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Moving to a new city is easier with someone who already knows it. The Buddy Program matches incoming exchange students with a local student — someone to answer your questions before you arrive, welcome you when you land, and show you Ghent like a local.

How it works

1. Sign up on the Buddy System platform (it takes a few minutes).
2. Get matched with a local student, based on where you’ll study and what you’re into.
3. Meet up — online before you arrive, in person once you’re here.

Sign up for a buddy →

What your buddy can help with

• Before you arrive — honest answers about accommodation, the university, what to pack and what to skip.
• Your first days — finding your way around, sorting the practical stuff, having a familiar face in a new city.
• The good stuff — the best spots in Ghent, Belgian student life, and a first friend to discover it all with.

And when you’re ready to meet more people: our events, trips and parties are all in the ESN Gent App — the perfect place to drag your buddy along to.

Local student? Become a buddy!

You don’t need Erasmus experience — just some enthusiasm for your city and curiosity about other cultures. Sign up as a mentor on the same platform and help someone’s exchange start the way it should. Who knows, you might make a friend for life (and practise a language while you’re at it).

Questions about the Buddy Program? Message the board or ask at office hours.