University of Groningen welcomes 1500 international students

On Tuesday 27 August the University of Groningen will welcome more than 1500 new international students. They will be officially welcomed with speeches, an information market and drinks in the Martinikerk and in the Academy Building. Speakers at the Welcoming Ceremony this year will include Elmer Sterken, Rector Magnificus of the University of Groningen, and Joost van Keulen, Groningen municipal executive board member.

Every year, the University of Groningen welcomes students from some 115 countries. The Welcoming Ceremony is an important and highly regarded introduction for them. The University of Groningen Welcoming Ceremony was voted the best in the Netherlands by foreign students several times, contributing to the fact that the University of Groningen was voted the most recommendable Dutch university in the 2012 International Student Barometer.

Programme

After the official Welcoming Ceremony in the Martinikerk, there will be an information market about student facilities and societies at the Academy Building. The information market will also cover practical matters such as study support, insurance, opening a bank account, health care, etc. A lecture will teach the students more about studying and living in Groningen.

Increasing internationalization

The number of international students and staff at the University of Groningen is increasing every year. This is a development that the University is encouraging in every way it can: by improving the facilities, extending the number of programmes taught in English and by strengthening its international position. This year the University will start ten new Bachelor’s degree programmes taught in English at the Faculty of Mathematics and Natural Sciences. The number of ‘regular’ international students (studying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree) has risen yearly by ten percent in recent years, to over 3000 in 2012. In addition to these students, there are about 700 students here for a shorter stay, for instance as exchange students. About 60% of the PhD students are from abroad. Incidentally, some of our foreign students will arrive later this year.