Ghent: Europe’s Best Destination for Erasmus Students

Ghent, a Belgian city, has been named the "Erasmus Destination of the Year" 2023.

It beat out other popular student destinations, including the Italian regions of Padua, Valencia, and the Austrian capital, as well as Europe's biggest aerospace centre, Toulouse.

SchengenVisaInfo.com reported that Ghent won the award for best destination of the Erasmus student exchange program during the Erasmus Generation Event in Bucharest. The event was held to celebrate the cooperation between the University of Ghent, higher education institutions, the city authorities, as well as international student groups.

"We certainly owe this award to the fact that we take care of students so well and help them with issues such as housing. It is not easy for international students to find a room in Ghent," the introduction presented by Ghent representatives explained.

EUfactcheck confirms the claims that Ghent has difficult housing conditions and that 40% of its residents will not be able buy a home on the private sector with these rates. The city is working hard to accommodate the international students, as it deals with its housing crisis.

The new title will affect new arrivals in the East Flemish City, and could encourage more international students.

"We suspect that this will have an impact. At UGent, there is certainly still capacity to receive more foreign students. There are 1,500 Erasmus students in Ghent each year; we could take a few more," Frederik De Decker of Ghent University told VRT News.

Around 1,500 students choose Ghent to further their academic career. The most popular nationalities are Spaniards. Germans. French.

Ghent, although a popular destination for students, is not a typical tourist city. This means that it's a good option for those who prefer to visit calmer, educational places. Ghent is a city with a lot of history, and there are many unique events and activities that you can attend.

This destination is even more appealing because you can either walk around the entire city or use a bicycle to get around, just as the locals do. The canals have wide paths for tourists to walk along or see interesting sights.

The cost of living in the city is a little lower than that of other European destinations, but it's still within the same range.

Source: schengenvisainfo.com