Please do not contact this university directly.
For all enquiries please contact the Exchange Office at exchange@otago.ac.nz.
Last updated August, 2024
Academic Information
Course Information
All courses are offered in English. Louvain also offers graduate courses, which are open to incoming undergraduate exchange students.
Semester Dates
- Academic Year: September - June
- Fall Semester: September - January
- Spring Semester: February - June
Course Load and Minimum Unit Requirements
- Minimum Course Load: 30 ECTS
- Maximum Course Load: 30 ECTS is recommended
Accommodation and the Cost of Living
There are three types of accommodation available:
- flats provided by the Service des logements
- flats provided by private agencies
- private accommodation
It is possible to stay either for a semester or for a year September to July (10 months), September to January (4 months) or the period February to June (five months). The rent (charges included, except electricity) varies between 190 Euro and 250 Euro per month. In addition, students must pay a deposit, which generally amounts to one month's rent in advance, and a contract fee of approximately 35 Euro.
Estimated cost of Living
Additional info on Cost of Living
Student Visa and Insurance
Information on Student Visas and Insurance for students going on exchange can be found elsewhere on this website.
Exchange Experiences
The University, City and Region
The University
Within a century of being founded in 1425, the Katholieke Universiteit van Leuven (Louvain in French) had become one of Europe's most highly regarded universities. It attracted famous academics such as the cartographer Mercator and Renaissance scholar Desiderius Erasmus. In 1972 it split into two universities: a French-speaking one and a Flemish-speaking one. The French-speaking university is Université Catholique de Louvain and is located in Louvain-La-Neuve. The Louvain School of Management (LSM) is the Business and Management school of the university.
LSM is very much an internationally oriented Management School being a member of PIM and of the CEMS network of business schools. LSM belongs to a cosmopolitan university, located at the actual centre of Europe and of the decision centres of major international companies, proposing an impressive list of international exchange agreements with other leading universities and business schools. The international background of many faculty members and the high percentage of foreign graduate students confirm LSM's international reputation.
Catholic University of Louvain
The City of Louvain-la-Neuve
Belgium is a small, highly developed and densely populated country (10 million inhabitants) at the cross-roads of Western Europe. The town of Louvain-La-Neuve is only thirty years old and lies just outside of Brussels, the capital. The town is very modern and is designed with people in mind. To this end, most vehicular traffic actually travels underground!
Further Information
For further information about Otago Global Student Exchange please email exchange@otago.ac.nz