Frequently Asked Questions
In this list you can find the answers to the most frequently asked questions. Is your answer not on the list and you cannot find it on the website? Then contact the international office for more information. You can also visit Faqtory TU Delft to find your question and answer.
1. Where can I get more information on admission requirements and application procedures for the BSc programs?
All relevant information about admission and application procedures, tuition fees, scholarships and grants, accommodation, visa and much more can be found on www.bsc.tudelft.nl For questions about admission to the BSc programs, please contact Mr. Gerrit-Klaas Berghuijs of the TU Delft International Office at bsc2@tudelft.nl
2. Where can I get more information on admission requirements and application procedures for the MSc programs?
All relevant information about admission and application procedures, tuition fees, scholarships and grants, accommodation, visa and much more can be found on www.bsc.tudelft.nl
3. I am an exchange student and I would like to write my final thesis at IDE, what should I do?
At IDE, finding a suitable MSc graduation subject is considered to be the inititative and responsibility of the student. Our students first define their interests and wishes concerning their final thesis subject. This is done during the course Preparation for Graduation. After that they contact the relevant professor, who is an expert in the subject field. The thesis project will be fully defined together with the professor and the other supervisors. There is also a database for graduation subjects, especially for IDE students. More detailed information can be found under Graduating on the IDE Campus website. We suggest that exchange students who want to do their final thesis at one of the research departments of IDE follow the same procedure as regular IDE students. First define which field you find interesting. Then write a project proposal in which you describe what you would like to research and why. Finally contact the relevant professor, associate professor or assistant professor at IDE. They will tell you if they are interested in your proposal and if they have space and time available for supervising a foreign student. You can find more information about the research groups at IDE on the IDE research programs website.
4. Is it possible to do an internship for my BSc programme at IDE?
Many students from India send requests to us to provide an internship for their Bsc thesis during the summer period. Unfortunately, the Faculty of IDE does not accept foreign interns for a short period of time. We believe that a period of three months is too short, for both student and faculty, to deliver high quality and interesting results. Next to that the Faculty of IDE does not accept interns during the summer period. This is because many of our staff will be on holidays. We want to give our interns the highest quality of support and guidance. During the summer we cannot provide you the level of support and guidance that you normally would expect from TU Delft.
5. Where can I get more information on how to become a PhD student at IDE?
More information on the PhD programmes at TU Delft can be found on PhD at TU Delft. Vacancies for PhD positions are also published on the Academic Transfer website.
6. Where can I find an application form for the BSc programs?
You can download the application form at www.bsc.tudelft.nl under Admission and Application - How to apply.
7. Where can I find an application form for the MSc programs?
You can download the application form at www.msc.tudelft.nl under Admission and Application - How to apply.
8. What are the deadlines for application for the MSc programs?
Application deadline for the Fall Semester
- November 1: deadline for students wishing to apply for scholarships
- April 1: deadline for all other students (holding a non-Dutch bachelor degree)
Application deadline for the Spring Semester
- October 1
9. Am I eligible for enrolling in the IDE BSc programme?
For admission to the IDE BSc programme you need a secondary school certificate which is considered equivalent to the Dutch pre-university VWO school diploma. Depending on the subjects taken for the final examinations students with an equivalent secondary school certificate can either be admitted directly to a Bachelor programme or will have to take entrances examinations at TU Delft. For IDE you need at least high level Physics and high level Mathematics. For detailed information, please visit www.bsc.tudelft.nl under Admission and application - Admission requirements. For questions about the evaluation of your high school diploma, please contact Mr. Gerrit-Klaas Berghuijs of the TU Delft International Office at bsc2@tudelft.nl
10. Am I eligible for enrolling in an IDE MSc programme?
There is no limit on the number of places in the Design for Interaction program. You are always eligible to apply. Every application will be reviewed by the coordinator of the master program. The applications will be reviewed on an individual basis. Admission will be based on the total set of documents that you need to send in. Of course a degree that is equivalent to or closely related to industrial design will give you a higher chance of being admitted. But work experience or courses that you have followed in your spare time can sometimes compensate for the lack of knowledge and experience in certain fields of industrial design. For admission to IPD you need an engineering based industrial design degree with subjects in Design, Mathematics (Calculus and Linear Algebra), Engineering Mechanics (including Statics and Dynamics), Production Technologies and Materials, Analogue and Digital Electronics, Aesthetics, Ergonomics, Drawing Techniques, Marketing, Strategy and Business Administration. For Design for Interaction the portfolio is one of the most important aspects of your application. You need an excellent portfolio and preferably a background in both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional design. SPD prefers to have students with an engineering based design degree, but students with an art based design degree have been admitted as well. For admission to SPD you need to be interested in product and brand management and product strategy and have a background in design and marketing.
11. What is the official teaching language in the educational programmes of IDE?
Most of the courses in the BSc programme are taught in Dutch. The MSc programmes are fully taught in English.
12. What is the address of the TU Delft International Office for sending things by express-mail?
If you intend to send your MSc application documents per express mail, please send them to:
TU Delft International Office
Jaffalaan 9A
2628 BX DELFT
The Netherlands
13.What are the Delft University of Technology tuition fees?
Please visit Tuition Fees MSc students or Tuition Fees for Exchange and Freemover students for up to date information. Please not that, as TU Delft is affected by government policy on education, the tuition fees are annually reconsidered. This means that tuition fees may be altered next year.
14. What can I expect to be the everyday expense of living and studying in Delft?
Living expenses vary according to personal lifestyle and choice of housing. At least €700 per month is required to meet the basic expenses of meals, accommodation, books and incidentals (tuition fees are not included in this amount). In addition, international MSc students will need approximately €1,500 to cover initial settling-in expenses.
15. What are the opportunities regarding scholarships and grants?
For more information about scholarships and grants for exchange students, please visit Scholarships for Exchange and Freemover students on this website. For more information about scholarships and grants for MSc students, please visit Scholarships for MSc students on this website.
16. What are the differences between the MSc programmes DfI, IPD and SPD?
We are in essence a school of product design, situated in a technical university rather than an academy for the arts. We are more engineering-based than art-based. More science than art, although within that spectrum, DfI has the broadest mix. In the International Benchmark in Industrial Design Engineering (reference: Romp, S.R.C. (2006) International Benchmark in 17. Industrial Design Engineering II. TU Delft: Sieca Repro) we compared the programs, based on subject categories. See also the document IPD, DfI and SPD compared. The differences between IPD, DfI and SPD can also be described by looking at the product development process.
SPD focuses on the first part of the process from strategy definition to concept phase, and also on the last part of the process, consumer research/market testing and the market introduction. IPD focuses on the whole process from start to finish, but with an emphasis on the actual product development part, from programme of requirements to user research / market testing. DfI focuses on the whole process from start to finish, but from an interaction point of view.
18. What makes the TU Delft MSc programme in Design for Interaction different from other interaction programmes worldwide?
DfI has the focus on User-Product interaction, which means it has quite some contents on user interaction, human factors, expressive and aesthetic design. The focus is not on web design or computer interfaces (although we do some research on that). There are as many projects on wheelchairs and waiting rooms and other very 'physical' products; but always with a great emphasis on understanding the user, the context of use, and applying appropriate technology. If you want to get an informal glimpse of what's going on in DfI in Delft, look at Portfolio DfI. It is an experimental portfolio website where we want DfI students to show work they did in the courses. The best things to look at would be student graduation projects, which are very varied, ranging from ways to promote collaborative awareness in virtual organizations, to medical dispensers for diabetics, to bus information systems. It is important to note that DfI is not about any kind of technology as such (although we do a lot of digital interactives) but about the interaction between user and product. A product can be a physical wheelchair, designed to promote assertive behavior in the long-term patient (this was a graduation project). The Master DfI is closely connected to projects at ID-StudioLab, please look under the people there; the right-hand column of people is msc students; the second from the right is phd students.
19. Do I need a portfolio to enroll in a MSc programme at IDE?
For the MSc program Design for Interaction, a portfolio of work samples is required from all applicants. As of 2007, a portfolio is also required for Integrated Product Design. For more information, see the portfolio requirements that apply to both MSc programs. A portfolio is NOT required for Strategic Product Design.
20. Where can I get more information on Dutch language courses?
TU Delft offers a range of Dutch language courses. All information on our courses can be found on the website Delftse Methode.
21. How can I get more information on finding accomodation?
Please visit Accommodation for Exchange students or Accommodation for MSc students on this website.
22. Do I need a visa to study in the Netherlands?
Please visit Visa for Exchange students or Visa for MSc students for more detailed information.
