Welcome to ROFFA
Rotterdam Open Festivities For AllWe are very excited to welcome you to Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences (RUAS). To celebrate this, we organise special introduction activities for all new international students called: Welcome to ROFFA. Besides the link to our lovely city, ROFFA stands for Rotterdam Open Festivities For All 🥳
We are the Centre of International Affairs and each year we welcome more than 1000 international students, so this is the perfect opportunity for you to meet your fellow students!
After arrival in the Netherlands, we will welcome you to Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences during the COIA introduction week which takes place before the start of your study programme. During these days CoIA will assist you with practical matters like municipality registration and residence permit and several social activities will be organized by CoIA and the student ambassadors.
These days take place prior to the general introduction of your programme. During the general introduction days (STARTDays) you will get to know your coach, classmates and schedule.
Get to know your new home in the meantime...
September 2025 Intake:
The Welcome to ROFFA programme will take place end of August and start of September. The kick-off of the programme will be on August 26th and it is mandatory to attend the Welcome to Rotterdam presentation for students who have not lived in the Netherlands before.
Detailed information about the programme and social activities will be e-mailed in mid-July. For more information, you can contact coia-welcometoroffa@hr.nl .
February 2026 Intake:
The introduction dates for the February intake will be communicated and confirmed at the end of December. The official introduction programme will be sent by e-mail, please take a look at your inbox to find the full overview of the activities.
For more information, you can contact our Intro team: coia-welcometoroffa@hr.nl
Unfortunately, we are unable to offer a bus pick up service. We apologise for this but hope through clear communication and tips we can get you from the airport to your new home of Rotterdam easily!
Take a look at this reel, where our Student Ambassadors show you how to get from Airport Schiphol to Rotterdam Central Station.
How to get to Rotterdam Central Station?
- Buy a train ticket from the yellow machine
- Intercity direct is the fast train and it will get you to Rotterdam in 26 minutes. Make sure to buy the €2,90 supplement on the platform as well!
- NS only ticket is the normal train and it will take you about 50 minutes to get to Rotterdam. You don't need to buy the supplement for this journey.
- Take the escalator or lift downstairs
- Board the train either from platform 5 or 6, the correct platform will be visible on the screen.
Useful travel apps
The dutch transportation system is very easy to navigate with these apps: 9292.nl and the NS app.
Specific invitation
All students, Bachelor, Master and Exchange who are going to study at our University of Applied Sciences will get a specific invitation for the introduction per programme via e-mail.
If you want to study in the Netherlands, there are a few things you need to arrange beforehand. Please take a look at the sections: municipality, residence permit, tuberculosis test, Dutch bank account.
The Centre of International Affairs has developed two solutions for you if you would like to get a Dutch phone number. You might ask, what's the need of getting a Dutch number? After arriving in the Netherlands, you will notice a Dutch phone number is necessary for a couple of things, such as opening a Dutch bank account and creating your DigiD account, which gives you access to many services offered by the Dutch government. If you are planning to get a (part-time) job in the Netherlands, it will also be important to have a Dutch phone number so that companies and recruiters can easily contact you by phone. Below are two options for the phone number for you:
Pay-as-you-go SIM Cards - Lebara
CoIA has a stock of pay as you go SIM cards from provider Lebara, these SIM cards are located at the CoIA front desk and can be picked up during introduction week or anytime during the year.
Pay Monthly - Expat Mobile
If you want to have a monthly plan, take a look at Expat Mobile. This service has multiple options for students on a pay-monthly basis with also different contract lengths depending on whether you are spending a semester here or more. For more information on Expat Mobile please follow the link: