During their studies, students can participate in various welcome and leisure activities. Whenever they need it, they can also count on the support of Student Services.
Welcoming activities:
- Welcome Desk -
Each year, the KU Leuven Welcome Desk at Brussels Airport welcomes new international students. This desk is set up two weeks before the start of the Orientation Days in September and is open from early in the morning until late in the evening. Staff members and volunteers help the students get to campus, make sure they know their way around and help them with any other urgent questions.
- Orientation Days -
To help new international students get settled during their first days and to help them learn more about the university, Student Services offers a special orientation programme before the start of every semester. The programme of these Orientation Days includes tips and tricks, guided city tours, visits in and around Leuven, information and enrolment sessions and lots of opportunities to meet fellow Belgian and/or foreign students from the different faculties.
- Buddy Programme -
International students can request a personal buddy. This is a KU Leuven student or staff member who volunteers to introduce them to the Belgian way of (university) life. The Buddy Kick-Off helps the pairs get off to a good start, while buddy workshops throughout the semester encourage them to stay in touch.
- Student Welcome -
The academic year officially starts at the end of September. During the first weeks, there are numerous welcome activities for and by students, such as the Student Welcome: a festival with performances, stands, ...
Leisure and living
- Culture -
KU Leuven has a broad offer of cultural activities for its students to enjoy. There are discounts for museums and performances, for example, and students can also articipate in student initiatives.
- Sport -
KU Leuven students can practice over 70 sports in the sports centres, and/or join a sports club. The 24-hour Relay Race, for instance, is the biggest sports event for students at the university. It has been organised every year since 1972 by the student association LOKO.
- Pangaea Intercultural Meeting Centre -
In the spirit of hospitality and intercultural understanding, Pangaea aims to create a home-away-from- home for Belgian and international students, and wants to support collaboration within the Leuven university community. Coffee and board games, lively debates and lectures on intercultural topics, a wide variety of social activities, volunteering opportunities: all organised by and for students.
Student Participation
- LOKO -
LOKO represents students in all student-related matters, from housing, food, mobility, diversity, and culture to sustainability, health, student services and student life.
- STURA -
The KU Leuven Student Council represents all students of KU Leuven at university level. It contributes to the Education and Examination Regulations, study counselling and quality of education, among other things. Apart from educational matters, the council is also involved in other relevant policy domains of the university such as sustainability, diversity, internationalisation and IT.
- International Student Associations -
A lot of international students participate in associations to give students from their country a warm welcome, share their culture and background with the university community and organise activities where students can meet. These associations can be linked to specific countries or can be centred around a certain theme.
- PHD Society -
The PhD Society is an international interfaculty organisation of doctoral students that aims to promote interaction and cooperation between Belgian and international doctoral students.
Student Support
- Places to study, do some research or read -
The University Library is strongly aware of its responsibility in providing educational support. Its efforts towards the integration of information skills in bachelor’s and master’s programmes are just one example of this, as is providing adequate infrastructure for students.
- Student Services -
Student Services offers a unique and comprehensive support system where students can ask for help on anything related to living and studying. The system features an in-house medical centre with GPs and psychologists, professional career guidance by the Student Career Centre, an extensive housing database with student-friendly housing, counselling in case of social or financial problems, expert legal advice and extra support for specific target groups, e.g. students with a disability.
