Welcome to your Programme
Welcome to the Faculty of Science and Engineering (FSE) of the University of Groningen (UG)! We are looking forward to meeting you soon. In the meantime, we would like to inform you about the most important issues regarding the start of your BSc degree programme in Biology.
We wish you a pleasant summer, and hope to welcome you in September!
Best regards,
The Programme Team BSc Biology:
Kick-off Activities
To help you make a great start here at the University of Groningen, and specifically in the BSc Biology, we have organized a number of activities around the start of your programme. We strongly encourage you to attend these.
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All newly arriving international students are invited to attend the Welcoming Ceremony of our university on Thursday, 28 August. Visit the above-mentioned website for up-to-date information.
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The FSE organizes introduction events for all first-year students. During these Kick-off Activities, you will be introduced to the faculty, the degree programme, the study association, and most of all, to your fellow students.
Intoduction Weekend
Another great way to get to know your fellow students as soon as possible is the Introduction Weekend, organized by the study association of Biology, GLV Idun. Details and instructions to sign up are provided on the page of the Kick-off activities of your degree programme.
Registration in Studielink
Please ensure that you complete your university registration on time, including the payment of your tuition fees*. You can always check the status of your registration in Studielink, or contact Student Information and Administration in case you have questions about this issue.
Accomodation
Finding somewhere to live can be daunting, especially if you are moving to the Netherlands for the first time. Around 20,000 students will all be looking for a room at the same time in Groningen, so start your search as soon as possible! It is your own responsibility to find somewhere to live - the University of Groningen does NOT provide accommodation for students. Tips on looking for accommodation can be found on the University website.
Start of the Programme
Your bachelor degree programme will officially start on Monday, 1 September. You can find all locations of our Faculty online. Timetables will be published online as well, usually from 15 July onwards.
Study Books and Lab Coat
It is possible to order your study books and lab equipment via the study association. More information can be found on the page Books and other materials.
RUG Account and Computer Applications
You received an email with information about your username and password (representing your personal computer account) after enrolling for the programme through Studielink. The username is identical to your student number, preceded by the letter ‘s’. Your computer account provides access to the university computer applications. Please follow the instructions in that email to activate your account, and also check if your account is working correctly: you can log on to the computer applications mentioned in a separate document in the information package. Please use the same document to familiarize yourself with the most important computer applications of our university, such as the Student Portal/Brightspace, Ocasys, ProgressWWW and the University email service. If you experience problems, or lose your account details, please contact the CIT service desk.
Student Portal
The Student Portal (also called Brightspace) serves as the primary source of information for students. When you log in, you will automatically arrive on the ‘Today’ tab. Please also visit the ‘Study Info’ tab: it provides detailed information about your degree programme and the tracks/ specializations therein, course units in the programme, etc.
Academic Advisor
The academic advisor assists students in finding solutions to any problem encountered while studying and provides information about the degree programme. Please do not hesitate to contact them if you have questions or concerns, even before the start of the programme. Everything you discuss with the academic advisor is strictly confidential.
Students can contact the academic advisors via: academicadvisorBScBiology@rug.nl. Note that they will not be available throughout the entire summer holidays. If you encounter problems or have questions during the summer, please first check our online contact information to find out how/where you can find a solution or answer.
The academic advisor of Biology will also be present during the Introduction Day.
Mentor
Each student is assigned to a mentor group, led by a senior student of the programme. Your mentor is there to help you adjust to life at university and your programme in particular, with (group) mentor meetings, individual talks and social activities. During the first half year of the programme there will be several meetings where you can ask them anything! You can find more information about the mentor meetings in the welcoming letter from the mentors that is part of the information package. Feel free to contact them if you have any (practical) questions about the start of the programme via: headmentorbio@rug.nl.
| Last modified: | 22 May 2025 12.04 p.m. |