How to Join ESN Events as a Degree-Seeking, Non-Exchange International Student
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Aug 03, 2026 • Student Life, Study in Europe
You do not need an Erasmus exchange to join ESN. Degree seeking international students qualify for an ESNcard too, and it costs a small one time fee that varies by local ESN section.
🎓 Full degree international students qualify for ESN membership, not only exchange students.
💶 ESNcard price varies by section, since each one sets its own fee.
📩 Find your local ESN section by searching its name plus your city and university.
⏱️ The card stays valid for 12 months from the day you buy it.
🏠 Events, trips, and discounts run through your local section, not a central ESN office.
Who ESN serves
Erasmus Student Network, ESN, started as a support network for Erasmus exchange students, but membership now covers a wider group.
According to the official ESNcard FAQ , eligible categories include international undergraduate and postgraduate full degree students, meaning anyone studying a whole program abroad, not only students on a short exchange.
Erasmus+ participants, European Solidarity Corps members, ESN volunteers, and buddy or mentor program participants also qualify.
If you moved to another European country to complete an entire bachelor's or master's degree, rather than a semester or year abroad, you count as an internationally mobile student under this rule. Nothing about ESN membership requires an Erasmus grant or an exchange agreement between your home and host universities.
How to join, step by step
Search for the ESN section covering your university or city.
Check their welcome week schedule for a stall, table, or introduction event.
Bring photo ID and enough cash or a card for the ESNcard fee.
Buy the card directly from a section volunteer, no separate application step applies to degree seeking students since the FAQ confirms this category is already eligible.
Join the section's group chat or social media page to see the event calendar.
Getting the ESNcard
Membership runs through an ESNcard, sold by your local ESN section rather than centrally by ESN International. Price depends on which section you join and what benefits they bundle in, so a card in one city costs more or less than in another, depending on local partnerships.
Cards stay active for 12 months from the date of purchase, per the ESNcard FAQ, so time your purchase around the start of the academic year to cover both semesters where possible.
If your university city has no ESN section, an ESNcard is not available there, and you look instead to your Students' Union or university international office for similar events.
What the card gets you
Discounted or members only tickets to ESN trips, parties, and cultural events.
Partner discounts listed on ESN's partner deals platform.
Access to buddy programs some sections run for new international students.
Language exchange meetups and city tours organized by local volunteers.
Discounts and partner deals are not identical everywhere, since each section negotiates its own local partnerships with shops, bars, and transport providers.
Universities also do not always accept the ESNcard for their own internal student discounts, so keep your regular student ID for that instead of relying on the ESNcard alone.
Finding and joining events
Local sections post events on their own social media pages and event platforms rather than through one central ESN calendar, so following your section's Instagram or Facebook page is the fastest way to see what is coming up. Many sections also run a WhatsApp or Discord group for members, announced at the point of sale when you buy your card.
Trips and larger events sell out fast, especially weekend trips built around city breaks or ski season, so buy your card early in the semester rather than waiting until you hear about one specific event.
Sections prioritize members over non members for capped events, and non members are sometimes unable to book at all.
How your experience differs from exchange students
Exchange students often arrive as part of a group their home university already coordinated with the host institution, and some ESN sections build a buddy program specifically around that intake, pairing each exchange student with a local volunteer before they even land. As a degree seeking student, you usually arrive on your own timeline, sometimes mid application cycle for the local section's programs, so you need to reach out yourself rather than expect an automatic assignment. Ask at your welcome fair table whether the section runs a buddy program open to degree students, since some do and some limit it to exchange arrivals only.
Your ESNcard purchase and any ESN trip costs sit entirely separate from Erasmus+ grant funding or your own tuition and living costs. ESN does not distribute Erasmus+ mobility grants, those come through your university's international office if you qualify for a separate exchange period later in your degree, so treat ESN membership purely as a social and events cost, not a funding source.
What ESN membership does not include
ESN is a student volunteer network, not a visa, insurance, or academic support service. It does not process residence permits, does not cover health insurance, and does not replace your university's international student office for enrollment or academic matters. Treat it as a social and cultural network layered on top of your actual studies, separate from official university or immigration support.