Cultures & Nationalities

There are more than fifty nationalities among UCU students. About 35% of the students have a non-Dutch nationality. UCU students bring in diversity with regard to talents, experiences, lifestyles and learning styles, religions, mother tongues, and social and cultural backgrounds. In combination with the residential setting, this rich diversity offers plenty of opportunity for intercultural encounter, deepening of intercultural understanding, and for friendships across the globe.

The international character of University College Utrecht also implies a number of obligations for all students and members of staff and faculty. In the presence of others, we always speak English. We all try to be sensitive to the fact that individual students may feel isolated or excluded and we act accordingly.

The international composition and diversity of the student body is an important asset in many classes, where diversity of perspectives matters. The diversity in cultural, linguistic and geographical backgrounds of the students is often used in classroom discussions, in order to gain a richer understanding of issues under study.