FAQ - Academic Counsellors

Topics and questions the academic counsellor can help you with

Planning your study: Are things going differently than you expected and do you need to adjust your goals? How is this specifically reflected in the courses you will be taking? The academic counsellor can answer any questions you may have relating to your study programme and help you to plan your study. More particularly, they can help you ensure your plans are realistic.

Making choices: Making choices and sticking to them is important, both in your study and in other aspects of your life. However, in practice it is not always easy to set priorities. Talking about this can be very helpful. The academic counsellor can help you with questions about your programme choice and minor choice, and give you insights into how to improve the process of making choices.

Studying effectively: Do you find yourself continually facing the same problems when you study? Do you work hard, but still don't get the results you want? Maybe you want to change something but you don't know how, or you get too stressed about exams. Talking about this with the academic counsellor can help you explore your study attitude to see where there is room for change. You can also see what is offered by the Career & Counselling Services.

Special circumstances: Certain circumstances can have an enormous impact on your study progress. Chronic illness, exceptional family circumstances and disabilities such as AD(H)D, ASS and dyslexia are just a few examples. But your study progress can also be affected by such things as top-level sports, administrative work or pregnancy.
It is important that you let the academic counsellor know promptly if there are special circumstances that apply to you. The academic counsellor can offer guidance, think of solutions and answer questions about financial support if you fall behind in your studies. If you do not speak to the academic counsellor in good time, you may run the risk of no longer being able to apply for the special arrangements available concerning the BSA or graduation support (Profiling Fund Scheme).
See also the information about studying with a disability.

Rules and regulations: It is only to be expected that the university has a lot of rules and regulations. These will only affect you when you step off the beaten track, and you may find that you could use some help. The academic counsellor can advise you on requests from the Board of Examiners and ask questions related to the Binding recommendation on the continuation of studies (BSA)* and Profiling Fund Scheme.
You can also find the rules of the degree programme in the Teaching and Examination Regulations.
* MST follows the BSA procedure of Leiden University

Extra activities alongside your study programme: Do you want to join the committee of a student association or take some extra programmes such as the Honours Programme** or one of the Dream teams? The academic counsellor can give you support by helping you to plan your study and making arrangements with the Board of Examiners.
** MST and LST students can register for the Honours College of Leiden University. In this track it is possible to choose courses/components from the TU Delft honours programme.

FAQs

I'm not going to meet the requirements for the BSA, what next?
You can make an appointment with the academic counsellor to see the best next steps for you in your situation. If there are special personal circumstances that are hindering your study progress, you can discuss this with the academic counsellor. You can see all the regulations concerning the BSA here.
It is always wise to make an appointment with the academic counsellor if you experience any delay in your study progress, whether due to special circumstances or not.
 

How do I make an appointment with the academic counsellor?
You can make an appointment with the academic counsellor online, click here.
 

My mark has not been entered correctly, who should I contact?
Start by asking the lecturer in question whether the mark has been entered. If the lecturer has entered the mark but it is still not shown online, you should contact the student administration, spa-tnw@tudelft.nl. MST students should contact MST-admin@science.leidenuniv.nl.
 

I am too late to register for an examination, now what?
If you are too late to register for an examination, see the page of the ExamDesk. The procedure for MST students is described on the MST Brightspace page (Leiden).

I would like to request exemption for a certain course, how do I do that?
The Board of Examiners determines whether you are eligible for an exemption. If you think you are eligible, please contact the academic counsellor. Please note: Exemptions do not count towards the BSA and the weighted average! However, because MST follows the BSA procedure of Leiden University, exemptions here may count towards the BSA.
 

Do I meet the admission requirements for the degree programme?
See the page on admission and registration for the admission requirements for the degree programme. If you still have any questions about this, please contact the contactcentre-esa@tudelft.nl.
 

Where can I find information about all the minors?
See this page for all the information about the minors.
 

I would like to put together my own minor. What’s possible?
The possibility exists for you to take a self-composed minor. You need to get your personal combination of courses approved by the Board of Examiners using the ‘self-composed minor’ request form. You can find this form on the Brightspace page of the degree programme. You can find the rules concerning the self-composed minor in the Teaching and Examination Regulations.

I would like to take a minor abroad. Is this possible?
You may choose to take a minor outside the Netherlands. You must make sure that you do not have any courses open during the period you will be abroad. For more information about taking a minor outside the Netherlands, please contact the Applied Sciences International Office.

I have a disability; are there any ways TU Delft can provide support?
Yes, TU Delft offers extra assistance to students with a disability, and various provisions are available. The academic counsellor can direct you to the relevant bodies. Make an appointment if you want to know more about what support is available. Here you can find information about studying with a disability.
 

I am presently studying in the Faculty of Applied Sciences, but I am having doubts about my choice of degree programme.
Make an appointment with your academic counsellor. Career & Counselling also often runs workshops on reconsidering your choice of degree programme. You can find the full range of workshops on the website, once you have logged in using your NetID.

Can I already take some Master's courses while I am still doing my Bachelor's programme?
No, this is not possible because of the Bachelor-before-Master rule. It is not permitted for a Bachelor student to take examinations and/or do projects/laboratory courses from the Master's programme. Any Master's courses that you complete before you have completed your final Bachelor's course become a part of your Bachelor's programme. This means you cannot count this course towards your Master's programme, and you need to do an alternative, extra course.
You can find more information about admission to the Master's programmes here..