Studying in Groningen 2013-2014 We have been informed that you have been selected for studying at our University. We look forward to welcoming you to Groningen in the first or second semester of academic year 2013-2014! This brochure gives you some basic information about the Faculty of Arts, the University of Groningen and the application procedures for exchange students: practical matters to take care of while preparing your exchange to Groningen. After applying you will receive updates about your exchange regularly. More detailed information is available online: www.rug.nl/let/international-office Clockwise: Enjoying the sun in front of the Academy Building, arrival hall Groningen central station, Welcoming Ceremony 2010 in Martini Church, and the Harmonie Building with the statue of Aletta Jacobs, the first woman with a medical degree. 1 12
Application procedures There are 6 steps to apply for an exchange and to complete your registration process: 1. If your university is an exchange partner of the University of Groningen you can apply for a study abroad period at the International Office of your own university. 2. After you have been selected for an exchange to Groningen, the international coordinator / exchange officer of your university will nominate you as a candidate. 3. Based on your nomination you are provisionally accepted as an exchange student at the Faculty of Arts. The International Office will send you updated information about your application and practical matters to think about when preparing your studies in Groningen (by e-mail). 4. Apply online: http://www.rug.nl/let/organization/diensten-en-voorzieningen/international-office-new/exchange-students/how-to-apply 5. After you have completed your application, we will send you your 'letter of acceptance' by e-mail. The International Office will register you as an exchange student at the Faculty of Arts. 6. The study adviser for exchange students will contact you about (the approval of) your learning agreement. Deadlines for application Semester 1 and full academic year: Semester 2: 1 June 1 November Online application system During the Spring semester of 2012-2013 we will start a pilot with a new online application system for students coming to Groningen in academic year 2013-2014. Until then, you can apply via the webform on http://www.rug.nl/let/organization/diensten-en-voorzieningen/international-office-new/exchange-students/how-to-apply In the new online application system, we will create an account for the student. Both the student and the coordinator at the home university will receive a confirmation and login details by email. Students can upload all required documents in the system, and will be informed about the process by both the system and by the r in charge at the University of Groningen. Application documents Learning Agreement (only for Erasmus students, provided by your home university); Course selection form (provided by University of Groningen); Official academic transcript, in English, showing credits and grades so far; Motivation letter in English (300 words) ; English language certificate (also see: 'Language Requirements'); (if applicable) Language test results for other languages; (if applicable) copy of your bachelor s degree. Copy of your passport or EU identity card Digital passport photo Also required, but possible to send in or hand in later: copy of health insurance policy or European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) (If you don t have a health insurance yet, make sure to get one for your stay in the Netherlands, this is absolutely required!) 2 12
Additional information: learning agreement and course selection form Erasmus students need to upload their 'Learning agreement'. This is a form provided by your home university, a 'contract' on which you list all courses you want to take during your exchange. This form needs to be signed by three parties, the student, the sending institution (coordinator(s) at home university) and the receiving institution (coordinator at University of Groningen). The learning agreement is important for your Erasmus scholarship. Apart from the learning agreement, we ask you to fill in the 'Course selection form', provided by the University of Groningen. On this form, you list the same courses as on the learning agreement. This is not an official document, but is used by the study adviser for international students in the process of approving your learning agreement. Academic year 2013-2014 (PROVISIONAL!!) Semester 1 Introduction programme for international students Monday 26 Friday 31 Aug 13 Check-in @ International Office and seminar group enrolment Tuesday 27 August 13 Thursday 29 August 13 Day 1 RUG Welcoming Ceremony, for all students Morning programme: day 2 RUG Welcoming Ceremony, for non- EU students only (time to be announced) Afternoon programme: Faculty Introduction for all international students (time to be announced) Apart from these introduction events organized respectively by the University and the Faculty of Arts, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Groningen organizes an intro-week for international students as well (www.esn-groningen.nl); international students can also take part in the general introduction week in August, the KEI-week (http://stichting.keiweek.nl/) Official semester dates: Monday 2 September 2013 Friday 31 January 2014 Semester 1, block 1 Lectures: Exams: Semester 1, block 2 Lectures Exams and resits Monday 2 September Friday 18 October 2013 Monday 21 October Friday 8 November 2013 Monday 11 November Friday 10 January 2014 Monday 13 January Friday 31 February 2013 Note: students are expected to be present during the first week of classes (2-6 September 2013). Note: Exam periods are fixed and it is not possible to change exam dates. Holidays Groningen Liberation Day Christmas vacation Wednesday 28 August 2013 Saturday 21 December 2013 Sunday 5 January 2014 Note: Professors might continue teaching until Friday December 20th. Take this into account when booking your flight home for the holidays!! 3 12
Semester 2 Introduction programme for international students Monday 27 Friday 31 January: Check-in @ International Office and seminar group enrolment To be announced: RUG Welcoming Ceremony and Faculty Introduction for international students Note: apart from these introduction events organized respectively by the University and the Faculty of Arts, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Groningen organizes an intro-week for international students as well (www.esn-groningen.nl) Official semester dates: Monday 3 February 2013 Friday 4 July 2013 Semester 2, block 1 Lectures Exams Semester 2, block 2 Lectures Exams and resits Monday 3 February Friday 21 March 2014 Monday 24 March Friday 11 April 2014 Monday 14 April Friday 30 May 2014 Monday 2 June Friday 4 July 2014 Note: students are expected to be present during the first week of classes (3-7 February 2014). Note: Exam periods are fixed and it is not possible to change exam dates. Holidays Good Friday Easter Birthday of the King Liberation Day Ascension Thursday Whitsun Summer holidays Groningen Liberation Day Friday 18 April 2014 Sunday 20 April and Monday 21 April 2014 Sunday 27 April 2014 Monday 5 May 2014 Thursday 29 May 2014 Sunday 8 and Monday 9 June 2014 Saturday 5 July Sunday 1 September 2014 Thursday 28 August 2014 Introduction Before classes start, the University organizes an introduction programme for all incoming international students. We highly advise you to attend this introduction, because you can arrange lots of practical matters before classes start. We will send you additional information about the date, the programme and how you can sign up as soon as possible. Welcoming Ceremony 2013-2014: Semester 1: Tuesday 27 August and Thursday 29 August 2013 (provisional) Semester 2: to be announced In addition to this Welcoming Ceremony, there is a welcoming event especially for students of the Faculty of Arts. Date and location will be announced later. We advise students to arrive in Groningen one or two weeks before classes start, not only to participate in the introduction programmes, but also to find your way around the University and the city, finalise the learning agreement, compose your time tables and enrol in seminar groups. 4 12
Learning agreement Exchange students must send in their Learning Agreement and course selection form with their online application. The learning agreement will be approved by the study adviser for exchange students. Admission is not automatic, however, and depends on entry requirements, language skills and whether the class is full. It is wise, therefore, to select one or two extra courses in case you cannot attend a class of your first choice. NOTE: please be aware of the fact that the courses taught at our faculty are usually not exactly the same as the courses taught at home. An exchange period is especially useful for taking elective courses rather than compulsory courses. Time tables We cannot provide you with future course time tables as of yet. Please be aware of the fact that course time tables might interfere and that changes in your course selection may be necessary after arrival in Groningen because of that. Course time tables will be published in the course descriptions in the online course catalogue Ocasys: http://www.rug.nl/ocasys/ Student adviser for exchange students Exchange students may contact the student adviser for exchange students, mrs. Ingrid Sennema. You can send her an email in the following cases: - if you need advise on what courses to take inside or outside the faculty of Arts; - if you encounter problems related to studying here; - if you need advice on personal problems that affect your study / exchange; - if you have a disability or special needs which we need to take into account in the preparation of your study period in Groningen. Contact details Ingrid Sennema, MA Student Adviser Exchange Students tel. +31.50.363 2909 fax +31.50 363 74 22 e-mail: int.studyadvice.let@rug.nl Courses As an exchange student, you can choose from the following categories of courses: The Dutch Studies programme This programme is taught in English and is open to all exchange students of the University of Groningen. There are no specific entry requirements, apart from sufficient English language skills. English-taught modules In the Arts Faculty, some courses are taught in English and are open to exchange students. In the case of second or third-year courses, there are often specific entry requirements. This means that you need a certain grounding in that particular field of study, such as an introductory course at home. This should be apparent from your transcript of records which you send the International Office together with your application forms. For fourth-year (Master s) courses, you need a BA in the relevant field of study. If you have questions about this, please contact the study adviser for exchange students, Mrs. Ingrid Sennema: int.studyadvice.let@rug.nl 5 12
Language and literature courses Students of language and literature may choose courses from the study programme of the relevant department. E.g. a student of Spanish literature may choose courses in Spanish literature. These course modules are not included in the course overview but can be found on the websites of the various language departments and in the on-line course catalogue Ocasys (www.rug.nl/ocasys ). Courses in Dutch If Dutch is your mother tongue, or if your level of Dutch is sufficient (CEF B2/C1), you can also apply for courses taught in Dutch. Check http://www.rug.nl/let/organization/diensten-en-voorzieningen/international-office-new/exchange-students/what-can-i-study for detailed information about courses for exchange students and instructions on how to choose courses. Changes and additions are still possible. The newest versions will be uploaded as soon as possible, so check this website on a regular basis!! Dutch Language Courses Students who are interested in learning Dutch during their stay in Groningen, can sign up for a language course at the Language Center: http://www.rug.nl/science-and-society/language-centre/ Registration and payments are handled by our colleagues at the Language Center. It is possible to receive ECTS credits for a Dutch language course and have the course added to your learning agreement. You can also take other language courses at the Language Center, e.g. English, Spanish, French, but at this moment you can only get a certificate for those (so no grade and ECTS credits). Language requirements One of the problems many students from non-english speaking countries encounter is the required level of English when they attend courses taught in English. In the Netherlands, the level of English proficiency is high, and lecturers expect all students in their class to have adequate language skills to participate in their course. The level of proficiency we require of exchange students can be compared to a TOEFL score of 550, or IELTS 6-6,5, or CEF (European Framework of Reference) B2/C1. If your results fall below that, you will probably have trouble understanding books and lectures and participating in discussions. The consequence may be that you fail courses or get bad results, or even that you are denied admission to courses or are evicted from courses. In order to avoid this, prospective exchange students whose mother tongue is not English are advised to do the following: Have your level of English tested at home, for example at your university language centre; If you have done an official language test, send in the certificate with your online application. If you have done a self-assessment, please have it signed by the r of your home university. If you are sure your English is good enough anyway (without doing a test), ask your r to write a note saying that your English is sufficient. Send in this certificate with your online application; If necessary, we strongly advise you to take an intensive language course before you leave for Groningen so that your English proficiency is adequate before your arrival. While you are in Groningen, you can enrol in our course English Proficiency for International Students, which focuses on academic skills in English. Limited places available. 6 12
Other languages If you wish to enrol in courses not taught in English but in another language that is not your mother tongue, you need to send a certificate or statement from your language instructor at your home university indicating your level of proficiency in that language. If you want to take proficiency courses in, for example, German or French, you will be tested again before you can be finally admitted. If you wish to enrol in courses taught in Dutch, your level needs to be at least CEF B2 to C1. Registration for courses and exams Exchange students don t register for courses themselves. The International Office will take care of the enrollments after the learning agreement is approved. The registration for exams is not compulsory for exchange students, but is advised. This is not possible yet, you will be instructed on how to do this after arrival in Groningen. Student housing The University of Groningen is not a campus university. Students have to find their own accommodation somewhere in town. The housing situation in Groningen is difficult and you might find it hard to find an (affordable) place to live during your exchange. International students can get assistance in finding accommodation from the Housing Office. The Housing Office is a non-profit organisation and not part of the University of Groningen. The Housing Office offers furnished rooms in International Student Houses (ISH) and Dutch student houses. The rent per month ranges between approximately 300 for shared accommodation and 450 for a large single room (subject to changes). The registration fee is 275,-. These costs are non-refundable. Apart from these 275,-, you have to pay 375,- which will become the deposit of your room after accepting the offer. This deposit will be refunded to you at the end of your stay. The website of the Housing Office contains more detailed information about the types of accommodation they offer and rental conditions. Housing application procedure If you want to apply for Housing, you need to sign up on-line at the Housing Office website at least two months before your planned arrival in Groningen and, for the first semester, preferably before the 1 st of June via www.housingoffice.nl Make sure you don t wait too long with the application, because you may then find out that the student houses are already full! Complete the online application form and choose Ms. A. van Urk as your University of Groningen contact person. After you have completed the form, you will receive an e-mail from the Housing Office asking you to confirm your application. After you have paid the deposit and administrative fee, the Housing Office will confirm your payment and process your application. You will be contacted by e-mail as soon as the Housing Office has found you a room. NOTE: Cancellation of your application, whether you have received an offer or not, means you will lose the administrative fee of 275 euros! Only if the Housing Office can t offer you anything, you will get back both administrative fee and deposit. It is important that you provide an e-mail address which you check regularly, because the Housing Office will contact you only by e-mail. There is NO guarantee that the Housing Office will be able to grant your preferences. In case you have to cancel your stay in Groningen, or if you arrive later than the date you have indicated on the form, you should inform both the Housing Office and the International Office as soon as possible. 7 12
Contacting the Housing Office: Visiting address: Friesestraatweg 18 9718 NH Groningen Tel: 0031 (0)50 365 7100 / 7126 e-mail: info@housingoffice.nl Website: www.housingoffice.nl Opening Hours: Monday Friday: 9.00 16.00 The Housing Office guarantees reliable service. If however, for some reason, you do not wish to make use of the Housing Office and find housing on your own, please be aware that there may be untrustworthy landlords and unreliable room agencies. We therefore ask you to take note of the following tips: * In the summer months and at the beginning of the Academic year there are a lot of students trying to find accommodation, it is wise to start looking for a room early * If you try to find housing on your own, please make sure to do this through official websites or companies that you can trace * Do not go to a viewing alone (preferably bring a local) * Do not pay anything before you have made clear agreements in writing * Always ask for a payment receipt * A rent that is too low for the location or type of housing as well as unrecognizable pictures of the location may indicate fraudulent practices * Avoid identity theft: never send a copy of your passport to strangers * If you wish to rent a room outside the city center in a building that has 3 or more residents, you should check if the proprietor has the correct permit. Here is a list of verified real estate offices / rental agencies: Short Stay Groningen Rademarkt 10 9711 CV Groningen 088-55 88 100 huren@directwonen.nl www.directwonen.nl Beter Wonen Gedempte Zuiderdiep 68 9711 HK Groningen 050-311 4093 info@beter-wonen.nl www.beter-wonen.nl Woldring Kamerverhuur Soephuisstraatje 13 9712 BZ Groningen 050 360 0318 www.woldringverhuur.nl Rotsvast Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 69 9212 NN Groningen Phone +31 050 526 7200 Groningen@rotsvast.nl www.rotsvast.nl 8 12
Lefier Gedempte Zuiderdiep 22 9711 HG Groningen 050 369 3693 info@in-groningen.nl www.lefier.nl Maxx vastgoed Gelkingestraat 23 9711 NA Groningen 050-3111 000 050-3135 000 info@maxxgroningen.nl www.maxxvastgoed.nl Schove Lopendediep 20 9712 NW Groningen 050 311 9656 www.schove-groep.nl Makelaardij Zeeven Parklaan 1 Postbus 138 9700 AC Groningen 050-318 3277 info@zeeven.nl www.zeeven.nl Kappenburg & van Prooijen Nieuwe Ebbingestraat 38 9712 NL Groningen 050-529 0533 info@kappenburgvanprooijen.nl www.kappenburgvanprooijen.nl Vastgoed Groningen BV Zuiderpark 1 9724 AD Groningen 050 313 7580 Makelaardij Stad & Regio Westersingel 10 9718 CK Groningen 050 311 9994 www.stadenregio.nl Youth Hostel Boterdiep 73-2 9712 LL Groningen 050 313 5221 simplon-jongerenhotel@xs4all.nl www.simplonjongerenhotel.nl 9 12
Bud Gett Hostels Rademarkt 3-3a 9711 CS Groningen 050-588 6558 receptie@budgetthostels.nl www.budgetthostels.nl There are a number of websites that specialize in student accommodation. You can find rooms that are currently being offered, or you can place a (free) ad regarding your needs for a room. A list of websites: www.kamerstart.nl www.kamernet.nl www.opkamers.nl/kamers-groningen.html www.studentenkamers.nl Health Insurance All international students in the Netherlands are required to have a health insurance. What kind of health insurance depends on your country of origin, age, length of stay and if you have a job in the Netherlands as well as studying. EU / EEA citizens Students from EU and EEA countries who are insured in their own country under a national health service are automatically insured in the Netherlands, but you need to obtain a European Health Insurance Card. You can get an EHIC from your insurance company in your own country. With the EHIC you will continue to be covered by the insurance in your home country. If you don t have a health insurance in your country, you have to apply for a Dutch health insurance. We recommend AON, www.myaon.nl/students Non EU / EEA citizens Students from Non EU / EEA countries have to apply for a Dutch health insurance. We can recommend AON, a complete student travel insurance package for your international study. AON provides an international student insurance including health, emergency assistance, personal possessions & liability. Website AON: www.myaon.nl/students Liability Insurance The European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) does not include household contents insurance, luggage insurance or liability insurance. Liability insurance covers any damage that you may accidentally cause to other people or their property. At AON you will be able to take out this additional insurance package; we recommend that you do so. (https://www.students-insurance.eu/studenten/netherlands/insurance/insurancepackages/icscomplete/) Visa If you do not have an EU/EER nationality or come from the USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Monaco or Vatican City (country group 2), you need to apply for a visa if you stay longer than 3 months in the Netherlands. For more information about the visa procedure, please contact the faculty contact person for visa issues: a.van.urk@rug.nl Students from USA, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Australia, Monaco or Vatican City can travel to the Netherlands without a visa, but do need a residence permit. Please note that the handling fee for visa/residence permit charged by the Dutch Immigration and Naturalization Service for the academic year 2013/2014 is: 10 12
Non EU students: 300 for the MVV and the residence permit Students from country group 2: 300 for the single residence permit. We would like to stress that the handling fee will not be refunded by the IND in case we will need to withdraw your visa application at a later stage for any kind of reason If applicable to you: we will send you an email with information on your visa procedure and/or residence permit and a list of documents you need for the application as soon as possible. Transportation From Schiphol Airport you can take a direct train to Groningen Central Station. The ride takes approximately 2 hours, every 3 minutes past the hour. You can also take the train 33 minutes past the hour, than you have to change trains in Zwolle. The train leaves from platform 1-2 at Schiphol (subject to changes). You can buy a ticket in the machine or at the information desks at Schiphol station. A one way second class ticket costs about 25 euros. It is important that you purchase a train ticket to Groningen before you board the train. Passengers travelling without a valid ticket will be fined! At the website of the railway company NS (www.ns.nl ) you will find a journey planner. Discount for transportation International students can t get a student discount on train and bus tickets. Drug stores and supermarkets sometimes sell cheap day train tickets, in stores or online. We will inform you about these sales as often as possible! Erasmus Student Network (ESN) Dutch students have set up organisations for the integration of exchange students both at University and at Faculty level. The University-wide association is called ESN-Groningen. ESN- Groningen organises social activities especially for international students and their Dutch student mentors, often in co-operation with faculty-based associations. ESN-Groningen Grote Rozenstraat 23 9712 TG Groningen Telephone: 0031 (0)50 363 7176 Website: www.esn-groningen.nl E-mail: info@esn-groningen.nl 11 12
ESN-Groningen also organises a student mentor programme. Student mentors are Dutch students (of the Faculty of Arts) who introduce exchange students to the Faculty and help them with practical matters such as registration. They play a particularly important role in the first weeks of your stay in Groningen, but often also after that. If you wish to have a student mentor assigned to you (which we do advise!), check the ESN Groningen website. You need to state your exact date and time of arrival, e-mail address and/or a telephone number where you can be reached, so your student mentor knows when and how to get in touch with you. Facebook You can find us on Facebook: University of Groningen - International Office - Faculty of Arts! Here you can meet other students who are coming to Groningen on an exchange, students also post advertisements for rooms, books, furniture and even bicycles. On Facebook we will also inform you about upcoming events and interesting topics. Please do not use Facebook for study related matters or questions regarding your registration. And finally Always keep us informed about changes in your situation (cancellation of your exchange, new address or other contact details, updated grades). If you have any questions concerning your exchange, send an email to international.office.let@rug.nl See you in Groningen! 12 12