A truly European student experience

Maastricht University already offers you the most international student experience in the Netherlands – but now we want to take it to the next level. Just imagine…​

Surrounded by the stately splendour of Rome and Madrid, on the windswept North Sea ports of Bremen or Antwerp or the picturesque piers of Southend-on-Sea, strolling along the ancient city walls of Maastricht or Nicosia, or swimming in a lake in the birch forests surrounding Joensuu... YUFE is the most European student experience to date. 

The train comes to a halt – the adventure begins. Out of all the modules offered across ten universities, you have chosen this one. All the student-centred, challenge-based learning is in English, but your local language course starts tomorrow afternoon. There’s also a bed waiting for you but you don’t unpack – you can’t wait to see the city. A civic engagement project will allow you to experience the place and people in a way most local students never will. You will practice your new language and academic skills and contribute to your new community.

YUFE student

Like everywhere else, the YUFE ID opens the doors of university buildings, seminar rooms, library halls – coffee takes care of the rest. After six weeks together, analysing and solving problems, studying, preparing presentations, looking at the clouds, walking in the sun, running from the rain, you have made new friends. You have fallen in love with the city and all its peculiarities... You wonder what it would be like to come back some day. The supervisor from your internship has asked for a heads up once you’ve graduated… You pack your clothes and memories and make for the station with a mixture of melancholy, excitement and fatigue (it was a long night of goodbyes…).

The train jolts into motion, carrying you towards a new adventure. Out of all the modules offered across eight universities, you have chosen this one…

YUFE: Real European mobility

  • create your own curriculum across geographical and disciplinary borders
  • study in eight universities across Europe
  • learn languages, engage with and contribute to local community
  • open and inclusive – talent & motivation, not wealth & connections

A truly European student experience

YUFE logo

YUFE’s vision is to enable you to study for a European diploma by compiling your own curriculum from all courses offered across the eight YUFE universities. In addition, the YUFE Virtual Campus hosts all the members’ online course offer. A YUFE student card will offer you access to facilities everywhere. The official language is English but you will be able to learn the language of the host country. You will have opportunities to volunteer or follow internships. Your diploma will also list your achievements relating to language learning, professional training, job shadowing, community volunteering and all the other opportunities YUFE offers.

YUFE also wants develop housing solutions to facilitate cultural exchange, mutual support and integration with the local community. For example, to completely immerse its mobile students in society, YUFE is considering furnishing homes where students can live rent-free and have the opportunity to contribute to their local community.

In September 2020, a pioneer cohort of up to 100 students will start studying around one of our core themes, European identity. We are still in the process of putting this ambitious plan into practice. Most likely, participants of the first cohort will officially study in an existing bachelor’s programme at one of the YUFE partner universities and additionally work towards obtaining a YUFE diploma supplement, which will attest their achievements in the fields of Mobility, Language, Professional Development and Civic Engagement. That might entail among other things designing their own curriculum, moving to different countries, learning languages, internships and social project.

Admissions

We are currently developing the admissions criteria. YUFE is dedicated to being open and inclusive – that means access regardless of prospective students’ socioeconomic or cultural background. With that in mind, we’d love to hear your opinion: what admission requirements would be conducive to our goals?

You can join the conversation at yufe.eu or using #yufe_students

Want to stay updated on our progress and registration dates? Please register!

@AllianceYufe