Technical requirements online education & laptop

What requirements should my laptopmeet?

When you study at the Faculty ITC in a Master's or Postgraduate diploma programme, you need a laptop that meets or exceeds certain specifications. The laptop hardware, operating system, and software requirements ensure you have access to the resources you need to complete your study successfully. This also goes for online education and assessment, which can be part of the programme.

For online courses, the following are guidelines to guarantee optimal performance. The webcam and headset requirements must be met for online oral exams and proctoring during online assessments.

If you do not have a laptop that meets the minimum requirements, you could consider buying one through our Notebook Project. The Notebook Project of the University of Twente offers discounted laptops that meet our standards and have the peripherals needed to connect to the ITC/UT services. All students registered for a study at ITC may buy a laptop through the Notebook Project of the University of Twente, irrespective of the type of course.

Hardware and operating SYSTEM (minimum) requirements (2024-2025)*

* Apple and Linux Operating Systems will only partially work with digital services and software offered at ITC and are not immediately supported by the help desk.

** It is enough if the headset that came with your phone is compatible with your laptop.

Software requirements

ITC provides the software required for your study for the time you are studying at ITC.

1. If your computer has a different language than English installed, you can install the free English language pack from the Windows Update site. Laptops that do not have an English operating system or language pack installed will not be serviced by the Notebook Service Centre. Supervised practical’s also rely on an English user interface.
2. Make sure you have a genuine installation of your operating system. Non-genuine Windows versions cannot be updated with the latest security updates. 
3. Remove unnecessary software from your laptop before you come to ITC. Demo or trial software can conflict with full software versions provided during the ITC course.
4. Bring your installation media and license numbers if your laptop must be reinstalled.
5. Ensure not to bring or install illegal software. This will not be tolerated. Access to the network, software and other services will be denied, and support on your laptop will not be given any longer.

Once registered at ITC, you can download a set of general software and ITC course-specific software from our software manager at software.itc.utwente.nl at no extra cost. For legitimate use, you only have to sign a user declaration.

To follow (online and face-to-face) classes at ITC, you will need some basic software:

1. Google Chrome for access to the Digital Learning environment and to participate in online conferences (while other browsers might work for some functions, Chrome is the only one supported by all the tools used at ITC)
2. Microsoft Teams for communication with your teachers and colleagues. You will be provided credentials from the University of Twente for login.

Test your laptop

When you bring your laptop, you can run an online test to check if your laptop meets the minimum requirements.

Test your webcam, computer audio, headset and microphone to ensure you can communicate online.

Notebook Project University of Twente

If you do not own a laptop that meets the minimum requirements described above, you can consider buying a laptop through the Notebook Project of the University of Twente.

Buying a laptop from the Notebook Project of the University of Twente provides various benefits.

• Your laptop will be delivered ready for use, with a pre-installed legitimate operating system version.
• You will have (at least) the recommended specifications as described above.
• You will receive full support and service from the Notebook Service Centre. When repairs take more than an hour, you can borrow a laptop for the duration of the repair.
• During your stay at ITC, you will receive support from the Notebook Service Centre. When you bring your laptop, you can use the UT-ITC Notebook Service Centre limited. We will assist you in downloading the software and provide instructions on connecting with the ITC network in the ITC building and ITC Hotel.

Order information

You will receive the order information from the UT-ITC Notebook Service Center when you are admitted to one of our programmes.

Pay in monthly installments

We offer laptopsat competitive and sharp prices. However, the amount of money involved is still considerable. We offer Master's and Postgraduate students the possibility to pay in monthly installments.

When you place an order, you will receive a receipt. ITC will advance the funds necessary for your laptop. Upon arrival at you will have to sign an agreement, and we will take care of monthly installments from your allowance or your bank account.