8x facts about Nijmegen as a student city

"In some ways, Nijmegen reminds me of Lucca, the Italian town where I grew up. It has a human dimension – you can reach most places by walking, and within ten minutes, you’re in nature, but you’re also close to the German border."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Ivana, Italy/Serbia

"I love it here. The city’s slogan says it best: Nijmegen is an old city with a young vibe. The buildings can tell stories from hundreds of years ago, but the people are young, fresh, and outgoing."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Khaoula, Morocco

Since March 2023, Mark Luke Farrugia has been General Manager of Nijmegen's Chip Integration Technology Center (CITC). And he has a clear mission; to make the chip industry more sustainable and thereby also bring it to Europe and, especially, Nijmegen.

Read more about Mark Luke's (CITC) mission: a more sustainable chip industry with revolutionary technology

"I was born and raised in Brazil, but I’m half-Italian from my mom’s side. I was living in Italy right before moving to the Netherlands, so it wasn’t as long of a trip. But the Netherlands is very different from my reality growing up in Brazil."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Isabella, Brazil

"The weather, especially in the winter, is sometimes difficult to cope with, but I discovered some places in the city that I really like. One of them is Bhalu. I like that the people there are friendly and I love their homemade pastries."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Sorina, Romania

"After my master’s in Italy, I wanted to leave the country and secure a future somewhere else. Because of that, I was looking into ways to specialize more and found the master’s in Human Geography at Radboud University."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Giulia, Italy

"It's quite cliché, but the first thing that really surprised me was how good the bike infrastructure was. I saw people cycle in suits or in dresses – this was really surreal to see, someone so well dressed, but then on a bike."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Alex, Romania

"I’m a hairstylist and a fully licensed cosmetologist in America, but it took quite some time to be able to work here. Because I’m from the US, I needed a residence permit to register my business with the KVK."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Elle, United States

"Nijmegen is really a great city. Especially on a sports level, there’s an athletics club with world-class athletes, football, rugby, tennis, golf… virtually every sport! And the history of Nijmegen is also incredibly fascinating to me."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Stuart, Australia

"One of my favorite places in the city is the Face of Nijmegen statue. In the beginning, when I wasn’t feeling good, my husband and I went there, sat by the river, and drank tea. I still go there to meditate."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Sanchitta, Bangladesh

"I’m originally from Bangladesh, but I did my graduate degree in Gothenburg in Sweden, so I had already lived in Europe when I started looking for jobs after my graduation and found a company here in Nijmegen."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Sudipta, Bangladesh

"I moved to the Netherlands on the 12th of May 2017. I remember the day, because it divided my life into a ‘before’ and an ‘after.’ I was born and raised in a small town in Ukraine, with around 30,000 people."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Masha, Ukraine

"I moved to Nijmegen in January 2018 and I’m working here as a journalist. Originally, I’m from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. But before moving to the Netherlands, I lived in Brussels for seven years."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Ken, Belgium

"On the other hand, one thing that definitely positively surprised me about Nijmegen was how queer-friendly the city is. You go out and see a lot of gay pride flags. I do like De Regenboog as well."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Kyran, Aruba

"One of the main reasons why I love Nijmegen so much is probably the university. Radboud is amazing. It’s not one of those universities where you are dreading to go back on campus to study – there is so much going on all the time."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Romane, France/Indonesia

"I discovered some Dutch food as well. Poffertjes, for example. They are just great. They also remind me of a similar type of food we have in Indonesia – just that we have them with different flavors, like matcha or strawberry."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Rahmi, Indonesia

"What I like most about the Netherlands is the Dutch. Sometimes, Dutch people can get a bad rep for being a bit stingy or cold, but I find people to be quite welcoming."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Emilios, Cyprus

"I’m in my third year now and both the study and the city topped all my expectations. When I decided where to study, I wasn’t paying a lot of attention to the city I was choosing, so Nijmegen was a pleasant surprise."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Marta, Croatia

"Comparing Nijmegen to Düsseldorf, I don’t miss living in a big city. It’s more anonymous and people don’t put in as much effort into being nice to each other. Here, you are more likely to run into people you know and it's way less grey and loud."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Janek Peters, Germany

"Culturally, I think Estonians and the Dutch are quite similar. I didn’t have a huge culture shock moving to the Netherlands. I had to get used to biking under any weather conditions, though, and the sirens at the beginning of the month."

Read more about Expat life in Nijmegen: Hanna-Rea, Estonia