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 September 2026
- 14 - 20 September. For whom: all students enrolled in English-taught programmes (degree, exchange and short courses).
When travelling to Campus Connect 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 before the Welcome Days 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 (6.36 MB)
Welcome Days September 2026
Registration for the Welcome Days is compulsory. Participants will receive an e-mail to register by the end of May 2026. Please note that the programme is tentative, changes in the programme might occur in the upcoming months.
Monday, 14 September - Sunday, 20 September
We will organise a range of activitities for you to get to know UCLL and the city of Leuven! Here's an overview of some of the activities from last editions;
- Breakfast at Pangaea by ESN Leuven.
- Welcome Days kick-off
You will receive first-hand tips about living in Leuven, find out all about UCLL's student services, get to know ESN Leuven and Insignia, meet your classmates, and much, much more ... - Info fair
You will meet important actors of the city of Leuven who will provide you with some helpful practicalities: 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.) and the Admissions and registrations teams. - Dutch Crash Course
- Social evening by student UCLL student union Insignia at Downtown Jack
- Leuven City Tour by Insignia
- Belgian Evening at Pangaea
- Pub crawl organised by ESN Leuven
- Cozy evening with board games organised by LOKO
- Student stuff market by LOKO
- ...
Throughout the academic year, several activities are organised by Insignia, Pangaea, ESN Leuven and LOKO International. More information is available on the ESN Leuven and LOKO International websites, but you may also want to follow @insignialeuven, @pangaea_kuleuven, @esnleuven and @lokointernational on Instagram. Please note that you may need to register in advance for activities by these organisations.
Next to general information about living in Leuven and studying at UCLL, you will have the first mandatory info sessions during the Welcome Days in the programme you are studying! More info will be updated on this page soon.
UCLL Welcome Days
Relive the highlights from our Welcome Days in the past!
UCLL Welcome Days
More Welcome Days impressions
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 the Life at KU Leuven webpage provides useful information in a nutshell.