FHML

Language requirements

Requirements Problem-Based Learning

Our educational system - Problem Based Learning (PBL) - requires you to actively take part in the tutorial meetings. The PBL method is explicitly student-centered rather than teacher-centered, and the students are expected to take the initiative. Speaking up and actively taking part in discussions is a crucial part of the system and this will also influence your final grades. Therefore, it is extremely important that you have an excellent knowledge of both written and spoken English.

Requirements Health Sciences
Since all study units are offered in English it is essential that students have a proficient level of the language. All exchange students are required to have an advanced level of the English language - comparable to the level B2.

Requirements Medicine
Except for the mentioned blocks and electives below, all educational activities proceed in Dutch.

• Electives: English
• Orientation clinical electives: English/Dutch
• Research electives: English

Proficiency in Dutch is most essential for students seeing patients in the wards or in other healthcare settings. 

Language courses are offered by the Maastricht University Language Centre.

Visa/residence permit

Depending on your nationality you may have to apply for a special entry visa and/or a residence permit. We strongly advise you to check with your own embassy if you need a visa or residence permit. If this is the case, inform us as soon as possible, so we can forward your request to our Visa Office. They will then contact you directly for additional information and/or documents. All further communication is between you and our Visa Office. Note that the International Relations Office FHML will not interfere in this process.

Insurance

Medical costs can be very high in the Netherlands, especially if specialized help from a hospital is required. Therefore it is important to be properly insured. International students in the Netherlands are required by law to have adequate health and third party liability insurance. We strongly recommend you to take out travel insurance as well, especially if you plan to travel during your stay. You are responsible for taking out insurance; Maastricht University will NOT do this for you.

Please check if your insurance policy in your home country covers your stay in The Netherlands, otherwise you will have to take out private insurance. You are free to find your own, but it is always your responsibility to check whether coverage is sufficient. Health and liability insurances that do not meet the requirements are the student’s own responsibility. Maastricht University cannot be held responsible for any damage that may occur during your stay in Maastricht. 

For more information about insurance, please check the Netherlands Organisation for international cooperation in higher education (Nuffic)  website.

If you decide to take out private insurance, Maastricht University advises AON , which is also advised by the Nuffic .

Accommodation

Looking for a place to stay in Maastricht? You can find accommodation via Maastricht Housing, the official housing agency for Maastricht University.

Unfortunately, FHML cannot guarantee that all students who apply for a room via Maastricht Housing, actually get a room via this agency. Applications are processed on a first-come-first-served basis, and FHML has no influence on that process.

It is up to you if you would like to find a room on the private market. If you do, please keep the following in mind:
 Always check whether the address of the room/apartment actually exists (via Google maps, for example). Only too often, people try to make a fast buck by renting out rooms that , in fact, do not exist.
 Never transfer money in advance! There are a lot of crooks in the world, trying to swindle you out of your money. No matter how desperate you are, always check the credentials of the person subletting the room.

Travel to Maastricht

There are different ways to travel to Maastricht. Whether you come by plane, car, train, donkey, whatever: make sure you arrive at least one day before the compulsory introduction.

Pick-up Service
ESN Maastricht, provides a free pick-up service during the arrival week, where they will transport you from the Maastricht train station to the Guesthouse.
Normally the ISN crew will be at the station from 09.00 hrs till 17.00 hrs. More information about the pick-up service can be found on our website www.isn-maastricht.nl.

Student Services Centre (SSC) provides a pick-up service for international students from several airports in The Netherlands and Belgium to Maastricht. For more information, please click here. 

Plane & Train
Please see this brochure for all practical information regardig the train railway company NS.
More information on travelling within the Netherlands, have a look at 9292OV.

Coming from Amsterdam / Schiphol Airport:
Train to Maastricht:
Less expensive is to take a train from Schiphol/Amsterdam Airport to Maastricht Central Station.
The price for a one-way ticket is approximately € 25.00. For tickets and more detailed information we refer to the very clear travel planner offered in English. 

Coming from Brussels Airport (Zaventem):
If you decide to fly to Brussels you can take a train to Maastricht. The costs for a one-way ticket are about € 25-30. The itinerary varies greatly. Trains from Zaventem to Brussels North run every 10 to 15 minutes and take about 15 minutes to arrive. For tickets and more detailed information we refer to the travel planner for Belgium.

Coming from Düsseldorf International airport in Germany:
If you decide to fly to Düsseldorf you can take a train to Maastricht. The costs for a one-way ticket are about € 20,-. Every half hour a train leaves. It takes approximately 2.5 hours to Maastricht train station.
For tickets and more detailed information we refer to this travel planner.

Coming from Brussels South Charleroi Airport:
If you decide to fly to Charleroi the only possibility would be to take the train to Maastricht. The costs for a one-way ticket are about € 25-30. The itinerary varies greatly. Trains from Charleroi to Liège run every 10 to 15 minutes and take about 1,5 hours to arrive. From Liège you can take the intercity to Maastricht Central Station. For tickets and more detailed information we refer to the travel planner for Belgium. 

By car
You can find a route planner on this website.
Adress: International Relations Office, Universiteitssingel 60, 6229ER Maastricht, the Netherlands

From door to door <br>(by bike, bus and train)

In Maastricht
Bicycle
The quickest and easiest way to get around in Maastricht is to use a bicycle like the rest of the Dutch. To get a second hand bike, try one of these addresses in Maastricht: 

www.aondestasie.nl 

https://swapfiets.nl/en/ 

www.facebook.com/zuydfiets 

Buy / Sell a bike in Maastricht

Bus
The 'OV-chipkaart' is the main payment method for public transport in the Netherlands (bus and train). For more information, check the OV-chipkaart website. 

Check the website of the Maastricht bus company (Arriva) for timetables.

In the Netherlands
Train
The 'OV-chipkaart' is also the main payment method when travelling by train. For more information, check the OV-chipkaart website. 

Check the website of the main Dutch railway company (NS: Nederlandse Spoorwegen) for timetables.

Exams/resits

The individual results are available 15 working days after the examination.  Please note that the Examination Rules such as they have been agreed upon by the Board of Examiners at Maastricht University have to be obeyed. More information can be found in the Student handbook.

Resits
If a student fails a course,  he/she should contact the International Relations Office as soon as possible. Please send an email to exchangefhml@maastrichtuniversity.nl 

Schedule
Please note that you are not allowed to bring your mobile phone with you to the exam, whether it is switched off or not. You will be barred from the exam location if you do, and you will have to sign up for the re-sit in order to try and pass the course.

Also note that you cannot be late for the exam, not even one minute. Please check the bus schedule well in advance (remember: if it is a public holiday or if the exam period takes place in a holiday period, the busses may run less frequently. Check this!), or make sure your bike is in working order, or make arrangements for a taxi in advance. Make sure you check the exam site for information on any changes in the exam venue, time or date. This is your responsibility. If you are late (even one minute) you will also be barred from the exam, and you will have to sign up for the re-sit.

Refrain from talking to other students while taking the exam; the supervisors might think you are cheating and may declare your exam/grade to be invalid!

Grading

The Dutch grading system, used from elementary through university education is the 1 to 10 scale given in the following table, wherein 10 is the highest grade, 6 the minimum pass and 1 the lowest grade:

• 10: excellent
• 9: very good
• 8: good
• 7: amply sufficient
• 6: sufficient
• 5: almost sufficient
• 4: insufficient
• 3: low
• 2: bad
• 1: very bad

Educators uniformly comment on the great difficulty in obtaining 9's and 10's and the respectability of 6's. There is also agreement that an 8 represents a high level of achievement, while grades 6 and 7 generally account for the majority of passing grades awarded. 

European Credit Transfer System (ECTS)
The grade transcripts, which will be sent to the home institution after completion of the period of exchange, will mention the credits awarded in ECTS credits.

ECTS was developed by the Commission of the European Communities in order to provide common procedures to guarantee academic recognition throughout the European Community and, between an EC Member State and any country belonging to the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). ECTS provides a way of measuring and comparing learning achievements, and transferring them from one institution to another.

How does ECTS work?
ECTS is a decentralised system based upon the principle of mutual trust and confidence between higher education institutions. The few rules of ECTS, concerning Information (on courses available), Agreement (between the home and host institutions) and the Use of Credit Points (to indicate student workload) are set out to reinforce this mutual trust and confidence.

Allocation of ECTS Credit Points to Courses
ECTS is a credit system based on student workload. Student workload involves lectures, practicals and self study. It includes all work needed to prepare for an examination.
In ECTS, 60 credits represent the workload of one year of study; 30 credits are given for a semester, and 20 credits for a term. It is important to know that no special courses will be set up for ECTS purposes, but that all ECTS courses are mainstream courses of the participating institutions, as followed by home students under normal regulations.

According to the student's workload of the courses offered, it is up to the participating institutions to subdivide the credits for the different courses. ECTS credits should be allocated to all the  available compulsory and/or elective courses. Practical placements and optional courses which form an integral part of the course of study also receive academic credits. ECTS credits are only allocated to courses and awarded to students who successfully complete those courses by passing the required examinations or other assessments, whereby Dutch grades 5,5 and up will count as PASS grades.