Please, don’t forget to visit the main page HOW TO APPLY to get all the information about applications.

VISAS

TU Delft provides letters of invitation for selected students so that they can get a visa for the Netherlands when necessary. It does so after careful investigation.

However, the university is not responsible for the granting of a visa to you. Visas are granted by Dutch authorities abroad upon careful consideration, the presentation of the necessary documents and payment of a fee. Students willing to participate in the Summer School are responsible for arranging their own visas.

If you need a visa, you should apply for a short-stay tourist visa that generally allows you to stay in Europe for 90 days. You do need to apply for a student visa, which is a lengthy and complicated process. The Summer School can be characterised as a short workshop (10 days), hence there is no need to apply for a student visa.

Visas granted by Dutch authorities allow you to travel within the Schengen Area. This is the area in Europe where free movement of people is allowed, so you can travel to other countries in Europe with just one visa. This area does not include the UK, Ireland and some other European countries.

ACCOMMODATION

Students attending the Summer School are responsible for finding their own accommodation. We will help you with suggestions of places to stay in Delft. There are a very limited number of places in hostels in Delft, so we suggest you try alternative methods: Airbnb, Couch-Surfing, friends and students forums (there are a small number of students who sublet their apartments during the holidays). There are also internet Forums on which you can find TU Delft students who sublet their rooms for the Summer. You must Google these forums but HERE is an example.

You can check accommodation HERE and HERE.

TU Delft does not have any special agreements with hotels or hostels in Delft.

FEES

The fee for the Summer School is 500 euros (there are special fees listed HERE). This covers the whole course, including the final certificate. It also includes many meals, site visits and social activities. This price is very low in comparison with other similar Summer Schools in Europe. We have a low-fee policy in order to allow for a wide range of people to attend the Summer School and get to know our teaching philosophy at TU Delft. The whole experience is a good introduction to our Master courses. There are a number of scholarships and special fees which you can see HERE.

This fee DOES NOT INCLUDE TRAVEL COSTS, ACCOMMODATION and MEALS.

What happens if I give up after having paid?

In case you are prevented from coming to the Summer School, we will return your fee in full (excluding bank fees), until June 1st. After that date, there are no refunds. Just to be clear: we will return your fees minus bank fees (around 25 euros).

After June 1st, we will not return fees.

Note that this arrangement does not include hostel reservations (see below) and visa costs (in case you need a visa). Visa costs are not refundable.

If you give up after the beginning of the summer school, there are no refunds.

SCHOLARSHIPS*

The Summer School offers five types of scholarships:

1. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Summer School Scholarship
2. SPECIAL FEES FOR TRANSITION ECONOMIES
3. SPECIAL FEES SMALL STATES
4. PUERTO RICO Scholarship and reduced fees
5. YOUNG AFRICAN TEACHERS SCHOLARSHIP

Please, visit each page for specifications on different types of scholarships.

(*This only applies to the Summer School. TU Delft has different scholarship policies concerning its regular courses).

ECTS/ CREDITS

The Summer School does not afford ECTS (European Credit Transfer System or simply, study credits). This is because in order to be able to get ECTS, you would need to be a regular student of TU Delft and the fees would be consequently much higher.

However, the Summer School provides you with a certificate stating that you have followed the course and that it is worth 120 hours of study.

ARRIVAL 

The Summer School opens on Monday 03 JULY 2023 at 10:30 a.m. (registration is from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.) and closes on Friday 14 JUL 2022 at 16:00 p.m. (so you can check out of your hostel/hotel on that day if you wish). 

You must be present during all sessions of the the Summer School in order to receive the certificate. Please, only book trains and planes so you can leave Delft on the last day after 19:00 p.m.

In order for you to receive our certificate, you need to attend all our activities (see below).

VENUE

The venue of the Summer School is the building of the PULSE BUILDING and the Building of the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. The venues are easily accessible from Delft city centre and from Delft main train station on foot or by bus.

TRANSPORTATION

Delft is easily accessible from the International Airport of Amsterdam, Schiphol and the smaller airport of Rotterdam by train. Plan your trip at http://9292.nl or http://www.ns.nl (the train company).

These are examples of train fares:

Amsterdam to  Delft € 12,70 (57 minutes)

Delft-Schiphol International Airport €9,60 (40 min.)

Delft-The Hague €2,60 (13 min.)

Delft-Rotterdam €3,20 (13 min.)

Taxis from Schiphol airport to Delft are expensive and you might have to pay between 60 and 100 euros for the ride. Please, Google for more information. Trains will take you to Delft faster and cheaper. The journey can’t be made by bus.

Transportation to the project site and field trips will be provided to you during the Summer School. However, you can find more information about transportation prices in the Netherlands using the website http://9292.nl Remember the Netherlands is a very compact country and public transport is very efficient, but not always very affordable for international students.

We encourage you to buy an “OV CHIP CARD” (a public transport card, similar to London’s Oyster Card) for the duration of your stay. More information can be found HERE. 

We also encourage you to make use of bicycles during your stay. You can check more information about how to rent a bike HERE. 

Read more about public transport and bikes in Delft HERE.

CERTIFICATE

As with other Summer Schools around the world, we will provide you with a certificate at the end of the experience. In order to be entitled to this certificate, you need to be present to all activities we organise. Students who are not present to all activities without notice to teachers will not be entitled to a certificate.

This certificate is a valid document that will prove you have attended the Summer School, but  it does not afford you credits. The certificate is signed by the responsible Professor from the Chair of Spatial Planning and Strategy and estates the number of hours spent in the Summer School (approximately 150 hours of study, divided in 125 contact hours and 25 personal study hours).

MEALS

We will provide you with a few meals during the Summer School, but most meals will be taken at the university’s canteen.  You need to pay for your own meals at the canteen.

You can get some information about student meals HERE.

A typical student meal costs around 5 euros. You can also buy food at the several supermarkets in Delft, including an ASIAN Supermarket. Halal food is widely available in several restaurants and shops.  Alternatively, it is also possible to order delivery meals, such as pizzas and Chinese food (to be delivered at the university!)

Vegetarian options are widely available in the Netherlands.  Please, do let us know if you have very strict dietary restrictions and we will look for alternatives for you. Do let us know if you have serious allergies.

USE OF COMPUTERS AND INTERNET 

You will need a laptop for most of the Summer School. Most of our exercises do not require a laptop, but having your laptop at hand will help you. You need to bring drawing materials with you (pens, pencils, etc) and be prepared to participate, talk a lot, write and draw by hand.

We  encourage you to bring your own laptop, so you will be able to download information and maps and work on simple programs like Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Excel, Word, etc. We have not included GIS-related exercises in the programme of the Summer School, but if you are familiar with GIS, you are most welcome to use your skills during the course.

We are not able to provide you with computers or laptops. Please, bring your own computer.

A Wi-Fi password will be provided to you for use at TU Delft.

USE OF CASH, BANK CARDS and CREDIT CARDS

(Text adapted from Amsterdam Tips)

“The use of credit cards in the Netherlands is not as well established as elsewhere with most payments being made by cash, debit cards or via internet banking. The thrifty Dutch have much less of a consumer debt culture than say US, UK or Australia and many shops in Holland still do not accept credit card payments.  Dutch credit cards use the chip and pin system for making payments in retail outlets – you have to input a pin number rather than just sign a sales slip. Many cards come with a contactless payment option for transactions under €25. Mastercard and Visa are the most widely accepted credit cards in the Dutch retail space; American Express tends to be accepted only by major retailers who have an international client base”.

If this is your first time in Europe, you will find out that it is very difficult to move around only using cash. You need a credit card to do transactions via the internet, such as buying plane or train tickets, and also museum tickets.

USE OF MOBILE PHONES

While we understand people are connected 24/7 to social media and chatting programs, we ask our students to refrain from texting during lectures and group activities. There are serious cultural differences involved. While in some countries it is acceptable to text and use the internet while teachers and colleagues are speaking, in the Netherlands this is considered extremely impolite and disruptive. You will be asked to leave the room if you want to carry on texting.

HEALTH INSURANCE

Everyone in the Netherlands must have insurance for medical expenses, as there is no free public health care.  Having a health insurance while you are studying with us is mandatory. You may be fined by the Dutch authorities if you don’t have a valid health insurance and the costs of medical treatment in case of need may be quite high.

For more information about the kind of health insurance you can contract, please visit THIS WEBSITE.

WE STRONGLY ADVISE YOU TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE HERE.

MOBILITY IMPAIRMENT

Our faculty is accessible for people in wheelchairs or people with mobility impairment. In fact, we encourage people with mobility impairment to join us.

However, it is advisable to let us know in advance whether you have mobility impairments, so we can adjust the site visits and other activities to your needs. We are extremely happy to do so.

COMMUNICATION WITH TU DELFT

We are happy to answer your questions and will strive to do so in a timely manner.

Please, write to Roberto Rocco at summerschool-bk@tudelft.nl for further information.

THE VENUE 2

The Summer School takes place at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the Delft University of Technology. Our address is: Julianalaan 134, 2628BL, Delft, The Netherlands.

In order to see what our venue looks like, please watch this movie.

How to reach the venue

From Delft Central train station. The venue is around a 15-17 minute walk. 

You can also take buses:

BUS 40 direction Rotterdam Central. Alight at bus stop “Julianalaan”

BUS 69 direction Technopolis. Alight at bus stop “Julianalaan”

BUS 174 direction Rotterdam Noord. Alight at bus stop “Julianalaan”

Operating Hours

The Faculty of Architecture is open from 8:00 a.m. to 19:00 p.m. in July.

The Summer School operates from 9:00 a.m. to 17:30 p.m.

REGISTRATION UPON ARRIVAL

You need to register at the Summer School in the first day of the course from 9:30 to 10:30 at the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment of the Delft University of Technology located HERE.

LANGUAGE

The language of the Summer School is ENGLISH. It is important that you consider your English speaking and listening skills. The vocabulary level we use at the Summer School is ADVANCED, so if your English is poor, maybe you will miss most of the discussion and will not enjoy the course.

WEATHER

Dutch summers are unpredictable. The average temperature in July is 17° C. The average higher temperature is 21 ° C and the lowest is 13 ° C.  However, with the effects of climate change, higher temperatures up to 30 ° C and more  have been verified. It can be quite rainy, so you should bring some warm clothes and also clothes for rainy weather. See more about the weather in the Netherlands HERE.

TIME

The Netherlands is located at GMT+1 (one hour later than London) I the CET (Central European Time) Time Zone.

See the current time in the Netherlands HERE.

ELECTRICITY

In the Netherlands (Holland) the power sockets are of type C and F. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

You can see whether you need an adaptor HERE.

CURRENCY AND PAYMENTS

The currency in the Netherlands is the EURO. Payments are generally made in cash or using a chip bank card with a MAESTRO logo.

Credit cards are NOT widely accepted. Credit cards are only accepted in hotels and large store chains. For small purchases at the canteen, supermarket and some restaurants and bars, credit cards are NOT accepted. Please, read more about credit card use in the Netherlands HERE.

Businesses do not accept American dollars, American Express cards or other currencies.

THE COUNTRY

For a glimpse of what the Netherlands looks like beyond Amsterdam, have a look at the movie below.