Gent.

ESN Gent runs the main international social calendar, organising parties, trips, cultural events and sports activities through its ESN Gent app, where you also book spots and buy tickets. Its buddy programme pairs you with a local volunteer who helps you navigate the city, answer questions and find local gems before term even starts. Picking up the ESNcard through the same app unlocks discounts with partner bars, shops and tour operators. Beyond ESN, Gent's roughly 66,000 students keep course associations and sports clubs busy all year, so there is always another way to meet people.

• Join ESN Gent's buddy programme through its app for a local guide from day one.
• Buy the ESNcard in the ESN Gent app for discounts on trips and events.
• Head to Overpoort on Thursday nights, the student district's busiest night out.

Gent runs cheaper than Brussels or Antwerp, but budget carefully anyway. Shared housing typically costs 400 to 750 euros a month, groceries add another 190 to 290 euros, transport runs 20 to 40 euros, and utilities land between 90 and 170 euros, for a realistic monthly total around 700 to 1,250 euros depending on your room and habits. For transport specifically, the Buzzy Pazz youth pass costs 165 euros a year for unlimited De Lijn bus and tram travel across Flanders, plus a 10 euro MOBIB card fee, far cheaper than paying 3 euros per ride.

• Budget roughly 700 to 1,250 euros a month for housing, food and transport.
• Get the Buzzy Pazz, 165 euros a year for unlimited bus and tram.
• Plan around 190 to 290 euros monthly for groceries on top of rent.

Ghent University's Housing Office reserves halls of residence for exchange students, including Rooms Plus and Comfort Rooms at the central Kantienberg site, with one semester stays getting first priority and no deposit currently required. Utilities, internet, bed linen and cleaning are included in the rent, and you apply once your exchange place is confirmed through OASIS, with a follow up from the Housing Office within about two weeks. If halls are full, both the Housing Office and the city's own Dienst Wonen advise on the private market. Always view a private room in person before sending any money.

• Apply for a hall of residence room right after your OASIS confirmation.
• Ask Dienst Wonen, the city's own housing service, for private market advice too.
• Never send a deposit for a private room before viewing it properly.

Gent runs on De Lijn trams and buses, with four tram lines crossing the centre and a single contactless tap costing 3 euros for an hour of unlimited transfers. Buy a physical ticket at the Lijnwinkel shops at Gent Sint Pieters station or Korenmarkt if you would rather not tap a card. The nearest airport is Brussels Airport, connected to Gent Sint Pieters by a direct train around 60 times a day, taking as little as 54 minutes. Once you are settled, the city's nearly 400 kilometres of cycle paths make a bike the fastest way to get around.

• Tap in for 3 euros for an hour of unlimited tram and bus transfers.
• Take the direct train from Brussels Airport to Gent Sint Pieters, about 54 minutes.
• Buy a bike early, cycling beats transit on Gent's flat, compact streets.

Ghent University, founded in 1816, hosts most incoming exchange students through its International Relations Office, which assigns a dedicated exchange student adviser once your home university nominates you. The 2026 to 2027 academic year opens on 21 September, with first semester teaching running to 12 December and exams through 30 January, before second semester teaching resumes on 8 February ahead of exams closing out the year in early July. Exchange stays run from one month up to a full year, and while many courses run in English, check your faculty's language offer before choosing modules.

• Confirm your nomination early, then contact your exchange student adviser directly.
• Note first semester exams run through 30 January, right after the break.
• Check your faculty's English course list before committing to specific modules.

Ça dépend entièrement de ton passeport. Si tu es citoyen UE/EEE ou suisse, pas de visa : tu débarques, puis tu t'enregistres à ta commune (mairie) locale dans les trois mois environ pour obtenir un document de séjour. Apporte ta lettre d'inscription, ton passeport, une preuve d'assurance santé et une preuve que tu peux subvenir à tes besoins.

Si tu es étudiant hors UE (Royaume-Uni, États-Unis, la plupart du monde) tu as besoin d'un visa long séjour étudiant de type D avant de voyager. Il te faudra ta lettre d'admission/inscription officielle, une preuve de fonds suffisants (environ 770-800 € par mois, souvent via un compte bloqué ou une bourse), une assurance santé et parfois un certificat médical et un casier judiciaire vierge. Une fois en Belgique, tu dois t'enregistrer à la commune dans les 8 jours ouvrables pour obtenir ta carte de séjour. Commence tôt, parce que les rendez-vous et la légalisation des documents bouffent des semaines.

• UE/EEE/Suisse, pas de visa, juste un enregistrement à la commune
• Hors UE, demande un visa long séjour de type D avant d'arriver
• Preuve de fonds, ~770-800 €/mois
• Enregistre-toi à la commune dans les 8 jours ouvrables après ton arrivée
• Post-Brexit : les étudiants britanniques ont maintenant besoin du visa type D

Gent takes food seriously, plant based food especially: the city launched Veggie Thursday back in 2009, a weekly meat free day now followed across restaurants and canteens. For something traditional, try waterzooi, a creamy chicken or fish stew that originated here, or Ganda ham, cured for at least ten months. Tierenteyn mustard has been made the same way since 1790 in its shop near the Korenmarkt, still considered the sharp, tangy standard locally. Round it off with a cuberdon, the purple, syrup filled sweet sold from carts around the historic centre.

• Try a meat free canteen meal on Thursday, Gent's long running Veggie Thursday.
• Taste Tierenteyn mustard from the shop making it since 1790 near Korenmarkt.
• Pick up a cuberdon, the purple syrup filled sweet sold from street carts.

Most students end up near Overpoort, a single stretch packing in more than 30 bars and cafes almost entirely for the university crowd, busiest of all on Thursday nights. Sint Pietersnieuwstraat, right next to it, is a quieter secondary hub of cafes and cheap eats close to several faculties. For a calmer evening, Patershol's narrow medieval streets hold dense clusters of restaurants and traditional pubs in a genuinely residential setting, a city within the city. The historic centre around Korenmarkt and Graslei stays the obvious base for canal walks and everyday errands, whichever area you sleep in.

• Live near Overpoort or Sint Pietersnieuwstraat for the closest student social scene.
• Save Patershol for a quieter evening among its restaurants and historic pubs.
• Base yourself near Korenmarkt or Graslei for easy access to the centre.

Gent's location makes weekend trips easy without long travel days. Bruges is a direct 22 to 26 minute train ride away, with more than 80 departures a day, ideal for a half day of canals and chocolate shops. Brussels takes about 28 minutes, with roughly 78 daily trains, so an evening out in the capital is doable after class. Antwerp sits a little further at just over an hour by direct train, still an easy day trip for its fashion district and river. Brussels Airport itself connects directly to Gent Sint Pieters in as little as 54 minutes if you are flying further afield.

• Take the 22 to 26 minute direct train to Bruges for a half day trip.
• Ride about 28 minutes to Brussels for an evening out or weekend visit.
• Reach Antwerp in just over an hour by direct train for a day trip.

Sort your OASIS application and housing request the moment your exchange is confirmed, since hall of residence spots move within weeks and the private market fills up around the same time. Buy your Buzzy Pazz before term starts so you are not paying per ride while queuing at the Lijnwinkel. Join ESN Gent's buddy programme early too, so your volunteer can help before you even land. A common rookie mistake is skipping a bike, in a city this flat and this cycle friendly, walking everywhere just wastes time you could spend exploring it.

• Submit your OASIS housing request the day your exchange place is confirmed.
• Buy your Buzzy Pazz before arrival to skip per ride ticket queues.
• Get a bike within your first week, Gent is built for cycling.