Details

• Netherlands
• BaWiSo-23
• Undergraduate
• WS 2025
• Time spent at the partner university: 5 months

1. Preparation

Book your bike at Swapfiets, where you can get a contract for six months. You will mainly travel by bike, so do not rely too much on public transport. Also be prepared for cold, rainy, and windy weather if you come here in autumn or winter, meaning waterproof clothes, gloves, a thick jacket, etc. Make sure that your Learning Agreement is accepted and that you have access to your university account, as you need to enrol in the courses yourself. Book your flight or train tickets in advance, as travelling in the Netherlands can be quite expensive. If you want to save money and receive the green travel support, there is a Nightjet from ÖBB going directly from Vienna to Amsterdam. From there, you can travel to Groningen by train (book in advance, Dutch trains are expensive) or take a FlixBus if you want to save money. Check for accommodation early enough!

2. Accommodation

You can search for private flats through Facebook groups, WhatsApp groups, etc., but it is unlikely that Dutch landlords will rent their flats to foreigners. The University of Groningen itself suggests the Dutch student housing company SSH, which will probably be the best solution. There are several SSH buildings, which vary in size and number of roommates/flatmates. However, the prices are almost identical (and quite expensive). All of them are student residences, which makes them perfect for making friends. The rooms are furnished, but you usually have to buy household items yourself (e.g. kitchen equipment, bedding, and other basics). The SSH buildings are located in safe neighbourhoods with good locations (close to the university and the city centre). Regarding the proximity to the Faculty of Economics and Business, I would suggest the SSH buildings Proxima and Cornus. Registration for SSH rooms usually opens two to three months before your exchange semester, so plan ahead, save the date, and be quick. Rooms are often gone within minutes and the system may crash. Since the distance to the university is not extremely long from any location, I would recommend choosing a building closer to the city centre. To sum up, SSH is the way to go.

3. Academic life at host university

For the Faculty of Economics and Business, all of the buildings you need are located in one place (Zernike Campus). The campus is small and easy to access by bike (or by bus in the worst case). There is also an online campus navigator on the university website if you have problems finding rooms. The academic culture at the RUG is quite demanding. Professors expect constant self-study from the first lecture on. Lectures are not mandatory. Tutorials sometimes are and sometimes are not, depending on whether they are only for practicing and checking yourself, or whether they are part of the grade. The teaching style is quite objective, and there is not much 1-on-1 support from professors. Everything is organised like large lectures at WU. Also, there is not much support through study materials. You will receive the slides and a list of additional literature, but there are very few exercises or opportunities to check yourself, compared to what we are used to at WU. Overall, things are strict. Missing deadlines or attendance requirements can lead to immediate deductions. The grading of assignments and exams is also very direct. You usually only get good feedback if you deliver exactly what the task asks for. Do not expect many good to very good grades. The grading system (1–10) leaves less room for “buffer points”, and professors generally give high grades only for excellent work (a 9 or 10 is almost impossible). From my experience, many home students mainly aim to pass. Personally, I had to put in about the same amount of studying at RUG to pass or get an average grade as I would at WU Vienna to get good grades. As mentioned before, the university requires a lot of self-study, and many courses mainly depend on the final exam. In most courses there are not many assignments, presentations, or multiple grading components. Even if there are other components, you often still have to pass the final exam in order to pass the course overall. You are expected to actually understand the subject, not just memorise it. Many exams are digital in a large exam hall and often in multiple-choice format, so you have to be very careful. There is little reward for “knowing everything a bit”. You need to find a learning method that works for you. For some orientation, you can use the Dutch platform Studersnel. I was one of the first students under the new curriculum who could choose 20 ECTS freely from economics courses when going to Groningen, so I had less guidance in advance. I would recommend picking courses where you can earn part of your grade through components other than the final exam. I chose courses I was interested in, but which I had not taken at WU. Make sure to read each syllabus in advance and try to use earlier exchange reports for orientation. For additional WU courses (everything above the 20 ECTS), there is usually not much choice, so think carefully about what you want to “save” for your exchange. Also, plan for a high workload. I took six courses for a total of 30 ECTS, and it required more effort than the same amount at WU and more than I expected for an exchange semester.

5. Every day life in the host country

The Netherlands in general are not very different from Austria in terms of culture and behaviour. Daily routines, opening hours (except for grocery stores), and infrastructure are quite similar. The weather, however, gets colder earlier than we are used to, and the constant rain can be challenging. Some Dutch people may seem a bit reserved or direct towards people who do not speak their language, but almost everyone speaks English very well, so there is no real language barrier. Groningen itself is a small city with a very high share of students. There are also many international students, which makes it easy to meet new people and learn about other cultures every day. There is nightlife in the city centre almost every day, so be prepared to go out frequently and spend some money on it. The city centre also offers some shopping, food markets, culture, restaurants, etc. The safety situation in Groningen is very good, and you do not need to feel unsafe. It may take a few days to get used to the intense bicycle traffic, but that is probably the most challenging part. Regarding social and leisure activities, I highly recommend joining the Erasmus Student Network (ESN). You can become a member before starting your exchange. ESN offers many events, parties, dinners, and trips, which makes it easy to meet other students. Some of the first events are organised in fixed groups, which helped many of us make close friends early on. The ESN membership also provides discounts for travelling (flights, buses, trains, and other services), which is useful if you want to explore other places. Try to travel around Northern Europe while you are there, as Groningen and the Netherlands are well located for that. I would also strongly recommend living in shared accommodation. From my experience, I made many close friends in my housing and flat. Living in a small community made the whole exchange much more enjoyable, as you spend time together not only at events but also in everyday life. So really try to get a room in a SSH building, if possible. Students at the university are generally very open and willing to make friends, since many of them are internationals who are also new to the city. There are also welcome days organised by both ESN and the university, which are great opportunities to meet people. The university’s sports facilities are very good and will be presented during the first days. The ACLO membership gives you access to many facilities and sports clubs for a very reasonable one-semester fee. The sports centre is also located directly next to the university campus.

6. Testimonial

It will not be the typical exchange experience of living in a cheap, warm country and doing little uni work, as Groningen can be dark and cold and the university, being top 100, is quite demanding. There will be challenging and sometimes lonely moments, but especially in those I learned a lot about myself and gained maturity. The best part of my exchange was the people I met, as we built a small community and I made friendships that lasted even after the semester. Do not be afraid to meet new people and do what feels right for you. The exchange will help you grow your personality, no matter if it was a nice time or not.