You just got the confirmation of your ERASMUS grant for the Universidad de Oviedo? Congratulations! Here are some useful tips for your semester abroad:

Universidad de Oviedo – The Campuses

Depending on what you are going to study in Asturias, your classes are going to be located in a different place. The campuses of the university of Oviedo are split into the different faculties spread across three cities: Oviedo, Gijón and Mieres.

In Oviedo, the capital of Asturias, you have multiple parts of the university:

• Campus “El Cristo”: Located on the outer skirts of the city, here you can find the faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences, Biology, Economics and Business, Law as well as Chemistry.
• Campus de Llamaquique: This campus, located inside the central ring of Oviedo, is home to the faculties of Sciences, Geology and Teacher Training/Education.
• Campus de los Catalanes: This part of the university is the School of Computer Science Engineering. You can find it in the south of Oviedo.
• Campus Oviedo Centro: Right in the center of the city, there is a smaller building for the administrative offices, the faculty of Psychology and the Higher Technical School of Mining Engineering.
• Campus “El Milán”: You will find yourself here, in northern center of Oviedo, if you study a subject belonging to the faculty of Humanities. 

Gijón, the biggest city of Asturias, concentrates the campus on one location. Campus de Viesques, located in the natural surroundings of Gijón’s south-east, holds the faculty of Commerce, Tourism and Social Sciences, which is also known as “Jovellanos”, as well as the Polytechnic School of Engineering.

The modern Campus of Mieres will be your place to go, if you study Earth and Environmental Engineering.

Another building that might be important for you is the Office for International Relations del Universidad de Oviedo. It helps you with any questions related to your studies and can be found in Calle Principado 3 in Oviedo.

Even if it seems like you will have a lot of commutes, don’t worry about getting around quickly and easily! The public transportaion in Asturias offers you a wide range of bus schedules and options to get to the campuses. You can also get a Student Smart Card with 10% discount on your trips from the Transport Consortium of Asturias (CTA).

Erasmus Oviedo / Erasmus Gijon: Finding a place to stay

There are multiple platforms to look for a flat in Asturias, which we have already put together for you here. If you don’t mind sharing an apartment, you should also try looking for or setting up a post on Facebook, there is usually a new Erasmus Oviedo/Gijón group created for each year of studies. Moreover, the Universidad de Oviedo offers an accommodation service where you will live together with a host family. You can check it out here.

International Student Organisations: ESN and AEGEE in Oviedo

Every year, there are more than 1000 international students at the university of Oviedo, so don’t be afraid of feeling alone. ESN and AEGEE are two organisations that help you with adjusting to the new culture and meeting new people who are in the same situation as you. They will make your Erasmus Oviedo or your Erasmus Gijon much easier!

ESN is the abbreviation for Erasmus Student Network, the biggest student association in Europe. The volunteers regularly organize social and cultural events for all of the exchange students that came with ERASMUS. These include historical tours around the cities of Oviedo and Gijón, tapas nights, tandem events, sport activities but also travels to other Spanish cities. Of course, partying and having fun also belongs to a successful ERASMUS event. In order to be up to date, you should follow ESN Oviedo on Facebook and again join the respective groups for your exchange year. Another interesting advantage they offer you is the ESN card, which gives you discounts on services you might regularly need as an exchange student. You can get it in the local ERASMUS offices in Oviedo or Gijón. For further information on the entire network, you can also download a full ESN Asturias guide here.

AEGEE is another big organisation realizing projects surrounding intercultural exchange. They as well organize some fun get-togethers, for example surf days, pub crawls or a common meal. They usually promote their events on Facebook and you can learn everything about their program and mission on their website.

Lastly, all that is left to say: Enjoy your stay in Asturias, your time with new international friends and even your studies at Universidad de Oviedo – it will be over so fast that in the end, you will ask yourself where time has gone!

Erasmus Oviedo / Erasmus Gijon: Learning Spanish

Because a regular “Hola, cómo estás?” won’t be enough for a daily conversation… since you’re coming here why not develop your skills on beautiful Spanish language? If you are interested, you can read our post Learning Spanish in Asturias.