The support and services provided by both home and host institutions are essential in making mobility a positive and enriching experience for the students involved. The University of Graz offers incoming international students a variety of services through a well-established support network that includes the International Relations Office (IRO), academic advisors and lecturers in the different faculties, the Academic Affairs Office, the Erasmus Student Network and the Disability Resource Centre. Two essential pillars of the support provided are academic advising throughout the mobility experience and the welcome events held at the beginning of each semester.
Incoming student mobility at the University of Graz
Academic advising: The academic advisors are lecturers at the University of Graz who are nominated by the departments and tasked with supporting incoming international students academically. During the welcome events at the beginning of each semester, the academic advisors invite all incoming students to special tutoring sessions to discuss their course selection, make changes to the learning agreement if necessary and do the actual course registration. In these sessions, the students also receive essential information on issues such as course types, attendance requirements and examinations. Academic advising makes an essential contribution to the integration of incoming students in their new academic environment. Throughout the mobility placement, the academic advisors remain the primary point of contact for incoming international students if they need specific information concerning their studies as well as for academic counselling and mediation (e.g. in the case of misunderstanding or conflicts with lecturers).
Welcome Events: In order to ensure a smooth transition into student life at the University of Graz, the IRO organizes a series of information sessions and activities for incoming international students before the semester starts. These welcome events aim to support students in the various administrative matters they have to take care of at the beginning of their stay. At the same time, the events also facilitate networking among international students, which is particularly important in the initial stages of the mobility. Participation in the welcome events is mandatory as they provide the students with essential information on different aspects of their mobility. For example, the welcome events include sessions on course registration, the UNIGRAZonline system, academic advising and language courses. There are also specific sessions addressing issues such as health insurance, visas and residence permits and – for some mobility programmes – sessions which explain the learning agreement, grant agreement and general programme conditions.
The planning of the welcome events starts about one year in advance. At the IRO, several staff members working in the area of incoming student mobility are involved in the planning and organization of the events. The figure below illustrates the different steps, each of which is then explained in more detail.
The starting point for the organization of the welcome events is the academic calendar. Based on the calendar, the IRO sets the dates for the welcome events, making sure they will not clash with the dates of the intensive preparatory German course and taking into account the registration deadline for the buddy programme, the move-in dates at the student dorms, and the availability of rooms on campus for the events. The information sessions are scheduled accordingly.
Once the dates have been set and the rooms booked, the following things are taken care of by the IRO:
• updating IRO website
• opening online application
• uploading welcome events calendar to IRO website
• preparing all relevant print material (e.g. welcome guide, campus map, handout on the UNIGRAZonline system, etc.)
• collecting application documents and preparing admission documents in cooperation with Academic Affairs Office
Incoming students are welcomed not only by the IRO but also by the Rector at the Rector’s Reception, which is organized by the IRO and the Rectorate. The Mayor of Graz also invites all incoming exchange students to a reception organized twice a year. Thanks to very good cooperation between the University of Graz and the local authorities, a special appointment for the students’ registration with the local authorities is arranged by the IRO.
The last steps before the beginning of the events include:
• contacting the academic advisors and asking them to provide information on the academic advising sessions they are offering in the context of the welcome events (date, time, place)
• preparing presentations for the events
• scheduling campus tours
• sending out the time schedule and information on the distribution of tasks within the IRO to ensure that those involved in the events know their parts and that those not actually involved can direct students who cannot find their way to the right location and event
While the welcome events are a central element in helping incoming students get organized at the beginning of their stay, it goes without saying that support and services need to be provided to students prior to their actual arrival. They need to receive comprehensive information on all relevant aspects of their mobility (e.g. welcome events, buddy programme, language courses, documents to bring along) well in advance.
Tip!
The IRO publishes two different guides for incoming exchange students which are made available at different stages in the mobility:
• The welcome guide contains all necessary information for the preparation of the mobility experience. Students have access to the online version of this guide on the IRO website before the start of their stay.
• The orientation guide is handed out during the welcome events. This guide includes all relevant information for the students upon their actual arrival in Graz.
References
• Website for incoming students at the University of Graz
International Relations Office
https://international.uni-graz.at/en/stud/incoming/about-uni-graz/ (accessed 02.08.2018)
• Welcome Events Calendar
International Relations Office
https://static.uni-graz.at/fileadmin/bib/downloads/studierende/incoming/welcome_events/bibwww_welcomeevents_ws_de_en.pdf (accessed 02.08.2018)
• Welcome Guide of the University of Graz
International Relations Office
https://international.uni-graz.at/en/stud/incoming/welcome-guide-stud/ (accessed 02.08.2018)
• Orientation Guide of the University of Graz
International Relations Office
https://static.uni-graz.at/fileadmin/bib/downloads/studierende/incoming/orientationguide/bibwww_inc_stud_orientationguide_de_en.pdf (accessed 02.08.2018)