Your First Week at a European University: A Survival Guide

Enroll at your university before anything else

Bring your acceptance letter, passport, passport photos, and any required health insurance proof to your faculty's enrollment or matriculation office. Most universities run this in the first days of orientation week, often before lectures start. You get your student ID card and university email account at this step, and you need both for the library, the cafeteria, and campus wifi.

Some universities matriculate you online before you arrive and only need an in-person confirmation. Check your admission letter for the exact process and bring printed copies of every document, even if you already uploaded them.

Register your address with the local authority

University enrollment is not the same as legal residence registration. Most European countries require you to register your address with the municipality or local police within days of moving in, separate from anything your university handles. In Germany, this is called Anmeldung, and you must complete it within 14 days of moving into your address at the local Burgeramt (Fintiba ).

In the Netherlands, students staying 4 months or longer register with their municipality within 5 days and receive a BSN, the citizen service number needed for work, health insurance, and banking (Government.nl ). Book your registration appointment before you fly if the country allows it, city offices in Berlin, Amsterdam, and other large cities fill up weeks in advance.

Open a bank account

Landlords, universities, and phone providers often ask for a local bank account or a copy of your address registration certificate before they set anything up. Bring your passport, proof of address, and your student enrollment confirmation to the bank. Some banks let you open an account online before your address registration finishes, others require the certificate first, so check your bank's requirements a week ahead of arrival.

Get connected and covered

Buy a local SIM card in your first days so your university, landlord, and bank can reach you on a local number. Confirm your health insurance is active and carry proof of it, since your university and your address registration office both ask for it. If you rely on a European Health Insurance Card from your home country, check with your university's international office whether it covers you fully or whether you need extra local coverage.

Learn your campus and city

Walk your route to your main lecture halls before your first class. Locate the library, the international office, the student union, and the nearest supermarket and pharmacy. Pick up a public transport map and check whether your student ID doubles as a transport pass, common in many university cities.

Save the contact details for your program coordinator and the international office on your phone during your first days. You will need them fast if a document goes missing or an appointment needs rescheduling.

Join orientation week and a buddy program

Erasmus Student Network (ESN) chapters in university cities across Europe run buddy programs that pair you with a local or returning student. A buddy meets you at the airport, helps you check into your accommodation, and walks you through opening a bank account and registering your address (ESN ). ESN and your university's orientation week also run welcome desks, campus tours, and social events built for meeting people fast in your first days.

Sign up for your buddy and orientation week as soon as you accept your offer. Spots fill up, and some programs assign buddies before you even arrive.

Register for your courses and timetable

Most European universities open course registration during orientation week, often through an online student portal rather than paper forms. Log in as soon as your student account is active and lock in your modules before popular seminar groups fill up. Check whether your program has mandatory versus elective courses, and confirm the registration window with your program coordinator if the portal looks unfamiliar.

Print or save your timetable once it is confirmed. Cross check room numbers and building names against your campus map, since large universities often split faculties across several sites in the city.

Avoid common first week mistakes

Do not skip your address registration appointment because your course schedule feels more urgent. Missing your country's registration deadline delays your bank account, your residence permit, and sometimes your student ID validation. Keep digital and paper copies of every document you receive during the week, including your enrollment certificate, address registration confirmation, and bank account letter.

Avoid signing a phone contract or a long lease before you have a local address and a bank account confirmed, since providers usually ask for both. Ask your buddy or the international office before signing anything you do not fully understand, particularly rental contracts.

Your first week checklist