FAQ Welcome Week

The UU Welcome Week is the ideal way to start your stay in Utrecht! This week is aimed at international students that are just arriving in Utrecht. You can get information about practical matters, meet your fellow students and get to know more about student life in Utrecht. Since there are many different activities, there is something for everyone!

No, the event is not mandatory, but it is highly recommended. The main advantage is that you get a chance to ask any questions regarding practical matters. As you may have noticed, it can be quite overwhelming to move the a new country, and during the Welcome Week you can get all the help you need. It is also a great way to make some first friends!

The Welcome Week is a university wide one week program, aimed at all incoming international students with fun and informational activities to have an easier start when arriving in Utrecht.

There is usually also an introduction for your specific programme. This is the week after the Welcome Week, during the first week of the academic year. 

Both are important and fun occasions, so make sure to be present at both!

We do recommend that you arrive in Utrecht before the UU Welcome Week begins. However, if this is not possible, you can also join the programme later. In that case, please contact your mentor as soon as possible, so they know when to expect you and you can discuss where to meet.

We will keep you updated via email, so make sure to check your inbox regularly! You can also find information about the program on the website and other interesting facts about the Welcome Week and Utrecht on our Instagram channel @uu_warmwelcome!

Besides arranging your move, you don't have to prepare or bring anything specific. Just make sure to stay updated regarding your email inbox, where you will receive any necessary information!

If that is the case you can look for temporary housing. There are some options you can look at within Utrecht:

• First of all, you could stay in a hotel or hostel for a few nights, for example at the Studenthostel B&B Utrecht City center or at BUNK Hostel Utrecht in a room or a pod in an old church or at Hostel and Hotel Strowis. StayOkay hostel has 2 options for temporarily accommodation. One is located in Bunnik nearby the Utrecht Science Park and one is located in the city center
• Hospi Housing can help you with finding a furnished short stay room at hosts and guest families. They can provide a soft landing in a new country and city.
• Airbnb and Facebook are also options to find a temporarily room. Facebook has groups where people are renting/subletting rooms for short periods. Please be aware of scammers on both platforms, especially Facebook is known for a lot of fraud!

Note: We can give you these tips, but we can’t arrange accommodation for you.

A mentor group is a group of about 20 other students that have also just arrived in Utrecht with 2 mentors. They are the first people you will get to know when you arrive, and they might even become your first friends!

Your mentor will be the first contact person for you! They can help you with any questions you may have, and they will also guide your group during the city tour on the first day. We use student volunteers as mentors, because fellow students know the most about living in Utrecht as a student. They have first-hand experience, and would love to share their knowledge with you.

You will be assigned to your mentor group by mid-January and you will receive this information via email. 

The groups will be split up according to bachelor, master or exchange students. This means that all other students will be in the same stage of their studies. On all other characteristics (such as study programme and nationality) we aim to make mixed groups. We understand it might be nice to already meet some people from your programme, but we also know that you will meet those people anyway the next week, and will see them a lot. This is the best and only chance to meet some students that might do a different programme than you!