Up until now, students with a foreign degree weren’t allowed to go on internships, as Cursor’s editorial staff was told through Facebook by a foreign student. Although an internship isn’t a mandatory part of the curriculum, students with a Dutch degree are sometimes allowed to exchange certain courses for an internship. Students in possession of a foreign bachelor’s degree have not been able to opt for an internship because it was said that regular courses were ‘a more befitting addition’ to their curriculum. As managing director prof.dr. Mark de Berg says: “It turns out that basically all foreign students lack the more formal Eindhoven approach, which is why regular courses are a better addition than internships”.

According to a spokesperson of the Ministry of OCW, the department cannot make that distinction. “Anyone who registers for the same education should enjoy the same rights. Students with a foreign degree can’t be exempt from internships that students with a Dutch degree do have access to,” he says in a written response.
Previously, managing director Mark de Berg already mentioned the internship conditions were worded ‘awkwardly’. He also pointed out before that the distinction between Dutch and foreign students will be terminated as of the next academic year. In a response to the words from the Ministry of OCW, he e-mailed us (he’s abroad): “This is all the more reason for us to change our protocol, so there will no longer be a distinction between previous degrees”.

To the question whether foreign students can start submitting internship requests right away, De Berg says: “Foreign students (like Dutch students) can submit individual requests for internships, which the Examinations Committee will then assess. Still, we’ll remain very reserved when it comes to granting these requests (again, this goes for Dutch as well as foreign students)”. (SK)

Read the account of foreign student Siddharth Chunduri on this subject on : nieuws | mens.