Academic Pre-Bachelor Tilburg University

Academic Pre-Bachelor

Complete your Civic Integration requirements and prepare yourself well for a Bachelor’s level major at the same time. 

Academic Pre-Bachelor

Do you have a DUO loan for your Civic Integration and is the State Exam NT2 your final goal? Would you like to study at Tilburg University or any other Dutch university but you (still) don’t have the right diploma? The academic Pre-Bachelor in Tilburg gives you the possibility to complete both in one year of study ánd to prepare yourself for a university-level program in the Netherlands. The Pre-Bachelor starts end of August and lasts until the end of June.

Academic Pre-Bachelor’s Program or Language and Preparatory Program?

Registration for the academic pre-bachelor 2023-2024 is closed.

The Academic Pre-Bachelor  is for persons who started civic integration before January 1, 2022. Did you start your civic integration after 2022? Then check out the Language and Preparatory Program website. 

Short overview of the Academic Pre-Bachelor

Program

In the base year, courses compulsary for admission for any university are offered. In Tilburg this base year is called the Pre-Bachelor. Tilburg University works together with  Boswell-Bèta (Utrecht) en Erasmus Universiteit (Rotterdam). They also offer a base year. In principle, you follow this base year at the institution closest to your place of residence. The three institutions consult each other about the applications they receive.

Program

During the Pre-Bachelor's year, you will complete the Dutch State Exam NT2, program II and the other components of the Civic Integration Exam (Knowledge of Dutch Society and Orientation to the Dutch Labor Market). You will also take various subjects and modules to prepare for a university-level Bachelor. Particular attention is paid to Dutch, English and math.

  • You will take various courses to complete your Civic Integration requirements: NT2 B1 to B2, State Exam Training, KNM and ONA.
  • You will also take a number of subjects, such as English and mathematics B, that will allow you to begin a university-level major well-prepared.
  • Attention is also given to selecting an educational course, studying skills and individual guidance counseling.
  • A short internship is part of the program to help you in making the right study choice, to get an idea of the Dutch labor market, to experience the working atmosphere and to improve your language skills.
  • It is a fulltime program with a 40-hour a week study load.

If you need more subjects for your future study (e.g. physics and chemistry), you will need follow an extra year at Boswell-Bèta. The Pre-Bachelor advices the UAF if they should continue supporting you after the Pre-Bachelor. The UAF decides if you can follow a second year to prepare yourself for a study of your choice.

More information on the program and courses

Entrance requirements

The Pre-Bachelor's program is intended for refugee students who:

  • have completed  (or nearly completed) secondary education in their home country
  • or who had already started higher education (such as university)

Entrance requirements

You must meet the following requirements to participate in the program:

  • You are a long-term resident of the Netherlands
  • You have a secondary school diploma that at least is equivalent to a havo level
  • You control Dutch at a B1 level
  • You control English at a B1-min level
  • You have basic math skills
  • You have the ambition to pursue a university-level major
  • You are fulltime available during the Pre-Bachelor's year
  • You are capable of working with computer programs such as Word and Powerpoint, online educational material, etc., and in possession of a computer with an internet connection
  • You are or are in the process of becoming a UAF client
  • You have received permission from your municipality to attend a Pre-Bachelor's year while receiving welfare

During the admission process, you will be tested on the aforementioned skills and must provide proof of the other requirements.

Support

In the Pre-Bachelor we pay a lot of attention to individual and classroom guidance of your study process, your study choice and your development to a successful student at a Dutch university.

  • Mentor
    You receive guidance from a mentor throughout the year. Your mentor is the first point of contact for all your questions and monitors your progress. The mentor also teaches the mentor hour every week for all participants. During this lesson, many topics and skills are discussed  and trained, important for your study: conversation techniques, written communication, LinkedIn, computer use, cultural differences and similarities, etc.

  • Study counseling
    It is important that you think about your options and study wishes before you start the Pre-Bachelor. During the program, you will receive lessons about the study programs offered in the Netherlands and you will learn how to determine which study suits you. The student counselor guides you reflecting on and making your study choice by giving assignments and having conversations.

  • Student mentor
    Each participant in the Pre-Bachelor's year will be matched with a student from Tilburg University. He or she will be able to tell you everything about the city of Tilburg, student life in the Netherlands and studying at Tilburg University. 

Costs

A year-long intensive course with additional counseling is costly. Fortunately, the university cooperates with a number of partners in order to minimize costs. If you started your civic integration before January 1, 2022 the Pre-bachelor costs € 5.950 plus the costs for books and exams. But if you have refugee status and you are or in the process of becoming a client of UAF, you are only required to pay the fees for Civic Integration components. Your personal contribution is € 3.750 and you can pay these costs from your DUO loan.

If you started your civic integration after January 1, 2022 the Pre-bachelor costs more. You can pay a part of the costs from your DUO loan for integration, but you will have to arrange additional funding yourself. If you are an asylum status holder, the municipality where you live will pay for the program. Visit the website of the  Language and Preparatory Program and contact your municipality.

More information on the the DUO loan and payment

After the Pre-Bachelor

If you complete the Pre-Bachelor successfully, you will receive:

  • your Civic Integration diploma
  • a certificate of the Pre-Bachelor's program of Tilburg University

With this certificate, you will automatically be admissible for a Dutch- or English-taught Bachelor-level major at Tilburg University. We offers programs in the field of ‘people and society’ such as economics, data science, law, communication and psychology. They support an active contribution to society. 

Would you like to study somewhere else after the Pre-Bachelor? Your certificate will be an advantage but not a guarantee for admission. We do our utmost to ensure that you are admitted. Last year, admission was successfully applied for at Radboud University, Avans University of Applied Sciences and The Hague University of Applied Sciences. 

Application and admission

The Pre-Bachelor's year means a year of studying fulltime. Since the course is such an intense commitment, we need to ensure that the program suits you perfectly. We apply a careful and thorough admissions procedure that consists of the following steps:

  1. Fill out the application form as soon as possible 
  2. Send us your documents on request
  3. Receive an invitation for the intake day
  4. Visit us for your intake exams Dutch, English and mathematics
  5. Receive an invitation for your selection interview at Tilburg University
  6. Receive a message about your eligibility

The first step is to apply via our application form, even if you are not sure whether you are admissible. We will always get in touch if we have any questions and we will inform you about the next steps.

Apply as soon as possible via our application form

Go to the application and admission procedure

Our partners

We work together with  Boswell-Bèta (Utrecht) en Erasmus Universiteit (Rotterdam). The academic Pre-Bachelor is funded by Tilburg University, Tilburg University Fundthe municipality of Tilburg and the Foundation for Refugee Students UAF.

Ask your questions

Do you have questions about the Pre-Bachelor? We are happy to help you! Our program coördinators will inform you on the Pre-Bachelor, will give you answers and advice regarding this program. They will take into account your ambitions and educational background. 

  • Education - Bachelors - Prebachelor - Kathelijn van Heeswijk

    Kathelijn van Heeswijk

    Project leader and mentor

    "The Pre-Bachelor contains all the important components you need to start well prepared and confident with the study of your choice. We will be happy to assist you during a year in which you learn a lot of new things and discover what the Netherlands has to offer in the field of education."

  • Bassam Hamoudeh

    Bassam Hamoudeh

    Participant 2017-2018

    "The pre-bachelor year was an important step in my life. Thanks to the coordinators of the program, I was admitted to the pre-master after the pre-bachelor. My results were very good and I passed within six months. I am now enjoying studying the master’s in Data Science and Society at Tilburg University."

  • Program coordinator Patty van Bielder

    Patty van Bielder

    Program coordinator

    "The Pre-Bachelor cooperates with several university divisions and external organizations. We make clear arrangements and put together a solid program. You can focus on your studies to successfully complete the Pre-Bachelor's program."

Are you interested in the Pre-Bachelor's year at Tilburg University?

Apply via our application form, even if you are not sure whether you are admissible. We will always get in touch if we have any questions and we will inform you about the next steps.