About us
University College Groningen (UCG) is a small-scale, international faculty of the University of Groningen, offering a distinctive Liberal Arts and Sciences bachelor's programme.
Founded in 2014, UCG brings together students and academics from different backgrounds and disciplines. Our students have the freedom to shape much of their own education, exploring different fields and making connections across disciplinary boundaries. Students can choose from three majors — Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities — while continuing to explore subjects beyond their chosen field. Through small-scale, interactive teaching and interdisciplinary, project-based learning, we encourage students to think critically, ask questions and engage with complex global challenges from multiple perspectives.
A diverse community
UCG is more than a degree programme. It is a close-knit community where students learn with and from each other.
We welcome around 135 new students each year, and our community now includes 721 alumni. With students from more than 35 nationalities, around 60% of our students are international, creating a genuinely diverse and internationally oriented learning environment.
Being part of a small community means that you get to know the people around you. Students work together in and beyond the classroom, organise events, support one another and contribute to the life of the college. This sense of community is an important part of the UCG experience.
Our new home
After years of growth at our temporary location on Hoendiepskade 23/24, UCG will move to its permanent home in the Bladergroen Building at Bloemsingel 1 in Groningen in mid-2027.
The historic building, dating from 1911, is being carefully restored and sustainably renovated. A new, light-filled wooden and glass extension will connect the historic building with its gardens and the surrounding campus. The result will be a sustainable, open and welcoming space designed for small-scale teaching, studying, collaboration and meeting.
The building is surrounded by greenery and is close to both the city centre and our student accommodation Libertas. Together, the Bladergroen Building and Libertas will form a home campus where UCG students can live, study and develop.
The building is named after Wilhelmina Bladergroen (1908–1983), a pioneer in child psychology and the first female professor of orthopedagogy in Groningen. She was a strong advocate for inclusive education and better opportunities for children to learn and develop. Her holistic approach continues to inspire UCG's commitment to an open and inclusive learning environment, where students cross disciplinary boundaries, learn by doing and work together to address complex challenges.
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