Practical Information

On this page you can find practical information about the following subjects:

Courses
Research
Housing
Costs of living
Welcoming events
Contact

Courses

The Faculty of Science and Engineering offers a selection of courses open to exchange students. The University of Groningen uses Ocasys as an online course catalogue, so please assess this site when selecting courses. You find courses open for exchange students for different programmes when you open the 'Exchange folder'. When you click on the courses, you can find more information about learning outcomes, the teaching method and the prerequisites.

The teaching is organised in terms (periods or blocks) of approximately 8 weeks each. The exam sessions take place at the end of each term. Two terms form one semester. The first semester is the fall semester (early September through late January) and the second semester is the spring semester (early February through late June). Exchange stays may involve one of two semesters of the same academic year.

Course units generally carry 5 European credits (according to the ECTS) each. We strongly recommend students to choose no more than three courses per term (a total of 15 ECTS), or six per semester (a total of 30 ECTS). Exchange students are strongly advised to choose same year’s courses within one single discipline, in order to avoid course schedule conflicts.

Courses offered by other faculties can be requested, but it’s up to the other faculties judgement whether or not it will be approved. These requests have to be done at the International Office of the Faculty of Science & Engineering. The Faculty of Arts offers courses within the programme “Dutch Studies”, which are all available for exchange students.

Research

You can engage in research projects of variable duration (possibly in combination with coursework). If you wish to carry out a research project, please contact the prospective host supervisor at one of the faculty research institutes. Please add some basic information as well (CV, study results, motivation letter).

Please be advised acceptance is subject to availability of the supervisor and capacity.

If you manage to find a research project and a supervisor, then please contact the International Office. To ensure everything is arranged in time, we advise you to let us know about your exchange period in Groningen at least 3 months before your arrival.

Housing

Groningen has the highest density of students in The Netherlands and this is one of the main reasons for Groningen having such a youthful population and being the youngest city in the country. These students live in student houses throughout the entire city and, since the University of Groningen does not offer accommodation, finding accommodation might be challenging.

Luckily, we have SSH. SSH is an independent non-profit organisation providing student housing in Groningen. The University has reserved more than 1550 rooms for new international students with the SSH in order to offer new international students a furnished room to rent for the maximum of one year. SSH manages several International Student Houses. The International Student Houses are a fun and social experience; you live with students from all over the world and get to know them very well.

You can also look outside the SSH. You should start to look for accommodation months (preferably 3-5 months) before you arrive, as it can be very difficult to find accommodation right before the semester begins.

Costs of living

Compared to other Western European countries, it is relatively affordable to live in the Netherlands. While it may be a small country, differences do exist throughout the country, with Amsterdam and other major cities being more expensive than rural areas. Your general daily expenses include food, books, clothes, public transportation and leisurely activities. The website from the University of Groningen provides a convenient table that contains a lot of information on the costs of living in Groningen. This page also contains tips on how to save money while living in Groningen.

As for tuition fees, students participating in the Erasmus+ programme or come to Groningen in light of a bilateral agreement do not have to pay tuition fees. Students coming to the Netherlands to study within one of the formal inter-university exchange programmes of the University of Groningen are also exempted from paying tuition fees

Welcoming events

Before the start of the semester Introduction activities are organized. Check the following page for the latest news on the Introducton events.

Contact

The Mobility Internship and Career Services (MIC) assists international students with studying at the FSE for short periods. The office is located in the Education Support Centre (location Zernike, Bernoulliborg).