Admission

English language requirement

Doing a PhD at TU Delft requires English proficiency at a certain level to ensure that you are able to:

• Communicate and interact well
• Participate in English-taught Doctoral Education courses
• Write scientific articles and your dissertation
• Successfully defend your PhD dissertation

Here's the minimum requirement if you want to apply for a PhD or EngD programme at TU Delft:

• IELTS
  Overall band score is 7.0 (with scores of at least 6.5 for all sections)
• TOEFL
  Overall band score is 100 (with scores of at least 22 for all sections)
  Note: The TOEFL iBT Home Edition is accepted for the English proficiency, the TOEFL MyBest scores is not accepted.
• Cambridge Assessment English
  • C1 Advanced (Certificate of Advanced English) with an overall score of 185
  • C2 Proficiency (Certificate of Proficiency in English) with an overall score of 185

You do not need to present the test results as part of your application; these results will be requested at a later stage during the selection procedure.

Exemptions from English proficiency test

Native speakers will be exempt from the English test requirement, as well as, in principle, non-native applicants who have obtained an English-taught Master’s degree. If during the selection process it is deemed that the English proficiency of the candidate with an English-taught Master’s degree does not meet the requirements, they may also be asked to do a test. 

Fees & Funding

TU Delft offers you an excellent research and learning environment, inspiring supervision by leading scientists, and a highly valued Doctoral Education course programme. In order to support the costs of our PhD programmes, the university requires a contribution.

Tuition fees and bench fees

There are two types of costs: a tuition fee and a bench fee.

• Tuition fee
  A contribution to the cost of supporting and training you as a PhD candidate, and use general campus facilities: 11,000 euros per PhD programme at TU Delft.
• Bench fee
  An annual contribution to the costs incurred in the provision of workspaces and laboratories, based on the anticipated use of these facilities. This fee remains fixed during your PhD programme. Since these costs vary per candidate and research project, bench fees differ accordingly. The fee is charged to the institute you work for. If you are not funded by an institute, the costs will be charged to you.

Agreements

At the start of the PhD programme (preferably before your first working day) agreements are recorded on:

• How the fees are calculated
• What they will amount to
• To whom they will be charged

It is at the faculty’s discretion to waive either or both fees.

Funding

PhD programmes can be funded in several ways:

1. Regular PhD position
   You are employed on a four-year contract at your supervisor’s department. Depending on your research project, and the way this project is funded, you may be expected to also spend time on teaching or supervision activities.
2. Own funding
   Scholarship or grant
   If there are no PhD positions available in your area of interest, you will have to find your own funding. This could be a scholarship or a grant.
   Sponsorship
   A sponsorship from your employer can also be a way of arranging your own funding. Employers sometimes provide financial support when their employees become part-time PhD candidates at TU Delft.