Welcome Days UC Leuven
Our Welcome Days will guide you through all "need to know" and "nice to know" information on Belgium, Leuven and our university of applied sciences. From a warm welcome at our campus to a city tour in which you can get to know your fellow students a little better; this week will ensure a one of a kind start of your stay with us.
Welcome to Leuven
Welcome Days 2025
- 15-19 September. For whom: all students enrolled to English-taught programmes (degree, exchange, short courses).
- The schedule of activities for September 15-19 and the registration link will be available on this webpage closer to the event. In the meantime, you can have a look at the past activities below to have an idea what welcome days at UCLL look like.
When travelling to Campus Proximus for the first time, students can buy a bus ticket by using their bank card or credit card on the bus, or by downloading the De Lijn app in advance and buying a cheaper 10-journey ticket there.
We strongly recommend all students to arrive in Leuven at the beginning of September to settle down with no rush. Need a short term stay option till the date your rental contract starts? Check here (book far in advance).
Good to know before you arrive
Check this presentation to get valuable tips before you arrive to Leuven.
Pre-arrival practicalities (6.9 MB)
Welcome Days February 2025
The registration for the Welcome Days is compulsory. Please fill in the registration form before Friday, 31 January. Minor changes in the below schedule are still possible throughout the month of January.
Tuesday, 4 February
09:00 - 11:00 Breakfast at Pangaea by ESN Leuven. Cost: approximately € 4 (amount to be paid on the spot in cash or by card).
12:00 - 13:00 Free lunch at Campus Proximus, room D070 (bus 4, 15, 43, 609, bus stop Haasrode UCLL in Interleuvenlaan). Check-in.
13:00 - 16:00 Welcome Days Kick-Off at Campus Proximus, room D140. You will be welcomed by the UCLL management, you will receive first-hand tips about living in Leuven, you will find out all about UCLL's student services, you will meet your classmates, and much, much more ...
20:30 Social evening by UCLL student union Amani at Downtown Jack.
Wednesday, 5 February
9:30 - 10:00 Arrival on Campus Proximus, block D. Check-in.
10:00 - 11:30 Dutch crash course at Campus Proximus, room D140.
13:30 - 15:30 Microbrewery tour. Cost: approximately € 10 (amount to be paid upon arrival at the brewery).
17:00 - 18:00 Student Stuff Market. Location: entrance hall Auditorium AP Jean Monnet & Max Weber (next to Pangaea).
20:00 A night of drinks with local and international students at Wereldcafé COOP.
Thursday, 6 February
9:30 - 10:00 Arrival on Campus Proximus, block C. Check-in.
10:00 - 13:30 Info Fair at Campus Proximus, Atrium and rooms C101-110. You will meet important actors of the city of Leuven who will provide you with some helpful practicalities: health insurance company CM, people from the city hall of Leuven, and our super friendly student police officers. You will also meet our ICT team (digital environment of UCLL, intranet, student account, etc.), the Admissions and Registration teams, and the student unions Insignia and Amani.
14:00 City tour by UCLL student union Insignia. Meeting point: Martelarenplein (by the statue), Leuven.
18:30- 19:30 Ticket sale for the international party on Friday by LOKO. Cost: € 6 (pre-sale) or € 7 (at venue). Location: student restaurant Alma 2 (next to Pangaea).
Friday, 7 February
11:00 - 13:00 Visit to M Leuven. Cost: € 5 (youth rate), € 10 (reduced rate) or € 12 (standard rate); amount to be paid on the spot in cash or by card.
13:00 - 17:00 Welcome Desk ESN at Pangaea: Ask your questions and meet the students of ESN Leuven.
22:00 Famous International Party by LOKO at De Waaiberg. Ticket sale: see the information above (on Thursday, 6 February).
Saturday, 8 February
20:00 - 23:00 City Game by ESN Leuven. Register here and receive further details, including information on the meeting point.
Throughout the academic year, several activities are organised by Pangaea, ESN Leuven and LOKO. More information is available on their websites, but you may also want to follow @lokointernational, @esnleuven and @pangaea_kuleuven on Instagram. Please note that you may need to register in advance for activities by these organisations.
All exchange students will have info sessions with the International Officers within their respective faculties on Monday, 10 February:
- Faculty of Health [Nursing]: 9:00-12:00, meet at reception at Campus Gasthuisberg
Faculty of Management [Business and Law]: 9:00-12:00, meet at reception at Campus Proximus
Faculty of Social Work: 13:30-15:00 in room A602 at Campus Sociale School
Faculty of Teacher Education: 10:00-13:00 in room E111 at Campus Hertogstraat
Faculty of Technology [Applied Computer Science]: 9:00-12:00 in room D324 at Campus Proximus
Faculty of Technology [Chemistry]: 12:30-13:30, meet at reception at Campus Gasthuisberg
Students are generally advised to bring their laptops to these sessions.
Welcome Days in Leuven (September 2023)
Have a look at how it was 1.5 years ago! So much fun around! Are you in for the February 2025 edition? 😉
Living in Leuven
If you want to get a headstart, we can recommend having a look at our "Living in Leuven" city guide for students on the Student Life webpage. It will answer most (if not all) questions you may have about student services, cost of living, transport, etc.
Also "Life at KU Leuven" provides useful information in a nutshell.