Discover the world at UFV! If you’re an international student coming for an Erasmus+ or bilateral exchange program, this is your chance to get involved and enjoy a unique experience.

M27_ContextTextImage_ExperienciaInternacional UFV Madrid Buddy Program Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

M21_ContextTextImage_AlumnoIncoming (3) UFV Madrid Buddy Program Study at the Universidad Privada Madrid

Connect, explore, and experience Madrid with your Buddy

Discover the world at UFV! If you’re an international student coming for an Erasmus+ or bilateral exchange program, this is your chance to get involved and enjoy a unique experience.

We know that arriving in a new country can be challenging. Everything is unfamiliar: the surroundings, the culture, the people. How do you get around? Who should you connect with? What can you do to avoid limiting yourself to spending time only with people from your own country?

At UFV, we have students with an incredible passion for international experiences: they love meeting people from other countries, hearing new languages, and making friends from different cultures.

This is where the Buddy Program comes in—it was created to connect international and local students. Our goal is to help both groups address their needs and concerns.

Key Information

What is it?

On the one hand, we pair up local UFV students with international students as buddies, helping them form friendships. The local buddy assists the new student with basic needs such as housing, registration, public transportation, and, above all, support during their initial adjustment to life in Madrid.

We also organize events to help everyone enrolled in the programme know each other better: meals on campus, cultural activities in Madrid, day trips to other Spanish cities, weekend getaways, and more. These activities help build connections and enrich the experience for all participants.

Requirements for exchange students (incoming)

Get back to your local buddy as soon as they contact you.

Requirements for undergraduate students (local)

Contact your buddy before January 1.

Pick him up at the airport when he arrives.

Accompany them on the first day of the orientation sessions for incoming students in January, which will be either Thursday, the 15th, or Friday, the 16th, depending on your assigned group (el mismo que a tu buddy).

Attend the programme closing ceremony programme Wednesday, May 6, from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Write a final report summarizing your experience in the programme, and complete an online survey evaluating your experience.

By completing these tasks, you will earn 0.50 ECTS credits.

Volunteer activities

In addition to the activities described above, there will be several optional activities throughout the semester, ranging from hiking and visiting exhibitions or going to the movies to weekend trips to a Spanish city (Granada, Barcelona, etc.). ECTS credits will also be awarded for these activities, with the number of credits varying depending on the nature and duration of the activity.

Although the full list of volunteer activities for the second semester of the 2025–2026 school year will be published on January 10, you can already set aside Saturday, January 17, when we’ll be holding our first field trip with all programme participants.

Take this opportunity to meet young people from all over the world!

Office of the Vice President for Internationalization

Address
Module 1 of the central building (next to the driving school)
Schedule
Monday to Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Phone
+34 91 709 14 00