Living in Leuven

Transcription

Living in Leuven

LIVING IN
LEUVEN
2015 - 2016
L OKO
de Leuvense studentenkoepel
Discover Leuven by bus
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Content
1 Foreword .......................................................................................................................................... 5
2 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 7
3 Upon arrival
3.1. Formalities .................................................................................................................................. 20
3.2. Accommodation ...................................................................................................................... 28
3.3. Insurances ................................................................................................................................... 36
3.4. Money matters ......................................................................................................................... 43
3.5. Living Cost .................................................................................................................................. 45
3.6. Welcome and integration programmes ....................................................................... 45
4 During your stay
4.1. Offices & services for international students .............................................................. 50
4.2. Studying in Leuven ................................................................................................................. 57
4.2.1. Educational system ................................................................................................. 57
4.2.2. Libraries ........................................................................................................................ 62
4.2.3. Agora Learning Centre .......................................................................................... 65
4.2.4. Language schools .................................................................................................... 65
4.2.5. ACCO ............................................................................................................................. 68
4.3. Day-to-Day Life .........................................................................................................................69
4.3.1. The Health Care System ....................................................................................... 69
4.3.2. Student Restaurants ............................................................................................... 70
4.3.3. Shopping ....................................................................................................................... 71
4.3.4. Laundrettes ................................................................................................................. 72
4.3.5. Environment ............................................................................................................... 73
4.3.6. Transportation ........................................................................................................... 76
4.3.7. Communications & Postal Services .................................................................. 81
4.3.8. Sports ............................................................................................................................ 85
4.3.9. Culture ........................................................................................................................... 87
4.3.10. Religion & Worship .................................................................................................. 94
4.3.11. Births, Marriages, Deaths ...................................................................................... 99
4.3.12. Schools & Child Care .............................................................................................. 99
4.4. Student organisations ........................................................................................................ 106
4.5. Police & safety........................................................................................................................... 119
5 Leaving Leuven
5.1. Leaving for a short time - formalities .......................................................................... 124
5.2. Leaving Leuven definitely - formalities and practicalities .................................. 124
Living in Leuven 2015 - 2016
Useful phonenumbers
Belgium Country Code: +32
Emergency Services
(see also on p. 122)
On campus: 2222
Off campus:
• Ambulance and Fire Department 112
• Police Emergency 101
• Student Police Officer 016 210 910
Hospital – emergency
department (Spoedgevallen)
When life threatening:
• Go to the emergency department at
the Regional Hospital ‘Heilig-Hart’,
Naamsestraat 105 or the University
Hospital, ‘Gasthuisberg’, Herestraat 49
When semi-urgent:
• After hours general practitioner (night,
weekend, holidays) tel. 070 25 70 25
• Working hours general practitioner:
Student Health Centre
Services for international
students and guests
• KU Leuven International Admissions
and Mobility Unit
tel. 016 37 98 84
• Campus Group T Leuven International
Office
tel. 016 30 10 04
• Pangaea, Intercultural Meeting Centre
tel. 016 32 33 96
• LOKO International tel. 016 32 33 95
• LOKO Central (Student Body Council)
tel. 016 22 31 09
• Foreigners Office (City of Leuven)
tel. 016 27 21 94
• Student Police Officer
tel. 016 21 09 00
• Anti-Discrimination Centre
(Meldpunt Discriminatie)
tel. 016 27 26 00
2
Student Services (General)
• KU Leuven
tel. 016 32 43 75
• Campus Group T Leuven
tel. 016 30 10 44
• UC Leuven-Limburg (previously Group
T–Leuven Education College)
tel. 016 37 55 00
• UC Leuven-Limburg (previously
KHLeuven vzw Studentenservice)
tel. 016 37 57 47 and 016 37 57 48
• LUCA School of Arts Campus Lemmens
tel. 016 23 39 67
Housing Service
• For students of KU Leuven, Campus
Group T Leuven, UC Leuven-Limburg,
LUCA School of Arts - Campus
Lemmens
tel. 016 32 44 00
• City of Leuven
tel. 016 27 26 50
Social Service
• KU Leuven, Campus Group T Leuven,
UC Leuven-Limburg,
LUCA School of Arts Campus Lemmens
tel. 016 32 44 28
Service for Students with
Disabilities
• KU Leuven, UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously Group T–Leuven Education
College)
tel. 016 32 44 26
Useful phonenumbers
• KU Leuven, Campus Group T Leuven,
UC Leuven-Limburg (previously Group
T–Leuven Education College), LUCA
School of Arts - Campus Lemmens
and Vlerick
tel. 016 32 44 20 (general
practitioners)
tel. 016 32 43 43 (psychologists)
Registrar’s Office
•
•
•
•
•
KU Leuven
tel. 016 32 40 40
Campus Group T Leuven
tel. 016 30 10 30
UC Leuven-Limburg (previously
Group T–Leuven Education College)
tel. 016 37 55 00
KHLeuven)
tel. 016 37 57 00
- Business Studies student secretary
tel. 016 37 53 00
- Health and Technology
student secretary
tel. 016 37 52 00
- Teacher Education Heverlee
student secretary
tel. 016 37 56 00
- Social Work student secretary
tel. 016 37 51 00
tel. 016 23 39 67
Brusselsestraat 42b,
Leuven
contact@tasteasia.be
016 201 434
http://tasteasia.be/
3
Welcome to
AVEVE City!
The countryside comes to town thanks to the AVEVE Group,
the leading supplier to farmers and market gardeners in
Belgium!
Welcome to our AVEVE City store, the place to be for
indoor and terrace plants, vegetable seeds, flavourful
culinary herbs, small-pack flour and baking mixes for
bread and pastry, nice pet baskets, aquariums, ...
AVEVE City, Diestsestraat 243, 3000 LEUVEN
Studentengids 2015 E.indd 1
We offer modern and affordable
furniture for your apartment
or student flat.
Bondgenotenlaan 169
Leuven
Tel. 016/22.90.06
www.domomeubelen.be
Open from Monday ‘till
Saturday from 10am-6pm
Visit our shop,
situated 100 meters from the
railway station, or buy online.
We provide free parking space for our
customers in our underground parking lot.
16/03/15 12:15
BUY
VISITONOLINE
ONLINE UR
SH
OP
©ToerismeLeuven
Content
1
Foreword
5
Foreword
The City of Leuven and the institutions of higher education that call Leuven home
are pleased to welcome you to this lovely city. We have joined forces to produce the
booklet you now hold in your hands. Living in Leuven has been written especially
for visiting scholars, students and educators. It contains information about Belgium,
daily life in Leuven and the various institutions of higher education in the city.
Living in Leuven also contains useful information to help you navigate the practical,
social and cultural challenges you’ll face upon arriving in Leuven. We’ve also got the
inside scoop on Belgian idiosyncrasies, culture and lifestyle.
Although Living in Leuven will not answer all of your questions, read it carefully
and your new home away from home – in all its administrative, practical, social
and cultural quirkiness – will feel much less overwhelming and much more
welcoming.
Leuven will be your city before you know it.
The Editorial Team
Publisher: Bieke Verlinden, Alderman for student affairs, City of Leuven
(Professor Van Overstraetenplein 1, B-3000 Leuven).
Editorial team: City of Leuven, KU Leuven, Campus Group T Leuven,
UC Leuven-Limburg, LUCA School of Arts - Campus Lemmens and LOKO.
Contact: Sociale Zaken - City of Leuven
tel. 016 27 26 12 - els.vandaele@leuven.be
Photos: KU Leuven, Campus Group T Leuven, UC Leuven-Limburg, LUCA School of Arts Campus Lemmens, LOKO and City of Leuven
Print run: 5 900 ex.
Reproduction, in whole or in part, of text, illustrations or lay-out from this publication is, without
a prior written permission, strictly prohibited
Advertising?
alfaset@loko.be
tel. 016 22 04 66 • fax 016 22 01 03
6
©KULeuvenRobStevens
Content
2
Introduction
2.1. Belgium
ID Belgium
Climate
Date of birth: 1830
National Day: 21 July
Kingdom: King Filip I & Queen Mathilde
11 132 269 inhabitants (Jan 2014) with
360 people/ km2
6.4 million live in Flanders (North),
1.16 million in Brussels, 3.57 million in
Wallonia (South)
The Belgian, maritime climate is characterised by abundant precipitation
throughout the year.
The temperature is fairly variable and
moderate (average temperature in January: 3.3°C, in July: 18.4°C). Average temperature 11.2°C. Extreme temperatures
can occur in summer and winter time.
10 provinces with Leuven as the capital
of the province of Flemish-Brabant
6 governments: 1 federal, 5 regional
Prime minister is Mr Charles Michel (since
Oct 2014)
Political structure
Federal Government
3 official languages
Dutch, French and German
3 Communities
Flemish, French, German (only 74 000
people speak German)
3 Regions: Flemish, Brussels, Walloon = 5
regional governments
In Leuven, people speak Dutch
Brussels = capital, and capital of the
European Union
Ports: Antwerp and Sea-Bruges
Religion: mainly Catholic (75 %), but
massattendance is very low, Muslim
(4%), Protestant (1%)
High living standard and excellent social
security system
Historical and beautiful towns
Leuven, Antwerp, Bruges, Ghent,
Tongeren, Tournai, Liege
Highest point
694 m above sea level
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“You must have a lot of patience with the
Belgian weather, as the winter is long,
cloudy and cold...” (student from Greece)
Ten famous Belgians?
• Artists: Hieronymus Bosch, Pieter
Brueghel, Peter Paul Rubens, René
Magritte, Jan Fabre, James Ensor
• Musicians, singer-songwriters: Milow,
Selah Sue, Axelle Red, Johnny Halliday,
Jacques Brel, Helmut Lotti, Soeur
Sourire, Django Reinhardt (jazz), Toots
Thielemans, Stromae
• Sports men and women: Eddy Merckx,
Justine Henin, Kim Clijsters, Vincent
Kompany, Romelu Lukaku
• Politicians: Herman Van Rompuy (First
President of the European Council till
end 2014)
• Fashion designers: Dirk Bikkembergs,
Walter Van Beirendonck, Dries Van
Noten, Ann Demeulemeester
• Fictional: Hercule Poirot, Tintin, Smurfs
• Writers: Georges Simenon, Hergé,
Hugo Claus
• Scientists: Gerardus Mercator
(cartographer), Adolphe Quetelet
(founder of statistics, inventor BMI),
François Englert (Nobel Prize Physics
2013), Andreas Vesalius (anatomist
and physician)
Introduction
• Other famous Belgians: Victor Horta
(architect), Adolphe Sax (inventor
saxophone), Saint Father Damian,
Jean-Claude Van Damme (action-film
hero), Jacques Rogge (ex-president
of the IOC), Dardenne brothers (film
directors)
“There Are No Belgians”
“Your Majesty, there are no Belgians”
– a Belgian politician once famously exclaimed to the king. This statement exemplifies the attitude of many Belgians
towards their own country. Although the
politician in question meant to refer to
the fact that Belgium is divided into different linguistic groups, it also reflects
the high degree of self-criticism characteristic of almost all Belgians. There is no
such thing as a patriotic Belgian. Attractively modest though this attitude might
seem, it does lead to a distorted image
of Belgium abroad. After all, who will
take a country seriously when even its
own citizens deride it? As an international student or scholar in Belgium, you will
find that most Belgians will agree wholeheartedly with any criticism you have to
offer of their country, customs or politics.
To redress the balance, we would like to
reiterate that the standard of living in Belgium is among the highest in the world, its
citizens benefit from an excellent (almost
free) educational system, universal healthcare and social-security coverage, usually own their own homes, and have never
started or engaged in an armed conflict,
either internally or internationally, except
for a courageous attempt at self-defence
against the Germans in World Wars I and
II.
The typical Belgian
“Flemish people are quite cold at the first
time. Don’t expect a stranger to talk to
you. Some of them may be more open as
long as you get to know each othermore.
It’s not because they are not nice or good.
That’s just the way they prefer. So don’t
be too shocked or think that there may
be something wrong with you.” (Student
from Vietnam in Leuven)
The one thing that most non-Belgians
would agree on when first confronted with
the Belgians on their home turf is that they
are a reserved and introverted people. This
impression usually lasts until their first visit to a Belgian’s home, where they will be
very cordially welcomed and fed large
amounts of excellent food and drink.
A Belgian feels most relaxed and comfortable in the midst of his close circle of
family and friends. Family ties are very
important – witness the weekly exodus
of Belgian students from Leuven, who
routinely spend every weekend at home
with their parents and childhood friends.
Friendships are enduring; once you have
made a Belgian friend, you will find that it
is very hard to get rid of him.
Another attractive feature of the Belgian
character is the trend towards egalitarianism. There are no obscenely wide gaps
in income, the rich are never super-rich,
the poor are provided for, and the number of homeless people might well be
the smallest in the entire industrial world.
It is fashionable among Belgians and
non-Belgians alike to complain about the
level of bureaucracy in the country and the
inordinate number of holidays that Belgians enjoy. In fact, economic productivity
9
is among the highest in the world, and the
anarchic streak in the Belgian character
ensures that bureaucrats never gain the
upper hand.
Belgium is also a very safe country, with
a remarkably low crime rate. Brussels,
according to some surveys, is the safest
capital in the world in terms of the murder rate. Leuven, we can assure you from a
lifetime of personal experience, is without
a doubt a very safe university town. The
main crime element to watch out for is bicycle thieves.
Belgian Popular Culture
Belgian beers
Try out the hundreds of delicious Belgian
beers. According to one commentator,
Belgian beer is “ a heavenly liquid which
Belgians have perfected thanks to centuries of intense contemplation by silent
orders of monks. Beer is the very essence
of the land, the blood of the nation, heaven served in a variety of peculiarly shaped
drinking receptacles.” The world wide
spread Stella Artois beer is made in Leuven and the community of Hoegaarden is
near by!
10
Sinterklaas
The figure and feast of Sinterklaas (Saint
Nicholas) can create confusion among
non-Belgians, often described as the Belgian (and Dutch) version of Santa Claus.
However, there is no connection with
Christmas. Dressed in magnificent red
robes and a bishop’s mitre, Sinterklaas visits Belgian (and Dutch) children’s homes
on the eve of 6 December, and climbs the
roof seated on his white horse, accompanied by his faithful servant Zwarte Piet
(Black Peter) to surreptitiously deliver
presents through the chimney. The legend
of Sinterklaas dates back to a story about
the fourth-century bishop of Smyrna (presentday Izmir in Turkey), who miraculously
rescued children from captivity and death.
Nowadays, though, the role of ‘Zwarte
Piet’ has become a topic of discussion in
society at large.
Introduction
Kermis
A kermis is a typically Belgian type of
fair, complete with noisy fairground rides,
bumper cars, smoutebollen (a variety of
doughnut), escargots (snails) and frieten
(fries) stands, and the penetrating cries of
lottery ticket vendors (“Everybody wins!”).
When you arrive in Leuven during the first
3 weeks of September, you will witness
what the kermis is!
2.2. Leuven
‘The town of Leuven and the surroundings are a great place for young people
to live. The university is very well organised. The urban areas are clean and the air
is fresh. There are conditions for secure
cycling everywhere.’ (Student from Bulgaria)
ID City of Leuven
• First mentioned in 884 as Luvanium
• Capital of the province Flemish Brabant
• More than 98 000 inhabitants, named
‘Pietermannen’ after the oldest parish
St- Peter’s
• 5 communities: Leuven, Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, Wilsele and Wijgmaal
Belgian carnival
Though hardly comparable to the bacchanalia in Rio de Janeiro, carnival in Belgium
can get very lively indeed.
Some towns with a particularly strong carnival tradition are completely taken over
by noisy parades and rowdy drunks for
two, three or even four days before Ash
Wednesday, the official end of the carnival season. For a more artistic experience,
the carnival in Binche (Wallonia), famous
for its colourfully clad Giles with their eerie
blankfaced masks, is highly recommended, and was recently elevated to the status
of a UNESCO World Heritage tradition.
• >50 000 students (KU Leuven + Institutions of Higher Education)
• Its population has a high average level
of education.
• University is part of the town since 1425
• Employment is primarily in the tertiary
and quaternary sectors
• Other large employers: University Hospital and Inbev (beer brewery)
• Mayor = Louis Tobback
• Alderman responsible for student
affairs since 2001
• Sister towns: ’s Hertogenbosch (NL),
Rennes (F), Lüdenscheid (D), Krakow
(PL)
Read more on www.visitleuven.be
11
Famous people who were born or live(d)
in Leuven:
•Erasmus (15th & 16th century), Justus
Lipsius (16th century), Andreas Vesalius
(16th century), Mercator, Quinten Metsys
•Recent: Kim Gevaert (runner), Milow
(singer-songwriter), Selah Sue (singersongwriter)
Main events:
Summer in Leuven (Beleuvenissen, Leuven in Scène – July), Hapje Tapje (August),
M-idzomer (August), Marktrock (August)
and several other activities during summer, Leuven Fair or ‘Kermis’ (September),
International Short Film Festival Leuven
(November), Winter Season in Leuven
(several activities in December).
Touristic Leuven
Tourism Leuven
Naamsestraat 3 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 20 30 20 • Fax 016 20 30 03
tourism@leuven.be
www.visitleuven.be
la Artois Brewery during the weekend.
This is also where you can obtain your free
city map of Leuven.
Places to see in Leuven
App Leuven Walk
Visit the highlights of Leuven.
The app will suggest a route through
the city. A handy navigation shows you
the way. For each location you will find a
brief description, a photo or video and a
challenge. The app is available in Dutch,
French, English and German.
Download the free app from the Appstore
(iOS) or the Google Play store (Android).
De Kotmadam (Oude Markt)
A statue for a landlady? Only in Leuven: “De Kotmadam” is a landlady
who lets student rooms. She used to
be a second mommy to them, making
sure they got enough sleep, preparing breakfast and giving them a shoulder to cry on, after disastrous exams…
Tourism Leuven is located in the side wing
of the Town Hall, with entrance in the
Naamsestraat.
It is a central reception desk where
you can pick up all kinds of information and documentation concerning leisure in Leuven. Basically, Tourism Leuven informs tourists about how they
can spend their free time in Leuven. You
can learn about Leuven’s major sights,
attractions and ongoing expositions.
Moreover, Tourism Leuven sells (combi)tickets for the Town Hall, the Library
Tower, M – Museum Leuven and the
Treasury of Sint Pieter. They also provide tickets for brewery visits at Stel©FredBellefroid
12
Introduction
2.3. Institutions of Higher
Education
KU Leuven - University of Leuven
Oude Markt 13 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 40 10 • Fax 016 32 40 14
info@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/english
ID KU Leuven
©ToerismeLeuven
Visit also
Grote Markt (Town Hall, Sint-Pieters
Church with the Dirk Bouts ‘last supper’panel), Great Beguinage with Sint-JanDe-Doper Church, Sint-Geertrui Church
and Abbey (Halfmaartstraat), Sint-Michiels
Church (Naamsestraat), Botanical Garden
(Kapucijnenvoer), University Library and
the Library Tower (Mgr. Ladeuzeplein),
M – Museum Leuven (Vanderkelenstraat).
Around Leuven
Park Abbey (Abdij van ‘t Park along Geldenaaksebaan, Heverlee), Vlierbeek Abbey
(Abdij Vlierbeek, Kessel-Lo), Arenberg
Castle and Park (Kasteelpark Arenberg,
Heverlee), Provinciedomein (Kessel-Lo),
Heverlee and Meerdael Forest (south of
Leuven), Zoet Water (Oud Heverlee).
• Founded in 1425 and oldest university
in the Low Countries.
• Start of courses in Dutch in 1911
• 1970 split of the original alma mater
into Katholieke Universiteit Leuven
and Université Catholique de Louvain
(moved to Louvain-la-Neuve)
• Its hospitality and academic excellence
have attracted men and women from
all corners of the world.
• High standards of education and
research
• International university with 15% of its
student body coming from abroad
• 16 faculties, subdivided into three
groups (Humanities Group, Science,
Engineering and Technology Group
and the Biomedical Group)
• 2002 KU Leuven Association: a close
cooperation between KU Leuven and 11
university colleges in Flanders
• Extensive student services
• Number of students: 54,000: 42,000
students in Leuven and 12,000 students
at its campuses in 11 Belgian cities,
including Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp)
• Number of international students: 7530
• Academic Staff: 6960
• Administrative Staff: 3340
• University Hospital Staff: 8740
13
Andreas Vesaliusstraat 13
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 30 10 30 • Fax 016 30 10 40
www.fet.kuleuven.be/groupt
Campus Group T Leuven has forged partnerships at home and in Asia, resulting in
exchange programmes with key universities in China, India, the countries of the
Greater Mekong Subregion and Ethiopia.
With a mix of Flemish and international
students its campus is an ideal place for
learning amidst a plurality of worldviews.
Academic & holidays
calendar 2015-2016
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
14
15 August
Assumption of Mary Day, public holiday
17 August
Start of the registration period KU Leuven
for 2015-2016
2 September
Leuven Fair, all university and city offices
are closed
15 - 20 September
Orientation Days for new International Students KU Leuven
21 September
Opening of the Academic Year KU Leuven
24 September
Start of the classes in the first semester
25 October
Change to Winter Time
1 November
All Saint’s Day (public holiday)
2 November
All Souls’ Day
11 November
Armistice Day (End of WWI),
public holiday
19 December
End of classes in the first semester
• 19 Dec - 3 Jan
Christmas and New Year holiday - most offices will be closed from 23 Dec until 1 Jan
• 4 - 10 January
Exam preparation. No classes
• 11 - 30 January
KU Leuven First semester exams
• 30 January - 7 February
Mid-year break. No classes
• 2 February
Patron’s Feast Day KU Leuven
• 3 - 7 February
Orientation Days for International
Students KU Leuven
• 8 February
Start of classes in the second semester
• 27 March
Change to Summer time
• 26 March - 10 April
Easter holidays: no classes
• 27 & 28 March
Easter Sunday and Easter Monday, public
holiday
• 1 May
Labour Day, public holiday
• 5 May
Ascension Day, public holiday
• 15 & 16 May
Pentecost and Whit Monday,
public holiday
• 21 May
End of classes in the second semester
• 21 May – 5 June
Exam preparation.
No classes
• 6 June – 25 June
Second semester exams
• 11 July
Flemish Community Feast Day
• 21 July
National Day, public holiday
• 16 August
Start of registration period for 2016-2017
• 16 August – 6 September
Examination Retakes
Introduction
UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously KHLeuven)
UC Leuven-Limburg
Leuven University College
Geldenaaksebaan 335
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 375 700 • Fax 016 375 799
international@ucll.be
www.ucll.be
www.facebook.com/KHLeuvenInternational
ID UC Leuven-Limburg
Founded in 1995
5 Faculties:
•Management
•Technology
• Teacher Education
•Health
• Social Work
•Bachelor degree courses in the areas
of education, commercial sciences and
business administration, health care,
industrial sciences, and social and community work
•
Advanced bachelor’s programmes,
postgraduate certificates and other
continuing studies
• Number of students: 8 000
• Number of staff: 650
•
Headquarters: Proximus-site, Geldenaaksebaan 335, 3001 Heverlee
• Its various departments operate on several campuses in and around the city.
Mission: preparing students for the job
market of the 21st century by providing
state-of-the-art higher education.
• The former KHLeuven has merged with
the former Group T–Leuven University College (and the former KHLim, in
Limburg province) to become UC Leuven-Limburg.
Management & Technology
Faculty
Bachelor in Business Management
Bachelor in Business Management
Marketing (English)
Bachelor in Office Management
Hertogstraat 178 • B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 375 300 • Fax 016 375 399
echo@khleuven.be
Bachelor in Applied Information
Technology
Herestraat 49 • B-3000 Leuven
(! campus location will change in the
course of 2015-2016, but will remain in
the Leuven area)
Tel. 016 375 200 • 016 375 299
gt@khleuven.be
Teacher Education Faculty
Campus Hertogstraat
Bachelor in Pre-primary Education
Bachelor in Primary Education
Bachelor in Lower Secondary Education
Tel. 016 375 600 • Fax 016 375 699
dlo@khleuven.be
Health Faculty
Bachelor in Biomedical Laboratory
Technology
Bachelor in Chemistry
Bachelor in Nursing
Bachelor in Nutrition and Dietetics
Bachelor in Midwifery
Tel. 016 375 200 • 016 375 299
gt@khleuven.be
15
Social Work Faculty
Bachelor in Social Work
Bachelor in Social Readaptation
Sciences: Children, Youth and Welfare
Advanced Bachelor in International Cooperation for North South Relations
Groeneweg 151 • B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 375 100 • Fax 016 375 199
ssh@khleuven.be
Academic calendar: see www.ucll.be
ID UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously Group T-Leuven
Education College)
Campus Comenius
Tiensevest 60
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 37 55 00 • Fax 016 37 55 99
international@ucll.be
www.ucll.be
Teacher Education Faculty –
Campus Comenius
Bachelor in Pre-primary Education
(in Dutch only)
Bachelor in Primary Education
(in Dutch only)
Bachelor in Lower Secondary Education
(in Dutch only)
Postgraduate International
Educating-Classes (in English only)
• Number of students: 800
• Number of staff: 80
•
Headquarters: Proximus-site, Geldenaaksebaan 335, 3001 Heverlee
• The former Group T–Leuven University
College has merged with the former
KHLeuven (and the former KHLim, in
Limburg province) to become UC Leuven-Limburg.
16
Leuven Anticipative
Continuing Education:
Post-secondary, professional programmes
in continuing education (only in Dutch).
Academic calendar:
see KU Leuven calendar (p. 14)
Lemmensberg 3 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 23 39 67 • Fax 016 22 24 77
Info.lemmens@luca-arts.be
www.luca-arts.be
ID LUCA School of Arts Campus Lemmens
• Founded in 1879
• Developed into a complete Conservatory which offers training in a wide range
of disciplines:
Bachelor/Master in Music:
- Composition
- Conducting
- Music Education
- Music Therapy
- Instrument/Voice
- Jazz
Bachelor/Master in Drama
After obtaining the master’s degree,
students can opt to specialise in a particular discipline (ManaMa).
• In 2012 the Lemmensinstituut becomes
a member of LUCA School of Arts.
LUCA School of Arts joins Art Faculties
on different locations, Louvain, Ghent
and Brussels:
— Music and Drama
— Architecture & Construction
— Arts
— Interior Design
— Design
— Film & Photography
Introduction
Academic & holidays
calendar 2015 – 2016
• Number of students: 522
International students: 103
Staff: 230
• Situated in a large park area overlooking the Gasthuisberg university hospital.
The institute’s facilities include concert
halls, theatres, ballet studios, multimedia rooms, a library and a number of
rehearsal studios. The institute holds
concerts, introductions to concerts,
masterclasses, special projects which involve the preparation and performance
of musical masterpieces, choirs and
orchestras, specialised student ensembles for ancient and contemporary music, chamber orchestras and big band.
• 14 - 18 September
Production week 1
• 21 - 25 September
Start of classes in the first semester
• 2 - 6 November
LUCA-week
• 9 - 13 November
Production week 2
• 16 - 20 November
Production week 3
• 21 December - 1 January
Christmas and New Year holiday
• 4 - 15 January
First semester exams
• 18 January
Start second semester
• 1 - 5 February
Mid-year break. No classes
• 8 February
Production week 4
• 15 February
Production week 5
• 21 - 25 March
Production week 6
• 29 March - 1 April
Easter holidays: no classes
• 4 - 8 April
Masterclasses
• 1 mei
Open doors
• 13 May
End of classes in the second semester
• 5 - 6 May
Ascension Day: holidays
• 17 May - 30 June
Second semester exams
• 16 May
Pentecost and White Monday,
public holiday
• 1 July
Entrance Examination Music / 1 and
2 Entrance Examination Music Drama
• 18 August
Entrance Examination Music
17
VALID
FROM
15/9/15
UNTIL
31/10/15
VALID
FROM
15/9/15
UNTIL
31/10/15
Content
3
Upon arrival
3.1. Formalities Institutions of Higher Education
KU Leuven
For Students
Status at KU Leuven:
The following categories below are considered under the status “Student” at KU
Leuven:
1.Exchange Students: Students enrolled
in an exchange programme (mostly the
LLP/Erasmus programmes of the EU)
2.Bachelor’s and Master’s Students: Students enrolled in a Bachelor’s or Master’s programme (mostly in Dutch) or in
an International Master’s programme (in
English)
3.Predoctoral Students: Students who are
admitted to an ad-hoc programme of
studies and research in order to evaluate their research competence, prior to
admission to the doctoral programme
(maximum 2 years for non-EEA citizens
and maximum 1 year for EEA citizens)
4.Doctoral Students: Students admitted
to a doctoral programme, which includes studies and research, independent of any employment contract, in order to obtain a Ph.D.
5.International Scholars: Students admitted, usually in exchangeprogrammes,
for a programme ofstudy and research
of a maximumof 18 months, in preparation of a doctorate to be obtained at
their home university, or in line with their
studies and research activities at their
home university
20
6.Specialisation Students: Students admitted into a programme of study and
research in order to specialise in a specific academic field. In the Faculty of
Medicine, for instance, these are individuals with a M.D. diploma who want to
improve their skills by means of training
as observer.
Regarding your nationality, a number
of distinctions can be made. The most
important distinction is between citizens from the European Economic Area
(EEA) and non-EEA citizens.
EU = European Union member states:
Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland,
Portugal, Romania Slovakia, Slovenia,
Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom
EEA = European Economic Area member
states:
EU + Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland
EEA citizens have, in principle, access
to and may stay in all the other member
states of the union. Non-EEA citizens need
a visa or an authorisation to enter and stay
in Belgium.
Non-EEA citizens holding a valid residence permit in another Schengen country can use their residence permit for a
maximum stay of 90 days. If their registration at KU Leuven exceeds this period they
have to apply for a proper student visa
for Belgium. Special arrangements apply
for Switzerland while Monaco follows the
French regulations.
Upon arrival
Administrative formalities
The following procedures below aim at assisting you with the important initial registrations at the university and at the City
Hall of your place of residence. You will
notice that these various registrations are
interrelated and form an integral whole.
They guarantee your status within the
university and likewise your legal status in
Belgium.
KU Leuven Students who arrive in Leuven
during the period from 18 August to 9 October will receive special instructions from
their Case Administrator at the International Admisions and Mobility Unit regarding their registration at KU Leuven and at
Leuven City Hall.
A separate instruction sheet will be provided by their Case Administrator during
Administrative
formality
their first in-take meeting at the International Admissions and Mobility Unit.
After your registration at city hall, you will
receive a document called “bijlage 15” (=
“annex 15”). (You will need two additional
passport size photographs). EEA nationals will be asked to sign a document called
“annex 19”. They will receive either a simple Declaration of Registration document
or an EU ID card equivalent to their local
ID card or identification document in their
home country. EEA citizens may choose
between these two documents, but it is
advisable that they obtain the EU ID card.
After the check by the neighbourhood
police officer for confirmation of your address, you will be invited to return to city
hall to complete your registration (nonEEA students only).
Where
When
What to submit
What you receive
• for self-supporting
students: intake
interview and
diploma check
• for students with
a scholarship:
intake interview,
diploma check
and scholarship
briefing
International
Admissions and
Mobility (IAM)
as soon as
possible after
arrival
• admission letter
from KU Leuven
• valid passport or
identity card
• instructions for registration
at the Registrar’s Office
• (for students with a
scholarship) a cheque
for the first month of the
scholarship (subsequent
payments will be transferred
automatically every month
to your bank account in
Belgium)
• enrolment as a
student
at the University
Hall
as soon as
possible after
preliminary
briefing and
receipt of
approval
stamp for
registration
• letter of admission
from KU Leuven
with approval
stamp for
registration
identity card
•scholarship
attestation (only
if you receive a
scholarship)
• a copy of your
housing rental
contract (if
possible)
• university student card,
which provides you access
to all university libraries,
cafeterias, and sports
facilities and cultural events
(if applied for)
• a certificate of registration
intended for the City Hall
• a certificate of registration
intended for the health
insurance company
• a bus pass (if applied for)
• an invoice for the payment
of the tuition fee, the
mandatory third-party
liability insurance of € 13,
and the fees for the use of
the sports facilities, cultural
events, and bus pass
21
Administrative
formality
• for non-EEA
citizens:
inscription in the
Foreigners’ Ledger
• for EEA citizens:
Registration
Certificate for
Belgium
22
Where
When
What to submit
What you receive
Foreigners Office
at City Hall of
your place of
residence*
after having
secured a
permanent
address in
Belgium
identity card
• the Authorisation
for Provisional
Sojourn stamped
in your passport
before coming to
Belgium (for nonEEA citizens only)
• three recent
passport size
photographs
• certificate of
registration at KU
Leuven
• the official
European Health
Insurance Card
which proves your
affiliation with a
health insurance
company in your
home country (for
EEA citizens only)
• a proof of
solvency or
scholarship
attestation (for
non-EEA citizens
only)
• € 12.50 fee
For non-EEA citizens:
• during the first visit to City
Hall you will receive the
document Annex 15; City
Hall will send a police officer
to confirm your address;
you will then need to pass
by the City Hall three more
times to complete the
registration procedure.
For EEA citizens:
• EEA citizens are not obliged
to apply for an electronic
residence permit for
Belgium; upon submitting
all required documents
they receive a Registration
Certificate; City Hall will
send a police agent to
confirm your address
• opening a
bank account
(especially if
you are granted
a scholarship
or financial
allowance)
any bank in
Belgium
as soon as
possible after
registration at
the City Hall
identity card
• official document
that proves
your address in
Belgium
• a bank card and a bank
account number
• you are kindly asked to
provide the IAM with the
bank account number and
the BIC and IBAN codes
• for non-EEA
citizens: affiliation
with a Belgian
health insurance
company
any recognised
health insurance
company in
Belgium (see, e.g.
www.cmleuven.
be/students)
as soon as
possible after
registration in
the university
identity card
• certificate of
registration at KU
Leuven
• information booklet and
(yellow) stickers as proof
of affiliation with the health
insurance company
Upon arrival
For Visiting Scholars
The following procedures below aim at assisting you with the important initial registrations at the university and at the City
Hall.
1. Welcome and Registration as Visiting
Scholar
–Where: International Admissions and
Mobility
– When: as soon as possible after arrival
–What to submit: invitation letter from
KU Leuven; valid passport or identity
card
– What you receive: Visitor Card providing access to university facilities; insurance document (for non-EEA citizens)
2. In case of allowance: payment procedure
–Where: International Admissions and
Mobility
– When: upon registration
– What you receive: the total amount of
the allowance for the whole period of
your stay deposited in a temporary
bank account in Leuven or in your own
personal European bank account
3. Declaration of Arrival in Belgium
– Where: Foreigners Office at Leuven City
Hall
– When: within 8 workdays after registration at KU Leuven
– What to submit: For non-EEA citizens
who are NOT required a visa to enter
Belgium for a period of three months
• valid passport
• three recent passport size
photographs
• €5 fee
For non-EEA citizens who are required
a visa to enter Belgium for a period of
three months
• valid passport
•the Schengen Visa stamped on your
passport before leaving for Belgium
• three recent passport size photographs
• €5 fee
For EEA citizens
• valid passport or identity card
• three recent passport size photographs
• €5 fee
– What you receive: A declaration of arrival in Belgium
EEA citizens whose visit will exceed a 90
day period have to start the registration as
a foreign student at the City Hall and not
apply for the declaration of arrival. In this
case the European Health Insurance card
is also requested.
For Visiting Professors,
Researchers or Administrative/
Technical Staff
As a Visiting Professor, Researcher or
Administrative/Technical staff member,
you will be invited for a welcome meeting at the Human Resources Department.
During this meeting, you will receive your
agreement/proof of registration, your staff
card and some additional information on
working/living at/in (KU) Leuven. For
identification purposes, you are asked to
bring your identity card or passport.
Registration at KU Leuven
Visiting Scholars are invited to register as
soon as possible after arrival. Please come
in person to International Admissions and
Mobility at Atrechtcollege, Naamsestraat
63. Our office is generally open from Mondays to Fridays from 9:00 am to 12:30
noon.
23
Registration at Leuven City Hall
Visiting Scholars are required to register
at the Foreigners Office (in Dutch: Dienst
Buitenlanders) at Leuven City Hall within
eight days after their registration at KU
Leuven.
Contact Information
University Hall
Tel. 016 32 40 40 • sa@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/registration
Open:
weekdays from 9:00 am to 12:30 noon
During the enrolment period for the new
academic year: from 18 August to 26 September open from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
KU Leuven International
Admissions and Mobility
Atrechtcollege
Naamsestraat 63/5410 • B-3000 Leuven
admissions@kuleuven.be
Open:
weekdays from 9:00 am to 12:30 noon
(Mid-August – End September: also open
in the afternoon to 5:00 pm)
City Hall
Foreigners Office
Professor Van Overstraetenplein 1
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 21 70 • Fax 016 27 28 11
Open:
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday
from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm
Thursday from 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm
Human Resources
Department
Sint-Jan Berchmanscollege
Parijsstraat 72b/5540 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 83 05 • Fax 016 32 83 10
hrdepartment@kuleuven.be
Open:
weekdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm
Campus GROUP T Leuven
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 30 10 04 • Fax 016 30 10 40
internationaloffice.groupt@kuleuven.be
24
Upon arrival
UC Leuven-Limburg
Exchange Students
After having been approved by your home
institution, you must go to www.leuvenuniversitycollege.be/Exchange-student,
to apply as an exchange student by filling
out the online application form and submit
the required documents.
Although exchange students remain enrolled at their home institution during their
study period abroad, they still have to register as an exchange student at UC Leuven-Limburg. This is why it is essential that
after your arrival in Leuven you go through
the registration process and receive your
student card.
The student card is generally considered
proof that you are a UC Leuven –Limburg
student. You will need it when you take exams, or when you go to the library or to
one of the university restaurants and when
you use your Leuven bus pass. So make
sure that you always carry your student
card with you.
Buddy programme
UC Leuven-Limburg has a buddy programme to help you find your way around
our university college, Leuven and Belgium. A buddy is a UC Leuven-Limburg
student (a Flemish student or another
international student) who will answer all
your practical questions and will help you
out during your first days and weeks in
Leuven. Ask for a buddy by filling out the
form on www.leuvenuniversitycollege.be/
Exchange-student/Buddy
Apart from your student card, you will receive a certificate of enrolment at UC Leuven-Limburg which you will need when
registering at city hall (see below for more
information). We also expect you to have
the necessary health and travel Insurance
coverage. At the start of each Autumn and
Spring semester UC Leuven-Limburg organises a paid Introduction Week during
which we will offer temporary accommodation at the Leuven Youth Hostel, assistance with finding a student room, student
card registration, practical information
sessions and a number of social events.
Arrival at your faculty
After our Introduction Week, you will meet
the international coordinator of your faculty. You can rely on him/her for information
about courses, timetables, student organisations, etc. When necessary, he/she will
refer you to the appropriate student services.
Degree Students
EEA (other than Belgium) and non-EEA
degree students must apply by filling out
and submitting forms which can be downloaded from our website, www.leuvenuniversitycollege.be/Degree-seeking-student/Admission.
25
UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously GROUP T–Leuven
Education College)
Campus Comenius
Team Internationalisation
Tiensevest 60
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 37 55 46 • Fax 016 37 55 99
tint@groept.be
www.ucll.be
LUCA School of Arts –
Campus Lemmens
Entrance exams: admission policy for
regular foreign students
You need to submit electronic:
• A clear description for which major you
apply
• Copies of your passport and all former
diplomas
•Transcript of records of your previous
studies
We only accept documents translated in
English, French, German or Dutch, provided this is not your native language.
All copies need to be send by mail to
foreignstudents.lemmens@luca-arts.be
After approval of your request, you will receive an invitation to participate in the entrance exams. Detailed information about
the procedure, deadlines and the content
of the entrance exams of each Major is
available on our website under “foreign
students”.
Pre-registration must happen online at
http://voorinschrijven.luca-arts.be before
attending the school administration, and
after receiving the confirmation of a successful entrance exam.
26
In order to register you have to submit:
• identity card or passport,
•the certificate from LUCA School of
Arts – Campus Lemmens proving you
passed the admission test
• authenticated copies of your diplomas
in the original language
• notarised translations of your diplomas
in English, French, German or Dutch, if
one of these is not your native language.
•academic transcripts of your previous
studies (with details of content, study
credits and grades per academic year
and per course)
• outprint of your online pre-registration
• a copy of your housing rental contract
• a copy of your residence permit
• you will be given a proof of registration
and a student card.
For postgraduate studies your diploma
must be officially recognised as equivalent
with the Flemish Master diploma. Information about this procedure is available at
www.naric.be or at the Student Administration. An intensive Dutch course for international students is available during the
summer vacation at KU Leuven (ILT, see
p. 65 ) and continues throughout the academicyear.Thiscourseishighlyrecommended, since it makes integration much easier.
An elementary knowledge of Dutch is a
considerable advantage.
Important information
regarding your stay in Leuven
Foreigners office
- Dienst niet-Belgen
Students, Visiting Scholars and Staff Members are required to register at the Foreigners Office (in Dutch: dienst niet-Bel-
Upon arrival
gen) within three days after their arrival in
Belgium. Without registration, you’ll have
to pay the City tax (see p. 34).
Foreigners Office
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 21 70 • Fax 016 27 29 61
Open:
Thursday from 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm
Belgian Identity Card/
Residence Permit
The card you receive after registering at
city hall is your official residence permit.
It also functions as your identity card in
Belgium. This is an extremely important
document and you are required to carry it
with you at all times. Make sure you don’t
lose it.
To extend the validity of your Identity
Card/Residence Permit, you should go in
person to the Foreigners Office of your city
hall before the expiry date of your identity card. Non-EEA students will have to
present a new proof of enrolment, a copy
of their transcript and a proof of solvency.
Staff members, depending on their staff
status, will be asked to submit either a new
hosting agreement or a new work permit.
wise required to inform the university, the
health insurance company, and other relevant offices of your change of address. At
the end of your stay in Belgium and before
your actual departure, you should give notice of your departure to the Foreigners
Office of city hall and hand in your Belgian
identity card/residence permit.
Loss of your Identity Card/
Residence Permit
If you lose your identity card/residence
permit, you must report this in person at
the local police station and sign an official
declaration of loss. Bring along two passport photographs as well. After an investigation by the police, you will be given a
duplicate of your identity card.
Leaving Belgium
If you temporarily have to leave Belgium
for a period longer than three months, you
Change of Address
Every time you change your address,
you must report your new address within eight days to the city hall of your place
of residence. If you are moving to another
town or city in Belgium, you must report
to the Foreigners Office of the city hall of
your new place of residence. You are like27
must contact the Foreigners Office at the
city hall to find out what administrative
procedures you must follow.
Before leaving Belgium permanently, please make sure that you visit the
same office to close your file in the
national registry and turn in your Belgian identity card/residence permit. If
you ever need to come back to Leuven, this will save you and the city’s officials a great deal of time and trouble.
Please note that Non-EAA citizens, who
have to make stopovers in the Schengen
territory on their trip back home, have
to inform the city official before actually
closing their file.
Further information on these procedures
can also be obtained at the International
Admissions and Mobility unit.
Check by the Police Officer
After you have registered at the Foreigners Office of your city hall, your
neighbourhood police officer will drop
by your (Belgian) address to verify that
you actually live there. Please take into
account that a delay of several weeks is
to be expected. You should not come
to the police station in person and you
don’t need to contact the police yourself.
In very exceptional cases (delay of more
than 10 weeks): get in touch via politieantenne@kuleuven.be only, not by telephone.
If you live in a student residence from
the KU Leuven, police will NOT drop by!
If you are not at home at the time of the
officer’s visit, you might receive a letter inviting you to report to the police station
in your district. Make sure you do this as
soon as possible in order to avoid misunderstandings or future administrative
problems.
28
3.2. Accommodation
3.2.1. Housing Service
Regular students, exchange
students and visiting scholars
The Housing Service assists international
students, both from KU Leuven and from
the other Leuven institutions, in finding
suitable housing. Students who have just
arrived and have no housing yet should
go to this office immediately with their
admission letter. The office can provide
information about the various types of
permanent housing in the private sector
and in university residence halls. They will
also answer specific questions about rent
related issues such as contracts, Legal
regulations, fire insurance, security, rental surcharges, etc. Should you have any
complaints about your accommodation
or a dispute with the landlord, they can
also provide assistance and mediation.
Van Dalecollege
Tel. 016 32 44 00
housingservice@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/accommodation
Visiting professors, fellows
and other staff members
Visiting professors, senior fellows, visiting scholars and other staff members can look for suitable accommodation in the residential area of the
University Centre ‘Groot Begijnhof’. If
this residential area is fully booked, these
guests will be referred to the private sector.
Upon arrival
Groot Begijnhof University Centre
Groot Begijnhof 94 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 99 11 • 016 32 94 29
grootbegijnhof@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/accommodation/
student/guest.htm
www.kuleuven.be/grootbegijnhof/
welcome
Temporary housing
(guesthousing)
It is not obvious to arrange accommodation from abroad. Because of the wide variety in prices, comfort, surface area etc.,
it’s very risky to make a choice without
having viewed at least a few rental units
personally. To avoid disappointments, it is
recommended to visit Leuven beforehand
to find accommodation. In the beginning
of the rental season (during the months of
May, June and the beginning of July) the
offer will be the biggest. Since the supply
of housing tends to shorten from mid August onwards, it is advisable to visit Leuven some time in advance.
Students/guests who did not arrange permanent housing before travelling to Leuven must arrange guest housing for a few
nights well in advance. The price of a guestroom can vary from a low budget room
with basic comfort in the youth hostel or in
a university guesthouse, to a more expensive room in a hotel or B&B. International
students/guests should make a reservation in advance themselves!
Information about guest housing can be
found on www.kuleuven.be/accommodation/guesthousing
Private Accommodation
www.kotwijs.be
International students can look for housing using Kotwijs, the online address database from the Housing Service, in which
they will find a detailed overview of private
rental accommodation for a full academic
year and for a shorter period. Addresses
vacant for the new academic year are advertised from 9th of May.
Also rooms subletted by Belgian students can be consulted in this database.
Throughout the year, the programme can
be consulted from home or locally in the
computer room of the Housing Service for
those students that don’t have access to
internet. You can enter your requirements
regarding type of accommodation, facilities, maximum rent, etc., and the system
will show a selection of suitable addresses, together with the landlord’s details.
The database is updated constantly: rent29
ed rooms are removed and new ones are
added. After performing a search via the
address database, it is recommended that
you visit the rooms as quickly as possible.
Student rooms
Students generally rent a single room (or
“kot” in Dutch) in a student house shared
with between 5 and 15 fellow students.
Rooms are mostly for 1 person and furnished. The average size of a room is 12
m2. Bed linen and kitchen utensils are not
provided. Each room has a private sink, but
showers, toilets and kitchen are shared.
Access to the internet (see Kotnet p. 84) is
widely available in private student accommodation. Rooms are rented per academic year (10, 11 or 12 months), or for a shorter
period. The average rent is approximately
€350 - €450 per month, including expenses for heating, electricity and water (utilities). The price depends on the rental term,
size and the private comfort of the room.
Landlords who rent for shorter periods
usually ask a higher rent than the average.
Studios
“Studio” is the word commonly used in
Leuven to refer to a one-room flat, with a
private bathroom and kitchenette. Studios
usually come furnished and have an average size of 18 m2. According to government regulations the size of a studio for 2
persons needs to be minimum 27 m2. The
size of the bathroom is not included. A
studio for 2 persons is not always suitable
for 2 friends because it is often equipped
for a couple (e.g. it has a double bed).
The common rental period for a studio is
12 months but some studios can be rented for a shorter period. The average rent
is approx. €480 per month for a studio
30
for 1 person and €600 for a studio for 2
persons. The cost for heating, electricity
and water (utilities) is usually not included. Landlords who rent for shorter periods
usually ask a higher rent than the average.
Apartments
In addition to a kitchen and bathroom,
apartments have a living/dining room and
at least one separate bedroom. Furniture
is not always provided. The common rental term for an apartment is 1, 3 or 9 years.
The rental price of a one bedroom apartment is generally €600 to €800; a two or
three bedroom apartment can cost €800
or more per month. The cost for heating,
electricity and water (utilities) is usually
not included.
In most cases the tenant needs to conclude a contract with the energy and water company. International students who
wish to bring their family to Leuven should
take into account that the surface area of
an apartment for 2 persons must be at
least 27 m2 and for 3 persons at least 40
m2. The surface area of the bathroom is
not included.
The offer of apartments rented for a period less than 3 years and suitable for
families with children is very limited!
University Residence Halls
KU Leuven reserves about 20% of its
housing units (i.e. rooms for single students, flats and apartments for families)
for international students in university
residence halls.
International students can also apply for a
room in a private residence hall with a co-
Upon arrival
operation agreement with the KU Leuven.
For more information about accommodation for international students visit the
following website: www.kuleuven.be/accommodation
Families with children
The university does not provide guestroom facilities for families with children
and the offer on the private housing market is limited. For this reason, students
should always plan to arrive in Leuven
alone at first and bring their families to
Belgium later, only after suitable permanent accommodation has been found.
Visiting professors, fellows
and other staff members
Visiting professors and fellows can contact Ms. Leen Bogaert (grootbegijnhof@
kuleuven.be) for suitable accommodation in the residential area of the University Centre ‘Groot Begijnhof’. These rental
units are fully furnished and adapted to
the needs of international visitors whose
stay in Leuven does not exceed a period of one year. However, the number of
available units in Groot Begijnhof is limited. Since the demand often outstrips
the supply, accommodation must be
requested in writing, if possible at least
three months in advance. Priority is given
to international visitors who are appointed as visiting professors by the GEBU
(Executive Board), to visitors who have
been granted a senior fellowship by the
Research Fund, and to visiting fellows under the auspices of a bilateral agreement.
Allocation of the available housing units is
always based on family size and the specific needs of the applicant. As mentioned
above, not all demands can be met. Visitors whose application has been turned
down will be referred to the private housing market. Like regular students, they are
strongly advised against signing a rental
contract without having inspected the
property personally.
UC Leuven-Limburg
Temporary Housing
Upon arrival in Belgium, international exchange students can stay at the Leuven
Youth Hostel (arranged by UC Leuven-Limburg as part of the introduction week fee
or by making individual arrangements).
31
Degree Students
International students studying at UC Leuven-Limburg for an entire academic year
will be referred to the KU Leuven Housing
Service. The procedure to find permanent
housing is the same as for KU Leuven students (see p. 28 and following). They can
search the Kotwijs online database of private rental student accommodation. UC
Leuven-Limburg students cannot apply
for housing in KU Leuven subsidised residence halls.
Exchange Students
During the Introduction Week at the beginning of each semester, UC Leuven-Limburg exchange students will be assisted
in finding permanent accommodation.
Those staying for the entire academic year
may consult the online address database
of private student rooms and apartments.
Those staying for one semester will preferably be housed in rooms subletted by
Belgian students who spend a semester
abroad.
32
UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously GROUP T–Leuven
Education College)
Regular Students
GROUP T students can turn to the KU
Leuven Housing Service for information
about available rooms, studio apartments
and apartments in the private sector (see
p. 30). Since it’s difficult to find permanent
housing before coming to Belgium, it’s
advisable to arrive some time before the
start of your courses.
Campus Lemmens
The KU Leuven Housing Service (see p. 28)
can assist you in finding a student room
in Kotwijs, the online database of private
rental student accommodation. Lemmensstudents can not apply for housing
in other KU Leuven subsidised residence
halls. Since it is not so easy to find permanent housing, it is advisable to arrive some
time before the beginning of the courses
and contact foreignstudents.lemmens@
luca-arts.be for help in arranging temporary accommodation. Music practice
rooms are available each day from 7:30
am to 9:30 pm (Friday to 5:30 pm).
Upon arrival
3.2.2. Practical Information
on Renting Student
Accommodation
The Rental Contract
Legally, every rental agreement has to
be written. In practice, anything that has
been agreed upon orally will be difficult to
prove. It is advisable to use the standard
KU Leuven rental contract, which is recognisable by the logo of KU Leuven.
Standard contracts are freely available at
the Housing Service. Alterations are possible but are seldom to your advantage and
both parties must always sign them. Every
rental contract will be valid if both tenant
and landlord sign it. If the landlord insists
on his own type of contract, please drop
by the Housing Service before you sign it.
The housing officers will read it through,
translate parts of the contract and let you
know if it is reliable or not. Contracts will
not be translated by email. The rental term
will generally be concluded for 10, 11 or 12
months. There is a limited offer of accommodation for a shorter period. Rooms,
studios and apartments that become
available during the academic year will be
rented out for the remainder of the initial
rental term. According to Belgian law a
contract once signed, can not be terminated before it expires, unless stated otherwise in the contract.
The deposit
When you conclude a contract, the payment of a deposit is required. For rooms,
a deposit of one or two months rent is
usual. For studios and apartments, deposits generally amount to two months rent.
This sum can never be considered as rent
and can only be used to compensate for
damage to the rented property caused by
the tenant or by third parties to whom the
tenant has granted access. The deposit or
its balance will be reimbursed within one
month after the end of the agreement, taking into account that the landlord should
have the opportunity to draw up the final
bill for heating, electricity, etc. before he
can return the balance of the deposit. The
landlord can charge an extra cost if the
keys are not returned in time and/or the
room has not been cleaned thoroughly.
Supplementary expenses
If the cost of heating, electricity, water, etc.
is not included in the rent, the contract
should clearly state how these costs will be
calculated. Many contracts state that the
tenants have to pay a monthly advance
for the costs, over and above the cost of
the rent. At the end of the agreement, a
settlement of the total costs is made, taking into account the advance payments.
The calculation of these costs should be
submitted to the tenant in a separate,
detailed bill. The landlord provides this
calculation at the latest within one quarter after the end of the rental period.
If each housing unit is equipped with an individual electricity and gas meter, the tenant and the landlord should make a note of
the meter reading at the beginning and at
the end of the rental term. When the final
bill is submitted, tenants are entitled to see
the individual invoices for the various costs.
Some contracts state that the tenants
have to pay a fixed amount for the supplementary expenses. In this case no
calculation will be made at the end of
the contract. Tenants of apartments and
houses normally have an individual con-
33
tract with the gas, electricity and water
companies. In this case they will receive
the invoices directly from the company.
City tax
Tax is levied on the owner of every housing unit in Leuven used as second residence, if:
• on 1st January of the tax year the tenant
is not registered in the municipal register of Leuven or the waiting register and
• if on 1st January of the tax year the tenant is not in the possession of annex 33
(for international students from countries bordering Belgium) and for whom
no application of registration was done
yet.
The tax amounts to €750 per second residence per year for 2014. Most landlords
stipulate in their contracts that they will
recover this sum from the tenant.
No second-residence tax is due on accommodations rented by students or staff
members registered at the address of the
rented property in the municipal register
or the wait register, or by a student who is
in the possession of or applied for annex
33 for international students from countries bordering Belgium on 1st January of
the tax year.
This is particularly the case for international students residing in Leuven for
more than 90 days. International students
staying in Leuven for more than 90 days
need to register at the municipal register
of Leuven or need to be in the possession
of annex 33. On the request of the landlord the student should hand over proof
of registration (annex 8 or 15) or annex 33.
Students staying in Leuven for more than
90 days and not registering in the municipal register can submit proof of enrolment at an educational institution offering full-time day courses in order to pay a
reduced tax of €90.
Do not forget to deregister when you are
leaving Leuven.
34
Upon arrival
Fire insurance
When you rent a property, you are responsible for damage caused by fire, water, or
explosion, except in circumstances beyond one’s control (i.e. “force majeure”).
You should subscribe to an insurance policy to cover these risks. Whether tenants
should take out an individual insurance
policy or if they are insured by the policy
of the landlord depends on what has been
agreed upon in the rental agreement.
Since landlords have insured their building
for fire and related risks, electrical and water damage, they usually include an insurance on behalf of the tenant in this policy,
which covers the tenant’s liability towards
the landlord and towards third parties. In
the contract the landlord can stipulate
that the tenant must pay his/her share in
the fire insurance premium. The tenant’s
personal belongings, however, will never
be covered by the landlord’s insurance
policy. To insure damage to his/her own
property, the tenant needs to subscribe to
a separate insurance policy. If the contract
does not stipulate that the tenant’s liability is insured through the landlord’s policy, which is usually the case for tenants of
apartments and houses, the tenants need
to take out individual insurance to cover
the risks of damage both to the landlord’s
property and to their personal belongings.
An individual policy is obviously more expensive, depending on the coverage and
the value of the property and furniture insured.
When you rent a room from another student (subletting) you can sign in on a fire
insurance policy offered by the KU Leuven
that covers your liability towards the landlord and third parties, as well as your personal belongings. This fire insurance policy
costs €25 per year.
What to do in case of
problems?
Whenever you have difficulties in understanding your contract or any other
document related to your rental accommodation, you can seek the advice of the
Housing Service for translation and interpretation of the contents. Contracts will
not be translated by mail but in person or
by telephone. In case of a conflict with the
landlord, the Housing Service can help to
solve the problem or mediate between the
tenant and the landlord.
Complaints about the conditions of the
property should be reported to the landlord first, so he can undertake action. If the
landlord does not respond or reacts insufficiently, students can turn to the Housing
Service. If necessary, a housing officer will
visit the accommodation to assess the
housing situation on site and advise the
tenant of what procedure should be followed.
35
3.2.3. City of Leuven
3.3 Insurances
Housing Office
Overview of different types
of insurances
This office supervises the quality of rented
properties in Leuven, in close cooperation
with the local fire department and the
Flemish regional authorities. The municipal housing office draws up an inventory
of unoccupied and dilapidated dwellings
and investigates problems with quality
and safety in houses and student rooms.
The office can summon the fire brigade
to check on the fire safety of the student
rooms. Landlords can apply to this department to obtain a certificate of conformity
(“conformiteitsattest”). This is an official
confirmation that their property complies
with the legal regulations.
1. Student accidents and damage to third
parties during student activities:
Through your registration you are automatically covered for this by your institution. This coverage includes:
•your own physical damage during
study related activities; doctoral students with a doctoral scholarship which
is subject to social security are covered
by the accident insurance as an employee for job related accidents.
• your civil liability (damage to third parties) and professional liability during
study related activities.
Students can turn to this office for information about the legal quality standards
imposed by the regional and local authorities. Shortcomings in student houses, however, should be reported to the KU Leuven
Housing Service in the first instance. Only
in cases of serious quality problems, for
which the mediation of the Housing Service has proved unsuccessful, an official
complaint to the municipal housing office
can be considered. In the event of serious
shortcomings, the local council can decide
to close down the premises and impose a
penalty on the landlord.
Dienst Wonen
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 26 50 • Fax 016 27 28 18
huisvesting@leuven.be
www.leuven.be/leven/wonen
36
2. Damage to third parties during private
life:
It is important to have a third party liability
insurance private life. KU Leuven obliges
non-EEA students to subscribe upon registration to the third party liability insurance private life of the KU Leuven and pay
€13. EEA students can also subscribe to
this insurance plan. This Insurance covers
the whole family of the student (see. 3.3.1).
3. Medical costs:
Coverage by a health insurance policy is
required by law. This is not covered by the
institution. Therefore most students affiliate with a Belgian Health Insurance Company. Some, however, in the framework of
EC Scholarship Programmes, such as the
Erasmus Mundus programmes, are covered for health insurance by special travel
insurance plans as required by the EC.
Most EEA students can use the European Health Insurance Card. In the description below you find more details about
Upon arrival
the health Insurance and affiliating with a
Belgian Health Insurance Company (see
3.3.2).
3.3.1. Third Party Liability
Insurance
Private Life
KU Leuven requires all non-EEA students
to subscribe to the third party liability Insurance coverage of the KU Leuven. This
policy covers any damages to third parties
caused by the student or one of the student’s family members, while not on university property.
Your own personal injuries are not covered
by this policy, only damage caused to third
parties. For example, if you accidentally
scratch a parked car while riding your bicycle, and you are held responsible for the
damage, the insurance company will cover
the cost of the damage to the car, but not
the costs of any damage to your bike, or
personal injury you might suffer. The policy also covers the costs of legal assistance
in case of disagreement between both
parties.
Non-EEA students pay €13 per academic
year for this insurance. The only students
exempt from this requirement are those
who can prove they already have private
third party liability coverage. Under European legislation, EEA students are not
required to have this insurance coverage,
but we strongly recommend that you get
it nevertheless.
Past experience has shown that the costs
associated with damage caused, even in a
minor accident, can turn out to be much
higher than most students are able to pay.
A student can subscribe to the policy by
paying the supplementary amount of €13
upon enrolment. The insured party who
has his/her normal residence in Belgium
will be covered throughout the world.
Excluded are:
•Damage caused by fire and the like
originating from a building of which the
insured party is at least partly owner,
renter or user. This damage is normally
covered by a fire Insurance policy. The
exception only applies to material damage.
• Damage caused to borrowed goods or
to goods of which the insured party is
the owner, for example: the insured party damages the sanitary fittings of the
building he/she is renting.
•Damage caused by a motor vehicle.
This damage is insured by the legal insurance “Burgerlijke Aansprakelijkheid
Auto” (Civil Liability Car).
• Damage caused while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
• Damage caused while carrying out professional activities. This damage is insured by the employer.
For students: in case of an accident,
please report it to the Social Service as
soon as possible (see p. 52). This office
will file the claim with the relevant Insurance company on your behalf and help
you to follow up your claim. Visiting professors, researchers and administrative/
technical staff members cannot subscribe
to the above mentioned university policy. However we strongly advise that they
subscribe to a private third party liability
insurance (for the address, see p. 42).
37
3.3.2. Health Insurance
All residents of Belgium, Belgian nationals or otherwise, are required by law to be
covered by a health insurance policy. It is
also in your own interest. Without insurance coverage, the cost of medical care
can quickly spiral out of control. For instance, a single night’s stay in the hospital
can cost up to €400 not including treatment or medicine.
A standard health insurance policy will
reimburse about 75% of the cost of a
doctor’s visit, medicine and hospitalisation. The information below is grouped
according to the following categories:
self-supporting students, students with
a scholarship, researchers, administrative/technical staff members, visiting professors and visiting scholars.
Please turn to the section that applies to
your particular situation. Students with
a low income can apply for “verhoogde
tegemoetkoming” (former omnio status)
with higher reimbursement.
Self-supporting Students
EEA Students and EEA
Exchange Students in the
LLP/Erasmus programme
Students who are EEA nationals should
obtain a so-called European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) proving they already
have insurance coverage in their home
country. Nationals from Algeria, Australia, Tunisia, Turkey, former Yugoslavia can
also obtain documents under the terms of
the agreement between Belgium and their
country. Any medical costs they may incur
will be reimbursed by a Belgian health insurance company if they show them the
38
EHIC. This also applies to the cost of drugs
and medication: ask for a 704N form at
the pharmacy. If they don’t have a EHIC,
they are required to follow the same procedure as non-EEA students and take out
health insurance coverage in Belgium.
Non-EEA nationals who are
selfsupporting students or
whose scholarship does not
include health insurance
Self-supporting students, or those with a
scholarship that does not include health
insurance, should take out a health Insurance policy. If you arrive before 1 July,
you will have to obtain temporary private
health insurance (see below). The cost of
private Insurance is €226.97 per month.
If you arrive after 1 July, you can wait until the start of the university’s enrolment
period. With your proof of enrolment, you
can subscribe to a health insurance policy
at the insurance company of your choice.
However, it may be useful to know that KU
Leuven has excellent relations with ‘CM Leuven’ (Christelijke Mutualiteit, a major
health insurance company). You can register online via www.cmleuven.be/students .
The documents you must submit:
•passport
• Belgian identity card/residence permit
(if you have it already) or annex 15
•the certificate of “family composition”
(which you can obtain at the City Hall,
see p. 24) if you have family members
to be insured
• bank account number
• the certificate of enrolment which you
will obtain automatically upon enrolment at the KU Leuven Registrar’s Office (this is not the same as your student
card)
Upon arrival
The fee consists of a quarterly payment,
which entitles you to all benefits from the
first day of that quarter. There are four
payment periods: from the beginning of
October to the end of December, from
January to March, from April to June and
from July to September.
During the first quarter of your stay as a
student in Belgium, you will be eligible
for health insurance as a ‘student’. You
will have to pay a legal contribution of €
58,41 per quarter plus a contribution for
the health insurance company (min. € 16,5
per quarter). Once you have received your
identity card at the City Hall, you will be
eligible for health insurance as a ‘resident’.
If you have no taxable income in Belgium,
you will only have to pay the contribution
for the health insurance company (min. €
16,5 per quarter).
If your family needs to be insured as well,
your partner has to report to the health insurance company in person because she/
he must sign the insurance documents
personally. She/he can be covered from
the moment she/he has a Belgian identity card/residence permit (white card). If a
child is born during your stay in Belgium,
you must report to the health insurance
company and submit the birth certificate,
which you can obtain at the City Hall.
Students with a KU Leuven
scholarship or grant not
subject to social security
If you hold a KU Leuven scholarship or
grant as a pre-doctoral student, master
student, international scholar or specialisation student, it is not subject to Belgian
social security contributions.
You will be provided with health insurance,
usually via the ‘CM – Leuven’ (a major
health insurance company). Your case administrator at the KU Leuven International Admissions and Mobility Unit will take
care of all the formalities related to the
subscription and the reimbursement procedures. In general, the costs are included
in the scholarship and will be paid directly
to the health insurance company by the International Admissions and Mobility Unit.
Doctoral students who
hold a KU Leuven doctoral
scholarship subject to social
security
Doctoral scholarships are subject to partial or full social security, in compliance
with Belgian law. EEA nationals and nonEEA nationals from countries with which
Belgium concluded a bilateral cial security
agreement are entitled to full social security coverage. Belgium has concluded a bilateral social security agreement with: Algeria, Australia, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Canada, Chile, Croatia, Israel, Japan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, the Philippines, San Marino, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey,
the United States, India, South-Korea and
Uruguay.
In case of partial social security coverage,
you are entitled to coverage for health insurance, job-related accidents and illness
and you are also entitled to receive child
allowance. In case of full social security
coverage, you will also build up retirement
(and unemployment) rights. You are required to affiliate with a Belgian health insurance fund, but the choice of insurance
company is up to you. The cost amounts
to approximately €16.50 per quarter. If you
are a non-EEA national, the International
39
Admissions and Mobility Unit will affiliate
you with a Belgian health insurance company.
For non-EEA scholarship holders, the
majority of the costs are included in the
scholarship and will be paid by the International Admissions and Mobility Unit. If
you receive the highest possible amount
for a doctoral scholarship (100% of the
net salary of an assistant), the cost for the
health insurance is no longer included in
the scholarship. If your family needs to be
insured as well, your partner has to visit
the health insurance company in person
because he/she must sign the relevant
documents personally. Partners of nonEEA nationals can be covered from the
moment they have a Belgian identity card/
residence permit (partners of EEA nationals can obtain coverage immediately).
Visiting Scholars/Fellows
KU Leuven provides an insurance package
designed especially for visiting scholars
who come to Belgium for a period of three
months at most (EEA nationals may come
for a maximum of six months). The cost
of this package is € 100 for three months.
Upon enrolment at the International Admissions and Mobility Unit visiting scholars
receive this policy consisting of accident
insurance, third party liability study related matters, professional liability. For nonEEA it also includes health insurance in all
Schengen Countries. There is a franchise
of €125.
EEA scholars have to provide their health
insurance themselves, mostly by a EHIC.
This policy does not cover third party liability private life, chronic or non-urgent
illnesses or the following sports: skiing,
mountain climbing, scuba diving, delta
40
gliding, parachuting and hanggliding. Your
family cannot be insured by this policy
and will have to obtain private insurance in
their home country or in Belgium.
Researchers
Postdoctoral Fellows
Postdoctoral grants are subject to partial or full social security contributions, in
compliance with Belgian law. EEA nationals and non-EEA nationals from countries
with which Belgium concluded a bilateral
social security agreement are entitled to
full coverage. Belgium has concluded a
bilateral social security agreement with
the following countries: Algeria, Australia,
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Chile,
Croatia, Israel, Japan, Macedonia, Montenegro, Morocco, the Philippines, San
Marino, Serbia, Tunisia, Turkey, the United
States, India, South-Korea and Uruguay.
In case of partial social security coverage,
you are covered for health insurance, jobrelated accidents and illness and you are
entitled to receive child allowance.
In case of full social security coverage, you
will also build up retirement (and unemployment) rights.
You are required to affiliate with a Belgian
health insurance fund, but the choice of
the insurance company is up to you. The
cost amounts to approximately €16.50 per
quarter. If your family needs to be insured
as well, your partner has to visit the health
insurance company in person because
he/she must sign the relevant documents
personally. Partners of non-EEA nationals
can be covered from the moment they
have an Attestation of Immatriculation
(orange card). Partners of EEA nationals
can obtain coverage immediately.
Upon arrival
Salaried Researchers and
Administrative/Technical
Staff Members
Salaried staff members are subject to full
social security contributions. This means
they are covered for health insurance, jobrelated accidents and illness, are entitled
to receive child allowance and build up
retirement (and unemployment) rights.
You are required to affiliate with a Belgian
health insurance fund, but the choice of the
company is up to you. The cost amounts to
approximately €16.50 per quarter. If your
family needs to be insured as well, your
partner has to visit the health insurance
company in person because he/she must
sign the relevant documents personally.
Partners of non-EEA nationals can be covered from the moment they have an Attestation of Immatriculation (orange card).
Partners of EEA nationals can obtain coverage immediately.
Self-supporting Researchers
EEA nationals need to obtain a European
Health Insurance Card (EHIC) proving coverage in their home country and enabling
them to receive reimbursement for medical treatment in Belgium.
Non-EEA nationals are advised to take a
personal insurance that covers them for
medical care during their stay in Belgium.
Belgian health insurance coverage is possible, but the cost is proportional to their
taxable income (worldwide income).
Visiting Professors
Visiting professors with a salary paid by
KU Leuven are subject to full social se-
curity contributions. This means they are
covered for health insurance, job-related
accidents and illness, are entitled to receive child allowance and build up retirement (and unemployment rights). You are
required to affiliate with a Belgian health
insurance fund, but the choice of the company is up to you. The cost amounts to
approximately €16.50 per quarter. If your
family needs to be insured as well, your
partner has to visit the health Insurance
company in person because he/she must
sign the relevant documents personally.
Partners of non-EEA nationals can be covered from the moment they have an Attestation of Immatriculation (orange card).
Partners of EEA nationals can obtain coverage immediately.
Self-supporting Visiting
Professors
EEA nationals need to obtain a European
Health Insurance Card (EHIC) proving coverage in their home country and enabling
them to receive reimbursement for medical treatment in Belgium.
Non-EEA nationals are advised to take a
personal insurance that covers them for
medical care during their stay in Belgium.
Belgian health insurance coverage is possible but the cost is proportional to their
taxable income (worldwide income).
Documents needed for
repayment
When you subscribe to a health insurance,
you will receive an information booklet and a number of stickers. Please take
your IDcard (electronic identity card) and
stickers with you every time you go to the
41
pharmacy, visit a doctor, go to a hospital
or to the health insurance office. Medical
professions and pharmacists will use your
ID-card card to view the data on your
health insurance.
Coverage outside Belgium
Whether or not you have coverage abroad
(i.e. outside Belgium) depends on a number of criteria. Just to be sure, you should
contact your own health Insurance company or – for students - get advice from
the Social Service (see p. 52).
When you go abroad in the framework of
your studies to a non-EEA country you
have to subscribe to a travel insurance.
This is not for free. You can find information on https://admin.kuleuven.be/sab/vz/
en/travel-insurance
When you go to an EEA country you can
ask an EHIC in your mutuality.
Coverage for parents, siblings
and friends
When coming to Leuven for a visit, your
parents, siblings or friends are not covered
by your health insurance policy (whether
you are a student or KU Leuven staff). We
would advise your guests to take out a
temporary private insurance policy to cover their period of stay in Belgium. The private insurance company, ‘Filip Vandeven
nv’, at Tessenstraat 3, B-3000 Leuven tel.
016 31 09 70, is a recommended option in
this case.
Addresses for health insurance
• Christelijke Mutualiteit Leuven (CM)
Leopold-I-straat 34 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 31 49 10
42
• Neutraal Ziekenfonds Vlaanderen
Vaartstraat 56/1
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 30 16 43
• Socialistische Mutualiteit
Mechelsestraat 70 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 22 57 04
• Liberale Mutualiteit van Brabant
Vital Decosterstraat 84 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 20 61 12
• Vlaams en Neutraal Ziekenfonds
Vital Decosterstraat 83
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 85 29 90
• Securex
Vaartkom 38/2a • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 38 86 11
• Partena Onafhankelijk Ziekenfonds
Mercatorpad 9 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 22 34 24
General Information about health
insurance
• For all students
KU Leuven – Social Service
Tel. 016 32 44 28
• For students with a KU Leuven
scholarship
KU Leuven - International Admission
and Mobility Unit
scholarships@kuleuven.be
Tel. 016 32 40 04
• For Postdoctoral Fellows, Research
Associates, Self-supporting
Researchers and Visiting Professors
KU Leuven – HR Department
Mrs. Annemie Dumoulin
Parijsstraat 72b • B-3000 Leuven
hrdepartment@kuleuven.be
Tel. 016 32 83 05
• Private Insurance
Filip Vandeven nv
Tessenstraat 3 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 31 09 70
Upon arrival
3.4. Money Matters
Branches of the principal Belgian and international banks can be found in all larger Belgian cities. Among the best known
Belgian banks are the following: ING,
KBC, Belfius, BNP Paribas Fortis, Argenta
and Citibank. The university does business mainly with BNP Paribas Fortis and
KBC. Students are encouraged, however,
to choose the bank that best suits their
needs.
Belgian bank accounts can be “current
accounts”, “saving accounts” or “term accounts”. The first are customarily used for
current transactions, payments or transfers; the second are self-explanatory; and
the third are interest-bearing accounts
fixed for a given period of time, and for
which the rate of interest varies according
to the ups and downs of the investments
of the bank. Several banks also offer the
possibility of opening saving accounts in
US dollars.
Deposits and withdrawals can be made
in US dollar banknotes or checks. Withdrawals in dollars can be made any time.
However, customers must notify the bank
in advance and order the amount of dollars that they want to withdraw. Traveller’s
checks are sold at all banks but also need
to be ordered some days in advance. At
the end of the calendar year, customers
are generally billed for all the services that
they have used during the year.
After opening a bank account, customers receive a debit card, which needs to
be signed and activated by choosing and
confirming a personal “PIN code”. The
bank personnel will assist customers in
this. Holders of a scholarship or grant will
most likely have their grants deposited
directly into their accounts. The following
services are attached to your bank account:
• cash withdrawals, either at one of the
branches of the bank or at any ATM machines
•debit card payments for items purchased in shops or commercial centres
•transfers from any “selfbanking” machine of any branch of the bank.
• standing orders with the bank for making regularly recurring payments such
as rent, gas, electricity, water or telephone (‘domiciliëring’ in Dutch).
This is highly recommended since the
payments are made automatically. So
you cannot forget, even if you are away
for a period of time.
• most banks provide Home Banking possibilities (via internet).
Payments and account
statements
Payment by bank transfer is a very common method of paying bills in Belgium.
The companies will normally indicate on
their bills how they prefer to be paid. Payments by credit card such as Visa, Mastercard/ Eurocard, American Express, etc.
are also common practice. For a small fee
to cover postage, Belgian banks will mail
daily, weekly or monthly transaction statements for a current account to your home
address.
It is a good idea to make use of this service.
An alternative to the daily posting service
is the “poste restante”, whereby transaction statements are kept at the bank for
the customer to pick up. The easiest way
of obtaining account statements is to print
them out at a “selfbanking” terminal.
43
3.5. Living Cost
One-time (installation) costs
Single
Telephone costs for
appointments
With partner
Free use of telephone in computer Free use of telephone in computer
room of Housing Service
room of Housing Service
Rent deposit
€ 350
€ 700
Rent for 1st month
€ 350 (basic student room)
€ 700 (2-person apartment)
Utilities costs: phone, water,
electricity, fire insurance etc.
Included in estimated rent
Included in estimated rent
Bicycle rent at VELO
Deposit of € 70
1 month: € 16; 7-12 months: € 68
Health insurance
Around € 124
Around € 124
These installation costs are normally spent once a year.
Yearly study costs
Single
With partner
Tuition fee
See table
See table
Third Party Liability insurance
€ 13 (via KU Leuven)
Buss Pass (optional)
€ 20
Sport card (optional)
€ 20
€ 20
Culture card (optional)
€ 20
€ 20
Study materials
€ 500
€ 500
Academic activities
€ 350
€ 350
Tuition fee can vary depending on the academic programme or course of study. Keep
in mind that the tuition fee has to be paid at the start of the academic year and that
payment in instalments is not allowed! The costs for study materials as well as for
academic activities can vary depending on the programme.
Monthly costs
Single
With partner
Monthly rent
€ 350
€ 700
Monthly utilities costs
Included in rent
Included in rent
Monthly living costs
€ 400
€ 650
Total monthly costs
€ 750
€ 1350
Monthly costs include the expenses for housing and living costs. The following items
are covered by the monthly living costs: food, clothes, medical costs, purchase of
household implements, language courses, relaxation/free time, transportation costs.
Yearly housing and living costs will be higher depending on the number of family
members.
44
Upon arrival
The estimates above provide a rough average of what a monthly/yearly budget
in Leuven can amount to, apart from the
tuition fee. Basically, these figures reflect
a budget that is realistic and sufficient to
cover your basic needs.
Preparation and departure
for Leuven depending on
country
Before travelling to Leuven, a budget must
be foreseen for the following possible
costs while still in your home country: visa/
passport application fees, transportation
costs, ticket reservation costs, accommodations, costs for ticket(s), shipping costs
for extra baggage and medical costs.
If the partner or the family will come along
to Leuven, the extra costs need to be calculated as well.
Single
Arrival €150 With partner
€300
This amount includes transportation costs
to Leuven within Belgium, temporary
accommodation (€24/night for a 1 person guestroom, €50/night for a 2 person
guestroom), communication costs with
family at home country and the registration at the City Hall (administrative costs,
ID pictures, …).
Preparation and departure for
home country
Before departure for one’s home country, a budget needs to be foreseen for the
following costs: closing accounts, ticket
reservation costs, costs for ticket(s), transportation costs and shipping costs for
baggage.
3.6. Welcome and
Integration @ KU Leuven
Coming to a new
environment!
As a new international student or scholar at KU Leuven, you will be faced with a
multitude of changes, decisions and adjustments. Perhaps the most exciting and
challenging of these will be your on-going
adjustment to life in Belgium. A pattern of
cultural adjustments often occurs over a
period of several weeks or months. Most
of you will spend your first weeks settling
in. During this period you may feel excited,
eager and happy to be in this country.
After a while, however, things may not
be as easy as you had expected. You
may miss your accustomed ways of
dealing with everyday life. Speaking and
listening to English or Dutch and trying to understand how things are done
here may seem to require big efforts.
This phase is often referred to as culture
shock. You may feel homesick and idealise your life back home. You may become
frustrated, angry, anxious and depressed.
This is a natural reaction to living in a new
culture.
45
Here are a few guidelines to help you cope
with it:
•Realise that your reactions are very
common.
• Disconnect from home: do not talk to
your family every day, but write them
your reports and new experiences from
time to time.
• Stay in touch with your programme coordinator.
• Talk about your feelings with friends or
with a counsellor (see Student Health
Care Centre, p. 55).
• Ask for a local buddy (see p. 47).
• Start a journal about your new adventure and include your thoughts and feelings.
• Follow the intercultural training sessions
offered during Orientation Days or during the academic year.
• Last but not least: it is most important
to get involved with other students.
“I advise them to be strong, try to forget
home and family as much as possible and
make friends here instead till they finish
their study. They need to learn different
cultures also, as most Ethiopians are only
good at their school, but not in their social interaction.”
(student from Ethiopia)
‘Pangaea’ is the label for all activities and
initiatives by Student Services. The name
Pangaea refers to the name of the original
single continent which made up the entire
land surface of the earth some 175 million
years ago. Pangaea aims to create a homeaway-from-home feeling for international
students in Leuven and to help them with
their social integration in the Leuven student community. In the spirit of hospitality
and intercultural understanding, Pangaea
stimulates interaction between students
and offers a platform for proposals and initiatives from students and other partners.
What Pangaea has to offer you:
Welcome and integration
activities
The KU Leuven as well as the different
students associations organise lot of activities to help you integrate in student
life in Leuven. For an overview of all initiatives and tips to feel at home in Leuven:
www.kuleuven.be/welcome
Orientation Days
Before the start of each semester, KU Leuven organises Orientation Days to find your
way around Leuven, the university and to
meet a lot of fellow students. As a new
international student, we strongly recommend you to attend the Orientation Days,
organised in the week of 14 September
2015 and in the week of 1 February 2016.
Programme and registration via
www.kuleuven.be/orientationdays
46
Upon arrival
Buddy Programme
Ask for a local ‘buddy’ to help you find your
way around the university, Leuven and Belgium. A buddy is a KU Leuven student (a
Flemish student or another international
student) who will answer all your practical
questions and will help you out during your
first days and weeks in Leuven. Most of the
buddies will also introduce you to Belgian
habits and customs, and some even to their
own family. Ask for a buddy via the form on
www.kuleuven.be/buddy
Intercultural Meeting Centre and Bar
This is a lively meeting place on the Social Sciences Campus where international
and Belgian students can get together in
an informal setting. It has a lounge with a
coffee bar with WIFI, a variety of board
games, and newspapers. There is also a
recreational room with table tennis facilities. Become a member for €5 and enjoy
free coffee and tea during the whole academic year. The bar is partly run by volunteers. Every volunteer who works in the
bar for 15 hours receives a nice Pangaea
T-shirt. Members can rent out our rooms
for student activities and meetings.
Socio-cultural Activities
During the academic year Pangaea organises a variety of trips, lectures, workshops,
conversation groups etc.
Pangaea
Vesaliusstraat 34, B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 33 96 • Fax 016 32 33 90
www.kuleuven.be/pangaea
Open :
Lounge, bar and recreational rooms:
Monday to Thursday from 12:00 noon to
8:00 pm. On Friday and Saturday from
noon to midnight.
Office:
Monday to Friday from 12:30 to 5:30 pm
International student
associations
Contact and join the Student Council of
your Faculty or one of the International
Student Associations (see p. 106 and following).
International Contact Club
(ICC)
ICC organises visits and trips for postgraduate students, staff members and their
families. When you enrol as an international doctoral, student or become a staff
member, you, your partner and your whole
family automatically become a member of
ICC. Membership is completely free. ICC
organises trips in Belgium and abroad
(Amsterdam, Aachen, Paris, Lille etc) and
guided evening visits in Leuven.
www.kuleuven.be/icc
Info sessions for newly
arrived international doctoral
students and/ or staff
members
These info sessions are organised once
every three months. Check the website
www.kuleuven.be/welcome for more information.
Important Facebook groups
• Buddy Programme KU Leuven
•Pangaea
• LOKO International
(student body council)
• ESN Leuven
• PhD Society
47
O FADO
restaurant
Traditional Portuguese kitchen
Parijsstraat 49,
3000 Leuven
016 22 93 91
restaurantofado
@gmail.com
facebook.com/
ofadoleuven
www.restaurantofado.be
BOOKSHOP AND STATIONERY
FOR ALL YOUR STUDY NEEDS!
BOOKS
We offer study books
and literature in every
professional field
STATIONARY
You can find a wide range
of stationery in our shops
PRINTING
We solve all your printing
needs in our
-shop
in Heverlee
LEUVEN
HEVERLEE
Maria Theresiastraat 2-4
(0032)16/29.11.00
Celestijnenlaan 200P
(0032)16/32.78.70
a 2-minute walk from the University Library
on the Arenberg Campus
Content
4
During
your stay
4.1. Offices & services for
international students
4.1.1. KU Leuven
Central services
International Admissions and Mobility
• the first point of contact between international students and KU Leuven administration
•admissions office for all international
applicants as well as for those applying
for scholarships (development cooperation, interuniversity staff exchange
agreements, research activities)
• payment of scholarships
•administration and admission of exchange students (ERASMUS and other)
International Admissions and Mobility
(IAM)
Atrechtcollege
Tel. 016 37 98 84 • Fax 016 32 37 73
admissions@kuleuven.be
Open:
weekday mornings from 9:00 am to 12:30
pm (from mid August until end of September also open in the afternoon)
International Office
The International Office’s main responsibility is to facilitate the implementation of
the university’s Internationalisation Policy
in the fields of international institutional
partnerships, mobility and development
cooperation. On the one hand it monitors
progress toward achieving the objectives
of the Policy Plan, and on the other hand
it drives the instruments by which the university’s research groups, educational programmes, departments, faculties and doc50
toral schools participate in and contribute
to the internationalisation process. The
International Office interacts with all entities of the university and faculties, manages all central institutional agreements,
ensures university-level coordination of
the European educational programmes in
which the university is engaged as well as
the university’s extensive development cooperation programmes both in education
and in research, welcomes visiting delegations and organises university delegations’
activities in official political and scientific
missions abroad.
Atrechtcollege
www.kuleuven.be/international/contact/index.html
Human Resources Department
HR Front Office
Your HR Advisor is your contact person
for any HR related question you might
have (e.g. with regard to recruitment, evaluation, training, career development, conflict management, etc.).
HR Department
Parijsstraat 72b/5540
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 83 00 • Fax 016 32 83 10
Open:
Student Services
Student Services encompass a number
of different counselling services whose
objective is to promote the social, physical, mental and financial well-being of
all students. Thanks to the cooperation
agreements between Studentenvoorzieningen/Student Services KU Leuven and
During your stay
the non-profit associations (vzw’s) providing social services for the institutions
of higher education, most of the services
listed below are centrally organised for all
Leuven students.
Housing Service
(see also Chapter 4: Accommodation)
Tel. 016 32 44 00
housingservice@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/accommodation
Student Services
Unless mentioned otherwise, all offices
are located at the
Van Dalecollege
Naamsestraat 80
B-3000 Leuven
See also
www.kuleuven.be/studentservices
Open:
weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm
from 1 June to 30 September:weekdays
from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and from
2:00 to 5:00 pm
Housing Service
The Housing Service receives international
students and provides them with practical
information and assistance in finding temporary and permanent housing. Throughout the academic year international students can turn to this office for help and
advice whenever they have questions or
problems related to their housing situation.
Kot culture, mobility and environment
advisors
The “kot” culture, mobility and environment advisors try to raise awareness
about transportation, the environment
and the unique culture of student houses.
They will answer any questions about
waste prevention and sorting, responsible
energy and water use, composting, bus
and train travel, bicycle safety, community
participation, and many other issues.
51
The advisors do not only provide information, they also promote new projects and
experiments in the area of sustainability
and ecologically responsible lifestyles, for
example the Veggie bag (see p. 72).
De Waag
Studentenwijk Arenberg 10/5426
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 32 93 01 & 02
Fax 016 32 88 20
duurzaamheid@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/advisorsresidential
Open:
daily but please give us a call or send an
e-mail in order to make an appointment
Social Service
As an international student studying in
Leuven, you don’t always know where to
go with your questions or problems. That
is why the Social Service wants to be a
“stepping stone” where you can ask any
question of a practical, legal or Financial
nature. If the answer to your question lies
outside their area of competence, they will
refer you to the right authority.
During your stay, it is likely that you will
have to communicate with public authorities, services, commercial organisations, etc. You may receive letters or bills
from tax authorities, health insurance, the
court, the city of Leuven, etc. If you have
questions regarding the content of these
letters or if you want some help, you can
contact the Social Service for advice and
support.
It is a general rule that students have to
provide sufficient funds for the period
they spend here. However, in rare cases,
this office can offer financial support to
individuals who have run into unexpect52
ed and temporary problems. Each case
will be examined by the service and the
request is then evaluated by the Study Finances Committee.
The Social Service also offers a sympathetic ear when you are having troubles
adjusting, facing family problems or any
kind of personal or emotional difficulties.
Social Service (see also chapter 3.3. Insurance and Health Care)
Tel. 016 32 44 28 • Fax 016 32 84 12
socialservice@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/socialservice
Open:
weekdays from 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
free consultation without appointment
Study Advice Service
The Study Advice Service acts as the central information point on study-related
matters for both Belgian and international students. You are welcome throughout
your student career: before you enter the
university, while you are studying at the
university and after you have graduated. This Service offers information about
study programmes at KU Leuven through
brochures and/or internet and the service
initiates and supports educational projects
within the whole university.
You can also visit the office to find out
which study programme fits best your
particular wishes and goals. If needed, you
will be provided with some personal assistance during your search. If you are already studying in Leuven you may contact
the Study Advice Service when you require personal, individual study guidance,
most often after being redirected by one
of the professors or advisors of your study
programme. You can also sign up for var-
During your stay
ious sessions such as Effective Study Approach, Study Planning System, Writing
Master Thesis or Presentation Techniques.
Before you graduate, you will be advised
by the career counselling service, which
prepares you for your first steps in the job
market. If you are looking for postgraduate study programmes, either in Belgium
or abroad, the Study Advice Service is
also the place to be. They can guide you
through the maze of master’s, MBA and
LLM programmes.
Study Advice Service
www.kuleuven.be/studyadvice
Student Employment Service
Looking for a job to earn some extra money and to gain some experience? This
service can provide information concerning employment possibilities during your
studies. Job offers are posted online. The
types of jobs range from babysitting to
translating, data entry, etc.
Please keep in mind that the number of
jobs for English speaking students are
limited, because most jobs require a very
good knowledge of Dutch. The Student
Employment Service also informs you
about the Belgian employment law.
You can contact us through the
contact form.
Service for Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities are welcome at
the KU Leuven. The Service for Students
with Disabilities puts you on your way. She
offers facilities to students with a hearing,
vision or mobility impairment, chronic
illness, learning disability (e.g. dyslexia),
psychiatric impairment (including ASD
and ADHD) relating to instructional settings and exams. You need to be recognised by this Service in order to be eligible
for facilities. This procedure takes time.
Don’t hesitate and make an appointment
with one of the disability officers as early
as possible.
Service for Students with Disabilities
Tel. 016 32 44 26
studfunctiebeperking@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/disability
53
If you are a student from outside the European Union:
• you must possess a work permit type C
if you want to work during the academic
year
• during the academic year, you can work
max. 20 hours per week
• before you can apply for this work permit type C, you need to be in the possession of a valid Belgian residence permit
Studying must be your main occupation.
Tel. 016 32 44 34 • Fax 016 32 44 39
jobdienst@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/studentemployment
Student jobs database: www.kuleuven.
be/studentjobs
Open:
weekdays from 2:00 to 5:00 pm
Legal Service for students
This office provides information and assistance on legal matters: civil law (marriage,
insurance), criminal law, etc. There is no
open consultation.
In general, students are referred to the Legal Service by one of the other services,
only by appointment (e.g. the Social Service, Student Employment Service)
Legal Service for students
Tel. 016 32 44 31 • Fax 016 32 84 12
juridischedienst@dsv.kuleuven.be
Religion and Philosophical Diversity
Contact Point
KU Leuven has set up a specific contact
point to answer all questions students may
have about religion or philosophical diversity either on campus or in Leuven.
54
Students can get in touch with the contact
point at any time for:
•all questions relating to (academic)
study and student life (accommodation,
prayer and contemplation rooms etc.)
• advice about whether a partial or final
exam may be rescheduled because of a
religious holiday
• more information about KU Leuven’s religion and philosophical diversity policy
If you want to be eligible for the facility to
reschedule a modular or final exam if the
date coincides with a recognised religious
holiday, you must apply for this with the
contact point.
Deadline: The Religion and Philosophical
Diversity Contact Point must receive all
applications ultimately by the deadline
for completing the ISP!
Religion and Philosophical Diversity
Contact Point - Student Services
tel. 016 32 43 32 • fax 016 32 43 302
www.kuleuven.be/religion
reldiv@dsv.kuleuven.be
During your stay
General practitioners
The Student Health Centre is staffed by a
team of doctors with extensive experience
in student related health issues, such as
concentration-problems, stress, contraception, etc. The Centre’s daily practice
focuses on prevention and information,
and on the physical and mental wellbeing
of students in general. Students with problems of a psychological nature can be referred to the psychologists or psychiatrists
of the Centre.
Tel. 016 32 44 20 • Fax 016 32 44 14
gp@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/health
Consultations by appointment only:
(holidays and exam periods 9:00 am
to 5:00 pm)
House calls by request, in case of serious
illness
Night and weekend emergency service:
070 25 70 25
(*) The Student Health Centre is open to students of KU Leuven, Campus Group T Leuven
and LUCA School of Arts – Campus Lemmens.
Students from KHLeuven are referred to the
general practitioners of Leuven (see also chapter IV: Health Care). For psychological counseling and therapy, KHLeuven students should
first apply to the student service of their department, which will refer them to GIBS (www.gibs.
be) or CPR.
Psychologists and Psychiatrists
Students dealing with personal or psychological problems can apply to the psychologists for professional help. A team
of experienced psychotherapists and
psychiatrists provides psychotherapy and
counseling, medical treatment (diagnosis,
medication), advice and information. English-speaking therapists are available.
Tel. 016 32 43 43 • Fax 016 32 43 67
psy@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/health
Consultations by appointment only weekdays from 8:30 am to 6:00 pm (holidays
9:00 am to 5:00 pm)
Student Harassment
Prevention Counselor
KU Leuven has appointed a Harassment
Prevention Counselor to deal with certain
kinds of unacceptable behaviour (bullying, violence and sexual harassment) within the university community. The duty of
the counselor is to assist students who are
victims of this type of behaviour. The ideal
outcome is to stop the unwanted behaviour without any negative consequences
for the victim.
Ms. Marleen Gheldof
Tel. 016 32 43 43 • Fax 016 32 43 43
marleen.gheldof@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/studentservices/
health/counselor.html
Consultations: Tuesdays from 11:00 am to
12 noon, or by appointment.
55
4.1.2. UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously KHLeuven and
Group T–Leuven Education
College) and LUCA School of
Arts – Campus Lemmens
The services mentioned above are also
open to students from UC Leuven-Limburg (with the exception of The Medical
and Psychotherapeutic Centre) and LUCA
School of Arts – Campus Lemmens. The
cooperation agreements between Studentenvoorzieningen KU Leuven and the
institutions of higher education are coordinated by the following non-profit associations.
Student Service UC Leuven-Limburg
Geldenaaksebaan 335
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 375 747
www.leuvenuniversitycollege.be/Degree-seeking-student/student-services
56
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 30 10 04 • Fax 016 30 10 40
Head of International Office:
Wim Polet: wim.polet@kuleuven.be
internationaloffice.groupt@kuleuven.be
Group T– Leuven Education College)
Tiensevest 60
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 37 55 00 • Fax 016 37 55 99
Tint (Team internationalisation)
tint@groupt.be
www.ucll.be
LUCA School of Arts – Campus Lemmens
StuVo LUCA Leuven
Tel. 016 23 39 67
Stuvo.lemmens@luca-arts.be
rita.deplancke@luca-arts.be
www.luca-arts.be
During your stay
4.1.3. City of Leuven
4.2. Studying in Leuven
Apart from the services provided by the
educational institutions that are normally
your first point of contact, Leuven also
hosts a number of social services, too
numerous to list here, that students may
call upon for help. They provide assistance
and support for health, legal, psychosexual and many other issues.
4.2.1. The Educational system
General Services
Social Services - Dienst Sociale Zaken
This office provides information concerning social organisations and social benefits in Leuven. Students officially resident
in Leuven i.e. living here for longer than 3
months) can request application forms for
birth and adoption premiums and assistance in raising a disabled child.
Social Services
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 26 18 • Fax 016 27 28 25
samenleven@leuven.be • www.leuven.be
Open office-counter :
Thursdays from 12:00 noon to 8:00 pm
If necessary, an appointment can be made
outside the office hours.
The Local Anti-Discrimination Center
The Anti-Discrimination Center works to
prevent and remedy all forms of discrimination in Leuven in housing, employment,
education, and public accommodations
through advocacy, litigation, education, outreach, monitoring and research.
Meldpunt Discriminatie
Diestsesteenweg 104F
B-3010 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 26 00 • Fax 016 27 28 25
meldpunt.discriminatie@leuven.be
KU Leuven
The Credit Accumulation System
KU Leuven organises its programmes according to a credit accumulation system.
Most programmes are composed of various educational stages, but deliberations
are only held at the end of a degree programme, allowing for more flexible pathways through the programmes.
A number of measures are in place in order to monitor each student’s study progress and in order to limit the total period
of study. Each academic year, bachelor’s
students are able to choose which fail
marks they don’t want to retake (within
certain limits).
In (advanced) master’s programmes, fail
marks are generally not permitted: only
if you obtain all the necessary credits or
have at most one fail mark of 9/20 and
your overall result is a distinction, you can
pass the master’s.
The KU Leuven regulations on education
and examinations include rules about
which courses can be taken in which programmes and how many credits students
may take in one academic year per programme. The regulations also state the
deadlines by which definitive choices
must be made by students about their individual programmes (usually within the
first three weeks of the semester). These
deadlines and rules are also integrated in
the electronic system used to record student’s course choices ( the so-called ‘ISP’
or Individual Study Programme).
57
In every faculty, there is a system for assigning examination moments. In most
programs the examination days are known
at the beginning of the academic year.
Structured, personal and collective study
track guidance
Study guidance (including advice about
pathways) is supported structurally by IT
tools (“study progress file”). The study
progress file includes, among other things,
the automatic permission or refusal for a
third registration, depending on the results
of the students.
The reports of the examination results
(also included in the study progress file)
after every examination period and after
the final examination period of the academic year contain, amongst others, the
following: detailed list of courses with the
results obtained by the student, including
the ECTS-percentile, the overall result so
far in the degree programme (including
average result, cumulative study efficiency and study progress).
All students are given the opportunity to
discuss their results, their study progress
and the choices relating to their programme with pathway advisers and to
seek their advice. Students with a cumulative study efficiency of lower than 50% are
invited to discuss their situation.
The learning account
The Flemish Ministry of Education grants
all initial bachelor’s or master’s students a
“learning account,” which is based on the
credits already used to compose their programmes of studies.
Students stake their credits against each
of their study years, with the aim of earning them back. KU Leuven only receives
58
funding from the Flemish government for
initial bachelor’s and master’s programme
students with sufficient learning accounts.
This learning account affects all KU Leuven students registered in initial bachelor’s
and master’s programmes.
Students in other programmes, such
as postinitial master’s or doctoral programmes, are not affected by the learning
account.
How does it work?
If you are following an initial bachelor’s or
master’s programme, you receive initial
learning accounts totalling 140 credits.
At the beginning of the year, the number
of credits for which you have registered
is subtracted from your learning account.
You earn back the credits you pass, and
lose those that you fail, even if you pass
the year overall. After the final year of
your first Flemish initial master’s study
programme, you receive your successful
credits back, but the programme’s original 140 credits are subtracted, leaving you
with your final total. You can always
consult your learning account at the ‘Studentenportaal’ website:
https://studentenportaal.vlaanderen.be/
dho-portaal/start.do
For examples, consult www.kuleuven.be/
learningaccount/count.html
Examination Regulations
All examinations held at KU Leuven are
governed by the official regulations on
education and examinations. The most
recent version of these regulations is available online (www.kuleuven.be/education/
regulations/index.php). You are strongly
advised to read these regulations carefully, so that you will be aware of your
During your stay
rights and responsibilities at exam time.
Important note: in addition to the general examination regulations, some faculties
also have additional examination regulations which apply only to examinations in
that faculty. These may lay down certain
additional requirements, and can also be
consulted through the website mentioned
above.
In particular the international master’s programmes often include supplementary examination regulations.
KU Leuven marks on a scale of 20: This
is a mere indication of what to expect in
general!
General Rules
Exams are graded on a 20 point scale, or
– in specific cases – on a pass/fail scale. A
student with a score of at least 10/20 (or
a passing result) obtains a credit for that
course. The most common marks gained
are from 10- 14/20.
Check
http://www.kuleuven.be/education/ects/positioning/ for more detailed
information.
Students can be exempted from courses
based on (a) credits acquired elsewhere
(another programme, another institution),
and (b) competences acquired outside a
formal learning context (i.e. prior experiential learning).
Ombudsperson
The ombudsperson is someone who has
been appointed to mediate between students and lecturers in cases of dispute.
The ombudsperson fulfils a very important role. He/she decides whether an examination can be postponed or not, and
mediates in conflicts. If you have problems
of any kind during the exams, you can go
and talk to him/her. If you do not show up
for an exam, without previously notifying
the ombudsman, you will be considered
illegally absent.
Examination Format
The examination is normally administered
by the person in charge of the course. The
examination schedule will have to indicate
59
if more than one examiner is acting for a
single course, or if there are several people
in charge of the course and you only have
to take an exam with one of them. Exams
may be administered by people other than
the professors in charge only in cases of
lab examinations, seminars etc. The professor is still responsible for the final grade
and the professor is the only one who deliberates on the board of examiners.
At the start of every course, professors are
required to provide students with detailed
information not only about the course
content and its objectives, but also about
the examination material and evaluation
methods, including the relative weighting
of any separate parts of the course for
which a partial grade might be assigned.
If this differs from examination period to examination period, this should
also be clarified at the start of the academic year. The format of the examination, i.e. oral or written, is determined
before the start of the academic year.
In oral examinations you have the right to
a (written) preparation period of at least
20 minutes. In many cases you will be admitted into the same room where the professor is examining other students.
You will be handed your questions and
will have to prepare while one or more
students take their oral exams. This is not
at all unusual, so be prepared for this. If
there are special circumstances (such as
a handicap, etc.) for which you think you
would like to request a different examination format, please submit your request
before the beginning of the examination
period. Students with disabilities need to
be recognised by the Service for Students
with Disabilities in order to be eligible for
facilities.
60
We recommend you to contact the disability officer of the Service as early as possible (see p. 53).
If you feel uncertain about the objectivity
of an examiner during an oral examination, you can ask to have another person
(neither a relative, nor someone enrolled
in the same programme) sit nearby during
the exam. You must submit a request for
this at least seven days before the exam.
Communicating the Examination Results
Examiners are not allowed to give you direct feedback after an examination, so there
is no point in asking them. If you think you
need to know how you did on certain exams because you feel terribly unsure about
continuing, consult the ombudsperson.
The overall results will be publicly announced immediately after deliberation
by the board of examiners. Your detailed
results will be posted electronically.
After the examination period is over, you
can ask for further explanation from the
examiner or from a person that has been
specifically appointed for that purpose. If
you want to appeal your grades, you can
ask to consult your examination papers.
This way you can check any comments
the examiner has written on your paper.
Examination Irregularities, Sanctions and
Appeals
If you are suspected of having committed
an irregularity (e.g. plagiarism or another
kind of fraud) during an examination, you
have the right to continue that examination. It is up to the board of examiners to
decide, afterwards, whether you have indeed committed a serious irregularity. The
board may request further comments from
you before it makes a decision. The board
of examiners decides what sanction, if any,
During your stay
will be applied. Possible sanctions include
failing the course or being denied the opportunity to take other examinations for
the rest of that academic year.
If you believe that an examiner has committed a procedural irregularity (e.g. failure
to indicate what is expected of students,
rude behaviour during exams, etc.) it is important to notify the ombudsperson, who
can contact the chair of the board of examiners. He will investigate your claim and
undertake actions accordingly.
As a student, you have the right to appeal
any decision made by the board of examiners. Appeals are submitted to the Dean
of Students up to five days following the
announcement of the disputed examination result. After consulting all parties involved, the Dean of Students will take a
new decision or decide that the decision
of the examination committee can be upheld. Bear in mind that the ombudsperson
can be a very important person for you
in these matters. He or she can assist you
and guide you through all the procedures.
If you are still dissatisfied with the final decision made by the Dean of Student affairs
or the outcome of a new decision by the
board of examiners, there is always the
possibility of taking the matter to court.
There is a specific administrative Court set
up for this: the Court of Examination Disputes. The Court of Examination Disputes
can ask the university to make a new decision. The normal courts can, in principle,
only award you damages; they cannot
overturn the university’s decision.
UC Leuven-Limburg
Detailed information about objectives,
learning content, bibliography, assignments and the type of examination must
be communicated to the students by the
lecturer of the course unit in the course
guide given to the student at the beginning of the academic year. The student is
entitled to two examination opportunities
per registration for the course unit.
During the examination periods an ombudsperson is on stand-by to help students with any problems that might arise.
There are three examination periods:
a) in January for course units or parts
thereof taught in the first semester
b) in June for course units taught in the
second semester and, in some cases, for
course units taught in the first semester.
c) in August to retake exams you did not
pass in January or June.
A mark of 10/20 or a pass is validated
with a credit certificate for life. The final
detailed timetable of the examinations is
posted at least 30 days before the start of
the examination period, after a provisional
draft has been posted for seven calendar
days beforehand for consultation and written amendment proposals to the ombudsperson by all involved. All arrangements
for examinations as described above are
to be communicated to the students in
the study contract given to the student
at the beginning of the academic year.
The examination regulations are updated
annually and can be found at our website
via www.leuvenuniversitycollege.be/ECTS
61
Ombudsperson
The ombudsperson is someone who has
been appointed to mediate between students and lecturers in cases of dispute.
This person fulfils a very important role.
He/ she decides whether an examination
can be postponed or not, and mediates
in conflicts. If you have problems of any
kind during the exams, you can go and
talk to him/her. If you do not show up for
an exam, without previously notifying the
ombudsman, you will be considered illegally absent.
4.2.2. Libraries
UC Leuven-Limburg
(previously Group T–Leuven
Education College)
The KU Leuven University
Library
Group T organises three examination periods (January, June and August/September) in combination with permanent evaluation. You can consult the examination
regulations via http://onderwijsaanbod.
groept.be/opleidingen/n/. They are updated annually.
Throughout the academic year and especially during examination periods, the ombudsperson acts as a mediator between
students and staff.
Campus Lemmens
There are 3 examination periods (January,
May/June and August/September).
There is also a permanent evaluation.
Examination regulations are updated annually. You can consult them on Toledo.
During the academic year and during
examination periods the ombudsperson
ensures good communication between
students and lecturers/ staff.
Contact: maaike.dezitter@luca-arts.be
62
“I will never forget the first time I was
at the central library. I couldn’t read because I was so delighted and happy,
I was just amazed to have such a great
privilege, I think all students may come
to Leuven and have this experience, to be
in the heart of Europe, to learn different
languages, it is really the most beautiful
experience I had.”
(student from Chili)
The university library system is composed
of 11 libraries spread out over the various
campuses (10 in Leuven and one in Kortrijk).
The Central Library is housed in one of the
most prestigious buildings of the University, on the Mgr. Ladeuzeplein. It contains
some fine heritage collections. Its vast
stacks contains, among other things, the
depository collection of the University Library.
In addition, the University Library has access to a wide range of bibliographical
databases and scholarly electronic resources, which can be accessed from any
computer connected to the KU Leuven
network. There is an online catalogue for
the University Library and other connected libraries. You have access to this online catalogue on the following address:
http://limo.libis.be
The beautiful Campus Library Arenberg
(W. de Croylaan 6, Heverlee) is the main
library for researchers in the fields of Exact Sciences, Bioscience Engineering, Ki-
During your stay
nesiology and Rehabilitation Science. Your
student or staff card gives you automatic
access to all the University libraries and
their various services. During each study
and exam period the project “Study with a
buddy” provides for longer opening hours
and extra study places. For more information, check out www.blokkeninleuven.be.
With its extensive programme of expositions and events, the Central Library plays
an important role in the cultural life of
the University and the town. The Central
Library on Mgr. Ladeuzeplein also houses a huge carillon (63 bells): it is possible
to climb the library tower and attend the
weekly carillon concerts, but you must reserve in advance (see on p. 89).
More information about the University Library can be found at http://bib.kuleuven.
be/english/ub/
UC Leuven-Limburg
At UC Leuven-Limburg (previously
KHLeuven), each faculty has its own library where you can find subject-related
books, magazines, CDs and Internet access. For opening hours check with the
faculty librarian.
Chief Librarian: Piet de Keyser
piet.dekeyser@ucll.be
www.khleuven.be/bib
UC Leuven-Limburg
Education College)
Group T students can use the KU Leuven
library facilities under the same conditions
as KU Leuven students.
63
Campus Lemmens
LUCA School of Arts – Campus Lemmens
has its own library with musical scores,
music-related books, music magazines
and internet access.
tion works (books and dvd’s) ordered by
subject and a diverse collection of comic
books and graphic novels. The library presents a large collection of cd’s and dvd’s.
All library items can be borrowed for four
weeks except for films on DVD : these can
only be borrowed for two weeks.
Open:
Monday: 8:45 am to 12 and 12:45 pm
to 2:45 pm
Tuesday: 9:45 am to 3:45 pm
Wednesday: 8:45 am to 2:45 pm
Thursday: 8:45 am to 1:45 pm and 3:00
pm to 6:00 pm
Friday: 8:00 am to 2:45 pm
The largest part of the materials in the library can be lent free of charge; only cd’s
and movies will cost you €0.50 per item.
To be able to borrow library materials, you
need a library card. The annual fee for a
card is €6 (free for those younger than 18).
A membership card for library consultation only is also free of charge.
Librarian: Lies Koopman
Bibliotheek.lemmens@luca-arts.be
www.luca-arts.be
Practical Tip :
In order to register as a library user and
obtain your library card, you will need
to show your ID card. Enrolment is easy
if your ID mentions your address in Belgium or if you can show us a document
“Bewijs van woonst” (to be obtained
at the town hall). If not you can still get
your library card, but then you will be
asked to pay a refundable deposit of €75.
Leuven Public Library
De Bib
The public library of Leuven – named “The
Bib”- offers a collection of newspapers,
weeklies and other periodicals (in Dutch
and other languages).
There are online catalogues of the collections and databases such as GoPresss (database of newspaper articles). Via the database Pressreader you have access to 2000
international newspapers and periodicals.
In Digil@b 10 pc’s are at your disposal for
internet consultation. The use of these
pc’s is free of charge for library members.
Printing and copying is possible. There are
working tables for reading and studying in
a quiet atmosphere.
The library has extensive collections on
loan: novels in Dutch, French, English,
German, Spanish and Italian. Also nonfic-
64
Diestsestraat 49 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 22 65 22
www.leuven.be/bibliotheek
http://leuven.bibliotheek.be (blog and
catalogue)
www.facebook.com/debibleuven
http://twitter.com/debibleuven
www.flickr.com/debibleuven
During your stay
4.2.3. AGORA
Learning Centre
AGORA is an innovative learning centre
where students can organize their learning
the way they want to: they decide what,
how and when to learn.
AGORA is open 363 days per year and
offers multiple learning spaces for over
500 users. The centre can be used by
students and staff of KU Leuven. In addition to a Silent Study Area, the learning
centre has a Social Study Area including
a coffee corner, and a Group Study Area
with 20 bookable rooms that can be used
for meetings and group work, presentations, video conference or video editing.
AGORA further supports student learning
by providing video cameras, audio recorders, projectors, speakers and webconference sets. It is also possible to borrow a
laptop or tablet for use within the building.
In short: AGORA is more than just a building. It forms a social hub where information, technology and services come together.
AGORA
E. Van Evenstraat 4 • B-3000 Leuven
agora@kuleuven.be
http://agora.kuleuven.be
www.facebook.com/AGORA2013
Open:
On weekdays during the academic year
from 8:00 am until midnight, weekends
and holidays from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm
4.2.4. Language Schools
KU Leuven
Leuven Language Institute - Instituut voor
Levende Talen (ILT)
Throughout the academic year, the Leuven
Language Institute offers Dutch language
courses for beginners to advanced learners. In total, 5 levels and 1 proficiency level
are taught. Each basic level consists of a
module of 80 contact hours. These modules are offered in standard mode (6h/
week) or in intensive mode (12h/week).
Standard courses take place in the afternoon or in the evening, while intensive
courses are held in the morning.
Students registering for the ILT Dutch
Language Year will need one academic
year in order to achieve the level required
for admission to a Dutch-taught study
programme at KU Leuven. They start at
Level 1 (either during the Intensive Dutch
Summer Course prior to the start of the
academic year, or at the beginning of the
academic year in October) and complete
Level 5 the following August. The Intensive Dutch Summer Course runs the entire
month of August, with classes held from
Monday to Thursday (20 h/ week).
http://ilt.kuleuven.be/summercourse
Throughout the academic year, ILT also
offers a course designed for international
students in a Master’s programme in English at KU Leuven who wish to upgrade
their English-language skills.
The Academic English course aims to
improve students’ general and academic
writing skills. This course offers excellent
preparation for a successful academic career.
65
ILT
Dekenstraat 6/5302
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 56 60 • Fax 016 32 56 56
info@ilt.kuleuven.be • ilt.kuleuven.be
CLT Language Centre - Centrum voor Levende Talen
The CLT Language Centre is an adult education centre recognised and funded by
the Flemish government. It is open to all
students who comply with the compulsory education law, regardless of age. With
more than 5 000 students and 100 nationalities it forms a natural and stimulating
language learning community.
A wide range of language courses (with
standard and intensive tracks) are on offer, each of which is composed of several levels from beginner (A1) to very
advanced (C1): Arabic, Chinese, Danish,
English, Finnish, French, German, Modern
Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Polish,
Romanian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish,
Swedish and Turkish.
Students receive coaching in the four skills
(listening, speaking, reading and writing)
and all programs are founded on enhanced and up-to-date teaching methodologies and communication in authentic
contexts is central to our approach.
For French, Spanish, Portuguese and
Swedish it offers also blended learning
courses that combine face-to-face instruction with 50% e-learning. Intensive summer courses in English, French, German
and Spanish are organised during the last
two weeks of July.
CLT
Dekenstraat 4/4014
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 56 61 • Fax 016 32 56 95
info@clt.kuleuven.be • www.clt.be
Pangaea language chain
If you want to practice your language skills
in an informal setting, go to Intercultural
Meeting Centre and look for a language
partner in the language chain calendar.
You can find the calendar on the wall in
the lounge. Pangaea also offers conversation classes (see Pangaea, p. 46-47).
UC Leuven-Limburg
Intensive Dutch courses can be taken in
the above mentioned language schools.
However, exchange students who come
for a shorter period than a trimester or
semester can also follow intensive Dutch
courses at UC Leuven-Limburg (previously KHLeuven).
66
During your stay
ACE–GROUP T
Other possibilities
ACE–GROUP T houses the language division of GROUP T and organises language
courses with a strong focus on communication skills.
You can study Amharic, Hindi, Dutch as
a Foreign Language, Spanish, English,
French, Italian, German, Chinese and Thai.
CVO Leuven-Landen
CVO offers Dutch for non-Dutch speakerscourses and language courses in Arabic,
English, French, German, Italian, Polish
and Spanish.
ACE-GROUP T
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 30 10 30 • Fax 016 30 10 40
acelanguages@groupt.be
www.groupt.be
Dutch as a Second Language
The objective is not so much to teach the
theory of the Dutch language, but rather for students to be able to use real-life,
everyday Dutch quickly. There are courses
at elementary, intermediate and advanced
levels. Beginners can start at their own
pace: either in a one-year, weekly course,
or in an intensive course with classes twice
or more a week. There are several starting
dates to choose from.
Other Language Courses
GROUP T also offers courses at elementary level in Amharic, Hindi, Chinese, German
and Thai; at elementary and intermediate
level in Italian, French and Spanish; and at
elementary to advanced level in English.
Intensive language courses can be followed in the language schools (see also
p. 65-66)
CVO
Redingenstraat 90
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 31 99 20
info@cvoleuven.be • www.cvoleuven.be
Self-Study Packages
(CD-Roms and Videos)
Vanzelfsprekend & Niet Vanzelfsprekend
‘Vanzelfsprekend’ is a multimedia selfstudy course for adult learners of Dutch.
Adults with a basic knowledge of English who have access to a CD player can
learn Dutch at their own speed. Short
and lively units cover the 2,000 most
frequent words used in Dutch, the basic
grammar and the essential functions of
this language. ‘Vanzelfsprekend’ has been
designed to lead the student to a lower
intermediate level. Non-Dutch speaking
international students and researchers are
strongly encouraged to start this course in
their country of residence as a preparation
for coming to Leuven.
The materials package contains: textbook,
workbook, glossary, DVD’s and audio cassettes / CD’s. It can be ordered from Acco
(see below). The sequel to this course,
‘Niet Vanzelfsprekend’, has recently been
published. It is aimed at people with a basic knowledge of Dutch, and leads the student to an intermediate level.
The course package contains a textbook, a
workbook, a DVD and a CD and uses a lot
67
of “authentic” material, such as radio and
television fragments, excerpts from newspapers and magazines. Every chapter
deals with a theme relevant to language
learners of this level: money matters, work,
studies, travel and culture. As regards language content, the course builds on ‘Vanzelfsprekend’, but students who took a
different elementary course can also use
it. See www.acco.be.
Go Dutch! A Language Course on
CD-ROM
The Go Dutch! course focuses more on the
grammar and vocabulary needed to learn
to speak fluent Dutch in everyday situations quickly. This course is primarily intended for students who have completed
higher education. The explanatory texts
are all in English. Go Dutch! is available
from most bookshops and online booksellers in Belgium and the Netherlands.
See www.coutinho.nl (you can order the
course from the website).
4.2.5. ACCO publishers, book,
print- and stationery shop
The “Academic Cooperative” (ACCO)
was founded in Leuven by and for students and incorporates a publishing house
and printing office, as well as bookshops
across Belgium. Its purpose has always
been to provide syllabuses and textbooks
at reasonable prices, in close collaboration
with university and college teachers.
Besides these syllabuses, ACCO’s bookshops offer a wide range of required and
recommended reading material, dictionaries, scientific books, novels, office and
computer supplies, stationery, etc.
If you are staying in Belgium for a while,
you may find it worthwhile to buy a share
68
in ACCO. It’s a one-time investment of €31
from which you will profit for the rest of
your life: as a shareholder you are entitled
to a 25% discount on ACCO syllabuses
and 15% on office supplies and books published by ACCO. In addition members also
benefit from special offers in our (web)
shop as well as discounts on printing orders from our digital printing services
(Rijweg 173, 3020 Herent).
ACCO LEUVEN
Maria-Theresiastraat 2-4
Tel. 016 29 11 00
Open weekdays: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Saturday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
ACCO CAMPUS AND PRINT SHOP
HEVERLEE
Celestijnenlaan 200p
Tel. 016 32 78 70
Open weekdays: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
boekhandel@acco.be • www.acco.be
During your stay
4.3. Day-to-day life
“I like the study and sport opportunities here. The climate is warmer than I
expected. The people are kind and very
helpful. It’s easy to travel in the country
and student friendly. High rate of students in Leuven makes it very desirable
to study here.“ (student from Hungary)
4.3.1. The Health Care System
There are three different levels of health
care service in Belgium: General practitioners (GPs), specialists and specialists at
a local or an academic hospital.
General Practitioners (GPs)
and Specialists
If you have a health related problem, it is
best to see a general practitioner first rather than going to the hospital immediately.
As a student, you could first go to one of
the GPs of the Student Health Care Centre (see p. 55). Other GP’s are listed on
www.mediwacht.be under “huisartsen”,
look for your city in “zoek”.
A GP can solve most medical problems. If
the GP decides that you should consult a
specialist, he/she will refer you to one who
is best qualified to deal with your problem.
You can usually reach a GP during office
hours and in emergencies even at night. If
your regular GP is unavailable when you
call, you will be referred to another GP.
There are many advantages to consulting
a GP first, before seeing a specialist: GPs
are easier to reach; there could be a long
waiting list to consult a specialist. A GP will
keep your medical history on file. This is
important since information from previous
medical examinations may be relevant to
your present condition. It also means that
the GP does not need to repeat medical
tests or examinations you may already
have had. This can save you a lot of money,
time and possible discomfort. With certain
medical conditions, it is not always clear
which specialist is best qualified. On your
own, you might have to try several specialists before finding the right one, whereas
a GP can quickly diagnose your problem
and refer you to the proper specialist.
Hospital emergency services are expensive. If your condition is not immediately
life threatening, you can save a considerable amount of money by consulting a GP
instead. If you officially register with one
GP - which is called “Globaal Medisch Dossier” or GMD - the Belgian public health
insurance rewards you with a higher reimbursement. Ask your GP about this. Most
medical doctors speak English, French
and Dutch. When discussing your condition, however, please try to make yourself
clear, and speak slowly and calmly. For
consultation, make an appointment or go
to the doctor’s office when he/she is available for general consultation. If necessary,
the GP will refer you to a specialist in a private practice or a local hospital, or to the
KU Leuven University Hospital.
In Case of Emergency
• Life threatening: dial 112 for an ambulance
• Semi-urgent: call your own GP (working hours) or the after hours GP on call
(night, weekends and holidays:
tel. 070 25 70 25).
• Semi-urgent on weekends or holidays:
visit the GP on call at Justus Lipsiusstraat 36 • B-3000 Leuven (walk-in
clinic), tel. 070 25 70 25 (24h).
69
Medical Bills and
Reimbursement
If you do not require hospitalisation, 75%
of your medical expenses will be reimbursed by your health insurance company.
Fees for convenient extras (e.g. a private
room, telephone costs) will never be reimbursed by the insurance company. When
buying drugs, reductions amount to 80%.
The pharmacist only charges you the uninsured amount when you have a health insurance, he will check this via your IDcard.
In cases of serious medical problems or
hospitalisation which threaten your financial situation, you may contact the Social
Service for partial or full reimbursement
(see p. 55). This does not apply to researchers or visiting professors. Keep in
mind that hospital bills are usually sent
more than 4 weeks after your visit to the
hospital. If you have moved in the meantime, it is important to inform the hospital
of your new address.
Pharmacies
In Belgium, drugs and medicines are only
sold in pharmacies (to be recognised
by the green cross). In the yellow pages of the phone directory, pharmacies
and drugstores are listed under the word
“apotheken”. They are open every day except Saturday afternoons, Sundays and
holidays. When closed, all pharmacies will
post in their window a list of afterhours
pharmacies (“wachtdienst”). This information is also published in the weekly newspaper De Streekkrant (see the section
entitled “Apothekers van dienst in Leuven
en omliggende”) or at www.apotheek.be,
enter your city.
70
Thermometers
In Belgium we use Celsius thermometers.
These are larger than the Fahrenheit ones,
and are usually placed in the armpit. Readings from the armpit will be one degree
lower than those taken orally. Always tell
the doctor which method you have used.
The average temperature of a healthy person is 37°C, fever starts at 38,5°C.
Vaccinations
Parents are required to vaccinate their babies and young children at regular intervals. In Belgium, this service is organised
by “Kind en Gezin” (see p. 101). Please
contact them if you have children below
3 years of age.
4.3.2. Student Restaurants
The university student restaurants, better
known as Alma, serve dishes priced between €3.10 and €5.80. Everyday Alma
offers at least one vegetarian meal, as well
as a wide choice of warm and cold dishes
and a variety of sandwiches. These restaurants are also open to students of UC Leuven-Limburg and LUCA School of Arts.
In addition to the student restaurants,
there are also cafes and restaurants that
serve student menus that range from €5
to €9. Pizzas, pastas and salads are delicious and affordable in many places.
“Broodjes” (i.e. sandwiches), pitas and Belgian fries are also very popular. Leuven has
a lot of cafes and pubs. The “Oude Markt”
is a famous area for a night out. You will
pay about €1.80 for a drink in a café - cola,
water or beer. The most inexpensive cafes, however, are those run by the student
councils, the so-called “fakbars”, where
you can expect to pay €1 per drink (see
also p. 117).
During your stay
Alma
www.alma.be
ALMA 1
Tiensestraat 115 • B-3000 Leuven
ALMA 2
Van Evenstraat 2c • B-3000 Leuven
ALMA 3 Studentenwijk Arenberg
Groenveldlaan 3 • B-3001 Heverlee
Pauscollege
Hogeschoolplein 3 • B-3000 Leuven
Gasthuisberg Hospital Onderwijs &
Navorsing
Herestraat 49 • B-3001 Heverlee
De Moete
Celestijnenlaan 200 P
B-3001 Heverlee
Het Academisch Kwartier
4.3.3. Shopping
Most supermarkets and shops are open
every day except Sunday. Some will have
a closing weekday. There are a few supermarkets that do open on Sunday. Bakeries
are usually open on Sundays and holidays.
Many night shops open after 6:00 pm
until late at night. You can find most of
the shops in the neighbourhood of the
Bondgenotenlaan, Diestsestraat, Tiensestraat, Naamsestraat and Brusselsestraat.
Markets
• Wednesday afternoon from 3:00 pm:
A. de Becker-Remyplein (Kessel-Lo)
• Friday morning: Mgr. Ladeuzeplein
(food and goods), H. Hooverplein
(food), Brusselsestraat (flowers)
• Saturday: flee-market on M. de Layensplein and Mechelsestraat
Vegetables, cheese, etc. on Brusselsestraat
• Sunday morning: at Heverlee station
(food and goods)
©ToerismeLeuven
71
Second hand shops
•SPIT
IJzermolenstraat 10-12 (see p. 75)
• Rawette (only clothing)
Den Tempst 13
info@rawette.be
• Vintage ‘Hippo Royale’
Parijsstraat 44
• Cyaankali (only clothing)
Diestsestraat 217
elisia@cyaankali.be
• Think Twice T2
Diestsestraat 255
diestsestraat@think2.be
• ‘t Pand (children’s clothing and needs)
Tiensestraat 260
pamela@hetpand.be
• De Kapstok (cheap clothing)
Mechelsestraat 32
• Young Dolphins (children’s clothing
and needs)
Dirk Boutslaan 8
Veggie Bag
• Sustainable: healthy, fresh, local, fair,
seasonal organic fruits and vegetables,
everything is packed in returnable
packaging
• Local: few food-kilometers since the
fruits and vegetables are grown locally
• Fair: you only pay for the production
costs and the earnings of the producer,
not the middle-men
• Social economy: the surprise package
is produced and assembled by De Wikke, an organic-farming project
4 choices:
• An individual student package of
vegetables and fruit €6
• A package of fruit €6
• A small package of vegetables €6
• A large package of vegetables €12
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You order, pay for, and collect your veggie
bag(s) at the pick-up spot of your choice
during the times provided.
More information on www.kuleuven.be/
veggiebag.
4.3.4. Laundrettes, laundries
and dry cleaning in Leuven
• Strea Net - Tervuursesteenweg 187
• Atomic De Blauwe Hoek - Brusselsestraat 214 bus 7
• De Lelie - Maria Van Belstraat 7
• De Gouden Draad - Tiensestraat 204
• Quick Shop - Diestsestraat 224
• Tapolino - Slachthuislaan 1/005
• Super Clean - A. Vesaliusstraat 16
• De Washoek - Schapenstraat 134
• Kesselse wasserij Prima Press - Platte
Lostraat 278 - 3010 Kessel-Lo
• Leuvense Strijk- en Poetsdienst - Kapucijnenvoer 133 B1
• Wassalon Primus, Ridderstraat 75
• Nemo Wash, Tiensestraat 67 and
Parijsstraat 43
For prices and ‘how to use a washing machine’, see brochure ‘Housekeeping tips’
on the website www.kuleuven.be/advisorsresidential
During your stay
4.3.5. Environment
The educational and civic authorities are
fully committed to sustainable development and the creation of an environmentally friendly city. They encourage citizens
and students to reduce their waste production, to sort their waste properly, to
use energy in a responsible and sustainable way and to use sustainable ways of
transportation.
Residential culture, mobility
and Environment advisors
(see also p. 50, Student Services)
De Waag
Studentenwijk Arenberg 10/5426
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 32 93 01 and 02
duurzaamheid@dsv.kuleuven.be
The advisers provide information and
raise awareness about studying in a sustainable manner. They have the knowhow
to help you with waste prevention and selection, responsible energy and water use,
and various kinds of initiatives (e.g. “kot
composting”, “veggie bag”, etc.) If this all
sounds rather strange, do come by and
ask us what it’s all about.
needs to be put in front of the house or
residence on collection mornings between
6:00 and 7:00 am according to the special
waste collection calendar provided by the
City of Leuven.
This overview explains the different kinds
of waste, and how they are collected.
Paper and cardboard
Paper and cardboard includes all kinds of
paper, as long as it’s clean and has no plastic attached to it. All paper needs to be
tied up with string or twine or packed in a
paper box (don’t use pizza delivery boxes
of bread bags).
Glass
Glass should be taken to one of the big
glass containers located throughout the
city. Light bulbs or flat glass (for instance
from a window) are NOT allowed! Always
rinse out glass bottles. Coloured glass
usually goes in a separate container from
clear glass.
KGA (Small dangerous waste)
Most students have quite a lot of stuff that
is dangerous if it is dumped or burned
since it might pollute the air and soil. Used
batteries can be deposited in special boxes provided in supermarkets.
See also the brochure “Housekeeping
Tips” on www.kuleuven.be/advisorsresidential
Expired or unused medication has to be
taken to the pharmacist but please remove the paper from the box.
Waste Prevention, Selection and Reduction
In Leuven, waste needs to be sorted. The
more you produce, the more expensive
brown bags you will need. You can reduce
your waste by buying products with less
packaging, by using glass instead of plastic bottles, etc. Be aware that all waste
Other products like leftover cleaning products, used cooking oil, cosmetics, writing
materials, etc. can be brought for free to
one of the three container parks.
Check out the waste calendar.
73
GFT (Kitchen and garden waste - green
bag)
Vegetables, fruit and garden waste belong
in the green bag. Coffee filters, teabags
and eggshells are also allowed. Please do
not put anything else in the green bag!
In a number of residences and houses little green buckets are used instead of bags.
The most environmentally friendly way to
get rid of your green waste is to start composting.
is still functional, or if you want to get rid of
an electronic appliance, contact Spit (see
next page).
PMD (Plastic bottles and flasks,Metal
packaging and Drink cartons - blue bag)
It is very important that you know what
belongs in the blue bag, since they will
not be picked up if they contain the wrong
things.
Where to buy the official bags for waste
collection
City Hall - Stadskantoor
(next to the Railway Station)
You can find all the information on the free
‘waste collection calendar’, which outlines
the waste pick-up schedule. The environment advisers also provide an English
translation on www.kuleuven.be/english/
studentservices/advisorsresidential/environment.html
Always allowed: washed “tetra packs”,
plastic bottles, metal cans, aluminum tins
and trays (from lasagna for instance).
Open:
Thursday from 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm
Never allowed: other plastics such as butter tubs, yoghurt cups, plastic bags, plastic
objects, aluminum foil, badly rinsed tetra
packs.
You can also find the bags in most supermarkets, except in Aldi.
You can find the complete list on www.leuven.be/leven/huisvuil-milieu/afval/
Responsible energy use
Everything else (brown bag)
All the household waste not mentioned
above belongs in the brown bag. Large
objects like furniture are collected ‘on call’.
The telephone number you have to call is
mentioned on the calender. If the furniture
74
We encourage everyone to consume energy and water in a sustainable way.
What can you do?
• Turn off the lights when you are the last
person to leave a room.
• Turn off the screen of your computer if
you are not working on it for more then
ten minutes.
• Put a lid on your pot or pan (60 to 70%
less energy used), and turn off the heat
a bit before you finish cooking.
• The ideal temperature for your refrigerator is 6°C; try to avoid a layer of ice in
the freezer.
During your stay
• Do not wash your dishes under running
water.
• Report leaking taps to the landlord.
• Copy and print on both sides of your
printing paper.
Realising that you can reduce consumption without reducing comfort is already
a good start. Do you have suggestions or
ideas for energy-saving measures in your
room, your student house (kot) or residence?
Join Leuven Klimaatneutraal 2030 even
today! Send an e-mail to info@leuvenklimaatneutraal.be.
www.leuvenklimaatneutraal.be
SPIT (second-hand shop)
Contact: duurzaamheid@dsv.kuleuven.be
Leuven going carbon neutral
by 2030
Leuven commits to being carbon neutral
by 2030. This means that the net amount
of carbon dioxide we jointly emit every
day will be reduced to zero. To make this
ambitious plan work, the city, KU Leuven
and at present already over 230 businesses, organisations, knowledge centres and
citizens have joined hands for projects on
energy-efficient renovating, sustainable
mobility, renewable energy, local agriculture, nature, ...
In November 2013 the non-profit association Leuven Klimaatneutraal 2030 was
created. Every inhabitant and every Leuven organisation, institution or organisation may join. As a member you’ll be kept
informed about ongoing climate actions
and projects, about grants and subsidies,
about activities, news, best practices and
examples, ... You can also take part in discussions and contribute to decisions on
actions, priorities and approaches. In addition the association also informs about
what you can do concretely to turn Leuven into a carbon neutral, resilient, healthy
and solidary city.
Spit is a centre that recycles household
items. You can bring them your old furniture, electric appliances, bicycles, clothes,
etc. All items should be in a condition that
allows them to be reused. You can also ask
Spit to pick up second hand stuff at your
house (for free). Furniture, sofa’s, fridges...
if they are still useful and you want to get
rid of them, call 016 26 09 21. After repairs
are carried out, these items are sold in
Spit’s shop.
Collection Centre where you can take
your used household items:
IJzermolenstraat 4 • B-3001 leuven
Tel 016 26 09 21
Open:
Monday to Saturday from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
SPIT
IJzermolenstraat 10-12
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 65 29 57
info@spit.be • www.spit.be
Open:
Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 6:00
pm; Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
75
4.3.6. Transportation
In recent years, the city authorities have
been trying to encourage bicycles and
public transport and reduce automobile
traffic. The mobility advisors can provide
you with all the information you need
about travelling by bicycle, public transport and the best way of getting from A to
B. The Housing Service has handy bicycle
and bus maps of Leuven. If you have complaints, suggestions or questions concerning the use of bicycles, don’t hesitate to let
them know.
www.kuleuven.be/transportation
Bicycles
Cycling is healthy, inexpensive and cool.
Furthermore, in a city like Leuven it is the
quickest way to get from one place to another. Cyclists are very welcome in Leuven,
but need to know the traffic rules, if you
want to prevent expensive fines!
76
Consult: www.kuleuven.be/transportation/pdf/guideforcycling.pdf
VELO (vzw)
VELO is a non-profit organisation that promotes the bicycle as an ecological means
of transportation in the city by recycling,
renting and repairing bicycles.
VELO offers a bicycle rental and repair
service for students and is organised as
a training and employment project in the
social economy.
Velo
Veilingsite
Hollestraat 1 • B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 29 87 40
info@velo.be • www.velo.be
Open:
Friday: from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
During your stay
Fietspunt Leuven
Repair service next to the Railway station in the bike parking area (Prof. Van
Overstraetenplein 1)
Tel. 016 21 26 03
Open:
weekdays from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm and
from Easter to 15 October also on Saturdays from 8.30 am to 5:00 pm and on
Sundays from 8.30 am to 2:00 pm.
Engraving of bicycles only between 4:00
pm and 6:00 pm
Bicycle Rental and Repair
You can rent a safe, fully equipped and
registered second-hand bicycle with a
solid lock at VELO. A rental contract will
be drawn up (please bring your passport,
student card and bank account number)
and you need to pay the rental price plus
a deposit of €70. KU Leuven students pay
€67 a year, all repairs included.
Students of UC Leuven-Limburg (previously Group T–Leuven Education College)
pay only €25 a year, and UC Leuven-Limburg students (previously KHLeuven) can
rent a bicycle for free (they only pay the
security deposit).
Students can always pass by to repair their
own bicycles at the bicycle repair shop or
have their bicycles repaired for a nominal
fee. At VELO you can also report bicycle
theft and have your bicycle registered (by
engraving + bicycle ID).
Bicycle safety
Every year the local police, together with
the KU Leuven and the city services, campaign to increase bicycle safety in Leuven.
Spot checks for bicycle ownership are
held on a regular basis. A police patrol
can stop you anywhere at any time. In the
worstcase scenario you will get a fine if the
bike you are riding has been reported as
stolen. The most important pieces of advice to prevent fines and bicycle theft are
these:
• do not steal a bicycle
• lock your bicycle properly
• register your bicycle
• report theft
• always use a light on your bicycle
• be aware of one-way roads
Global Action Plan Cyclists
The Leuven Police has developed a global
action plan for cyclists with four priorities:
• driving without lights when this is obligatory
• ignoring a red light (one also has to stop
at a red light when turning right!)
• driving in the wrong direction
• not giving way
These four priorities were established on
the basis of the accident statistics of the
past few years.
During the academic year, traffic surveillances will be held which will focus on the movement summary offences by cyclists (check
out the website: www.kuleuven.be/transportation/pdf/guideforcycling.pdf). It has all
the information about the Belgian Highway
Code specified for cycling, with lots of pictures of traffic situations in Leuven.
77
Bicycle Theft and the
Bicycle Office
Fietsendienst
Bicycle theft is very common in Leuven.
A good lock to secure your bicycle is very
important and always recommended. In
Leuven. You can get your bicycle engraved
with an ID number. This is no guarantee
against theft, but it helps to prevent it.
For free engraving go to:
• the Fietsendienst of the local police on
Wednesdays from 1:00 pm to 3:30 pm
and on Thursdays from 5:00 pm to 7:30
pm
• Fietspunt Leuven (see also p. 77)
• Velo: see p. 76
Practical Tips
To prevent accidents and fines, respect
the rights of pedestrians and the local traffic rules.
If your bicycle is stolen, please report it.
Bicycle theft report forms can be found in
the offices of Velo, DE WAAG, Pangaea,
your faculty secretariat or the secretariat
of your Institute of Higher Education, as
well as at the police office or the Fietsendienst.
Also online on www.police-on-web.be!
By reporting theft, you are supplying the
police with the information they need to
recover your bicycle and to locate you if
they find your bicycle. The police can only
return a non-engraved bicycle when the
owner comes to pick it up at the Fietsendienst. Recovered bicycles are stored
there for 3 months. It is advisable to contact the Fietsendienst first by telephone,
before going there. That way you know for
sure whether or not a removal has taken
place.
78
De Fietsendienst en Arrondissementele
Stallingsplaats van Politie Leuven
De Vunt 2• B-3220 Holsbeek
Tel. 016 21 09 90
stalling.politie@leuven.be
Open:
Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from
1:00 pm to 3.45 pm
Thursday from 5:00 pm to 8:45 pm
Friday from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm
Saturday from 8:00 am to 11:45 am
Bicycle school
You don’t know how to ride a bicycle, you
feel insecure riding a bicycle in the city
centre or you want to refresh the traffic rules as a cyclist? The Leuven Cycling
school is here to help you! You can sign up
for the whole lesson package, from learn-
During your stay
ing to bicycle up to refreshing traffic rules
and repairing your bicycle. A whole module costs €5.
name and last name (exactly as mentioned on your official student card) on
your student pass.
Leuven Cycling School
Tel. 016 31 77 01
fietsschoolleuven@mobiel21.be
This bus pass costs only €20, is valid for
an entire academic year and can be purchased upon your registration at the Registrar’s Office.
Some Bicycle Shops:
• Dokter Velo, Tervuursevest 17
B-3001 Heverlee
• Fietslab, Paternosterstraat 16
B-3010 Kessel-Lo
• Rijwielen Cadans, Naamsestraat 123
B-3000 Leuven
• Rijwielen Hugo Jacobs
Diestsestraat 192 • B-3000 Leuven
• Fietsen Koen, Martelarenlaan 201
B-3010 Kessel-Lo
• Fietsen Niclaes, Naamsesteenweg 76
B-3001 Heverlee
• Cycle Point, Tiensesteenweg 58
B-3001 Heverlee
• Fiets! XL Leuven, Mechelsesteenweg Kareelveld 8 B-3000 Leuven
Buses
Using the student bus pass
Students can take advantage of the student bus pass, a project partly financed
by the city and the Institutions of Higher
Education of Leuven. This pass enables
students to use the regular bus lines within the Leuven area. However, if your travel
destination lies outside the Leuven area,
you will have to buy a regular ticket when
boarding the bus. In that case, the cheapest option is using a pre-paid ticket for 10
trips (€14). Make sure that you have your
student card on you at all times because
you need to be able to prove that you are
the rightful owner of the pass.
In order to prevent abuse, write your first
De Lijn
Martelarenplein 19b
B-3000 Leuven
Open:
Weekdays from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm
General information:
Tel. 070 22 02 00
Province of Flemish-Brabant:
Tel. 016 31 37 11
Info Pass
Tel. 016 31 37 20 • Fax 016 31 37 25
Info Groups tel. 016 31 37 17
vlbrab@delijn.be • www.delijn.be
Travelling through Europe
with Eurolines
Eurolines has direct and inexpensive bus
connections from Leuven to 500 destinations in Europe. Tel. 02 274 13 50 (check in
and emergency number)
info@eurolines.be • www.eurolines.be
Trains
Leuven is an important hub in the Belgian
railway network. From Leuven station,
there are connections to every other major Belgian train station. You can find the
best connection and itinerary using the
b-rail online search engine. You can also
buy tickets online!
79
Examples travelling time:
• Brussels Central (30 min)
• Brussels Airport (15 min)
• Gent (60 min)
• Bruges (90 min)
• Antwerp (50 min)
Leuven Railway Station
Martelarenplein 16
B-3000 Leuven
Info for travellers: 016 21 21 21
International Information & Eurostar,
Thalys, HST: 02 528 28 28
Lost and Found: 016 21 24 10
www.belgianrail.be
Heverlee Station
Naamsesteenweg 180
B-3001 Heverlee
There is no office in this railway station. Tell
the train conductor if you enter the train
without a valid ticket. He can sell you one
on board. Alternatively, you can buy a ticket online in advance.
GoPass and RailPass
With a Go Pass (-26 years old), you can
take 10 one-way trips in second class (price
March 2015: €51). You will get the best value for money if you travel between two
stations that are far apart (e.g. Antwerp,
Bruges, Ghent, …). If you hold a RailPass (+
26 years), you can take 10 one-way trips in
second class (price March 2015: €76).
Practical Tip
On Fridays after 7:00 pm and on weekends, ask for a “Weekend Ticket” (only return journeys). With this ticket you get a
discount up to 50%.
Taxis
Starting fee: €2.40
Price per kilometer: €2.50
At night, there mostly is a small extra fee.
80
©ToerismeLeuven
Parking
Too few parking space or too many cars?
One thing is clear: it is not easy to find a
parking space in Leuven. No new parking
spaces are being created. Moreover, parking fines are very high and in order to use
the existing parking spaces in the best
possible way, the city has introduced time
limits by means of parking machines and
blue-zone rules.
Exceptions are only made for inhabitants
of the neighbourhood and disabled persons. You can save a lot of money by using your bicycle, going on foot or taking
the bus. For further information about the
above issues, you’re welcome to contact
the mobility advisors at duurzaamheid@
dsv.kuleuven.be or tel. 016 32 93 01 and
016 32 93 02.
During your stay
4.3.7. Communications
Postal Services
National Mail
Your mail may be placed in any letterbox in Belgium or posted at a post office
counter and may be open or sealed. Postage standardised letter: €0.77 per piece
(booklet of 10 stamps: €0.72 per piece).
International Mail
Postage standardised letter for Europe:
€1.20 per piece, (booklet of 5 stamps: €1.10
per piece), outside Europe: €1.32 (booklet
of 5 stamps: €1.42 per piece).
For packages: see www.bpost.be/site/nl/
residential/pricing/prices.html#
Post Office Addresses in
Leuven
www.bpost.be (Dutch, French)
Leuven Centrum
Jan Stasstraat 12 • B-3000 Leuven,
Tel. 022 01 23 45
Open:
Thursdays to 7:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
Heverlee ambassade
Naamsesteenweg 380
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 022 01 23 45
Open:
from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Saturday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Kessel-Lo Blauwput
Diestsesteenweg 379 • B-3010 Kessel-lo
Tel. 022 01 23 45
Open:
from 1:30 pm to 5:00 pm
Saturday from 9:00 am to 12:30 pm
Postpunten
(stamps, letterbox, packages, Taxipost...)
•
•
•
Dagbladhandel Tiensepoort
Tiensesteenweg 25 • B-3010 Kessel-Lo
Carrefour Market Kessel-Lo
Koning Albertlaan 147
B-3010 Kessel-Lo
SPAR Retail
Brusselsestraat 124 • B-3000 Leuven
Shipping of Goods
For up-to-date information regarding the shipping of goods and a list of
specialist transport and removal companies see the yellow pages online at
www.goudengids.be
Telephone Services
General Information
• Country Number for Belgium 32
• Area Code Leuven (0)16
• International call, skip (0) (0032 16…);
when calling within Belgium, always dial
the full area code 016
• Other examples of area codes:
– Brussels 02 - Antwerp 03
– Ghent 09 - Bruges 050 - Liege 043
– Louvain-la- Neuve 010 - Mons 065
• Useful Numbers:
General Information 1207
International Information 1204
81
Fixed Lines
There are two main providers of fixed telephone lines in Belgium:
Belgacom (www.belgacom.be)
Telenet (www.telenet.be)
www.proximus.be
www.mobistar.be
www.base.be
Belgacom has a free customer service line
for general information: 0800-22800.
For more information you can also go to
one of the Belgacom Teleboutiques or to
a recognised Belgacom dealer. Belgacom
Teleboutiques also sell or rent a full range
of Belgacom telephones, fax machines,
answering machines, pagers and mobile
telephones.
Calling Cards
Calling cards have two main advantages
over regular lines: since the card is prepaid,
there is no bill at the end of the month;
and calls can be made from any telephone
(public, private, mobile, etc.).
Telenet provides broadband telephone, internet and multimedia services via cable.
For further information about Telenet
and its services call 0800 66046, free of
charge, or consult their website.
Calling cards for international calls are
available at newsagents, post offices, supermarkets, train stations and night shops.
Always ask which card is the most suitable
for the call and the country you want to
call. Set-up fee is €0.15 per call.
Mobile Telephones (Cell phones)
Newcomers from most European countries can continue to use their mobile
telephones in Belgium if their contract
includes a roaming feature, although this
will be rather costly in the long term. However, newcomers from the United States
are generally unable to use their american
cell-phones in Europe. For them, connection to the Belgian Telephone and mobile
networks remains the most costeffective
solution.
Mobile telephones or cellphones are widely available in specialised shops and large
retail outlets. Many specialised dealers are
also official agents for one of the three
major Belgian mobile operators: Proximus,
Mobistar and Base (main shops in Diestsestraat and Bondgenotenlaan).
These operators are authorised to open an
account for you and have various payment
82
formulas, including pre-paid cards and
subscriptions. Please don’t sign any contract without fully understanding its terms
and implications!
Publications
KU Leuven
University publications for the international community.
E-newsmail ‘KU Leuven News and Agenda’
KU Leuven publishes a weekly electronic newsletter (www.kuleuven.be/english/
news/) with original reporting on research
news, university policy, societal engagement and university life. It also includes
an agenda with university-wide ‘featured
events’ geared specifically to the university’s international community.
Events include guest lectures, cultural and
social activities for international students
and scholars, seminars, workshops and
other events. Do you have an event to announce? Submit it for inclusion by sending
an email to news@kuleuven.be.
During your stay
You are automatically subscribed to the
e-newsletter, which is sent to your KU Leuven email address (yourfirstname.yourlastname@student.kuleuven.be).
Make sure to check regularly for the latest
news and events!
English-language website
KU Leuven’s English-language website is
an invaluable source of information for all
international guests: www.kuleuven.be/
english. It includes full details not only on
application procedures and academic programmes, but also on ‘Living in Leuven’:
student services, cultural events,sports
facilities,
worship
possibilities
and
everything else you need to know to make
life easier in Leuven (www.kuleuven.be/
english/living.html).
The website’s homepage also features a
news feed and a calendar.
The Voice
www.thevoiceleuven.be (see p. 108)
The Voice is an English-language international student newspaper by and for the
international student community in Leuven.
Computer, internet and
email facilities
KU Leuven
ICTS (KU Leuven’s central IT office) looks
after the university’s computer infrastructure and provides support for the use of
computer and network services in the university’s education, research and administration. ICTS also operates a PC rental
service. Consult the website for the rental
prices of desktop PCs and laptops or other promotions.
W. de Croylaan 52a
B-3001 Heverlee
ICTS Service Desk
Tel. 016 32 28 00
www.kuleuven.be/icts/english
Open:
User ID and Password
All KU Leuven students receive an intranet
userid when they enrol. This userid begins
with an ‘r’ and can be found on the back
of your student card. You will receive an
activation code with your user ID. In order
to use your email account, Toledo (e-learning environment), KotNet or other services, you will need to activate your account.
Surf to the registration page (http://activate.kuleuven.be), logon with your user ID
and activation code and set a password
on your account asap. Never share your
password! You are held responsible for all
activities associated with your account.
Email
At registration, all KU Leuven students are
automatically assigned an email address
with the following format: firstname.lastname@student.kuleuven.be.
All official correspondence from the university will be emailed to this address,
for example communication concerning
courses, the e-newsletter, etc. Read your
KU Leuven email from within your browser
at http://owa.student.kuleuven.be
PC Rooms
Open access PC rooms are available.
• Dekenstraat 2 • B-3000 Leuven
Weekdays: 8:00 am to 6:00 pm
• Celestijnenlaan 6 • B-3001 Heverlee
• Celestijnenlaan 200c • B-3001 Heverlee
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Toledo
Toledo is the central web-based e-learning
environment. The KU Leuven Toledo website is located at: www.toledo.kuleuven.be/
english
Internet Cable Access at Home: “KotNet”
All you need is a computer with a network
card, a cable and your KU Leuven user
ID and password. More info on installation, configuration, etc. can be found at:
www.kuleuven.be/kotnet.
Do not forget to protect your computer
when accessing the internet. ICTS provides antivirus software for free for its
students under a campus license. KU Leuven residence halls all have a broadband
internet connection. Most private student
housing in Leuven, Heverlee and Kessel-Lo
is connected to KotNet (your landlord will
have taken care of this and will charge you
a fee for this service).
Wireless internet: “eduroam”
KU Leuven offers several ways to connect
to the Internet. In addition to KotNet, wireless internet is also provided in most KU
Leuven buildings. Particularly public areas
such as auditoriums, libraries and the Alma
restaurants have long been equipped with
wireless internet access.
For everyday use on your laptop, tablet or smartphone, we strongly recommend the use of the eduroam network.
Eduroam (education roaming) is the secure, world-wide roaming access service
developed for the international research
and education community. To configure
eduroam, please follow the instructions on
www.kuleuven.be/icts/english/wifi or use
the configuration tool on cat.eduroam.org.
UC Leuven-Limburg
All departments offer their students free
wifi access and access to their computer
facilities and a personal email address by
means of their student account. All students and staff can subscribe to a fast
connection to the “Kotnet” at an annual
charge of €25. All you need is your user ID
and password, a computer with a network
card, a cable modem and a subscription
with the cable company, which is often
included in the room rent price (contact
your “kotbaas”).
More information on installation, configuration ... can be found at: www.kuleuven.
be/kotnet
UC Leuven-Limburg
Education College)
Group T students can use the computer rooms and workstations at Comenius
Campus. Students have full access to all
domains and are automatically allocated
their own e-mail address and sufficient
space for their own website. The campus
has a Wi-Fi network.
84
During your stay
Campus Lemmens
Students can use the computer room
(foyer) and they have free access to the
internet. In the cafeteria and in the library
you can surf wireless on the internet. All
the students get a personal LUCA-email
address. Students also can subscribe for
KotNet in order to obtain internet in their
studentroom at an annual charge of €25.
Radio
Radio Scorpio
The local Radio Scorpio 106 FM broadcasts an eclectic programme mix and provides in-depth news coverage and community information. Radio Scorpio is the
real thing: Leuven independent student
radio since 1979. Check out the website!
Radio Scorpio 106 FM
Tel. 016 32 03 36
mail@radioscorpio.be
www.radioscorpio.be
Other Belgian Radio Channels
(see www.belgie.fm)
• Radio 1 98.5 fm (Leuven)
• Studio Brussel 88 fm
• QMusic 103.1 fm, 95.8 fm
• MNM 94.8 fm(Leuven)
• Joe FM 99.7 fm
• Radio 2 (provincial) 88.7 fm
• Klara (classical) 89.5 fm
• Nostalgie 103.8 fm
For French speaking channels, go to
www.rtbf.be.
4.3.8. Sports
KU Leuven Sports Centre
Universitair Sportcentrum
Upon registration at KU Leuven, you can
apply to have your student card activated
for sports facilities for an annual fee of €23
(free for Exchange students).
Once you have the Sports Card, the University Sports Centre offers a range of
more than 60 guided sports activities. But
you and your friends can also organise
your own activity and book a free tennis
or beach volleyball court, soccer field or
any other facility, just fill out the reservation form on our website. In addition, the
Sports Centre features a stateof-the-art
fitness room for which you pay a small
supplementary fee. The Sports Centre
organises the following events yearly:
Bike&Run, Indoor Athletics Meeting, table
tennis tournament, the Flemish University
Competition, the Belgian University Competition, Sports Camps for kids…
If you love to do sports in a more ‘studentlike’ atmosphere (such as interfaculty
competitions, running in the famous Leuven 24-hour run, walking or running the
21 kilometers), you will certainly find what
you want at LOKO Sport, an organisation
for and by students (see p. 107)!
University Sports Centre
Tervuursevest 101 • B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 32 91 30 • Fax 016 32 91 95
sport@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/sports
Open:
weekdays from 9:00 am to noon and from
1:00 to 6:00 pm (5:30 pm during the summer months)
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UC Leuven-Limburg
The state-of-the-art sports facility (Campus Hertogstraat in Heverlee) is equipped
for basketball, volleyball, tennis, gymnastics, dance and badminton. There is also
a fitness room and a climbing wall. As a
student, you need to have a sports card to
use the facilities.
The card costs €20 per academic year
and also provides access to the KU Leuven
Sports Centre (see above).
Sporthal
016 375 780
Coordinator: Jean-Baptist Bultynck
jeanbaptist.bultynck@khleuven.be
www.khleuven.be/sport
UC Leuven-Limburg
Education College)
Campus Comenius and LUCA School of
Arts - Campus Lemmens students can use
the KU Leuven Sports Centre on the same
conditions as the KU Leuven students.
Campus Lemmens
The students can use the KU Leuven
Sports Centre on the same conditions as
the KU Leuven students.
Tel. 016 32 91 30 • Fax 016 32 91 95
sport@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/sports
Open:
weekdays from 9:00 am to 12.00 noon
and from 1:00 to 6:00 pm (5:30 during the
summer months)
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City of Leuven Sportdienst
Tofsportloket
Naamsestraat 3
(next to Toerisme Leuven)
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 22 20
sportdienst@leuven.be
www.leuven.be
www.facebook.com/tofsport.be
Open:
weekdays 10:00 am to 5:00 pm and Thursdays 12:00 to 8:00 pm
City’s Sports Facilities
Swimming Pools
• Stadionlaan 4 • B-3010 Kessel-Lo
016 25 34 80
• Aarschotsesteenweg 730
B-3012 Wilsele-Putkapel
016 44 33 88
During your stay
•Sportoase
Philipssite 6 • B-3001 Heverlee
016 74 07 40 • www.sportoase.be
Indoor and Outdoor Sports Facilities
For an updated list of all indoor and outdoor sport facilities, see www.leuven.be/
vrije-tijd/sport
For information concerning fees & prices
contact the staff in charge of the facility or
call the sports office:
Sportbeheer@leuven.be or Tofsportloket
(016 27 22 20).
Sport Clubs in Leuven
The Sports Office has a comprehensive list
of sport clubs in the Leuven area. This list
is constantly updated, see: www.leuven.
be/vrije-tijd/sport/sportclubs.
4.3.9. Culture
KU Leuven
Culture Office
Leuven boasts a vast, multifaceted range
of cultural activities. The KU Leuven Culture Office team is happy to navigate you
through the selection.
KU Leuven Culture Office
(Dienst Cultuur KU Leuven)
Tel. 016 32 03 40
cultuur@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/culture
Content comes from information collected by the staff of the Sports Office. It is
available in every municipal sports facility.
87
Culture Card
The first thing students need is a KU
Leuven Culture Card. As a student of KU
Leuven, UC Leuven-Limburg and LUCA –
Campus Lemmens you may purchase the
culture card during your enrolment.
For example, you can regularly take part in
competitions to win tickets to various productions. You will be kept informed of all
this, and much more besides, through an
e-newsletter for culture card holders.
It only costs €20 and is valid for an entire
academic year.
www.kuleuven.be/culture/culturecard
University Music Ensembles
The culture card provides numerous advantages, which increase every year:
• free entry to UUR KULtUUR, the university’s cultural programme. Including a
magnificent opening concert, theatre in
English and a top dance performance.
With UUR KULtUUR, your culture card
will pay itself back in no time.
• visit Museum M for free: when you present your culture card, you’ll receive a
Student M-bassador Card, which provides you with free access to all the exhibitions in M and exclusive invitations
to the museums student soirees.
•exclusive access to the 30CC Cultural
Centre’s Last Minute Deals: every day, all
remaining tickets for the coming week
are sold at a 50% discount.
• significant discounts at the various large
cultural centers in Leuven: STUK Arts
Centre for contemporary theatre, dance,
music and visual arts (substantial discounts and even free entrance to some
unique events), Cinema ZED, (cinema),
Het Depot (pop and rock concerts) e.o.
• discounts for all performances of the 8
University Ensembles, Campus Theatre and the student associationtheatre
companies during the Interfaculty Theatre Festival.
•culture card holders are also spoiled
with special, one-time-only cultural
treats throughout the academic year.
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Arenberg Orchestra - Arenbergorkest
Rehearsals: Thursday at 8 pm at STUK,
Info: bestuur@arenbergorkest.be
www.kuleuven.be/cultuur/arenberg
This symphony orchestra, which has approximately 80 members, greatly enjoys
working on its varied and surprising programme. Everyone is welcome!
Interfak Big Band (IBB)
Rehearsals: Monday at 7:30 pm at STUK,
Info: bart.preneel@esat.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/cultuur/ibb
Conducted by Bart Preneel, the band
comprises about 30 musicians (students,
staff and alumni) who are all wild about
jazz, blues, bebop, fusion, etc. The group
has a busy concert schedule and regularly
travels abroad as well.
Leuven University Choir (LUK) - Leuvens
Universitair Koor
Rehearsals: Thursday at 7:45 pm in the
Bankstraat 75 • B-3000 Leuven
Info: luk@studentenweb.org
www.kuleuven.be/cultuur/luk
The Leuven University Choir is a dynamic student choir with about 80 singers.
Throughout its forty-year existence, the
choir has carved a singular niche for itself
in the Flemish choral scene. Concerts are
performed at Christmas and in the spring.
During your stay
Pati Pati
Rehearsals: Monday at 8:15 pm at MSI,
Erasmusplein 2 • 3000 Leuven
Info: info@patipati.be
www.kuleuven.be/cultuur/patipati
University Concert Band (UHO) - Universitair Harmonieorkest
Rehearsals: Tuesday at 8:00 pm
at STUK, Naamsestraat 96
B-3000 Leuven
Info: info@uho.be
www.kuleuven.be/cultuur/uho
With about ninety members, the UHO is
KU Leuven’s largest cultural ambassador.
The orchestra provides excellent quality with a daring twist. Its yearly concerts
are always an enormous spectacle during
which other art forms complement the
music or famous soloists are invited to
perform.
University Symphony Orchestra (USO) Universitair Symfonisch Orkest
Rehearsals: Wednesday at 7:45 pm
at STUK, Naamsestraat 96
B-3000 Leuven
Info: info@usoleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/cultuur/uso
The University Symphony Orchestra offers
students a unique opportunity to perform
great symphonic compositions. The orchestra is conducted with much passion
and professionalism by the famous conductor Edmond Saveniers. For more than
50 years, the repertoire has combined
monumental pieces with fresh, original
ideas.
University theatre companies
Janus International Theatre Group
Janus International Theatre is an amateur
theatre group that was founded by international students and supported by Pangaea. Over the years, it has tried to build
up a reputation for bringing improvised
theatre in English to the stage. It has written its own, original plays for the last three
seasons.
Pangaea • Tel. 016 32 33 96
Vesaliusstraat 34 • B-3000 Leuven
fb Janus International Theatre
https://www.facebook.com/
groups/128683033853580/
Interested to join? Meetings every Sunday
at 19h in Pangaea Meeting Centre.
Campus Theatre
Campustoneel
info@campustoneel.be
www.campustoneel.be
Theatre with and for KU Leuven students,
staff and alumni.
Interfaculty Theatre Festival
The Interfaculty Theatre Festival brings together Leuven’s student association theatre companies. www.iftf.be
University carillon
www.kuleuven.be/culture/carillon
Weekly carillon concerts
The tower of the KU Leuven Central Library on the Ladeuzeplein houses one of
Europe’s largest and best carillons. During
the academic year until mid-May, the carillon is played twice weekly, on Tuesdays
and Thursdays from 7:00 pm to 7:45 pm.
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Unique: tower visits
Interested in accompanying the carillonneur up the tower with your student association, friends, or family (max. 25)?
It’s free, but you’ll have to register at
http://forms.kuleuven.be/a0025/
LOKO culture
See p. 107
UC Leuven-Limburg
Education College)
Campus Comenius
Tiensevest 60
B-3000 Leuven
Tel 016 37 55 00
Campus Comenius regularly organises
culturally inspired events. In the past, these
have included workshops on Thai cooking,
cumbia, dancing, English absurd theatre,
tasting French wine, Chinese taijiquan
and traditional Flemish games as well as
demonstrations of Scottish bagpiping,
Bollywood love songs, French magic and
Italian archaeology.
Campus Lemmens
The Concertvereniging Lemmensinstituut
has weekly concerts freely accessible to
anyone of the interested students of LUCA
School of Arts – Campus Lemmens. Other
students are welcome at a special student
price. See www.luca-arts.be.
Free entrance also to all the masterclasses
organised in 2015.
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City of Leuven
Leuven Cultural Centre 30CC
Rijschoolstraat 4/004
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 23 84 27 • Fax 016 29 12 15
30CC@leuven.be • www.30CC.be
www.facebook.com/30ccleuven
Venues:
• 30CC/Schouwburg, Bondgenotenlaan
21, B-3000 Leuven
• 30CC/Minnepoort, Dirk Boutslaan 62,
B-3000 Leuven
• 30CC/Wagehuys and 30CC/Kapel,
Brusselsestraat 63, B-3000 Leuven
• 30CC/Predikherenkerk, O.L.- Vrouwstraat, B-3000 Leuven
Tickets:
www.30CC.be - 7 days a week, 24h/24
30CC/Ticketoffice, the Bib, Diestsestraat
49, B-3000 Leuven
• Monday and Wednesday from 12:00 to
6:00 pm
• Tuesday and Friday from 10:00 am to
6:00 pm
• Thursday from 12:00 to 8:00 pm
• Saturday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Booking by phone: tel. 016 300 900
• Monday, Wednesday and Thursday
from 12:00 to 6:00 pm
• Tuesday and Friday from 10:00 am to
6:00 pm
30CC, Leuven’s cultural centre, is one of
the main cultural players in the region.
They offer a varied, extensive, relaxing and
exciting selection of theatre and comedy,
world music, dance, song and cabaret,
classical music and opera, literary events,
family entertainment and much more.
There is always something interesting going on.
During your stay
30CC also offers huge discounts for the
under 26. Your KU Leuven Culture Card
or European Youth Card grants you exclusive, daily access to the Last Minute Deals.
All unsold tickets for the coming week are
sold at a 50% discount! So do not hesitate
to drop by! And don’t forget your free brochure!
STUK
STUK is an important venue in Leuven and
one of the most important arts centres in
Flanders. STUK is a house for dance, image and sound and its programme features dance, films, music, fine arts and new
media. In addition to the big names, you
can also find the work of innovative newcomers, workshops, lectures ... In general,
prices are very affordable. The opening
festival STUK START, at the beginning of
the cultural season, is a unique opportunity to get to know STUK. You can find all
the necessary information on www.stuk.be
where you can also buy tickets online.
STUK also has an elegant ‘grand café
where you can drink or eat something,
read a newspaper or a book or surf the
internet for free. Every Sunday evening
you can enjoy a free jazz concert (‘Jazz on
Sunday’). Cinema Zed (see on next page)
is incorporated into STUK and offers a
wide range of films.
information & tickets
Tel. 016 32 03 20
ticket@stuk.be • www.stuk.be
Het Depot
Het Depot is not just a concert hall, it is
also the driving force behind numerous
musical initiatives in the region in the field
of musical education. Het Depot offers an
unconventional range of instrument classes, software lessons, PAcourses, workshops and master classes!
Martelarenplein 12
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 22 06 03
info@hetdepot.be • www.hetdepot.be
OPEK - Openbaar Entrepot
voor de Kunsten
This multifunctional arts centre houses
seven cultural organisations which, in addition to their individual activities, also set
up an innovative collaboration. The cafe
overlooking the canal is a true meeting
spot for the active and motivated audience.
Vaartkom 4 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 29 55 49
info@opek.be • www.opek.be
©ToerismeLeuven
91
Art at home
Rent an original artwork - an initiative of
Kunst in Huis!
Kunst in Huis (Art at Home) introduces
contemporary art to students and other
inhabitants of Leuven. If you want to cheer
up your student room in an artistically justified way, you can rent an original work
of art at €9 per month (+ €25 enrolment
fee). For Bill-card holders there is no enrolment fee.
Kunst in Huis also organises regular free
exhibitions. Just drop in at Leuven public library ‘De Bib’ (see p. 64), tel. 016 22 45 60.
www.kunstinhuis.be
Open:
Thursday: 1:00 pm to 7:30 pm
Friday: 1:00 pm to 5:30 pm
Movie Theatres in Leuven
Cinema Zed is a not-for-profit movie theatre screening primarily films from the alternative circuit. Indeed, we regularly run
films with English sub-titles and ZED also
shows a considerable number of European
films in languages other than English or
Dutch.
Film screening hours: 5:00, 8:00 and 10:30
pm (and 3:00 pm, only on Sundays).
Kinepolis Leuven
Bondgenotenlaan 145-149
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 31 96 00
www.kinepolis.be
Municipal Museums
M - Museum Leuven
M, the Museum of Leuven, houses a historical collection centred around late-gothic
art of the 19th century. Additionally, M organises temporary exhibitions featuring
contemporary artists or classic historical
works. Extensive exhibitions by both Belgian and international artists are combined with more experimental projects set
up by young talent. The varied exhibition
agenda has a place for paintings, sculptures, photography, film and video, design
and architecture. The constantly shifting
mix of contemporary and classical art
makes each visit a unique experience. Student nights, a pop-up bar on the spectacular roof terrace during the summer, or
the intimate festival M-idzomer, turn M
into an exciting meeting place.
Leopold Vanderkelenstraat 28
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 29 29 (Monday to Friday
from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, Saturday
and Sunday from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm)
m@leuven.be • www.mleuven.be
Cinema Zed
Tel. 016 679 240
ticket@stuk.be • www.stuk.be
www.cinemazed.be
online-tickets available
Buy your tickets online or at STUK’s Box
Office below STUKcafé.
©Jan Kempenaers
92
During your stay
Open:
Monday, Tuesday, Friday, Saturday,
Sunday: 11:00 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday: 11:00 am to 10:00 pm
Closed on Wednesdays
Box office closes 1/2 hour before closing
time.
Closed 8 September, 25 December,
1 January 2016
M-Treasury of Saint Peter
The Treasury of Saint Peter is situated in
the choir of Saint Peter’s Church at the
Grote Markt. Saint Peter’s Church is known
as one of the most beautiful buildings of
the 15th century Brabant gothic period.
The impressive choir hosts a small museum. Here you find many sculptures, paintings and religious silverwork. The masterpiece is ‘The Last Supper’ by Flemish
primitive Dirk Bouts.
Grote Markt
3000 Leuven
m@leuven.be • www.mleuven.be
Open:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 10:00
am to 4:30 pm
Sunday and public holidays: 11:00 am to
4:30 pm
Closed on Wednesdays
Closed 15, 16, 17 August , 8 September, 25
December, 1 January 2016
Municipal Academies
Municipal academy of fine arts SLAC Academie Beeldende Kunst
The academy offers a whole range of possibilities designed to exercise your creativity. You can study general visual arts education, drawing and painting, photography
(also digital), advertising and sculpture,
digital art, graphics, ceramics and textile
arts, lace-making or cross-curricular projects. Several times a year exhibitions and
lectures are organised in the academy and
also ‘outdoors’. A must!
Municipal conservatory for music, drama
& dance SLAC – Conservatorium Muziek,
Woord & Dans
For music, dance and drama, the music
conservatory caters to all your needs. If
you are musically talented, if you want to
learn to play an instrument, learn acting
or take dance lessons, please feel free to
apply! Own creations and productions are
regularly brought on stage.
More info on www.artrium.be
Dirk Boutslaan 60
B-3000 Leuven
Municipal academy of fine arts
Tel. 016 22 08 70 • Fax 016 31 62 19
www.slac.be/academie
Municipal conservatory for music,
drama & dance
Tel. 016 22 21 21 • Fax 016 31 08 28
www.slac.be/conservatorium
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4.3.10. Religion and Worship
In keeping with centuries of tradition KU
Leuven welcomes students and scholars
of various cultural, philosophical, political
and religious convictions.
Roman-Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church is represented in Leuven by two entities: the KU Leuven University Parish and the Pastoral Unit
Leuven (P.E.L.) of the Leuven deanery.
University Parish KU Leuven
Tel. 016 32 55 85
www.kuleuven.be/up
up@upar.kuleuven.be
Head of the Unit: Jacques Haers
The University Parish (UP) offers a wide
range of activities around faith, community building, spiritual counselling, Christian
education, theological and ethical reflection and solidarity with the Third and the
Fourth World. These activities are open to
both international and Flemish KU Leuven
students and staff regardless of their cultural, religious or political backgrounds.
UP also gives impetus to the wider academic audience including lecture series, workshops, group discussions, individual counselingcounseling, workshops and a two-day
summer school. These formation initiatives
invite to deepen both cognitive and existential personal faculties. Among many
activities UP offers bereavement/grief support groups and individual counselingcounseling, interreligious dialogue, Taizé prayer,
mysticism, spirituality, reflection on trends
in society, conscious life and art.
94
Along with Leuven social organisations
UP offers various opportunities for social
engagement, for example the iCare campagne or immersion trips to developing
countries.
Meeting and community building take
shape in twelve student houses; as well as
in the 5-day long welcome sessions for the
first year students.
Through the UP blog www.keepUPthespirit.be, people can bring together community building and their personal experience of spirituality.
The University Parish embraces three
(worship) communities: Dutch-, Englishand French-speaking communities.
University Parish Dutchspeaking Community
St John the Baptist Church (Sint-Jan de
Doperkerk)
Contact: Tinne Pittoors
Groot Begijnhof • 3000 Leuven
Masses in Dutch:
Sundays at 11:00 am
Saturday evenings at 6:15 pm
The University weekend Parish (worship
community) is built around the weekly
celebrations on Saturday and Sunday. In
addition, there is also prayer, meditation
moments, wedding celebrations, baptisms, confirmations and funerals. There
are more than 100 active volunteers.
During your stay
English-speaking University
Parish (EUP)
Chapel of Leo XIII Seminary
Tiensestraat 124 (entrance via
Vesaliusstraat 2) • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 37 78 13
www.upinternational.be
Contact: Maryana Hnyp
Eucharistic Celebrations in English:
Sundays and Holidays of Obligation: at
10:00 am
“Our Vision is to build Christian community in a changing world”
The goal is to welcome people from various parts of the world to form a Christian
community. It fosters an open atmosphere
where people from different backgrounds,
cultures and countries, people of different
age and walks of life can meet and experience Christian community, pray and sing,
find ways to work for a more just world.
The community also welcomes families
with babies and children of all ages and
tries to acknowledge their presence and
active participation in the Eucharist celebration in various ways.
While the community mostly uses English, it respects and acknowledges the
languages and cultures of all participants.
This is particularly expressed in the tradition of taking one of the Mass readings
in the parishioners’ language other than
English.
Each Sunday and Feast day liturgy is followed by a reception – a time of hospitality, encounter, sharing and community
building. The community runs its blog,
which contains reflections, spiritual-theological insights, news at KU Leuven and in
the city of Leuven. Sacraments (adult initiation, infant baptism, confirmation, First
communion, reconciliation, anointing of
the sick and marriage) are prepared and
celebrated in as community events.
95
University Parish Frenchspeaking Community
- Paroisse Universitaire
Communauté Francophone
The University Parish has also a Frenchspeaking,
African
community.
The
community celebrates the Eucharist
at 11 am (in French and African languages) in the chapel of Leo XIII seminary, entrance via Vesaliusstraat 2.
Tel. 016 32 55 85
www.kuleuven.be/up/francais
Contact: Jacques Haers
Masses in French: Sundays at 11:00 am
Other Catholic communities
in Leuven-Heverlee
Pastoral Unit Leuven
(Pastorale eenheid Leuven, P.E.L.)
Amerikalaan 29, 3000 Leuven
016 22 47 42
http://www.kerkleuven.be/
St Kwinten’s English speaking community
Sint Kwinten is a Catholic, multicultural community where members support
one another in the sacraments and their
spiritual lives through the liturgy and other
community events.
Mass times:
Sunday 9:00 am
Monday-Friday 6:00 pm
Adoration: Tuesday 6:30 to 8:00 pm
http://sintkwintenleuvenenglish.wordpress.com/
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Spanish-speaking community
A Roman Catholic mass is held in Spanish
at Saint Michael’s Church on Sundays at
12:00 noon.
Naamsestraat 57a • B-3000 Leuven
Contact:
Paul Aerts - pijaerts@telenet.be
Juan Carlos Tinjacá
juancatin@yahoo.com
www.sint-michielskerk.be
Polish-speaking community
Information can be acquired via:
Polska Misja Katolicka W Brukseli
Jourdanstraat 80 • B-1060 Brussel
Tel/fax: 02 538 30 87
Tel/fax: 02 537 25 82
Contact: O. Władysław Walaszczyk
pmkbruksela@gmail.com
wladyslawpmk@interia.pl
Holy Spirit College – Heilige Geest
In English: Sundays at 11:30 am
www.kuleuven.be/hgc/
Anglican
The Community St. Martha & Mary’s is
rooted in the Anglican communion with
Christians from different traditions. In
worship, we seek an intimate experience
with God through the Eucharist, liturgy,
prayer and song. Our international, English-speaking congregation gathers every
Sunday evening for prayer and liturgy in
the
Chapel of the Justus Lipsius College
Minderbroederstraat 15
B-3000 Leuven
Contact: Jack McDonald, Chaplain
chaplain@anglicanchurchleuven.be
www.anglicanchurchleuven.be/
During your stay
Protestant
Orthodox
Jesuit Church
There is a Dutch protestant Service every
Sunday at 10:00 am at Jesuit Church,
Waversebaan 220, Heverlee.
The Orthodox Parish of the Holy Apostle
and Evangelist Mattheos has services on
Saturdays (6:00 pm) and Sundays (10:00
am) in Dutch and Old-Slavonic, occasionally with some Greek, English or Romanian
at Tervuursestraat 56.
Contact person: Ernst Veen,
Ernst.veen@telenet.be
www.vpkleuven.be
ICEL - International Church of
Evangelicals in Leuven
Worship services (in English) take place
on Sundays at 10 AM in the chapel of the
Pauscollege. There is a separate nursery
for toddlers, Sunday School for children
under 12, and teenager programs.
Weekly activities include: women’s meeting, prayer meeting, Bible study meeting,
Chinese fellowship, Nepali Fellowship,
home groups, e.o.
Chapel of the Pope College
Hogeschoolplein 3 • B-3000 Leuven
Worship Service: Sundays at 10:00 am
Contact:
pastor@icel.be
www.icel.be
Ichtus Leuven
Contact: Thomas Van Acker
ichtusleuven@gmail.com
www.ichtus.be/leuven
Evangelical church leuven
This is a Dutch-speaking Community.
Marcel Casier
016 40 32 10
marcasier@gmail.com
egl.digitaal@gmail.com
www.egleuven.be
Contact: Alexander Yavarousk
orthodoxleuven@yahoo.co.uk
www.leuven.orthodoxy.ru/index3.htm
Jewish
The International Jewish Centre (IJC) is
the only English-speaking Liberal/Reform community in Belgium offering a
full range of Jewish activities. In ten short
years, we’ve grown to include over 75
families from over 15 countries. We are a
‘home away from home’ in which you can
feel comfortable about being Jewish where you can learn and enjoy all of the
wonderful aspects of Jewish religion and
culture - in an inclusive and international
atmosphere. In addition to its regular services in Brussels, the IJC also organises
lay-led monthly Kabbalat Shabbat services in Leuven during term time. Jewish
KU Leuven students/staff and their families and friends are welcome to attend
and enjoy the potluck dinner that follows
each service (to which everyone contributes). Occasional Saturday morning services led by IJC’s rabbi are also organised.
High Holiday services are held in Brussels
– transport available.
The IJC is for you if you are interested in:
• Seeking an open, tolerant, progressive
environment
• Finding a congregation in Belgium that
reflects your approach to Judaism
• Being part of a uniquely diverse and in97
ternational community
• Exploring your Jewish identity further
• Attending Shabbat services on a regular
or sporadic basis (in Leuven or Brussels)
• Attending High Holiday services
• Introducing your non-Jewish partner to
Judaism in a welcoming and nonjudgmental spirit
• Finding a social starting point for your
recent move to Belgium
• Extending or strengthening your existing Belgian network
The International Jewish Centre
Tel. 0476 52 32 81
Location: Available from leuven@ijc.be
www.ijc.be
See calendar for dates and times of
Services.
Muslim
International Muslim Students Association
of Leuven (IMSAL)
IMSAL is the official representative of
Muslim students in Leuven. As an international students organisation, it maintains
a Mosque with a library in the city center.
Moreover, there is also a prayer room available for students studying at the Heverlee
Campus. Various sports, religious, social
and cultural activities are frequently organised throughout the year, including
public lectures and seminars. Everyone is
welcome to visit the Mosque or participate
in any of the activities.
Friday prayer is always held in two languages (Arabic and either mostly English
or Dutch) at 1:00 pm (or 2:00 pm during summer time) in both the Students’
Mosque and Heverlee prayer room.
For more information about IMSAL, its activities and services in Leuven please visit
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the website. For getting registered please
send an email.
The Students’ Mosque
Rijschoolstraat 23 • B-3000 Leuven
Campus prayer room:
Celestijnenlaan 200 L
B-3001 Leuven (room 00.10)
admin@imsal.be • www.imsal.be
Al-Fateh Mosque
Located near the city center behind the
Bruul park.
Penitentienenstraat 33
B-3000 Leuven
Al-Ihsaan Mosque
Al-Ihsaan association organises a variety
of classes and activities. Please visit the
website for more information.
Kolonel Begaultlaan 45
B-3012 Leuven
www.alihsaan.be
Buddhists
Contact:
Boeddhistische Unie van België
www.boeddhistische-unie.be
Hindu
Contact: Markus Fobelets
markusfobelets@hotmail.com
Hindu Forum van België
www.hinduforum.be
The Mormon Community
Contact: Koen Van Kerckhoven
www.mormon.be
kovankerckhoven@gmail.com
During your stay
Bahá’i Community
Contact: Toos Verhagen
Toos.vandenanker@skynet.be
www.bahai.org
need to have both on the same day. All
information concerning marriage and the
documents required, can be obtained at
the Registry Office.
Deaths
Humanist Movement
Het HuisvandeMens
Tiensevest 40
3000 Leuven
Tel.: 016/23 56 35 - Fax: 016/20 75 47
leuven@deMens.nu
4.3.11. Births, Marriages and
Deaths
Births
You are required to inform the Registry
Office at the City Hall of the birth of your
baby within 15 days of the birth. Forms
concerning Insurance companies’, birth
premiums and state child allowances can
be obtained from the Social Service (for
international students) or the Human Resources Department (for staff members).
The declaration of birth can be done by or
both of the parents. You need to bring to
the Registry Office: the identity cards or
passports of both parents and your marriage booklet or marriage certificate. If
the parents are not married, both parents
need to come to declare the child, except
when a recognition before birth was done
previously.
Civil Marriages
The municipal authorities in Belgium only
recognise civil weddings, not church weddings. If you plan to have both a civil and a
religious marriage ceremony, the civil ceremony must take place first. You do not
The Registry Office at the City Hall must
be informed of all deaths. This formality
will be normally done by the undertaker,
but has to be paid. You can do this yourself, but then you need to inquire at the
Registry Office. If death occurs outside
a hospital, a doctor must be called first
to certify the death and to determine
the cause of death. After that, the registry office must be informed. It is advisable to ask for several copies of the death
certificate, since they may be needed for
insurance, banks, embassies, etc.
Registry Office City Hall –
Burgerlijke Stand
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 27 21 93 • Fax 016 27 29 60
burgerlijke.stand@leuven.be
www.leuven.be
4.3.12. Schools and Child-Care
The Education System
Education in Belgium (from nursery to
secondary school) is mainly organised
in a ‘public’ school system, that consists
of three types of education: state-organised schools (f.e. by the local government,
the City Council or the Province), Catholic schools and Method schools (Freinet,
Steiner, etc.). All these schools get funding
from the government and deliver equally
high academic standards. Within this public system there are no tuition fees.
99
Children of international students are welcome in this public school system. They
can study either in Dutch or in French, depending on the language of the town or
district in which the school is located. Most
international students enrol their children
in a Dutch-speaking school in or around
Leuven. The addresses of all schools in
Leuven and surroundings can be obtained
at the Social Service (see p. 52; see also
www.leuven.be/leven/onderwijs/lijstvanonderwijsinstellingen).
Parents are encouraged to examine the
curriculum and visit the schools, so that
they can explain their interests as well
as their child’s situation, problems and
“post-Belgium” plans. The purpose of
such a visit is to enable parents to decide which school offers them the most
appropriate education for their children.
When your child has to start at the first
year of a secondary school, it is important
to register in time, since the places per
school are limited.
The catholic schools have a common
registration system. You can find details
about the procedure on www.ksleuven.
be/Inschrijvingen/procedure.html
The other secondary schools each
have their own system. It is important
to find out beforehand about the system of the school of your preference.
Schools in Leuven can organise special
Dutch lessons for children who don’t speak
Dutch yet (OKAN-classes). For a list of primary schools that organise OKAN-classes
contact:
100
Onthaalbureau Inburgering Leuven
Ladeuzeplein 17 • Tel. 016 47 43 11
onthaalbureau.leuven@vlaamsbrabant.be
There are also secondary schools that organises such classes:
Sint-Albertuscollege Haasrode
Geldenaaksebaan 277
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 40 50 60
Sint- Jozefinstituut
Jozef Pierrestraat 56
3010 Kessel- Lo
016 25 22 51 or 0490/64 51 69
info@okan.ksleuven.be
Classification of Schools
(Dutch/French)
Age
Type of school
Type school
Niveau d’école
2.5-6 Kindergarten or Nursery School
Kleuterschool
Jardin d’enfants
6-12 Primary or Elementary School
Basisschool
École primaire
12-18
Secondary School providing
general, technical or vocational
education
Secundaire school of
middelbare school
École moyenne
During your stay
From 18 Higher Education
Hoger onderwijs
Enseignement supérieure
University education
Bachelor’s – Master’s
Universitair onderwijs
Enseignement universitaire
Professional bachelor’s
(Non-university education)
Nursing, teacher training, music,
technical training
Hoger niet-universitair onderwijs
Enseignement supérieure
non-universitaire
Private International School
Since 2013-2014, Leuven also has a private
international school. It offers international
education in English for children of expatriates and foreign employees in Belgium. The
school is founded and supported by KU
Leuven, the city of Leuven, IMEC and VIB.
The one-time application fee is €800 and
the annual fee is €9 996. Children from
staff members of the 4 founding partners
get 10% discount.
International School Leuven (ISL)
Geldenaaksebaan 335
3001 Heverlee
http://isleuven.org
School Fees
Except in private schools, no fees are paid
for kindergarten, primary or secondary education, which is subsidised by the government. However, you will receive a monthly
bill for various incidental expenses such as
trips, swimming, school magazines, drinks,
meals and daycare after school hours. For
post-secondary education, tuition fees
must be paid. The amount of these fees
depends on the programme of study.
The School Calendar
All kindergartens, primary and secondary schools have a five-day school week
(Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 3:30/4:00
pm). Note: there is no school on Wednesday afternoons.
The school calendar varies every school
year with a few days, but this is the global
period:
Kindergarten: 1 September to 30 June
Primary Schools: 1 September to 30 June
Secondary Schools: 1 September to 30
June
School Holidays:
• One week in early November (All
Saint’s)
• Two weeks at Christmas
• One week in February or early March
(Carnival)
• Two weeks at Easter
• Two months in the summer period
(July and August)
• Higher Education: July to September
(varies)
Studying with Children
Maternity care - De Bakermat
De Bakermat provides home-care services for new mothers, pre-natal or postnatal
housecalls, information and helps with the
rental or purchase of child-care material.
Diestsesteenweg 49 • B-3010 Leuven
Tel. 016 20 77 40
debakermat@bakermat.be
www.debakermat.be
Child & Family - Kind & Gezin
Kind en Gezin offers a wide range of baby
and child care services. Expecting parents,
and parents of children up to 6, can get
free medical assistance and advice on
101
baby care and feeding. Contact the regional office to ask questions or get the
information that you need. You can also
make an appointment for a housecall.
K&G Vlaams-Brabant en Brussel
Diestsepoort 6 • P.O. Box 56
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 21 05 11 • Fax 016 62 42 96
secr.vlaamsbrabantenbrussel@
kindengezin.be
www.kindengezin.be
Playground Activities during
school holidays
KU Leuven
University Sports Centre organises sports
activities for children from 8 to 16 years
old during two weeks in July and August
at the price of €60 or €70 per week.
Universitair Sportcentrum
Tervuursevest 101
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 32 91 30 • 016 32 91 31
Fax 016 32 91 95
sport@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/sport/sportaanbod/
sportkampen
Don Bosco
During the summer holidays, the children of KU Leuven international students
can join the activities at Don Bosco in
Oud-Heverlee and Groene Zone in Heverlee. For more information about organisation, costs and any reductions, you can
contact the Social Service.
Tel. 016 32 44 36
socialservice@dsv.kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/socialservice
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City of Leuven – playground
activities
During the school holidays, children can
take part in leisure activities organised
by the city department of youth. On our
playgrounds in Leuven, Heverlee, Kessel-Lo and Wilsele we welcome toddlers,
children and teenagers. Volunteering adolescents supervise and entertain them
in a rather open system of fun and play in
age groups. The playground activities welcome children for half a day or a full one.
No need to reserve up front.
Cost for a full day: €6 basic price, €5 for
families with more than 3 children, €3 for
reduction on basis of low income (€7.5 for
people not living in Leuven, Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, Wilsele or Wijgmaal)
Cost for a half day: €3 basic price, €2.50
for families with more than 3 children,
€1.5 for reduction on basis of low income
(€3.75 for people not living in Leuven,
Heverlee, Kessel-Lo, Wilsele or Wijgmaal).
“Vleugelweken” are taking place during the holidays of Carnival and Autumn.
Then we welcome children to experience
a week full of fun within one central theme.
In age groups, the children can play, discover activities that are created by volunteering adolescents. You need to make the
reservations beforehand.
For all of these activities, the child first
needs to be registered at:
Jeugdcentrum Vleugel F
Brusselsestraat 61a • B-3000 Leuven or
online at https://leuven.kwandoo.com
The child will receive a youth centre pass,
cost: €5.
During your stay
Time and age schedule of the activities:
•Vleugelweken: autumn holidays, carnival (February), for children aged 4 to 13
• Playground Leuven: Easter and summer,
for children aged 3 to 15
• Playground Heverlee: Easter and summer, for children aged 3 to 15
• Playground Kessel-Lo: summer, for children aged 3 to 15
•Playground Wilsele: summer until August 8th, for children aged 3 to 15
More information (addresses, prices, programme, etc.) on www.vleugelf.be or tel.
016 27 27 50.
Daycare Services
There are a number of daycare centres in the Leuven area. A list of all
these daycare centres is available at
www.kinderopvangleuven.be. You can select “English language” by clicking on“EN”
in the top right corner and make a search
selection at “Search”. The results will appear at the left. Bear in mind that most
daycare centres have a long waiting list, in
some cases longer than one year, so you
are strongly advised to apply for a place
as soon as possible, from the moment that
you know you are pregnant.
To apply for child care, you need to register online at www.kinderopvangleuven.be
as all applications for child care in Leuven
go through this webpage.
First register yourself as a parent (‘subscribe’ and ‘no account yet’), then add
your partner (if this applies to you). Thirdly, you can add your child(ren) and fill in
the application per child by clicking on
‘new demand’. If you choose ‘group child
care’, you can select 5 priorities out of a
list of nurseries. At the same time, you can
also select ‘family care’. You can consult a
list with available places at childminders
on your profile from 6 months before the
starting date. This list is weekly updated
on Thursday. The waiting-list for the childminders is shorter than the list of the daycare centres.
KU Leuven Daycare
The following daycare centres are affiliated to KULeuven/UZ/IMEC and welcome
children between six weeks and the age of
three. The cost depends on your income
and includes meals and regular costs. Nappies and bottle formula are not included.
The calculation of the day price had to be
done by the parent themselves, with their
e-ID and pincode and a card reader. The
calculation can also be done at Stadskantoor. Appointment can be made by contacting Loket Kinderopvang on 016/27 26
43 or info@kinderopvangleuven.be. The
daycare centres provide your child with the
daily care and education that he/she requires. Children are placed in small groups.
The same person remains in charge of the
same children throughout their stay there.
Concerns? Please ask the staff.
You can find the English website of the KU
Leuven daycare centers at https://admin.
kuleuven.be/personeel/english/day_care_
centres
The KU Leuven day-care centra are:
•Peutertuin
De Croylaan 8 • B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 32 24 52
Open from 7:30 am to 6:30 pm
• De Villa
Steengroevenlaan 1 • B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 23 32 58
103
•Kabouterberg
Tel. 016 33 08 60
• ‘ t Grootpark Wollewei/De Boomhut
Weligerveld 3/4, 3212 Pellenberg
Tel. 016 46 31 12
For these daycare centres you also
need to register through the web page
www.kinderopvangleuven.be
Daycare for Sick Children
Daycare at home for sick children is provided by several organisations. After your
child has been examined by a doctor and
104
the necessary documents have been filled
out, you can apply for this service. A qualified child minder will come to your house,
so you can rest assured that your child will
be taken care of while you go to work.
A list of services which provide day care at
home for sick children is available at www.
kinderopvangleuven.be/kinderdagverblijf/
ziek
When you’re using Teledienst Ziek Kind
Stad Leuven, you have to register yourself on www.kinderopvangleuven.be, but
you still have to contact them to ask for a
place. The registration is only for administrative reasons.
During your stay
Daycare for children from 2.5
to 12 years old
Several organisations provide extra-curricular daycare. Go to www.kinderopvangleuven.be and click ‘age 2,5 to 12 years
old’ to get the correct search results.
SpeelOdroom
Meeting place for little children (0-3 years)
accompanied by a parent, grandparent or
other: meeting, relaxing, playing, sharing
experiences etc.
Ravenstraat 69 • 3000 Leuven
Tel. 0485 95 81 32
info@speelOdroom.net
www.speelodroom.net
Open:
Tuedays, Thursdays, Friday: from 9:30 am
to 12:00 noon, first Saturday of the month.
Daycare Outside School
Hours
When your child starts attending nursery
school, he/she will still be welcome in the
university daycare centres on Wednesday
afternoons and during school holidays.
Please note that this service is only available to children who went to the university
daycare centres.
This will be a good opportunity for your
child to meet with his/her old friends
again. These 3 to 6-year-olds are looked
after by the nursery school teacher and by
extra staff working during the school holidays. Suitable activities (i.e. nature trips,
videos, etc.) are organised. Since the staff
is only able to care for a limited number
of children, you must register in advance.
For other out-of-school care facilities, consult www.kinderopvangleuven.be
Babysitting Services
The Student Employment Service (see
also p. 53) can help you find a babysitter
student to take care of your children. Applications should be made a few days in
advance.
Tel. 016 32 44 34
jobdienst@dsv.kuleuven.be
Babysitting Services of the “Gezinsbond”
Parents interested in making use of this
service may consult the Gezinsbond’s
database which provides the names of
babysitters, as well as the number of hours
that they are willing to work. The babysitters have been screened beforehand and
they are insured. The prices are fixed per
hour. In addition, you pay a small annual
fee to the Gezinsbond. You have to be a
member of the Gezinsbond to use this
service. If your child is born in Leuven, you
automatically become a member of the
Gezinsbond for one year free of charge.
For information and referral services:
Carla Dubuquoit, 0493 72 70 32
(between 8:00 pm and 9:00 pm),
kodkessello@gmail.com
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4.4. Student organisations
KU Leuven Student Council
4.4.1. KU Leuven
The Student Council organises a General
Assembly every two weeks, during which
the representatives of the Faculty Student
Councils gather. Educational matters are
observed both within the university, as on
the Flemish and the European levels. The
Student Council is an active partner in the
establishment of the education policy by
first sending student representatives to
various university bodies including the
Academic Council, the Education Council
and other working committees, and by
supporting and coordinating actively all
the faculty associations.
“KU Leuven students are well organised
both in their faculties and in student associations and organisations. Student
participation is considered very important at the KU Leuven.”
In this chapter, we explain how international students can get involved and play
a significant role in these organisations.
LOKO
To understand the role of the KU Leuven
Student Council and LOKO it is necessary
to provide some background information. In Belgium the government made
the choice to include students in all organs that determine the university and
country-wide policies concerning higher
education. In Leuven there are two main
student umbrella organisations responsible for this.
The KU Leuven Student Council acts as a
representative of all students and faculty
associations of the KU Leuven for what
concerns university-wide policy matters.
These include all educational policies, as
well as some international matters and social policies such as diversity.
LOKO on the other hand is responsible for
representation of the students of the Leuven campus - so not KU Leuven students
in Brussels and Antwerp, for instance. In
practice, this means LOKO is the representative for what local social policies is
concerned (such as Alma, Acco, Student
Services,…).
106
KU Leuven Student Council
‘s Meiersstraat 5 • B-3000 Leuven
info@sturakuleuven.be
www.sturakuleuven.be
016 85 55 52
LOKO has six subdivisions:
LOKO Social
LOKO Social represents the students in all
organs deciding on social and cityrelated
issues. LOKO Social aims to help minimise
socio-cultural barriers for higher education
by keeping an eye on scholarships, Almaand Accoprices, accommodation and tries
to keep Leuven as student friendly a town
as possible.
LOKO Social
sociaal@loko.be
Tel. 016 22 31 09 • Fax 016 22 01 03
During your stay
LOKO Sports also holds some well-known
annual events, such as the 24-hour relay
race (October), the student half marathon
(March).
LOKO Sports
Gebouw de Nayer (0057)
Tel. 016 32 91 34 • 016 32 91 33
sport@loko.be • www.loko.be/sport
LOKO Culture
LOKO Culture promotes cultural life
among the students in Leuven. They promote different forms of contemporary art.
Together with volunteers, they organise
Ithaka, an art festival, and an Interfacultary
Theatre festival. Movies and concerts are
also part of the programme offered by
LOKO Culture.
LOKO Activities
LOKO Activities organises some of the
main social events in Leuven such as
LOKOmotion, an annual party in all party
venues in Leuven. LOKO Activities has also
already organised several editions of the
carillon cantus, the world’s biggest cantus
on the Ladeuze square, accompanied by
the University Library carillon.
LOKO Activities
activiteiten@loko.be
Tel. 016 22 31 09 • Fax 016 22 01 03
LOKO Sports
LOKO Sports promotes student participation in sports by supporting various
projects, providing subsidies for the more
expensive sports, running a sports equipment rental service, and much more.
LOKO Culture
Tel. 016 22 31 09 • Fax 016 22 01 03
Stuk, Naamsestraat 96
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 03 11
cultuur@loko.be • www.loko.be/cultuur
LOKO International
The role of LOKO International within
LOKO is to represent the growing share of
international students in our student population. Therefore, LOKO International represents YOU in civic authorities, city matters and in university meetings concerning
international students or international programs in order to stand up for your interests. Their main goal is to make your stay
as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.
In addition, LOKO international focuses on
the promotion of activities of two kinds:
first of all, they try to offer newly arrived
students a warm welcome by cooperat107
ing in the Orientation Days and the Buddy
Programme (see p. 46 and 25). The second kind of activities, are activities that
promote integration between international and local students.
Furthermore, LOKO International is the
umbrella organisation for the international
student associations of Leuven who aim to
give students from their country or faculty
a warm welcome and a home away from
home. Such organisations can request
subsidies from LOKO for their activities.
LOKO International also welcomes and
supports international students who
would like to start a new association.
The LOKO International office is located in
the Pangaea Intercultural Meeting Centre.
The LOKO International team is eager to
deal with your complaints, questions and
suggestions.
The Voice
Last but not least, LOKO International
publishes The Voice. The Voice is an English-language international student newspaper by and for the international student
community in Leuven. For all its functions,
it relies on volunteers. It is produced every
two months and distributed free of charge
throughout Leuven. The content of The
Voice depends on the topics students
want to write about. The Voice truly gives
a voice to the international student community. As it takes a lot more than just
writers to keep this magazine going, The
Voice is always looking for people who
are interested in layout, photography and
grammatical editing. In other words, The
Voice needs motivated people who are
eager to use their imagination.
108
Why not give it a try? Just come and have
a look in Pangaea Intercultural Meeting
Centre, next to the LOKO International
office or come to our editorial meeting.
Place and time of the meetings are indicated on the website.
LOKO International
Pangea – Home Vesalius
B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 32 33 95 • Fax 016 32 33 90
international@loko.be •
www.loko.be/international
The Voice
thevoice@loko.be
www.thevoiceleuven.be
Veto
Veto is an independent weekly Dutchlanguage newspaper created by students.
Veto reports on student life, university
affairs and other topics students are concerned with.
During your stay
STRAK.FM
In cooperation with LOKO, Veto also hosts
STRAK.fm. STRAK.fm is Leuven’s internet
radio made by and for students. Every
week it posts new reports about student
events and other newsworthy facts. A few
times each year, it goes live on air!
Veto
Tel. 016 22 44 38 • Fax 016 22 01 03
veto@veto.be • www.veto.be
Strak.FM
info@strak.fm • www.strak.fm
Faculty Associations
(Studentenkringen)
Some of them have an Erasmus Committee.
• Alfa (Archaeology)
www.alfa.student.kuleuven.be
• Apollonia (Dental Sciences)
www.apollonialeuven.tk
• Apolloon (Physical Therapy and Kinesiology) www.sportkotapolloon.be
• Babylon (Linguistics and Literature)
kringbabylon.be/guest-students
• Bios (Biology) www.bios.student.kuleuven.be
• Canonica (Canon law)
www.canonica.be
• Chemika (Chemistry) www.chemika.be
• Crimen (Criminology) www.crimen.be
• Educata (GroupT-Leuven Education
College) www.educata.be
• Ekonomika (Economics)
erasmus.ekonomika.be
• Eoos (Eastern and Slavic Studies)
www.eoos.be
• Farmaceutica (Pharmaceutical Science)
www.farmaceutica.be
• Geos (Geology)
www.geol.student.kuleuven.be
•Industria (Campus Group T Leuven)
www.industria.be
• Historia (History)
www.hist.student.kuleuven.be
• Katechetika (Theology and Religious
Studies) www.katechetika.be
• KULAK (K.U.Leuven Campus Kortrijk)
student.kuleuven-kortrijk.be/portal/
• LBK (Bio-Engineering)
www.landbouwkring.be
• KLA (Speech Therapy and Audiology)
www.kla.student.kuleuven.be
• Mecenas (Art Studies)
www.mecenas-kul.be
• Medica (Medicine) www.medica.be
• Medisoc (Clinical Nursing and Health
Care Management) club.studiant.be/
medisoc
• Merkator (Geography)
www.merk.student.kuleuven.be
• Musicologica (Musicology)
www.musicologica.be
• NFK (Philosophy) www.nfk.be
• Pedagogische Kring (Educational Science) www.pedagogischekring.be
• Politika (Political and Social Sciences)
www.politika.be
• Psychologische Kring (Psychology)
www.psychokring.be.
• VRG (Law) www.vrg.be/Praesidium/
Erasmus.html
• VTK (Engineering)
www.vtk.be/international/
• Wina (Mathematics, Informatics, Physics) www.wina.be
If you would like to get in touch with the
international section of your faculty association, please contact LOKO International
for up-to-date contact information.
109
Umbrella Faculty
Associations Scientica
(Faculty of Science)
International Student
Associations – By Country/
Origin
Scientica is the umbrella organisation
of the five student associations at the
Faculty of Science at KU Leuven: Bios,
Chemika, Geos, Merkator and Wina.
Scientica consists of three main parts:
Activities: Kringraad
Student representation: OOR
Course-sale service: Cudi.
Bana Leuven
The main goal of Bana Leuven is to promote the development of Congo. Furthermore, it brings all those interested in Congo together to let them taste the richness
of this country. To do this, Bana Leuven organise all kinds of activities every year: exhibitions, concerts, debates, fund raising,
festivities. Bana Leuven has a very diverse
target audience: Congolese inhabitants of
Leuven, students and anybody who is interested in Congo.
Probably Scientica’s most interesting part
for you is Scientica International, which
aims at uniting international students with
each other and with local students. Scientica International itself organise small
social activities for international students
at the Faculty of Science and promotes
activities organised by the five student associations.
Scientica
international@scientica.be
www.scientica.be/?language=en
Facebook: “Scientica International”
Koco International
(Faculty of Arts)
Koco International is an international
umbrella organisation for all the student
unions at the Faculty of Arts. They organise social activities for both student
groups and try to bridge the gap between
international and Belgian students. If you
like to have more information or join our
activities, you may send an e-mail. For
our latest news you can subscribe for our
weekly newsletter and become our friend
on Facebook (Koco Int)
Koco International
koco.international@gmail.com
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Bana Leuven
bana.leuven@gmail.com
www.banaleuven.be
Facebook: “Bana Leuven”
Indian Students Association (ISAL)
ISAL is a small non-profit association of
Indian students. They come together to
share their unity in diversity of cultures,
traditions and faiths. ISAL members gather on the occasion of three major festivals
throughout the year: Christmas, Holi and
Deepawali. ISAL also exposes its multicultural richness to non-Indian students,
while organizing cultural events and tours
etc. Moreover, ISAL provides information
to those who wish to study at the KU Leuven, or at any other university in Belgium.
During your stay
They also provide guidance concerning
‘living in Belgium’.
ISAL
info@isal.be • www.isal.be
Facebook: Indian Students’ Association
Leuven
Mosaic/Mozaiek
Mosaic/Mozaiek is a group of students
who explore the cultural background and
specificities of Egyptians, Lebanese, Palestinians and Syrians. The activities they
offer range from movies to cooking, from
poetry to dance. Mosaic emphasises to
keep people as the central theme of their
organisation.
Mosaic/Mozaïek
mosaic_kul@yahoo.com
www.freewebs.com/mosaic-kul/
Facebook: “Mosaic/Mozaiek”
Chinese Students and Scholars (CSAL)
The Chinese Students and Scholars Association of Leuven is a non-profit organisation dedicated to the goal of promoting
social, intellectual and cultural activities for
Chinese students and scholars in Leuven.
It will also strive to provide opportunities
and benefits by facilitating life and study
in Belgium. CSAL is committed to developing unique and attractive programs and
activities locally, nationally and internationally. This enables Chinese students and
scholars in Leuven and all other individuals
who are interested in China and Chinese
culture to experience and enjoy a richer,
fuller, and more successful life in Belgium
and beyond. If you have any suggestions,
please contact us.
CSAL
csal.leuven@gmail.com
www.csal.be/en
Dyma: Association of students with roots
in the Maghreb
www.dyma.be
Facebook: “Dyma Leuven
Turkish Students Association Leuven
(TSL)
The Turkish student Association promotes
the emancipation of Turkish students in
Leuven. Their aim is to improve integration
of Turkish students in Leuven as well in
intercultural meetings. TSL also organises
different activities to taste the vast Turkish
culture.
TSL
contact@tsleuven.be
www.tsleuven.be
www.facebook.com/tsleuven
111
Latin american Students Association
(ALAS KU Leuven)
We are students or staff of the KU Leuven
who are connected, in a variety of ways,
to Latin America. While we recognise a
certain degree of homogeneity among
ourselves, we are equally aware of the rich
diversity that characterises us.
We would like to create a communicative network and meeting place for Latin
American students or staff, as well as for
those who share our academic, social, intercultural and Belgian context.
ALAS KU Leuven
alas.kuleuven@gmail.com
alaskuleuven.wikispaces.com
Facebook: “ALAS KULeuven”
Pakistan Students Association Belgium –
Leuven (PSA)
PSA Belgium is an independent, nonprofit
and non-political organisation. It is based
on the idea of assisting new and exiting
Pakistani (and international) students,
help them integrating in the society and
guide them on various issues.
PSA Belgium represent Pakistan in various
forums, feasts, local events independently
as well as in collaboration with other organisations. Participation to PSA events is
open for Pakistani as well as international
students and community members.
PSA
contact@psabelgium.be
www.psabelgium.be
Facebook: “PSA Belgium”
Ethiopean Student Assocation Leuven
(ESAL)
ESAL
www.facebook.com/esal.kuleuven
112
Pakistan Students Forum (PSF)
Pakistan Students Forum is a platform
for Pakistani and International Students.
The aim is to promote country image,
exchange cultural values with local & international students, to promote peace &
harmony and to organise events for international community. Share your ideas with
us and we will make it happen.
PSF
psfbelgium@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/#!/groups/
PakistanStudentsForumBelgium
Vinakul
Vinakul is a student organisation that promotes the integration of Vietnamese students in Leuven. Not only do they help you
with getting around in Leuven, they also
organise all kinds of typical Vietnamese
festivals, like Vietnamese New Year.
Vinakul
groups.yahoo.com/group/vinakul
Mongolian students in Belgium
MonBelStudents
www.facebook.com/monbelstudents?fref=ts
The Indonesian Student Association of
Leuven (PPI Leuven)
The Indonesian Student Association is a
non-profit organisation which is dedicated as a cultural center for Indonesians who
study and live in Leuven. The purpose of
this association is to unite Indonesian students in Leuven, to introducé Indonesian
culture in Belgium and to promote Belgian
culture and education in Indonesia.
PPI Leuven facilitates the incoming students to adapt to their new life in Leuven.
By organizing several cultural and other
During your stay
activities, PPI Leuven is committed to develop an attractive program for Indonesian
students to experience an enjoyable and
successful life outside their home country.
PPI Leuven
ppi.leuven@gmail.com
http://ppileuven.be
NESAB-LC
The Nepalese Student Association in Belgium-Leuven Consortium organises various events and gatherings to celebrate
Nepalese festivals and welcome and farewell programs for newcomers and graduates.
Contact LOKO International for more info.
International Student
Associations – Umbrella’s/
Thematic
Erasmus Student Network (ESN)
ESN in short: fun!
ESN stands for Erasmus Student Network and is an international interdisciplinary organisation, organising activities for
students. We are all students and work
non-profit. One of our main goals is to
provide the international student with a
lot of opportunities to get in touch with
their fellow students, both international
and Belgian.
ESN organises parties, cultural activities
and sport activities. Apart from organising activities ourselves, ESN Leuven also
promotes activities organised by other
organisations. This way, we will inform the
international student about the very active
student life in the city of Leuven!
out over 30 countries containing more
then 300 sections, ESN is literally everywhere in Europe. Use your ESN membership card to enjoy the various advantages
cross-country. You can even become an
ESN crewmember here in Leuven or back
home!
Feel the love, enjoy your time and join the
network!
ESN
info@esnleuven.be
www.esnleuven.org
Facebook esnleuven (‘Erasmus Leuven’)
PhD Society Leuven
The Ph.D. Society is an interfaculty, international student organisation of doctoral
students of the university that aims to promote interaction among Ph.D. students,
both international and Belgian.
Activities organised by the Ph.D. Society
cover academic, social, and career aspects of a doctoral student’s life. Separate
committees for each aspect are in place
to organise relevant events on a regular
basis such as guest lectures, corporate
seminars, workshops and weekly drinks.
The PhD Society is always on the lookout
for enthusiastic doctoral students to join
one of the committees and participate in
events.
Find us on facebook or send us an email to
be added to our list.
PhD Society Leuven
phdsocietyleuven@gmail.com
www.phdsociety.be
Facebook: “PHD Society Leuven”
One of the biggest advantages of being
an ESN member, is its network. Spread
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The International Muslim Students Association of Leuven (IMSAL)
IMSAL is an independent student organisation of Muslim students in Leuven under LOKO. It was established in 1984 by
KU Leuven’s Muslim students. The primary aim of IMSAL is to provide a meeting
space for Muslims and to promote understanding between different religions and
cultures. It holds inter-faith dialogues and
organise various social and cultural gatherings to help build bridges. IMSAL is responsible for maintenance and running
of KU Leuven’s Student Mosque in the city
center (Rijschoolstraat 25) as well as a
praying facility in Heverlee campus (Room
00.10 200L). For more information please
visit our website or send us an e-mail.
IMSAL
admin@imsal.be • www.imsal.be
www.facebook.com/groups/IMSAL
Association des Etats Géneraux des Etudiants de l’Europe –Leuven (AEGEE)
AEGEE breaks the boundaries within Europe and with this also the boundaries of
cultures and stereotypes: it provides mobility for students and a forum for Young
people to think about and work on the
future of Europe. In order to achieve its
goals, AEGEE annually organise about
300 events. Each local ‘antenna’ of AEGEE
organise such events in which (any) member of other locals can participate.
The members of AEGEELeuven can hence
quite easily stay informed of what’s happening in other parts of Europe and actively participate in these events. Examples of such activities are Summer and
Winter Universities, conferences on a wide
variety of different topics, international
meetings, themed events, courses and
workshops on sustainability, environment,
114
public relations, politics, human rights, telecommunications, and many more.
AEGEE
board@aegee-leuven.org
www.aegee-leuven.org
Facebook: “AEGEE Leuven”
IEEE Student Branch Leuven
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers Student Branch Leuven is an
organisation of/for IEEE members that
study at the KU Leuven. The Student
Branch consists mainly of engineering
students of the senior years that specialise in electrical engineering, computer
science and mechanical engineering and
PhD students of these departments. The
organisation offers a variety of activities
ranging from technical- scientific activities
(seminars, company visits, etc.) to cultural
activities (beer tasting courses, etc.).
IEEE Student Branch Leuven
ieee_sb@esat.kuleuven.be
www.ieee-sb-leuven.be
KIB - Association for International Affairs
Since our foundation in 1945, the Kring
voor Internationale Betrekkingen (KIB,
Association for International Affairs) aims
to inform the KU Leuven students about
current issues in international affairs. In the
recent years we managed to bring many
important speakers to Leuven to present
their view on international affairs, such as
a number of secretarygenerals of NATO,
most Belgian foreign ministers, eminent
academics, respected economists and
ambassadors.
KIB – Association for International Affairs
board.kib@gmail.com • www.kib.be
During your stay
European Law Students Association –
Leuven (ELSA )
The European Law Students Association is
an association especially for law students.
They organise an introduction course for
the political structure in Belgium and organise trips to destinations of special concern to law students.
ELSA
elsa@law.kuleuven.be
www.law.kuleuven.be/elsa/en/
Facebook: “ELSA Leuven”
JEF Leuven
Is a local section of JEF Europe (Young
European Federalists), a youth organisation working for the creation of a stronger Europe. In Leuven we try to bring the
European Union closer to the students by
means of lectures, debating, movie nights,
international evenings and quizzes.
JEF Leuven
jef.leuven@gmail.com
http://jefbelgium.eu/local-sections/
jef-leuven/
Facebook fan page: JEF-Leuven
VVN Youth Leuven
VVN Youth is the student section for the
Association of the United Nations. They
try to involve youngsters in international
topics and policies.
http://www.vvn.be/vvn-youth/
Facebook: “VVN Youth”
Support for Health & Education in Pakistan – Leuven (SHEP)
SHEP vzw is a non-profit organisation registered in Belgium. It is dedicated to provide quality education and health services
to the people of Pakistan. The primary focus of the organisation is to revolutionise
the social behaviors of the society using
thought-provoking, novel and sustainable
teaching techniques to educate and train
the future generations of Pakistan from
their early ages.
Self perceived idea of Pakistani students
studying and working in Belgium (at KU
Leuven, IMEC and VUB) is currently able
to finance basic education facilities to
around 250 children in their homeland
from own contributions.
SHEP Leuven
contact@shepvzw.org
ww.shepvzw.org
KULMUN
Model United Nations (MUN) is an authentic simulation of specific UN organs,
committees or conferences such as the
General Assembly or Commission on Sustainable Development. In MUN, students
step into the shoes of ambassadors of UN
Member states to debate current issues on
the organisation’s vast agenda.
KULMUN
info@kulmun.be
www.kulmun.be
www.facebook.com/KULMUN
AISEC Leuven
When AIESEC was established in the aftermath of WorldWar II the aim was to exchange youth throughout Europe to build
bridges between nations. Today AIESEC
exchanges youth across the globe in an
attempt to facilitate the development of
able young leaders that are culturally and
socially responsible.
Present in 11 campuses with more than
500 members in Belgium, in 113 countries and territories and with over 80,000
115
members globally, AIESEC is the world’s
largest student-run organisation. Focused
on providing a platform for youth leadership development, AIESEC offers young
people the opportunity to be global citizens, to change the world, and to get experience and skills that matter today.
AISEC Leuven
info@aiesecleuven.be
http://aiesecleuven.webs.com/
CS Leuven Language exchange Club
This group is for people who want to help
each other in learning and practicing languages through conversation groups and
tandem exchange. Couch Surfers are the
natural core of such a group and we have
great hopes for widespread participation
(Languages).
The basic principle of the Club is for people to help each other with language skills
much in the same way that Couch Surfers
help each other with lodging – with a spirit
116
of shared generosity (Exchange).
It’s great fun, a great way to practice, and a
great way to enlarge your perspective on
the world.
We envision a world where everyone can
explore and create meaningful connections with the people and places we encounter. Building meaningful connections
across cultures enables us to respond to
diversity with curiosity, appreciation and
respect. The appreciation of diversity
spreads tolerance and creates a global
community (Couchsurfing).
We do language exchanges in a friendly
and informal environment, for more formal classes you can go to CLT or CVO in
Leuven.
CS Leuven Language exchange Club
www.facebook.com/
groups/182288278448544/
During your stay
Serve the city
Serve the City Leuven mobilises volunteers to help create a culture of love and
hope. We do this by organizing action
days and volunteer projects to help social
non-profits, such as soup kitchens, centers
for homeless people, schools, nursing
homes for elderly people and other organisations. We believe everyone can serve
and if everyone would give more than
take, this world would be a better place.
Our experience is that the biggest Group
of volunteers attracted by action days are
international students, the tiny fraction of
volunteers are usually Belgian students
and the locals. Therefore we aim usually at
the international community. Our projects
are a great opportunity to meet new interesting people from all walks of life, connect and bond with other volunteers and
socially oriented organisations in Leuven.
New volunteers and interns are always
welcome at Serve the City.
Serve the city
servethecityleuven@gmail.com
http://servethecityleuven.be/en/
www.facebook.com/pages/ServetheCity-Leuven/123462234381511
Janus International Theater
The amateur theater group supported by
Pangaea. See also p. 89
Fakbars (Faculty Bars)
• Den Bijsluiter // Pharmaceutical Science
• Doc’s Bar // Medicine
• Dulci // Economics
• ‘t Elixir // Engineering
Tervuursevest 60 • B-3000 Leuven
• Fakbar Letteren // Arts Faculty
Blijde-Inkomststraat 11 • B-3000 Leuven
• Gnorgl // Bio-Engineering
Waversebaan 71 • B-3001 Heverlee
• Huis der Rechten (HdR) // Law
• Pavlov // Psychology &
Educational Sciences
• Politika Kaffee // Political and
social sciences
• Sportzak // Physical education
and physiotherapy
Tervuursevest 60 • B-3000 Leuven
• M Café // Katechetica, NFK
(Philosophy)
Savoyestraat 10 • 3000 Leuven
• Maxim’O De Kelten (UCLL)//
Diana (UCLL) // Criminology
• De Kemel // Soca (UCLL)
Oude Markt 23• B-3000 Leuven
• ’t Archief // Didactica (UCLL), Steil
Zeelstraat 1 • B-3000 Leuven
Interested to join? Meetings every Sunday
at 19h in Pangaea Intercultural Meeting
Centre.
Janus International Theater
fb Janus International Theatre
https://www.facebook.com/
groups/128683033853580/
117
The student organisations are structured
somewhat differently than at KU Leuven.
There are student councils and student organisations.
College Student Council
- CSC Overkoepelende
StudentenRaad (OSR )
The student councils voice the students’
opinions on educational and social issues
to the directors of the school. They propose suggestions for making student life
more attractive. Each campus has a student council (DSR), composed of student
representatives. First year students are
most welcome! The DSR is mainly concerned with issues like education, exams,
diversity, student restaurant, equipment
of the library and the computer rooms ...
OSR is the umbrella organisation comprising these student councils. OSR sends
representatives to the board of directors, the general assembly, the academic
council and the interdepartemental study
programme committee. Trough Student
Services, OSR is also occupied with social
matters. Finally OSR co-operates with the
city of Leuven, LOKO and StAL (Student
body of council for the Association Leuven).
OSR
osr.voorzitter@student.khleuven.be
http://www.khleuven.be/studentenraad
118
Overkoepelende Kringraad
(OKeR)
The student organisations organise various cultural and sporting activities, as
well as the occasional party. Each faculty
has its own student organisation. These
organisations are coordinated by the
umbrella student organisation (OKeR or
Overkoepelende Kringraad), an organisation that has it’s office in the same room
as OSR. You stay informed of the activities
being planned through facebook (OKeR).
OKeR
oker@khleuven.be • oker@khleuven.be
• De Kelten (Management Faculty)
www.dekelten.student.khleuven.be
• Diana (Health Faculty)
www.diana.be
• Didactica (Teacher Education Faculty)
www.didactica.student.khleuven.be
• Soca (Social Work Faculty and Child &
Youthcare students)
www.soca.student.khleuven.be
• Steil (Health Faculty: Nursing & Midwifery students)
www.steil.student.khleuven.be
During your stay
(formerly Group T–Leuven
Education College)
Student Council
The Student Council is the students’ representative body. Its aim is to promote the
interests of students and to communicate
students’ opinions on educational issues
to the professors and management .
Student Council
Tiensevest 60 • B-3000 Leuven
Tel. 016 37 55 00
info@studentenraad.be
4.4.4. LUCA School of Arts –
Campus Lemmens
Participatiecommissie
The “Participatiecommissie” includes the
student representatives and the student
council. The former represents the needs
and questions of all our students in several boards and meetings, such as the
Faculty Board, the Academic Board and
Social Services. The latter organises parties, sporting activities, cultural affairs and
many other creative events.
Participatiecommissie
LUCA School of Arts
Campus Lemmens
Tel. 016 23 39 67
www.pclemmens.be
4.5. Police & safety
Police
Leuven Police Headquarters
The police department is in charge of
maintaining law and order. Leuven students can expect a visit from a police
officer if their party is too noisy and the
neighbours get annoyed and complain.
Police are also on the lookout for people
riding their bicycle without any lights, or
cyclists who ignore the traffic regulations.
Students are encouraged to report incidents to the police (e.g. if your bicycle is
stolen, if you are involved in a traffic accident,etc.). Police officers are there for your
safety whenever you need them.
Tel. 016 210 610 • Fax 016 210 609
info@politieleuven.be
Open: 24h/24h
Student Police Officer
The Student Police Officer’s task is to facilitate contact between students and
the police department. First of all he is a
coordinator and a mediator. The students
may contact him to report problems, and
to request information about organising
parties and other events. He can also play
a role in your registration at the Foreigners
Office (see Chapter 3 “Formalities upon
arrival”, p. 20). Please note that students
are expected to notify this office, or the
student officer, when they leave Belgium
for home. Before leaving the country you
need to return your residence permit.
Nick Vanden Bussche
Grote Markt 8 • B-3000 Leuven
politieantenne@kuleuven.be
www.twitter.com/studentenflik
www.facebook.com/studentenflikleuven
119
Office hours:
•LOKO
’s Meiersstraat 5 • B-3000 Leuven
Open: Tuesday from 12:00 noon to 2:00
pm (or by appointment)
• De Moete
Celestijnenlaan 200p
B-3001 Heverlee
Open: Monday and Wednesday from
12:00 noon to 2:00 pm (or by appointment)
Local Anti-Discrimination
Center
See p. 57
Crime prevention and safety
services
This office looks after security matters:
traffic safety, burglary, anti-social behaviour, drug abuse, personal safety, etc. The
prevention service is committed to the
creation of a safe and welcoming city both
for the inhabitants of Leuven and for its
many visitors.
Preventiedienst
Tel. 016 21 07 00 • Fax 016 21 06 99
www.leuven.be/preventie
preventiedienst@leuven.be
Open:
by appointment
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Some tips for your personal safety
Generally speaking, it is safe to walk on
the streets in Leuven, although you should
avoid walking alone at night and use your
common sense wherever you are:
Going out? Watch you stuff!
•Take special care of your passport,
travel documents and tickets and keep
them in a safe place. Make sure to have
a photocopy of all these documents.
•We strongly advise against carrying
large amounts of cash with you. Give
preference to paying electronically.
• When you go out or when you are in
crowded places, look after your purse,
mobile phone, coat and your keys. Keep
them in a tightly closed handbag, purse
or inside pocket. Carry your your handbag between arm and body and never
on your back. Keep the bag securely
closed, with the clasp on the inside.
• If you have a car, always lock the doors
and don’t leave any valuables in it.
Careful with alcohol!
• Leuven is rightly famous for its beers, but
don’t forget you can get a fine for public drunkenness... also keep in mind that
Belgian beers are often stronger than
the ones you’re used to, so be moderate!
Keep in mind to drink a sufficient amount
of water or non-alcoholic beverages.
• Drinking of alcohol in the street and in
public places is not allowed between
midnight and 8:00 am, but of course
this does not mean you cannot have a
drink on a cafe’s terrace.
• Drinking and driving (also with a bicycle) do not mix: having more than 0.5
per mille alcohol in the blood is a punishable offence.
• Take good care of your friends and do
not abandon each other, especially in
case of excessive alcohol consumption. During your stay
Be considerate of the neighbourhood
and avoid disturbance.
• Please respect at all times inhabitants’
right to a quiet night’s rest! In order to
prevent public nuisance there is a police
regulation. Keep things quiet and clean
as you go out at night, so you won’t risk
a fine.
Do you need help?
•If you have any safety problems, you
can inform one of the city guards (you
can recognise them by their purple
jacket with the print ‘GEMEENSCHAPSWACHT’) or a police officer.
• If you have a problem with your neighbours, discuss it with them first. You can
also get free assistance from a neighbours mediator - just contact the preventiedienst.
Robbery in your room: some useful
advice
• Lock all outside doors (with a key) and
deadlock windows when you‘re not at
home.
•Don‘t leave the front door open for
friends who will arrive later.
•Make sure your television, electronical
equipment, notebook and other valuables can‘t be seen through a window
and never leave cash or credit cards lying around.
•Take valuable goods home with you
when you leave for the weekend or put
them away in a safe place.
•Give your room a lived-in appearance
while away.
• Do not hide your keys in those typical
“public secret” places such as: under a
doormat, in a flower pot, …
•Marking of valuable goods makes it
much easier to identify stolen goods afterward. It is recommended to keep an
inventory of serial numbers of applianc-
es, IMEI number of your cell phone and
MAC code of your lap top computer. For
that purpose you may use the registration card to be found on the web site of
the Leuven police.
• If, in spite of all precautions, you become
the victim of robbery in your room, file
a declaration with the police as soon as
possible!
Project “Kotfuiven”
House parties are and should remain possible, but only with the proper respect for
your fellow housemates and neighbours.
Some useful tips
• Keep the volume of your stereo down.
• Keep your doors and windows closed.
• Limit the number of participants in line
with the available space.
• Appoint someone as the party steward.
• Warn housemates and next door neighbours beforehand with a polite note.
Student Code
“As temporary inhabitants of Leuven, we,
the students, together with Leuven inhabitants, want to work towards a safe, pleasant and livable town. When we go out and
have parties, we do it with respect for the
night’s rest of those who want to sleep. We
refrain from vandalism, unhygienic practices (vomiting, pissing in public, kicking
rubbish, …) and we respect the properties
of others. In our dealings with others, we
take into account their personal integrity
and we refrain from verbal and physical
violence, bullying and threats. We respect
our co-tenants and neighbours and we
keep our own place quiet and neat.
121
We voluntarily commit ourselfves to these
values in order to make Leuven a pleasant and safe town with room for working,
studying, living and going out.”
Safety and Security Service
KU Leuven
Bewaking KU Leuven
In cases of emergency or accident within the university, it is necessary to call or
mail the 24-hour KU Leuven emergency
number or email address for a quick and
efficient aid of the right auxiliary services.
Moreover the KU Leuven guards will offer
their support to the emergency services.
Emergency Number KU Leuven
(24-hour)
Willem de Croylaan 40
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 2222 • 016 32 22 22
noodnummer@kuleuven.be
122
Likewise, if you are robbed within one of
the KU Leuven residences or the university
buildings, you can use the same number.
We help you then to make a report for
the Police Office. It is important that you
register the identification numbers of your
valuables like PC, laptop, mobile phone
(IMEI code). To avoid theft, please read the
precautions on the following webpages:
www.kuleuven.be/admin/td/niv2/bb-k00.
htm
Security Service KU Leuven
Willem de Croylaan 40
B-3001 Heverlee
Tel. 016 32 21 65 • Fax 016 32 29 83
bewaking@tech.kuleuven.be
Content
5
Leaving
Leuven
5. Leaving Leuven
5.1. Leaving for a short time –
formalities
Visa and Belgian ID
For travel outside Belgium for a short period, regular students and staff members
should always check first whether they
need a visa for the country of destination.
Especially for trips outside the Schengen
Area, they should also check whether their
Belgian identity cards are still valid for
their return-trip to Belgium.
Staff members should also complete the
Travel Leave Application Form via their KULoket. The study abroad period must also
be approved by the Arbitration Committee
(of KU Leuven) on Outgoing Mobility.
Health Insurance
Regarding health insurance coverage
when travelling outside of Belgium, regular
students and staff members are advised
to inquire at their health Insurance company on how they are covered abroad.
5.2. Leaving Leuven definitely
– formalities and practicalities
Travel Leave Application form
All students, including self-supporting
doctoral students, going abroad for study
reasons have to apply via their KULoket by
filling out the ‘Study Abroad Period Form’.
They will have to subscribe to a travel insurance when they travel to countries outside the EEA. The study abroad period
must also be approved by the Advisory
Committee (of KU Leuven) on Outgoing
Mobility.
Doctoral students should always inform
their promoter about any planned trips
outside Belgium whether for personal vacation or for study-related purposes.
When travelling for study-related purposes, doctoral students who receive a scholarship from KU Leuven should also complete the Travel Leave Application Form
and have it signed by their promoter and
their Department Head. For more information, they can always contact the KU Leuven International Admissions and Mobility
Unit (see p. 23).
124
Formalities
• Unsubscribe at the City Hall (see p. 24).
• For staff members: inform the HR department.
• Inform your bank and your health insurance company.
•If you are expecting important post,
have it forwarded to your home address
via mutapost (www.bpost.be/site/nl/
business/receive_post/absence/mutapost.html).
• Bring your rented bicycle back to Velo
(see p. 76). Do the same with your own
bicycle or sell it.
• Visit the KU Leuven Shop for your KU
Leuven souvenirs (gadgets, KU Leuven
clothing line (t-shirts, sweaters etc.).
KU Leuven Shop
University Hall
Naamsestraat 22
Tel: 016 32 40 16
shop@kuleuven.be
www.kuleuven.be/shop
Leaving Leuven
Open:
from 1:30 pm to 5:30 pm.
Where to leave your
unwanted furniture and
household items when you
leave Belgium?
• All domestic garbage that can not be
put into a regular garbage bag and that
is not re-usable can be packed in an orderly fashion and firmly bundled into
pieces of 2m width by 1m heigth and
maximum 30 kilos.
You can call 016 29 61 14 to make an appointment with the city services in order
to pick it up. Afterwards you’ll have to
transfer €25 for the transportation plus
a fixed rate per piece. You can also go to
the container park yourself but need an
entrance card. You can pick up the card
after making an appointment with the
city cleaning by telephone via 016 29 61
14, Aarschotstesteenweg 68. Check out
the waste calendar for rates.
• Re-usable furniture or Household items:
take them to Spit or call them (016 26
09 21) to pick it up (see p. 75).
• Sell it on the internet: e-bay, www.2dehands.be, www.kapaza.be, facebook
pages (Leuven Junk Shop)
• Leave your household items (only useful and clean pots & pans, plates, cups,
cutlery) at the Housing Service (Van
Dalecollege, Naamsestraat 80) where
other students can pick them up.
Tax Form
If you are a student, the Social Service (see
p. 52) can help you to fill in your tax form.
If you are expecting a tax rebate next year,
it is advisable to keep your Belgian bank
account or give the Tax Office authorisation to transfer the rebate to a foreign account number. If you are expecting other
bills, please send those services your new
address.
If you were employed as a student employee, ask your employer for the “281.10”
form and get a blank tax form at the Tax
Office at Philips site. Copy the information
from the “281.10” form onto the tax form
(for help, see: How to fill in your tax form)
and return it to the Tax Office. Contact the
Social Service for help.
www.kuleuven.be/english/tax.htm
Dealing with the ‘new’
experiences, feelings and
expectations at home: tips for
your re-adjustment
Facing some challenges when travelling
to a new country, speaking a different
language and learning the dynamics of
another culture is expected. But going
home...? We know that place! When returning home, you may not realise how
much you have changed after being gone.
In adjusting to life in a new culture your
perceptions, habits and maybe even values have changed to help you fit in in the
cultural context of your host country.
While abroad, you probably held on
to a wonderful mental picture of your
home environment only to find, when
you return home, that reality may not
always measure up to that picture.
Family members are often surprised by
the behaviour of returnees. They expect
that the same person who boarded the
airplane one year ago will be returning.
125
Especially if they have never been abroad,
your parents and siblings probably won’t
understand the magnitude of the study
abroad experience and the changes it can
bring about in a person.
While abroad, you may have become
more independent, structuring your life as
you wished. Back home, you may be expected to conform again to the lifestyle of
your family, giving up some of that freedom. As a result you may interpret your
family’s involvement in your life as overprotective and restrictive.
Your friends may also find that you have
grown apart from them, that you no longer
share the same interests. Or, you may find
that your old friends no longer meet your
present needs. It may become necessary
to find new friends, to seek out other students who have studied abroad, who will
be able to relate to your experience and
support you as you re-adjust at home.
Communication can help you face these
challenges. Tell your family and friends
how you feel. They will be eager to help
you and understand your readjustment.
This does not mean that you have to renounce your experience and give up
everything you’ve learned! Learn to strike
a balance between the old and new, just
126
as you did when first adapting to your
host country’s culture. Don’t be offended
if your friends don’t appear enthusiastic
about your stories. They may have no connection to the people and places in your
stories. It is also possible that some might
be jealous of the opportunity you’ve had
and may think that you are bragging or
showing off. Avoid going into too much
detail about the people you met or about
complicated issues that your friends may
know nothing about. Refrain from making excessive and unnecessary comparisons between your country and your host
country.
Also remember that time didn’t stop at
home while you were gone. Life went on
and there are matters that now concern
your friends that may have nothing to do
with your time abroad, but that are as important to them as your experience is to
you.
Recognise the changes that have occurred in you and the new skills you have
learned as a result of your study abroad
experience. These skills can serve you well
as you reintegrate into life at home, at your
home campus and as you prepare for your
future. Be proud of your new experience!
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Welcome @ CM Leuven
Health insurance for students in Belgium
For easy and fast registration: www.cmleuven.be/students
The benefits for you:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
most comprehensive health insurance in Belgium;
travel health insurance;
extra coverage for hospitalization;
coverage for glasses lenses and contact lenses up to 40 euro annually;
sport beneﬁt: up to 15 euro annually;
30 euro refund for custom molded earplugs;
CM ofﬁce in your neighbourhood with knowledge
of health insurance for students.
How are you

Living in Leuven

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