Welcome to S.A. Esperia!

S. A. Esperia is the study association for the study of European Languages and Cultures at the University of Groningen. Since the 12th of April 2013 the association organises academic and fun activities for students of the study program in Groningen. Become a member and join the fun!

Study Association Esperia connects all students from the study program European Languages and Cultures in Groningen with student life and academia. All language tracks of the study programme are represented by Esperia and all ELC students can become a member to join our fun and academic activities. Do you have any questions? Feel free to contact us about them.

Study Association Esperia organises academic activities such as fieldtrips to the European or Dutch parliament. In addition, Esperia organises lectures on topics related to the study program. However, activities also include socials and an annual trip abroad, as well as other fun activities. Check out our events calendar for any upcoming activities! 

Especially for you (the first years), we have set up a committee that will welcome you with introduction activities and an introduction camp in the first months of the new uni year! The Introcie is looking forward to welcoming everyone! 

You can already sign up for our amazing introduction camp. The camp will take place from the 28th of August (after the university introduction day) until the 30th of August 2026. More information can be found under the ‘Introduction Camp by Esperia’ tab. 

For updates and information on the introduction activities, you can also follow Esperia (@saesperia) and/or the Introcie (@introcie.esperia) on Instagram. We can’t wait to meet all of you, feel free to reach out if you have any questions/ideas/etc! See you soon 🙂

Welcome to European Languages and Cultures!

The Introduction Day of the schoolyear 2026/2027 will take place on the 28th of August 2026.

As a first year student, you should have received an email from the university with the itinerary of this year’s Introduction Day and further necessary information. If you haven’t, be sure to check your spam box on both your private and university email or contact the university.

Join our Introduction Camp!

Study Association Esperia organises an introduction camp from the 28th till the 30th of August 2026. We will be going to an accommodation in Grollo, Drenthe. We will leave together after the general introduction day for ELC and travel there as a group. All ELC students can sign up to join the introduction camp by filling in this form.

Disclaimer: there is no hazing involved, only fun

The price for the camp is cheaper for members. In case you would like to become a member, you can sign up through the following link: https://www.svesperia.nl/become-a-member/

The price for the camp includes the costs for the location, all food and all the activities during the stay and will  be announced later. You can sign up until the 26th of August 23:59. More information and a packinglist will follow after you sign up. In case you have any questions please reach out to bestuur@svesperia.nl and we will gladly answer them for you!

Want to know what an Esperia introduction camp looks like? Check out the aftermovie of one of our previous camps!

Get to know Groningen with S.A. Esperia!

Disclaimer: TBA means that the information is ‘to be announced’. Aside from our website, we’ll keep you posted on our socials as well! Any further updated information and all activities in general will be announced there too. @saesperia and @introcie.esperia on Instagram.

The Introduction period of 2026-2027 looks like this:

Tuesday 25th of August – Meet & Greet Picnic                                                                                                                                        Costs: free | Location: Stadspark, precise location to be announced online | Time: 14:00 till around 17:00
Looking for a relaxed way to get to know your fellow students? We will get together for some drinks/ snacks and an afternoon full of chatting.

Thursday 3rd of September – (0,0) Beer Games
Costs: max. €3,- for members, max. €6,- for non-members | Location: Stadspark, precise location to be announced online | Time: 18:30/19:00.
Enjoy a nice and relaxing time together with some (0,0) beer or a soda while we play games together! 

Wednesday 9th of September – Monthly Social
Costs: free | Location: ‘t Gat van Groningen | Time: 21:00
A fun night of partying, usually organized by our board and takes place every month starting in September!

Tuesday 15th of September – Taco Tuesday
Costs: max. €6,- for members, max. €8,- for non-members | Location: TBA | Time: 18:00
What’s nicer than a Taco on Tuesday? We will celebrate nice food by eating it 🙂

Monday 21st of September –  Boat Tour & Pubquiz
Costs: max. €5,- for members, €6,- for non-members | Location: Herebrug 1, 9711 GB for Boat Tour, Buckshot for Pubquiz | Time: Boat Tour 17:00 (be there around 10 minutes before), Pubquiz between 18:30/19:00 (we’ll go there together after the Boat Tour)
Always wanted to go out on the waters of Groningen? Now is your chance! We’ll spend 1.5 hours on a boat, chatting and enjoying drinks, after which we’ll move to cafe Buckshot for a lovely Pubquiz (winner gets a price!)

Wednesday 30th of September – Pool Game
Costs: max. €6,- for members, €8,- for non-members | Location: Poolcafé Streetlife | Time: 19:30-21:30
We have organized two hours of playing pool games together. May the best win!

Wednesday 8th of October – Crazy 88 & End Party
Costs: free | Location: Crazy 88 TBA, End Party Partycafé de Doos | Time: Crazy 88 TBA, End Party 21:30
Crazy 88 is a very exciting game where you get a list of 88 fun and crazy activities that can earn you points once completed. The more points, the closer you are to earning a price! After that, we’ll take you to de Doos where we’ll have our amazing End Party to finish the Introduction Period with a blast! 

Tuesday 13th of October – Study Session
Costs: free | Location: Harmony Building, precise location will be announced later online | Time: TBA
Nervous for your first exams? We’ve got you! Even though the Introduction Period has technically ended, you can still join us for a lovely study session where you can share your knowledge with other students and learn more yourself!

Books, books, books!

When you start studying, you obviously need study books. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered! Below, you will be able to find an overview of the books you need for your first year courses.

Note: The mandatory introduction courses to politics and literature do not require you to have any books. The mandatory introduction courses to linguistics do require you to have a certain book. All information on this book and the language courses books you need in the first year can be found below. 

Be sure to order your books as soon as possible because delivery times can get very extensive since a lot of students around the world need new study books. 

You don’t want to spend a lot of money on books? We get it. As an Esperia Member, you can get discount on your study books. Reach out to us if you want to make use of that. 

*Nederlands onderaan*

On this page you will find all the information you want to know about Esperia as a parent. If you do have any other questions, do not hesitate to contact us via the contact form. We are happy to answer all your questions. 
In this document you can find all the information for parents: ENG: information for parents

Nederlands: Op deze pagina vindt u alle informatie over Esperia die u als ouder wilt weten. Mocht u nog andere vragen hebben, neem dan contact met ons op via het contactformulier. We beantwoorden graag al uw vragen. In dit document vind u alle informatie voor ouders: NL: informatie voor ouders