A new group of international exchange and full-time students has arrived for the fall semester. This semester Bilkent University is hosting 121 new exchange students from 27 countries and 124 full-time international students from 23 countries.
Bilkent welcomed the students with two separate orientation programs held by the Office of International Students and Exchange Programs. Both groups had the opportunity to meet Rector Abdullah Atalar when he gave a talk welcoming them to Bilkent. Other sessions included an introduction to campus and workshops on topics ranging from”The Turkish Way of Living” to “Critical Thinking,” as well as Turkish language classes. The orientation program also featured a city tour.
While the university is hosting new international students from other countries, a number of Bilkent students are returning to campus after international experiences of their own. In the 2012-13 academic year, 299 Bilkent University students attended universities in Europe and the United States as exchange students. ESN Bilkent, the Bilkent branch of the Erasmus Student Network, supports international students around the world.