Week of the International Experience
Event details
Location
Date
to Friday 21 November 2025 17:00
Target audience
About the WotIE
In the Week of the International Experience (WotIE), we emphasise the importance of gaining an international experience for both Dutch and international students. They can gain this international experience in many different ways. By connecting Dutch and international students, they can learn from each other and discover other cultures and perspectives.
This week used to be called Week of the International Student. With the new naming, we want to make this week more inclusive and more attractive to all students.
We encourage MBO and higher education institutions in the Netherlands to participate in this week by organising activities. From talk shows to walks, the aim of these WotIE activities is to connect, inspire and enthuse students.
Participation in the activities should be free of charge for students. Besides activities for students, you can also think of activities for alumni, staff and teachers. Get involved by organising your own activity! Let us know and we will mention your institution on this page!
"This week offers a great moment to activate all parties in the school: international student organisations, staff from both English and Dutch-taught study programmess, the catering, events and facilities, the Dutch and international students. Staff led but student run is a key here. In a time when the word international seems under fire, let's use this week to come together!"
~Christopher Lewis, International Student Advisor, Hogeschool Van Hall Larenstein
Best practices
We can imagine that you would like to know what other educational institutions have previously organised so you can get inspired. Below, we have collected a number of activities organised by different educational institutions during previous weeks. We hope this will help you with the organisation of your activities.
Tip: Involve wellbeing and diversity staff in the activities. Also consider alumni, study associations and student associations such as ESN.
Informative activities:
- Study abroad meetings for students.
- Panel discussion with internal stakeholders on internationalisation within the educational institution.
- Guest lecture by international lecturer or well-known speaker / influencer.
- Labour market meeting for international students or Dutch students who want to work at international companies.
- Workshop on international business or networking
Social activities:
- Meetings such as a game night, language cafe, pop-up cinema, lunch, pot luck dinner etc.
- Walks through the city (possibly in cooperation with organisation Frisse Gedachtes)
Inspirational activities:
- Let international students indicate on a world map where they are from. Dutch students can indicate where they would like to study.
- Offer special international dishes in the restaurant.
On social media, you can draw attention to this week by:
- organising interviews with Dutch and international students about their international experiences, possibly in the form of a podcast.
- putting certain countries in the spotlight.
"What kind of activities do we organise this week? We’re introducing students and staff to internationalisation in the broadest sense of the word: highlighting everything from study trips abroad and bilingual education to ‘internationalisation at Home’. We’re kicking off with a global event where students can enjoy world music, international snacks, and workshops with an international flavour. This way, they become globally aware in their own city!"
~ Semma Groenendijk, hoofd international office ROC Amsterdam
Toolkit
From June 2025, you can find here images that you can use within your educational institution to draw attention to the Week of the International Experience.
Participating institutes
Are you organising events during this week? Let us know and we will mention your institute's name plus link to your activities here.
More information
For more information, questions or to schedule an online brainstorm meeting with us, you can reach us at wotie@nuffic.nl . We’re happy to advise and inspire!
There is a special Teams-community where institutions and Nuffic share ideas and inspiration about this week. If you would like to join, please send us a message at wotie@nuffic.nl.