Orientation Week
Studying in Trondheim
Orientation Week for new international students
The NTNU Orientation Week begins in
Orientation Week Programme
The NTNU Orientation Week for the 2026 spring will be held January 7-9, 2026. The dates have been set, but the specific time of day for individual events are not yet finalized. These will be announced in due time. For more details on the planned program, see below.
Attendance in the Orientation Week is not mandatory, but we highly recommend you attend if you are able. In the event that the Orientation Week clashes with planned lectures, we recommend you attend the lecture instead.
On Wednesday, we will gather all our new international students one of Trondheim's jewels, Studentersamfundet (The Student Society), to welcome you and explain everything you need to get settled and ready for the semester.
The day begins with our traditional Welcome meeting at 10:00 a.m., followed by lunch (provided), and then the all-important Information meeting, where you will learn about the practicalities and necessary steps needed to get ready for your stay and studies and NTNU.
Lastly, you will meet and get to know the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in Trondheim, the main association for international students. They will introduce their functions and activities, and let you know how to joint their community (which we recommend you do).
When: 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 7
Where: Studentersamfundet (The Student Society), Elgeseter gate 1
On Thursday, join NTNU and ESN Trondheim for snowy hikes in the forests and mountains around Trondheim, or along the fjord. You will be able to sign up for a variety of different hikes depending on your ability and preference. Some hikes will be arranged on Thursday, and some on Friday, so you can choose a day that suits you. All hikes are guided by NTNU staff and ESN volunteers, and are dependent on favorable weather.
Registration for hikes will be available in December 2025.
On Friday during the daytime, we will go on the last of the snowy hikes (see above).
Then, in the evening, we finish the Orientation Week with a big Quiz Night - form teams and test your knowledge!
Quiz Night time and place will be announced, and is subject to change.
Each of NTNU's eight faculties usually hold their own meeting for their students at the beginning of the term. These meetings may cover necessary knowledge specific for students at that faculty. If the meeting for your faculty overlaps with any of the Orientation Week activities, we advise you to prioritize attending the faculty meeting.
Time and place for the faculty meetings will be announced near the beginning of the semester.
About 1500 international students participate in Orientation Week every August, and around 600 in January. International students who are eligible to participate in Orientation Week will receive further details by email from the NTNU Unit for International Relations.
Students who are eligible to participate
- All new exchange students and students enrolled in an master’s degree at NTNU (incl. Erasmus Mundus and Joint Nordic master's)
- Students doing placements or internship stays at NTNU who arrive before the semester starts.
Students who are not eligible
- PhD candidates (counted as staff, not students)
- International students who arrived the previous semester or earlier
- Any students enrolled in a degree programme taught in Norwegian
- Norwegian students enrolled in a degree taught in English
- Friends and family of eligible students
Useful links and documents for new students
| Trondheim in your pocket | A quick guide to the city of Trondheim |
| Erasmus Student Network | Organization for all international students |
| How to get started as a student at NTNU | A nine-step overview to get started |
| NTNU's academic calendar | Overview of important semester dates, holidays, start and end of exam period etc. |
| Library services for NTNU students | Get help with academic writing, find sources and learn to cite them correctly |
| Course timetables | Set up your own timetable to structure your weeks |
| REstore | Get used and upcycled furniture and utilities for free, and trade in what you don't need |
| NTNUI Bumerang | Free rental of sports equipment for students, located at Moholt studentby |
| "Koiene" (Student cabins) | How to book and spend time at the student cabins in the forests and mountains |
| "Going for a walk" | An introduction to Norwegian hiking culture |
Learn Norwegian
NTNU has various part-time classes to help you learn Norwegian as a second language, including a free online course.
Students coming in the autumn semester can join a 3-week intensive summer course in July/August. The course includes several day-trips in the surroundings of Trondheim.
Contact NTNU
Exchange students:
Email: exchange@aud.ntnu.no
If you are inquiring about an application or registration, please take care to sign your full name in the email so we can locate you in our systems.
You can also stop by our office during drop-in hours (we will not accept drop-in outside these opening hours). We are located in Dragvoll Gård, Våningshuset (the yellow building).
Drop-in hours in October: Tuesdays 13:00-14:30
Master's degree applicants:
- Questions about application, criteria and documents:
admissions-master@sa.ntnu.no
- Questions about visa, financing and immigration formalia:
arrivals@aud.ntnu.no
Joint degree students (Erasmus Mundus, Nordic5Tech):
joint-degree@aud.ntnu.no
Visiting address: Office G211 & G209 Teknologivegen 22, 2815 Gjøvik, Norway
Postal address: P.O. box 191, 2802 Gjøvik, Norway
Exchange students: international@gjovik.ntnu.no
Master’s degree applicants:
- Questions about application, criteria and documents: admissions-master@sa.ntnu.no
- Questions about visa, financing and immigration formalia: international@gjovik.ntnu.no
- Questions about housing: housing@aud.ntnu.no
Visiting address: K-building, office numbers KP-245 and KP-246, Larsgårdsvegen 2, 6009 Ålesund
Postal address: P.O. Box 1517, 6025 Ålesund, Norway
Exchange students:
international@alesund.ntnu.no
Master’s degree applicants:
- Questions about application, criteria and documents: admissions-master@sa.ntnu.no
- Questions about visa, financing and immigration formalia: international@alesund.ntnu.no
- Questions about housing: housing@aud.ntnu.no
Find your way around NTNU with MazeMap
- Campuses in Trondheim
- Unit for International Relations
- Main Administration Building (Hovedbygget)
- Matriculation Ceremony on the lawn
- Natural Science Building (Realfagbygget)
- The Student Society (Studentersamfundet)