an information session or lecture in one of our lecture halls. However, in order to help you as much as possible, we have set up a special website that provides relevant information for your study choice.

On the website 'Study in Tilburg', you can view the recordings of our Online Bachelor Information days and the Online Master’s Open day whenever it suits you. In addition, you can watch videos of our campus and student city Tilburg, get more information about our Bachelor’s and Master’s programs, participate in the virtual campus tour and contact our Bachelor students.

In addition, you can find more specific information about our study programs on the overview pages of our Bachelor's and Master's programs.

Following announcements made by the Dutch Cabinet during the press conference on August 6, the organization of TOP Week is in consultation with the City of Tilburg, Tilburg University, and other relevant organizations on the activities during Tilburg University’s welcome week. Any changes to the program will be communicated as soon as possible at the TOP Week website: www.top-week.nl/en. In addition, the University will also consult with all study, student, and sports associations on their introduction week activities. Information on this subject can be found on the websites of the associations concerned.

Yes, associations are allowed to organize events and activities for their members provided that the coronavirus measures are observed. Associations and participating members must ensure that the guidelines are adhered to throughout the event or activity.

Introductory activities are subject to additional rules. The university and the chair of the safety region must give their prior consent.

• In principle, introductory activities are held online as much as possible.
• Physical activities can only take place in small groups (maximum 25 students) and are informative in nature.
• Physical meetings have an end time of 22:00 at the latest and no alcohol is drunk.
• Physical recruitment and introduction activities by student associations are not allowed (e.g., no initiations).
• Student associations and student sports clubs may only organize physical activities insofar as these are necessary for the introduction of the study program or sport.

Education in the academic year 2020-2021 will start on 31 August. We are happy to welcome you at Tilburg University! Our campus has limited access due to the coronavirus. The government is monitoring closely how the coronavirus is developing, and will relax the intelligent lockdown measures step by step, as soon as circumstances permit.

We guarantee that we will offer ALL our education online for the first semester. However, in our opinion, physical proximity among the university community is an important part of academic education. Therefore, we strive to provide some small-scale classes (e.g., seminars) on campus if possible.

To help smooth the transition to higher education, priority will be given to first-year Bachelor’s students who are able to follow some components of their program on campus. These components will most likely be combined on 1 day per week. We encourage students to make use of this opportunity. Should the corona measures announced by the government prevent you from coming to campus, online education options are available.

How many small-scale educational activities will also be available for new (pre-) master students and our current bachelor and (pre-) master students, depends very much on the possibilities given to us by the Dutch government and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. These have a direct effect on our maximum capacity of the campus and public transport. These capacity calculations are currently being made.

Yes, the university guarantees that you can follow your complete first semester online if you are unable to come to our campus.

That will depend on how the situation develops during the next months. We guarantee that you can follow your complete first semester online. If it is apparent that it is still not possible for everyone to come to campus for the second semester, we will continue to offer our education online. However, if the situation will improve such that more or all restrictions are removed, we will switch back to on-campus education.

Student Career Services is happy to help you. Also during the measures of COVID-19, we still offer you our services but in an alternative way.

• Are you unsure about how to prepare for your career during these troubling times? Please find more useful information and tips here!
• Are you a first-year student at Tilburg University and are you considering choosing a different study program? Our Career Coaches will help you prepare to choose a new study program during this online workshop.
• If you are a Bachelor’s student and you want to choose a Master’s program, but you are not sure about which one, our Career Coaches offer you individual guidance via telephone or Skype.
• Take a look at our web page to check out or other workshops.
• Would you like specific, practical tips for successful job applications? Join the job consultation hours. Every Monday and Thursday between 13:00 and 14:00 hrs we offer you advice on your LinkedIn profile, your application letter or CV. Register through the Career Portal. This will also be via telephone or Skype.
• Do you want to talk about your career orientation? You can make an appointment via the Career Portal with the Career Services Officer of your school. Your appointment will be via telephone or Skype instead of in person.
• Are you looking for an internship or a job? Or do you want to discover what the possibilities are? Take a look at the Career Portal.

Deposit your copy or copies in the white mailbox of the Student Desk at the reception of Academia building. Opening hours on working days from 08:30 - 17:30 hrs. You may also send your copy to: Tilburg University, Student Desk, P.O. Box 90153, 5000 LE Tilburg, the Netherlands.

Tilburg University has not yet made a final decision, but it is highly likely that all classes (especially tutorials) and exams will be scheduled according to Dutch standard time. This means that if you live outside the Netherlands, your classes and exams may be scheduled at unusual hours (early morning, late evening, or nighttime, depending on your location). We anticipate that lectures will be recorded so they can be followed at a time convenient to you, for tutorials this might not be the case.

We cannot make promises about a full online year or degree program at this point in time. Situation permitting, Tilburg University would like to offer as much on-campus education as possible. While one or more study programs might offer the opportunity to complete the full degree program online, generally speaking, this will not be the case. Whether or not the full year can be completed online will depend on developments in the COVID-19 situation this year. A decision will be made about the form of education for semester 2 in October. 

We guarantee that we will offer ALL our education online for the first semester. However, in our opinion, physical proximity among the university community is an important part of academic education. Therefore, we strive to provide some small-scale classes (e.g., seminars) on campus if possible.

To help smooth the transition to higher education, priority will be given to first-year Bachelor’s students who are able to follow some components of their program on campus. These components will most likely be combined on 1 day per week. We encourage students to make use of this opportunity. Should the corona measures announced by the government prevent you from coming to campus, online education options are available.

How many small-scale educational activities will also be available for new (pre-) master students and our current bachelor and (pre-) master students depends very much on the possibilities given to us by the Dutch government and the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment. These have a direct effect on our maximum capacity of the campus and public transport. These capacity calculations are currently being made.

We expect the capacity calculations to be finalized mid August after which we will inform you by email whether components of your program will be offered on-campus.

All programs will be offered online, so you don’t need to come to campus to attend lectures and tutorials. We strongly urge you not to come to campus during the period of self-quarantine, as we must protect the health of all our students and staff.  

For more information about the accessibility of the campus, please check the FAQ on coronavirus on campus and events.

No, you will not be required to apply for a visa/residence permit if you will be starting the program online.

However, we would strongly advise you to continue with the appropriate immigration procedure so that  you will be able to arrive in Tilburg during the first semester.  Tilburg University will provide some small-scale classes (e.g., seminars) on campus if possible because of the importance of the physical proximity of the University community for academic education. We would encourage students to make use of this opportunity if at all possible. Should corona measures, either in the Netherlands or in your country of residence, prevent you from coming to campus during the first semester, online education options will be available.

In case you have already applied for your MVV (entry visa)/residence permit, we advise you to try to make an appointment with the embassy/consulate to collect your MVV only once you are within three months of travelling to the Netherlands, not before!

In case you have already collected your MVV, you have to travel to the Netherlands within 3 months.

If you do not travel within 3 months when restrictions are lifted, your MVV (entry visa) will expire and you may be required to apply for your visa/residence permit again when you do decide to travel to the Netherlands.  We cannot guarantee what the fee will be at that time, as this is subject to change. 

For further information, please go to Netherlandsandyou.nl, which includes the latest information about travelling from high-risk regions.

At this point of time, Dutch consular affairs abroad are slowly re-opening again. However, this is based on the local situation, which may vary and change per country or region. Please visit the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information on entry visa/MVV collection issues caused by the coronavirus situation.

Firstly, you can try to ask the embassy/consulate where you have to collect your entry visa/MVV to contact another embassy/consulate (in your home country only) and ask if you can collect it there. You will have to contact this new embassy/consulate yourself as well in order to be able to arrange this (please find information on the contact details of all Dutch embassies/consulates). There is no guarantee that this will work however.

Secondly, please visit the website of the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs for more information on entry visa/MVV collection issues caused by the coronavirus situation.

The study progress requirements depend on the ‘valid from’ date on your Dutch residence permit, which is linked to the intended date of your travel to the Netherlands. The study progress requirements will therefore be calculated pro-rata from the ‘valid from’ date on your residence permit.

After approval from the IND, you normally have 90 days to collect your MVV at the Dutch consulate/embassy.

However, the IND has indicated that you can collect your MVV within 180 days after the original date of approval, if it is likely that you were unable to collect your MVV on time because of corona and/or the closure of the consulate. Please visit the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for more information.

Your MVV is valid for three months from the date of collection, which means you have to travel to the Netherlands within three months.

However, if you are unable to travel to the Netherlands within those three months due to corona restrictions (such as border closures) and your MVV has expired, you can make a new appointment with the Dutch embassy/consulate (if it is open). Within 90 days after the expiry date of your MVV, the consular department is authorized to re-issue the MVV, provided corona did not allow you to leave on time.  

If you are unable to travel to the Netherlands by the end of that extension period due to corona restrictions, you must apply for a new visa and pay the immigration fee again. Please keep checking Netherlandsandyou.nl.

Tilburg University is making every effort to offer the same quality of online education as we would on campus. We are investing in online tools and solutions, and we will offer our teaching in a hybrid form: online and where it is possible and permitted, on campus, including online alternatives if you cannot or may not yet come to the campus yourself. Therefore the normal tuition fees apply.

It is very important to arrange accommodation before arriving in Tilburg. Tilburg University does not own any housing itself. It is your own responsibility to arrange accommodation. However, the Housing Office is happy to assist you in your search. Some students prefer to book a room in one of the reserved accommodations and some find their new home in the private market. Please make sure to fully read and understand your contract, especially the cancellation policy, before signing. Most of the time, the start dates of the contracts are set, but in the private market there might be some room for negotiation.

Take a look at the accommodation for international students website for safety instructions, useful tips and lots of information. Or contact the Housing Office via e-mail: studenthousing@tilburguniversity.edu. 

PLEASE NOTE: there is no financial compensation for students who are having problems paying their rent due to the coronavirus crisis. However, landlords must try to look for solutions. Are you in doubt about your rights and duties? Please contact the Housing Hotline of the Dutch Student Union for advice.

We ask you to consult the landlord with whom you have reserved your accommodation whether the accommodation and its sanitary facilities are suitable for self-quarantine. If your accommodation is suitable for self-quarantine, make sure to always keep 1.5 meters distance from other people, such as housemates, and to wash your hands often, either with soap or hand sanitizer. Take your personal health into account at all times. If your landlord does not provide facilities, make sure you bring enough face masks with you to last for a period of 14 days (if you are using a shared facility) and hand sanitizer.

What should I do if my accommodation is not suitable for self-quarantine?

If this is the case, we would strongly recommend that you find accommodation which is suitable for the 14-day period yourself. 

We made reservations at Hostel Roots in the center of Tilburg. Hostel Roots will ensure that several rooms are suitable for self-quarantine and only shared by students who traveled from an orange or red area who also need to go into a 14-day quarantine period but do not have any symptoms. If you would like to stay in Hostel Roots upon arrival, a reservation is required via info@hostelroots.nl.

Furthermore, we recommend Hotel Mercure in the center of Tilburg, as the hotel welcomes guests who require self-quarantine (private rooms). A condition they have is that you buy all meals via their room service. Costs relating to the self-quarantine period are at your own expense and are generally not covered by health or travel insurance.

If you would like to stay in Hotel Mercure for the duration of the quarantine, a reservation is required via groups@heuvelpoort.nl.

This is a decision which you have to make for yourself, taking into account the situation in your country of residence and requirements in the Netherlands regarding entry.  If you require a visa before you travel to Tilburg, we strongly recommend that you do not book your journey until you have collected your visa from the appropriate Dutch embassy/consulate.

All students traveling from a high risk area (red or orange on the map) (or see the following website in English) are strongly urged to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arrival. You are requested to stay in your accommodation during those 14 days and not to leave it at any time. More information about what a self-quarantine means, can be found on the website of the Dutch government.

If you have COVID-19 symptoms, you must get tested. Contact the GGD (the Municipal Health Authority, phone 0800 - 1202 or +31 (0)850 - 659 063 if you are calling from abroad) to register for a test (free of charge)*. If you have COVID-19 symptoms, the Dutch government requires both you and all those sharing your accommodation to stay in quarantine until test results are negative and it has been proven that you do not have COVID-19. A negative result means that the people you share your accommodation with no longer need to stay in quarantine. However, you must still complete the 14-day quarantine period.

Please regularly look at the website of the RIVM (National Institute for Public Health and the Environment) and the Dutch government. The website of the European Center for Disease Control might also be helpful. If you have any questions, please call the GGD at +31 (0)900 - 364 6464.

*You need to fill in a BSN number when you register. If you do not have a BSN (yet), you can just fill in something else, for instance your passport number.

After arrival in the Netherlands, you are allowed to travel to your accommodation. If you decide to make use of public transport, coaches or taxis, you must wear a face covering at all times. We recommend you to take a corona proof taxi (wearing a face covering).

In order to pick-up the key to your accommodation, try to make an appointment with your landlord in advance in order to make sure that you meet as few people as possible and wear a face mask at all times. After arrival at your accommodation, we ask you to stay inside for the full duration of the 14-day quarantine period. If it is essential that you leave your accommodation (opening a Dutch bank account or collecting your residence permit) you are allowed to leave your accommodation briefly. In that case, you should always make sure to make an appointment in advance, explain about the self-quarantine you’re in, to avoid using public transport, to wear a face covering at all times, and return to your accommodation immediately afterwards.

Generally Tilburg University expects that arranging these practical matters can be postponed until after your 14-day quarantine period and we therefore ask you to postpone them whenever possible. Non-essential trips outside, including shopping for food and other necessities, are not allowed and we ask you to make use of the assistance we have made available to students by contacting our chaplaincy: helpmij@protonmail.com (see question “If I need to stay in self-quarantine, how can I get groceries?”).

Several supermarkets do home delivery, such as Albert Heijn and Jumbo. You can also ask housemates who do not need to stay in quarantine or anyone else you know. If you don’t yet have a social network in Tilburg to support you, or you would simply like someone to talk to, please contact our Chaplaincy: helpmij@protonmail.com.

If you have taken out the AON complete+ insurance, your medical costs will be covered by your insurance. If you are not planning to take out this insurance package, check the conditions of the insurance policy you have taken out to find out whether or not these costs are covered. It is your responsibility to make sure you have the correct medical insurance for your complete stay in the Netherlands.

If you or any of your housemates have COVID-19 symptoms, everyone must go into quarantine until the test results of the person having the symptoms have returned negative. If one of your housemates is in self-quarantine, but does not have COVID-19 symptoms, it is important that you always stick to the 1.5 meter rule and take good care of your personal health, but you don’t need to go into quarantine with him/her.

For a translation of the Dutch news please visit

• www.iamexpat.nl/expat-info/dutch-expat-news/news
• nltimes.nl/
• www.dutchnews.nl
• or the student initiative www.facebook.com/NOSinEnglish/

Lastly, the “corona portal” of the Holland Expat Center South also contains a lot of useful information and links. 

Please, see the following website from the Dutch government about the measures and rules which apply to everyone in the Netherlands.