F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

Students starting the programme should be familiar with calculus, complex analysis, the solution of basic PDEs, and Fourier analysis. The level of your prior knowledge of math and physics should be comparable to the level of the Applied Earth Sciences Bachelor degree in TU Delft. The math and physics courses covered in BSc programme can be found on https://studiegids.tudelft.nl/ by choosing YEAR (this academic year), ORGANIZATION (Civil Engineering and Geosciences), EDUCATION TYPE (Bachelor), EDUCATION (Bachelor Applied Earth Sciences). After that, you can browse through the math and physics courses to read their description. This will give you a good idea what prior knowledge is expected. If you are missing some of this prior knowledge, you can contact us for advice.

TU Delft provides non-Dutch nationals the opportunity to secure housing via TU Delft’s Housing Service upon being accepted to the programme. Housing through the service is limited and is therefore offered on a first paid, first served basis. Note that housing may be offered in Delft or a surrounding city, such as Den Haag, Rijswijk or even Rotterdam. To secure housing via the service, you need to respond quickly to the admission offer and make your payment before April, if possible. For your final semester, you can also arrange housing via the Housing Service. Whether or not housing can be granted again depends on how quickly all payments are made.

For your third semester in Germany, RWTH Aachen reserves a limited amount of rooms for you via the Studentwerk in Aachen.

ETH Zurich provides a limited number of furnished rooms for international master students. As a Joint Master student in Applied Geophysics, you are guaranteed a room, but nevertheless an application is required. You will automatically receive the registration link by email in October. Application deadline is 15 November.  The room must be rented for a minimum of 1 semester.

TU Delft: in Delft and the surrounding area, you can expect to spend between 300 to 600 euros a month for a student room.

RWTH Aachen: in Aachen, you can expect to spend between 300 and 450 euros per month for a student room

ETH Zurich: The average price for a student room offered by ETH is between CHF 600 and 900 a month..

Each partner institute will contact you regarding your visa/residence permit for study purposes before the start of your semester. The fees and amounts for proof of financial solvency vary per country. Please consult the below pages for more details:

TU Delft, Netherlands: information can be found on this page.

RWTH Aachen, Germany: please take a look here.

ETH Zurich, Switzerland: please see this website and these FAQs

For the duration of the Applied Geophysics programme, you need to ensure that you have proper medical/health insurance. For this, you may need to take out medical insurance. Whichever choice you make, it is important that you are properly insured! Below, we give more information from each partner university about what you can expect in each country regarding insurance:

TU Delft, Netherlands: It is your responsibility to ensure that you have proper medical insurance for your stay in the Netherlands. Whether you need additional insurance depends on various factors. It is best if you take a moment and read our guidelines about insurance. Note that some insurances may also cover you in other European countries – so check to see if the insurance will also cover you for your semesters in Zurich and Aachen.

In addition to your own personal insurance, all TU Delft students are covered by TU Delft’s travel insurance. This insurance is for any TU Delft student who travels abroad for study purposes (internship or as part of their joint education program) and is in addition to your personal insurance. The TU Delft travel insurance is therefore not comprehensive and only covers the necessary medical costs directly related to an accident or sickness during your stay abroad (outside the Netherlands). More information about this insurance can be found on this page.

With COVID-19, however, the Dutch government issues traveling guidelines to which TU Delft adheres. The guidelines advise against traveling to countries which are ‘code orange’ or ‘code red’. This means that TU Delft students who travel, will not be covered by TU Delft’s travel insurance. TU Delft is also not liable for other risks associated with traveling during these times such as study delay and associated costs of such delays. As coordinating university, we have to inform you of this general TU Delft’s policy and the associated risks. You can also read about it on TU Delft’s website.

ETH Zurich, Switzerland: After arrival, the authorities will ask you to either apply for an exemption from the Swiss health insurance obligation (this is possible if you hold the European Health Insurance Card) or take out a student insurance package. Detailed information can be found at www.ethz.ch/health-insurance-for-students. Important: You are fully covered in the case of illness and accidents from the date of arrival, even if you only apply for the exemption or take out the insurance later on.

RWTH Aachen, Germany: The Dutch health insurance is recognized in Aachen (EU regulations) and thus you do not have to apply for a separate German health insurance plan if you have a Dutch health insurance plan. None-the-less, please check this with your insurance provider as medical treatment will become extremely expensive without a recognized health care coverage.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate in contacting us.