Strengthening the welcoming policy of international students and staff

New international students and staff need targeted support in finding housing, integrating into the university community, and navigating orientation and administrative procedures. An approach in which the university collaborates with city authorities and other local actors contributes significantly to improving satisfaction and integration among international students and staff, as demonstrated by the Leuven model.

In previous policy periods, we invested in improved services for international students through key action points from the WSIS plan (Working Group on Support for International Students), a collaboration between various university-wide services (including Stuvo, Pangaea, the Education Office, MarCom, the International Office, doctoral schools and faculties) and students (Stura and LOKO). We aim to continue this initiative, with particular attention to students and doctoral researchers across all campuses.

In Leuven, the reception of international students and staff is facilitated by the successful operation of International House Leuven. We will launch similar initiatives in Brussels, adapted to the metropolitan context and in collaboration with local partners. For other campuses, we are developing alternative models for welcoming international students and staff, tailored to their regional contexts and needs. Possible approaches include shared service points with student services, extensive digital offerings, or mobile welcome teams. In every case, optimal collaboration with local governments, public welfare centres (OCMWs), student associations, and partner institutions is essential. Each campus will have a designated contact person or coordinator to assess the needs of international students and staff and implement appropriate initiatives, such as buddy systems, workshops, or consultation hours. Even limited but visible and accessible support on campuses will enhance the academic and social integration of international students.

Social integration of international students and staff

We actively invest in the social integration of international students and staff by offering a diverse range of social, cultural, and professional activities. Social integration during the first months after arrival is crucial for academic success, well-being, and retention. We focus on faculty-level induction programmes, thematic networking events, and access to university community initiatives aimed at connecting international communities with local ones.

Ongoing mentor and buddy programmes will be strengthened, pairing international students and researchers with local peers, experienced students, or emeriti buddies. Such programmes have proven effective in reducing acculturation stress, improving social connectedness, and fostering personal development.

Social integration is further supported by encouraging participation in student and staff representation, volunteer work, and interdisciplinary collaborations, preferably at the level of research groups, programmes, faculties, and departments. Many existing practices at these levels have proven to be valuable and will inform the enhancement of current initiatives. Active involvement in student organisations and governance increases the sense of belonging and ownership within the academic community. To ensure inclusive participation, we offer training and support in intercultural communication, language support, and tailored guidance.

Strengthening academic hospitality for refugees

We continue our commitment to the academic integration of students and researchers with refugee status. We recognise that this group faces specific challenges in accessing higher education, including language barriers, uncertain residency status, psychosocial stress, and unrecognised qualifications. To address these, we are expanding our current support with tailored programmes for entry into education, buddy systems, mentorship, and workshops on study skills, academic culture, and career orientation. These pathways undeniably contribute to successful integration into higher education.

Where needed, we will offer adapted learning tracks, with support in language, mental health, and legal counselling. We also remain committed to complementary offerings for refugees, such as those developed in the EU-Passworld project. Through this initiative, a limited number of refugees from camps abroad can come to Belgium to follow educational trajectories supported by local communities and educational institutions.

Structured language modules from onboarding onwards

One major challenge for international newcomers at the university is learning Dutch. For professors, we must meet the legal language requirements for permanent appointments. For students and early-career researchers, acquiring Dutch is also important, not only for integration into a Dutch-speaking study and work environment, but also for enhancing future career opportunities in Flanders after graduation or completion of their research. To support this, we aim to further develop the Dutch language learning offering.

We will build on the existing standardized NT2 (Dutch as a second language) programme provided by the Institute for Living Languages (ILT) for international students, researchers, and new staff. We advocate for a structural integration of this offering in the university’s onboarding policy, tailored to the academic and professional profiles of the participants. Language acquisition becomes more effective when linked to practical contexts, such as workplace modules using authentic administrative documents, tasks, or lectures. This approach not only improves functional language skills but also strengthens the sense of inclusion and participation in the work environment.

To optimally support the integration of international ZAP members (professorial staff), KU Leuven provides the option of one or, if necessary, two teaching- and service-free semesters at the start of their appointment. This allows them to fully focus on intensive Dutch language training immediately after their appointment, aimed at academic communication, teaching practice, and participation in governance bodies. The exemption from duties is linked to an individual learning pathway, developed by HR and ILT in consultation with the faculty, and systematically monitored.

Local anchoring and support

Language policy must be broadly supported. To this end, structural cooperation between the Institute for Living Languages, HR, and the faculties is essential. Each actor plays a clear role: ILT provides high-quality language instruction and training; HR supports staff through tailored learning pathways; and faculties coordinate context-specific offerings.

Local anchoring on campuses is also important and can be achieved by appointing a local contact point. We explicitly commit to ensuring equal access to language support on every campus. This will rely heavily on online offerings. The infrastructure, support, and learning environments will be harmonized where possible, while remaining flexible to meet local needs.

Regular feedback on the language policy and its implementation, via representatives of students, ZAP, ATP, and PhD students, will enable ongoing adjustments. These evaluation cycles ensure the policy remains responsive and flexible, helping to better and more rapidly integrate students and staff into the university’s multilingual environments.

Academic Dutch as an inclusive learning trajectory

Academic Dutch, with its complex sentence structures, abstract terms, and sometimes needlessly convoluted synonyms for everyday words, can often be a stumbling block for students who have not had the chance to practice it in their home environment (e.g., first-generation students, students with a non-Dutch home language) or in their secondary education (e.g., due to teacher shortages). When difficult words are not understood, it can signal to a student that they don’t belong in the academic context, even when they have the intellectual capacity to succeed.

Moreover, special remediation programmes for academic Dutch often carry stigma or reflect a deficit mindset (Agirdag, 2019), or they are introduced too late, thereby failing to support talented students from underrepresented groups.

The path to an inclusive university also includes rethinking our approach to academic Dutch, not merely as a ticket to access education, but as a learning trajectory embedded in every programme. This means that courses (and possibly textbooks) in the early phase of the programme should be delivered at B1-level Dutch. There are already textbooks at this level that avoid condescension and demonstrate how this can work. Naturally, subject-specific jargon should be used where necessary.

Exams in the early stages can be written in B1-level Dutch using AI tools and/or with support from teaching assistants. Each programme will develop its own plan to guide students toward a C2 level of Dutch by the end of their master’s. Digital tools, such as AI-based reading level checkers and process-oriented feedback systems, will be used. An example is the tool Writing Aid Dutch, which provides students with individualized support for academic writing. Evaluation studies show that this tool significantly improves students' text structure, style, and coherence, and is perceived as highly relevant and user-friendly.

Bilingualism and language practice in the workplace

To foster an inclusive and internationally accessible work culture, we promote the functional use of both Dutch and English in everyday work life. Depending on the team composition, meeting structure, or governing body, the most accessible working language is chosen. Policy documents, regulations, and internal communications are prepared in both languages, ensuring that all staff feel informed and included. In meetings with international members, English is the default inclusive language, or simultaneous interpretation is provided.

At the same time, Dutch remains the central pillar of the organisational culture. Therefore, we encourage units to promote active language learning through informal practice opportunities, such as lunch conversations, language tandems, and low-threshold language workshops. This may be supported by language coaches or student assistants. A practical approach like this not only improves language proficiency but also fosters social cohesion and workplace enjoyment. Furthermore, clear agreements and language support in a bilingual (or multilingual) environment lead to better collaboration, higher satisfaction, and increased inclusivity.

We also recognize that not all Flemish students or staff automatically have a high level of academic English. Therefore, attention to language development in both directions is essential in an inclusive language policy. Avoiding implicit language expectations is key: without an explicit policy, informal preferences for a particular language may reinforce social exclusion. A well-balanced bilingual approach, as pursued by KU Leuven, aligns with European insights on multilingual universities, where national and global languages coexist in policy, practice, and infrastructure.

Global situation, knowledge security and academic freedom

The international dimension of the university has become increasingly important in recent years, in terms of research, education, and societal engagement. At the same time, the complexity of international collaboration is growing significantly. A succession of international crises (terror threats, the Covid pandemic, armed conflicts, shifting geopolitical relations…) demands thorough preparation and continuous vigilance when entering into international partnerships and mobility projects. At KU Leuven, this has led to the establishment and strengthening of the Risk Destinations Committee, a structural dialogue on international crisis situations, and a Knowledge Security Committee. We will continue to monitor and further develop these bodies and provide regular feedback to the Academic Council on these topics.

The university is increasingly confronted with partnership proposals that raise questions about the value systems of potential collaborators. This will continue to require close monitoring by a well-balanced Ethics Committee on Dual Use, Military Use and Misuse of Research, as well as by the university leadership. Strategic decisions and policy choices in this context will be structurally aligned with the various factions within the Academic Council, in which all segments of each scientific group are represented.

It remains crucial for the academic community to stay attuned to international developments. Together with partner institutions and university networks, we remain committed to our core values, independent of external pressures. European values, as defined in the Lisbon Treaty of the European Union, human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law, and respect for human rights, as well as the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of education in Belgium, remain our key pillars in embracing and defending academic freedom and freedom of expression, even in an international context.

Evaluation of the internationalisation policy

In recent policy periods, “genuinely international” was a clear strategic priority. The focus was on attracting more international students to English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programmes, strengthening international partnerships within and beyond Europe, offering a greater number of students international experiences through diverse forms of mobility, and enhancing cooperation with the Global South. Significant progress has been made in all these areas. The number of degree-seeking international students has nearly doubled since 2017. New partnerships with leading universities have been established, supported by mobility programmes (Global Exchange Programme) and research collaboration instruments (Global PhD Programme and Global Seed Fund). The creation of the Una Europa alliance and membership in Universitas 21 have generated new opportunities for collaboration, both in Europe and globally. Partnerships with the Global South, including through additional European and international funding streams, have also expanded.

Many of these initiatives will be consolidated and continued. Particular attention will remain on global development, especially with countries in Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia, with full use of available cooperation and funding opportunities such as the European Commission’s Global Gateway programmes. At the same time, now is an opportune moment to evaluate and, if necessary, recalibrate the internationalisation projects undertaken. Under the coordination of the International Office, this task will be carried out by the representative advisory councils, the Council for International Policy (RIB) and the Interfaculty Council for Global Development (IRMO), in consultation with regional committees and working groups active on international topics, such as the Green Erasmus working group and the Inclusive Mobility working group.

Priority partnerships and international networks

KU Leuven has cooperation agreements with 38 universities ranked in the top 50 of the Times Higher Education rankings, both within Europe and worldwide. These partnerships offer valuable opportunities for all members of our academic community and will continue to be developed. We will assess and, where needed, adjust existing tools related to student mobility and seed funds. We also maintain close collaboration with key partner institutions in the region, including UCLouvain, Université de Lille, TU Eindhoven, and other Dutch universities.

We continue our active participation in international networks such as Una Europa, LERU, Universitas 21, and the Coimbra Group. Within these networks, KU Leuven aims to maintain its leading role. In the European university alliance Una Europa, we prioritise joint education initiatives, research collaboration, and pilots for international microcredentials. LERU remains the leading network for collaboration on a broad range of university policy themes and for advocacy with the EU. In Universitas 21, we focus particularly on networking and mobility initiatives for early-career researchers, virtual international classrooms for students, and alignment on global challenges.

Promoting international mobility opportunities for staff

We continue to support the international mobility of staff, both academic and administrative. Mobility contributes to professional development, knowledge exchange, and international visibility, and strengthens KU Leuven’s positioning within the European higher education landscape. The existing opportunities for sabbaticals, international PhD placements, faculty exchanges, and staff mobility will be expanded and better facilitated. To achieve this, KU Leuven invests in a mix of funding sources, including central funds and European programmes such as Erasmus+.

Each faculty develops a mobility plan with clear objectives, measures to reduce barriers, and incentives. Gaining international experience is considered an added value in career development and promotion decisions. At the same time, we place great importance on sharing experiences. Mobile staff members will be supported in communicating and translating their international experiences to KU Leuven colleagues, for example, through presentations, workshops, or by integrating insights into teaching reforms.

Virtual and hybrid mobility pathways are also included and will be further developed, building on successful initiatives such as the EU-VIP project on virtual internships and international collaboration without physical travel (Op de Beeck et al., 2011) and more recent initiatives under Una Europa. Promoting virtual and hybrid mobility is generally more accessible and is particularly important in light of sustainability and work-life balance.

Global development

In the last policy period, collaboration with the Global South was a key part of our “truly international” pillar. In the coming years, we want to deepen this ambition by embedding global development and partnerships with the Global South more firmly. We aim to establish sustainable, structural partnerships with institutions in Africa, Latin America, and Asia, with reciprocity, shared responsibility, and co-creation at the centre.

This collaboration moves beyond traditional mobility and scholarships to focus on joint research agendas, curriculum development, and institutional capacity building. We will make full use of opportunities provided by international university networks (Una Europa, LERU, Universitas 21...) to expand these efforts.

KU Leuven seeks to lead thematically in globally and locally critical areas such as public health, climate adaptation, food security, and sustainable technologies. By stimulating research and education initiatives that align with local needs and contribute to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we aim to create societal impact alongside academic value. Capacity building, training of local academics and staff, and the development of innovative teaching models, including virtual and blended formats, are central. KU Leuven students and staff will be actively involved through international internships, project work, and global citizenship programmes, always with attention to ethical and intercultural preparation.

To achieve these goals, both external and internal funding are essential. Externally, we will continue to pursue opportunities via VLIR-UOS, Horizon Europe, and EuropeAid. The current political trend of cutting development cooperation budgets is regrettable and a cause for concern. We will continue to advocate that the Flemish and Belgian governments maintain interuniversity cooperation with the Global South. We will also approach private foundations such as the Gates Foundation, the Wellcome Trust, and the MasterCard Foundation for support.

Internally, KU Leuven will continue allocating research funds to support young researchers through South and sandwich scholarships. The International Office remains the central coordination hub, offering support and expertise for international funding applications, legal and ethical matters, and sustainable partnerships.

Through structural and strategic investment in global cooperation with the Global South, KU Leuven reinforces both its international mission and the societal relevance and inclusivity of its teaching and research. This commitment reflects academic solidarity and engagement toward a fairer world. It also offers students, PhD candidates, and researchers valuable, transformative experiences, both abroad and at home.

Regional committees and forums

KU Leuven organises its international policy in part through regional committees responsible for monitoring partnerships, mobility, networks, and strategic initiatives within specific world regions. This structure has played an important role in recent years in advising and supporting KU Leuven’s international ambitions. Given the fast-evolving geopolitical landscape, it is appropriate to evaluate this approach and, where needed, adjust it.

The focus of this evaluation includes clarifying strategic objectives: Does KU Leuven aim for greater efficiency, sharper focus, geographic rebalancing, or thematic deepening of its international strategy? To achieve this, a streamlined evaluation process will be launched under the oversight of the Council for International Policy, supplemented by consultations with researchers and policy staff. The aim is to identify strengths, weaknesses, and potential improvements, and to develop scenarios for the future.

One possible step is the creation of regional cooperation forums for specific (sub)continents. This applies to Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Africa, given their strategic importance, also recognised by the European Commission. Bundling existing expertise and contacts can increase visibility, generate new synergies within KU Leuven, and boost appeal to candidates and funders linked to these regions. Such forums also promote sustainable community-building and can be highlighted to external stakeholders.