Apply for your exchange

Note before

If you are applying for the 2nd, 3rd, 4th or 5th deadline of the academic year, make sure you wait until at least 6 weeks after the previous deadline before researching destinations and preparing your application. Viewing the search portal before a certain moment may mean that the information is not yet accurate.

Step 1: Create an account

Exchange applications must be submitted via our Mobility Online system, for which you need to create an account (button below). You can log in with your Tilburg University username and password. After submitting the form, an account will be created and a new exchange workflow will open up which you can access using the link in the instruction e-mail that you will receive. It may take a few moments for the e-mail to arrive, but don't worry.

Create an account/application in Mobility Online

If you have already applied for an exchange in the past and want to apply again, you will need to create a new Mobility Online application (you cannot edit or re-submit your previous withdrawn or rejected application) by clicking on the 'Create an account/application in Mobility Online' button above. If you have already applied in the past (and therefore already have a Mobility Online account), clicking the above button will only create a new application, not a new account.

Bear in mind that you must be registered as  Tilburg University student at the time of applying and for the full period of your exchange (including pre-departure processes) in order to use Mobility Online. You cannot access Mobility Online if you do not have an active Tilburg University account.

Step 2: Finalize your application in your workflow

After creating your account, you can begin filling in all of the required information in your workflow.

You do not have to complete the entire application at once - you can save your work so far and come back to it another time. Make sure to log out of Mobility Online before closing the tab in your browser, otherwise your account may be 'locked' the next time you try to open it.

Go to your Mobility Online workflow

If you experience any technical issues relating to Mobility Online or the Search Portal, please contact mobilityonline@tilburguniversity.edu. Including a description and screenshots of the issue you are encountering will help our technical team to solve the issue.

Below you can find some tips to help you prepare your application. Make sure to also watch the recorded Information Session on our Canvas page, where we walk you through the application process.

Students can choose up to three preferred destinations. You should rank them in order of preference, so your first choice should be the destination that you most want to go to. These three destinations can all be in the same country or in different countries (and even continents). The choice is yours!

It is not mandatory to fill all three options, but the more options you have, the more chance you have of being selected for the exchange program.

Selecting which courses you would like to follow at your host universities is one of the most crucial parts of the application. The indication of courses will be used by the Study Abroad & Exchange Coordinators to decide if there is an academic match between you and your preferred partner university.

You are required to list at least 10 courses that you would like to follow at each host university. You will highly likely not follow as many as 10 courses during your exchange, but this shows us that there are plenty of options that suit you at your preferred universities. You are not bound to the courses that you select and are welcome to make changes closer to the start of your exchange.

You also need to prepare a short motivation explaining why you selected these courses - how they fit your study program and academic interest, and possible study or career ambitions for the future. 

Links to the universities' course catalogue can always be found in the Search Portal information. Make sure to select courses from the correct study level and correct semester. If the courses of your exchange semester have not been published by the host university yet, you should look at the courses offered during the previous year. Remember to keep in mind the regulations set by your School regarding the kind of courses you can follow during your exchange. Any extra regulations set by the host university will be outlined in the Search Portal information too.

Remember, it is your own responsibility to make sure the host universities you are interested in offer enough courses for you to transfer to your Tilburg University study program! Some host universities have limited choice in courses, so make sure your preferred destinations fit your study program well, to prevent academic progress and study delay. 

Many overseas universities use a different credit system to the ECTS system. You can use our conversion information to see how many ECTS the courses at your preferred destinations would be worth.

We have 5 application deadlines per year. So if you don't meet the eligibility requirements for the earlier deadlines, you can apply during a later round. Our deadlines can be found on our homepage.

Students who want to go on exchange in Fall semesters must always submit their application no later than the April deadline. Students who want to go on exchange in Spring semesters can submit their application during any of the deadlines.

Your application must be submitted via Mobility Online before 11:00 hrs.

Before submitting your application, be aware of and make sure you are okay with the following points:

• Students who are selected for an exchange and later withdraw from their exchange after having initially accepted their spot will be charged a €100 withdrawal fee.
• Students who are selected for an exchange and later withdraw from their exchange after having initially accepted their spot are not permitted to apply for another exchange in the same academic year as the original application.

After submitting your application, we ask for your patience for 4 weeks whilst we process the results. To read more about how the selection process works, go further to Selection by Tilburg University.