Over 800 students participate in the UGR's Induction Days for International Students

Lun, 21/09/2020 - 10:51
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21/09/2020
Two people delivering a conference
  • The Induction Days took place between Monday 14 and Friday 18 September
  • In this first semester of the 2020-21 academic year, the University of Granada (UGR) expects to receive more than 800 international students

The UGR's Induction Days for International Students got underway on Monday 14 September and drew to a close on Friday 18 September. This year the induction sessions were held in a blended format (a mix of online and on-campus activities) due to the health measures imposed as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Approximately 800 students, most of whom are from European Union countries, attended the sessions.

Thanks to the different international mobility programmes in which the UGR actively participates, these 800 mobility students will join the UGR's classrooms in this first semester, for periods of between five and nine months. The total number of incoming international students is lower than usual due to the pandemic, which has forced many to postpone or cancel their mobility periods abroad.

The Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization, in coordination with the UGR's faculties and schools, has launched a special plan to support the students joining us this academic year. It will ensure their mobility period is conducted as safely as possible and will facilitate their integration into university life in Granada, despite these atypical circumstances.

At the UGR, the Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization organises Induction Days for the beginning of each semester. They aim to welcome new international students, help them to adapt to university life in Granada during their studies, and provide them with information about the most relevant aspects of their stay, both at the University and in the city.

This semester, as part of the blended format of online and on-campus induction sessions, the Vice-Rectorate created a specific website for the participating students, available at https://induction.ugr.es/ On this website, students can consult bilingual (EN-ES) information and multimedia content on topics such as accommodation, canteens, sports, culture, volunteering, academic information, language courses offered by the Modern Languages Centre (CLM), administrative procedures, and health, among others.

The programme of events began on Monday, September 14, with the live streaming of the official welcome session delivered by Dorothy Kelly, Vice-Rector for Internationalization and Wenceslao Martín, Academic Director for Internationalization, after which a small concert was performed by the string quartet of the Orchestra of the University of Granada (OUGR). The event was broadcast live on YouTube from the "Salón Rojo del Hospital Real" - the seat of the Rectorate of the UGR.

On 16, 17 and 18 September, the different UGR faculties and schools receiving students this semester ran specific talks and sessions, mostly in a face-to-face (on-campus) format in small groups, owing to the health measures in place. In this way, our faculties and schools were able to welcome their international students in person and explain their specific plans for adapting teaching and learning.

In addition, to liven up the participants’ evenings and encourage them to meet other students in Granada, the Modern Languages Centre (CLM) ran online language exchanges on Monday 14 and Thursday 17 September.

An important instrument for facilitating the integration of international students at the UGR is our Mentor Programme, which puts local UGR students in contact with our international students. In this way, each mentor lends a hand to a small group of peers from others countries, especially at the beginning of their stay in Granada, so that they can easily integrate and make friends upon their arrival to the city.

Moreover, the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) has also organised a series of recreational activities throughout the month of September to support the integration of international students and add to the enjoyment of their first few days in Granada.

The reception and welcoming of international students who choose the University of Granada as a study destination within the framework of international mobility programmes and modalities (Erasmus+ programme, UGR International Mobility Programme, free-mover student programme, etc.) is a key activity in the UGR’s Internationalisation Strategy. Within the framework of the Erasmus Programme, the University of Granada is the number one higher education institution in Europe in terms of incoming students received, as well as outgoing student sent abroad — a position it has held for over a decade. It total, we receive approximately 2,000 Erasmus students every year and send a further 2,000 abroad. This position confirms the leading role of our welcoming and cosmopolitan University, which offers a unique experience to international students so that they can carry out their studies in an environment of innovation, quality, diversity, tolerance, equality and, in this very special academic year, in line with the maximum guarantees of health security.

Contact information: Wenceslao Martín Rosales. Academic Director for Internationalization. Vice-Rectorate for Internationalization, University of Granada. Email: @email

https://induction.ugr.es/