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.

Join the 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:

• General course schedule of the English taught courses at our faculty:
  • Available from the second half of July onwards.
  • Check the study guide  (Programme summary > "course schedule 1st semester" or "course schedule 2nd semester" on the right side). 
• Schedule of one or more specific courses:
  • Available once you are enrolled at Ghent University. You will be enrolled backoffice at the beginning of September (first semester) or the beginning of February (second semester).
  • Check Oasis > My calendar > Search > Schedule > Search Course. 
• Personal course schedule: 
  • Available once you submitted your curriculum. Please only submit your curriculum once you received the necessary information during the online session of the Faculty Welcome.
  • Check Oasis > My calendar > Personal > Schedule. 
  • Before you can consult your personal timetable, it is important that you are linked to a group for each course in your curriculum. 

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. Here you can find an overview of the courses that require an additional approval during the first semester of academic year 2023-2024. 
   • 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 Learning Agreement, if you used an online 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 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: 20 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.  

• Ufora knowledge clip
• UGent E-mail
• More information about the most commonly used platforms, how they work and how to access them.
• Problems? Check who can help you in the ICT guide for students.

Feeling good at our faculty

Check our webpage on Feeling good!

Special status for students

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. 

Examinations

• You are automatically registered for the examinations.
• Schedules can be found in Oasis (“My Calender”) from the end of November (first semester)/ the middle of March (second semester) onwards. 
• If you need study guidance, feel free to contact our student counsellors. 
• What if you are ill or have an overlap during the exam period? When will the exam results be announced? You can find the answers on the faculty website about exams and 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
• 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) you might be invited for an evaluation talk or/and we might report on your academic performances to your home university.

Re-examinations

• If you fail an examination, you are automatically registered for a re-examination during the resit examination period (end of August, beginning of September). It is not necessary to contact the lecturer separately to make arrangements regarding your re-examination, except in special circumstances.
• Schedules for re-examinations can be found in Oasis ("My Calendar") from July onwards. 
• It is not possible to participate in re-examinations for courses you succeeded during the first examination session.
• What if you are ill or have an overlap during the resit examination period? When will the resit examination results be announced? You can find the answers on the faculty website about exams and feedback.
• 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.
• Transcript of records after resit: 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".

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.