Student portal

What to do if I want to switch to another study program or quit my current program?

If you want to switch to another study program or want to (temporarily) quit your current program, you will have to take care of a number of things, such as registration, grants, etc.

Do I have to pay the tuition fees again if I switch programs?

If you switch to another program the same year (if you are admitted), you do not have to pay tuition again. Not even if you go to a program at another institution. In that case, you request a Proof of Paid Tuition Fees from the Student Desk, which exempts you from paying tuition fees at the other institution. This only applies if you pay statutory fees.

Can I switch to another program at Tilburg University after September 1?

In most programs, you cannot enter later as a first-year student because you will have already missed too much. Especially the first weeks of classes are very important. Sometimes it is possible to take courses from another program without enrolling in that program. If you continue with that program in the following year, the results already obtained will be retained, so you do not have to retake courses you have already passed.

You can discuss this with the education coordinator of the respective program.

If you can still switch and enroll in a new program on or after October 1, you will not receive binding study advice (bsa) that year, but in your second year of enrollment a bsa norm of 100% applies.  At the end of the second year, you must therefore have passed all first-year courses.

For Dutch students and European students with study finance: don't forget to report your study change to DUO.

For non-EEA students: a study switch (if possible) can have consequences for your residence permit. Contact our Immigration Office if you consider to switch. 

Who can help me looking for a new, suitable program?

Despite all preparations and good intentions, your program may turn out not to be quite the thing for you. What to do next? Do you want to quit studying here altogether, switch to another programs, or work for a while and look around?
It is important to make an informed decision about which program you want to do next. For this, the workshop Reorientation on study program is the first step.

For technical advice in this important decision (about de-enrollment, study finance, bsa, tuition fee, payment), you can contact a dean of students.

What to do if I want to quit studying, temporarily or altogether?
  • If you are sure you want to stop, then as a first year student you can cancel your registration at Tilburg University without having to provide a reason. Your tuition fees will be reimbursed from the second month following your deregistration. If you do this before March 1st, then the BSA (Binding Study Advice) will not apply (if you are a first year student).
  • If you want to cancel your enrollment at all, you can annul your enrollment retroactively in Studielink until the last working day of September. You indicate that you want to terminate your enrollment as of October 1. You can then answer questions that will make it clear that you want to terminate your registration as of September 1. If you meet the conditions (such as no study results achieved in the month of September), you will not pay tuition fees and (for Dutch and other European students) you will not be entitled to study financing (including public transport pass!) with retroactive effect. Non-European students must take into account that their studypermit will be revoked by the IND.
  • The same applies to your first enrollment in February: before the last working day of February, you can indicate that you want to terminate as of March 1, upon which you then indicate via answering questions that you want to cancel your enrollment as of February. See further the previous point.
  • If you terminate your enrollment on or after October 1, you will actually be de-enrolled as of the first of the following month. In that case, you pay tuition for the months up to your de-enrollment. So if you de-enroll on October 1, you will pay 2 months of tuition: September and October.
  • You will also need to terminate your student grant (if you have one) and return your OV (public transportation) card, both from the date you are no longer enrolled.