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During your stay

International Student Guide

Questions about practicalities, leisure or facilities? The International Student Guide offers you an elaborate overview of everything you might want to know before, during and after your studies at Ghent University.

Welcome Activities

We recommend you to arrive in Ghent in time so you can participate in the Welcome activities.

Time schedules

There are 3 different types of course schedules:

Schedules from the different study fields are NOT harmonized with each other and can change at the beginning of the semester. You might have to change your courses at the beginning of the semester due to timetable conflicts.

Location of classrooms and auditoria

You can find the exact location of your classrooms and auditoria in your time schedule.

Most classes of our faculty are taught at Campus Ufo and Campus Aula, but Ghent University has campuses throughout the city. 

Courses - procedure at the start of the semester 

  1. Check your courses in the time schedule and on Ufora 
    • Do you have a timetable conflict?
    • Are the courses you mentioned in your Learning Agreement still available? 
    • Did the lecturer put any additional information for incoming exchange students about the course on Ufora?
  2. Check if an additional approval by the lecturer is required to follow your courses. This is applicable for all exchange students following courses at our Faculty of Political and Social Sciences.  
    • This might be the case for some of the courses starting with code K00xxxx. The overview of courses that require an additional approval during academic year 2024-2025 can be found here.
    • If an additional approval is required:
      • Fill in the “Approval of lecturer” document
      • Contact the lecturer (by e-mail, or in person before or after class)
      • Discuss the approval document and get the document signed by the lecturer in person or via email
    • During the first week of the semester you can attend classes without having an additional approval by the lecturer yet. 
    • Also check the Ufora page of the course to see if any additional approval requirements apply.
  3. Change your courses and edit your curriculum in Oasis if necessary, taking the course offer and course requirements into consideration. 
  4. Make a Learning Agreement changes (only necessary if you add or delete courses at the start of the semester). 
    • PDF-file, if you used a Learning Agreement in PDF-format in your exchange application: Use your initial Learning Agreement, the sample document from your home university, or download the UGent template from this website.  
    • Online/digital Learning Agreement, if you used an online/digital Learning Agreement (OLW/EWP/Mobility Online) in your exchange application: Use the mobility platform from your home university to make a Learning Agreement changes.
    • Sign it and have it signed by your home university
  5. Upload your "Approval of lecturer" document(s)/Learning Agreement changes in Oasis (if applicable).
    • Approval of lecturer: exchange application - documents - "other" - comment: 'approval of lecturer - course title’ (scan/pdf)
    • Learning Agreement changes
      • PDF-file: exchange application - documents - "other" - comment: 'Learning Agreement changes'
      • Online/digital Learning Agreement: is automatically transferred to Oasis once signed by yourself and your academic coordinator. 
  6. Submit your curriculum so RIO can check your file. If your file is OK, RIO will:
    • Sign the Learning Agreement changes
    • Approve your curriculum

Deadline submitting requested documents + submitting your curriculum:

  • Semester 1: 15 October
  • Semester 2: 28 February

More information about this procedure will be provided during our Faculty Welcome

Online Platforms (Ufora - Oasis - Athena)

Students at Ghent University need to be able to handle multiple online platforms.  

Feeling good at our faculty

Check our webpage on Feeling good!

Special status

Students with a disability or exceptional social/personal circumstances can apply for a special status. Depending on the grounds on which the special status was given, students with a special status may be granted one or more facilities. 

    Study guidance

    Not sure how to plan your exams or tasks? Questions about your study skills or study attitude? Don't hesitate to contact our student counsellors via e-mail or Instagram. They will be happy to help you!

    Education and examination code

    The Education and Examination Code is the regulatory framework for professors and students. In here you can read all university-wide arrangements about education and examinations. Through your enrolment (application) you declare agreement with the Education and Examination Code.

    Examinations

    Schedules and registration

    • You are automatically registered for the examinations once you submitted your curriculum.
    • The examination period is spread over 2 months, January (first semester) and June (second semester). These months are part of your official exchange period, so make sure to be in Ghent. 
    • There is one fixed examination moment for each exam. Your personal examination schedule can be found in Oasis (“My Calender”, left column) from the end of November (first semester)/ the middle of March (second semester) onwards. You are supposed to take the exams as scheduled in the exam schedule.

    Study guidance

    Grading system & feedback

    • The Flemish academic grading system is based on a mark between 0 and 20. A mark less than 10 means ‘fail’ (= ECTS grades F and FX). More info about the grading system at UGent
    • If you are a Bachelor student and included Master courses in your curriculum, the assessment of your Master courses will be done on Master level., not on Bachelor level. No different assessment level will be applied. 
    • Want to receive feedback on your exams? Check the Ufora page of the course for feedback moments or contact the lecturer (after the examination period).
    • If you didn’t perform well (several failures) we might report on your academic performances to your home university.

    Examination Codes

    FAQ

    • What if you are ill or have an overlap during the exam period? How do you register your absence? When will the exam results be announced? You can find the answers on the faculty website about exams and feedback.
    • Questions about your exam schedule? Contact fsa.psw@ugent.be.

    Re-examinations

    Schedules and registration

    • If you fail an examination, you are not automatically registered for a re-examination during the resit examination period. Please register for each resit exam in which you will participate via oasis.ugent.be before 8 August 2024. 
    • Re-examinations are organized between the middle of August and the middle of September, regardless of when the class was taught. Make sure to be in Ghent during the resit examination period in case of re-examinations. 
    • There is one fixed resit examination moment for each exam. Your personal re-examination schedule can be found in Oasis ("My Calendar", left column) from July onwards. You are supposed to take the exams as scheduled in the exam schedule.
    • It is not possible to participate in re-examinations for courses you succeeded during the first examination session.
    • If you do not attend the re-examination after a failure in the first examination session, the transcript of records of the resit examination period will not repeat the grades of the first examination session but will mention "absent".

    Study guidance

    Grading system & feedback

    • The result of resit examinations are published in September.
    • The Flemish academic grading system is based on a mark between 0 and 20. A mark less than 10 means ‘fail’ (= ECTS grades F and FX). More info about the grading system at UGent
    • If you are a Bachelor student and included Master courses in your curriculum, the assessment of your Master courses will be done on Master level., not on Bachelor level. No different assessment level will be applied. 
    • Want to receive feedback on your exams? Check the Ufora page of the course for feedback moments or contact the lecturer (after the examination period).
    • If you didn’t perform well (several failures) we might report on your academic performances to your home university.

    Examination Codes

    FAQ

    • What if you are ill or have an overlap during the resit examination period? How do you register your absence? When will the exam results be announced? You can find the answers on the faculty website about exams and feedback.
    • Questions about your exam schedule? Contact fsa.psw@ugent.be.
    • What about my UGent account and student card? Your UGent account and student card are valid until the end of the resit examination period so you don't need to officially prolong your stay for re-examinations, except if you need UGent housing for the re-examination period.

    Prolongation 

    Usually it is not possible to prolong your stay, unless the exchange agreement exceptionally provides this possibility . Do you want us to check if a prolongation is possible? Please contact rio.psw@ugent.be at least two months before the start of the semester. RIO will inform you about the possibilities.