University of Groningen welcomes 700 international students

The University of Groningen will be welcoming about 700 new international students on Thursday. They will be officially welcomed with speeches, an information market and a drinks reception in the Martinikerk. One of the speakers at this year’s Welcoming Ceremony will be the President of the Board of the University, Prof. Sibrand Poppema.

Every year, the University of Groningen receives new students from some 115 countries. The Welcoming Ceremony is an important and highly regarded introduction for them. The University of Groningen Welcoming Ceremony has been voted the best in the Netherlands several times by foreign students. The students being welcomed now will start their studies in the second semester. Another Welcoming Ceremony will be held for a much larger group of students in late August, just before the start of the new academic year.

Programme

The official Welcoming Ceremony will be followed by an information market about student facilities and societies. The information market will also cover practical matters such as study support, insurance, opening a bank account, healthcare, etc. An international student will give a lecture about studying and living in Groningen.

Increasing internationalization

The number of international students and staff at the University of Groningen is increasing every year. The University is encouraging this development in a variety of ways: by improving facilities, extending the number of programmes taught in English and by strengthening its international position. The number of ‘regular’ foreign students, i.e. those studying for a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree, has increased in recent years at the University of Groningen by about ten percent a year, and is currently at about 3500. Then there are a further 750 or so students who come here for a shorter period, for example within the framework of an exchange programme. About 60% of our PhD students are from abroad.