The Polytechnic University of Valencia was founded in 1971 and teaches about 37,800 students with 2,600 employees.3

UPV's mission includes both the education of people and the improvement of their skills, as well as research. The latter focuses primarily on science, technology, art and business.4

The UPV has the following 14 institutions:5

• Vera Campus (Valencia)
  • Faculty of Business Administration and Management
  • Faculty of Fine Arts
  • School of Agricultural Engineering and Environment
  • School of Architecture
  • School of Building Engineering
  • School of Civil Engineering
  • School of Design Engineering
  • School of Engineering in Geodesy, Cartography and Surveying
  • School of Industrial Engineering
  • School of Informatics
  • School of Telecommunications Engineering
  • Doctoral School
• Alcoy Campus
  • Higher Polytechnic School of Alcoy
• Gandia Campus
  • Higher Polytechnic School of Gandia

For IS:link guest students, there are several faculties at UPV. The School of Informatics probably fits better to the profile of an IS:link guest student. However, there are only a small number of English courses that can be taken there. In this respect the School of Industrial Engineering offers more choice. In general, the courses there are often designed for international students. There have already been cases in which business informatics students have spent their semester abroad at this faculty. (see Daniel P.)

Semester dates & deadlines:

www.upv.es/perfiles/estudiante/calendario-academico-en.html

Courses:

https://aplicat.upv.es/buscasiupv-app/?p_idioma=i

Further information:

www.upv.es/entidades/OPII/infoweb/pi/info/818854normali.html

"As I said, I spent most of my time outside of the university either on the beach or at Blasco Ibañez. One reason for this is that the street is close to the university and therefore many student events are held there. In any case, you should register with the European Student Network (ESN) at UPV, because that's where you can get many discounted activities and trips. There are also other organizations (e.g. "Happy Erasmus") that organize parties and trips. However, these are for profit, while ESN is by students for students and cooperates with the university. In addition, through ESN you get to know many other Erasmus students.

If you are registered with ESN, you can also rent sports equipment and rent seats. As already mentioned, there is also a gym, but you have to register with the university and not with ESN. ESN organizes several small events every week during the day. For example, once there was a big paella cooking and eating event". (Daniel P.)

"The university campus is quite large and even includes sports fields, a gym, several restaurants, a store with "fan articles" of the university, and even weird stuff like a hairdresser or a doctor. Basically, there is everything you need as a student. However, the campus is rather confusing due to its size and the building structure, so you should plan some time in the beginning to find the lecture room". (Daniel P.)

"Valencia is a very large city and has about as many inhabitants as Cologne and Munich. Therefore, it is very spacious and, like any big city, has more beautiful and less beautiful corners. With bus and train you can easily reach all relevant places of the city, from the old town to the beach. You can spend a lot of time at the beach, because it is almost always sunny and warm. There are many places to play volleyball. The old town is definitely worth some exploring. Most of the time, however, I spent around my apartment near the "Blasco Ibañez", which is called by the people there (one main street: Avenida de Blasco Ibañez). There are many (student) bars and clubs, as well as restaurants. (Daniel P.)

Also culturally the city has a lot to offer. This is best manifested in the Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències, an arts and science complex close to the center.6

Study period: Spring 2020
Academic level: Master
Daniel P.

"Application and planning phase

Application
I had decided to spend my semester abroad at the Polytechnic University in Valencia, because I still had the chance of an Erasmus grant there and the city had promised me. The planning of the stay including application and choice of course turned out to be a bit difficult. As with many other universities, the choice of English courses is very limited, especially in the field of information technology. The English courses that were offered in the summer semester were almost all in the field of industrial engineering. Therefore, when I applied to the Politècnica, I decided to apply for the Industrial Engineering course. There I was accepted and enrolled without problems. You had to be able to prove a certain level of Spanish, which I fulfilled.

Course selection
You also have to take courses worth at least 21 credits (I think) on site, this was equivalent to 5 courses. Even though the attendance in some courses was evaluated, you didn't get any problems if you didn't attend courses. Accordingly, I only attended the 2-3 courses from my Learning Agreement. So you shouldn't worry too much when choosing a course, once you're on site everything will settle down and you can also change or cancel courses.

Apartment search
The acceptance from the University of Valencia came relatively late. Afterwards I took care of the apartment search. I rented a temporary apartment in advance on the Internet. The apartment was fine so far, but relatively expensive. Many Erasmus students who met in Valencia had previously only looked for temporary accommodation and then looked for accommodation on site. This is a bit more stressful, but you probably get away cheaper once you have found a satisfactory apartment. The platform of the UPV also offers apartment offers, but unfortunately it is quite useless. I lived in the area south of the university. Many Erasmus students have lived there and I can recommend the location.

Phase of the stay abroad

University and teaching 
The university campus is quite large and even includes sports fields, a gym, several restaurants, a store with "fan articles" of the university, and even weird stuff like a hairdresser or a doctor. Basically, there is everything you need as a student. However, the campus is rather confusing due to its size and the building structure, so you should plan some time in the beginning to find the lecture room. 
Classes are largely relaxed. The English courses are mainly attended by Erasmus students, so the lessons are adapted to their needs. The English level of the lecturers is rather mixed, but you will definitely manage. There are no difficulties keeping up with the pace or coping with the complexity of the content.

The city of Valencia
Valencia is a very large city and has about as many inhabitants as Cologne and Munich. Therefore it is very spacious and has like every big city more beautiful and less beautiful corners. With bus and train you can easily reach all relevant places of the city, from the old town to the beach. You can spend a lot of time at the beach, because it is almost always sunny and warm. There are many places to play volleyball. The old town is definitely worth some exploring. Most of the time, however, I spent around my apartment near the "Blasco Ibañez", which is called by the people there (one main street: Avenida de Blasco Ibañez). There are many (student) bars and clubs, as well as restaurants.

Activities for free time
As I said, I spent most of my time outside of the university either at the beach or at Blasco Ibañez. One reason for this is that the street is close to the university and therefore there are many student events there. In any case, you should register with the European Student Network (ESN) at UPV, because that's where you can get many discounted activities and trips. There are also other organizations (e.g. "Happy Erasmus") that organize parties and trips. However, these are for profit, while ESN is by students for students and cooperates with the university. In addition, through ESN you get to know many other Erasmus students.
If you are registered with ESN, you can also rent sports equipment and rent seats. As already mentioned, there is also a gym, but you have to register with the university and not with ESN. ESN organizes several small events every week during the day. For example, once a big paella cooking and eating event was organized. 

Nightlife
Also in the evening, ESN offers different drinks every week, which you can join without any pressure. Besides ESN, there are also many other opportunities to go out in the evening. On Mondays, for example, pre-drinking at the Parabarap (a low-cost bar) followed by a visit to the club is popular. But a personal highlight of mine was rather Wednesdays. First there is the "Botellon", where a lot of students preheat in the park with a view of the "Ciutat de les Arts i les Ciències". Afterwards we go to the Club Mya in this very city of art. As a little warning: In Spain you start later and start later, but you will be on the road longer.

Trips and excursions
Again I refer here to the offers of ESN. I myself was with ESN in Madrid and Toledo. This is a trip I can definitely recommend. Friends of mine were in Sevilla (I was unfortunately ill) and have reported only positive things. The other trips (e.g. the island tour to probably Mallorca in an all-inclusive hotel) were unfortunately cancelled due to Corona. Also all the other organizations have a lot of offers, but I have heard there you have to be careful. I have heard positive reports about day trips, for example to the Montanejos.

Conclusion
All in all, it was a very nice semester abroad (2 months) for me, even if it was very short due to Corona. I would have liked to do some more things and especially to do some more trips and trips after the semester. Unfortunately I did not have the chance to do so. Nevertheless I would recommend a stay in Valencia. During the application phase at UPV I sweated a few times, but in the end I was accepted without problems. If everything doesn't work out right away, you have the chance to make corrections on site. Life in Valencia was super relaxed. In fact, I hadn't felt as relaxed and free for a long time as I did at that time. I will definitely go back to Valencia for another vacation and repeat some activities and make up for some trips and excursions".

Study period: Summer 2020
Academic level: Master
Dominik V.

Preparation for the semester abroad 

After my partner university was decided and I chose Spain because of the language and the culture, I attended a Spanish A1 beginner course at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Language courses are offered by the IOS (Institute for Optional Studies) free of charge for all students. I decided to take a semester break intensive course and was more than satisfied with the teacher and the content of the course. Looking back, it was very useful to have a basic knowledge of Spanish to be able to cope with everyday life in Valencia. 

I also decided to take out additional health insurance abroad. Theoretically, this is not mandatory as a German citizen, since you have a European Health Insurance Card. However, this can facilitate the search for a doctor on site, since private doctors can also be contacted. 

For contact on the first days, there is the possibility to search for WhatsApp group chats on Facebook, through which one can get the first questions answered. Events in Valencia are also often posted in these groups. 

Partner University and Courses 

The course selection at UPV was rather difficult for my Master (Business Informatics), because the partner faculty was Industrial Engineering and overlaps with the module handbook were only the case for two subjects. The number of courses taught in English can be found clearly in a table on the UPV website. It should be noted that "English-friendly" means that only questions in English are answered by the lecturer, but the lecture language is Spanish. Basically, the English level of the Spanish professors and lecturers is rather low. Often there was a lack of pronunciation, so that questions had to be asked. Despite this, it was still possible to follow the lecture well. 

I would definitely recommend applying for an ESN (European Student Network) card, with which you can get some discounts in Valencia. ESN is about local students who can help you on a voluntary basis e.g. with finding an apartment or generally answer all your questions about Valencia and the university. The card also allows you to participate in ESN trips. I myself was with ESN in Madrid and Sevilla for one weekend each. Both trips are very recommendable, because you can travel around the country cheaply and meet many new students. The trips are usually cheaper than those of commercial competitors like Happy Erasmus or Erasmus Valencia. 

City and Accommodation 

Housing options in Valencia are basically numerous and inexpensive. Most students booked a hostel or AirBNB for the first few days to go apartment hunting locally (Facebook, private websites, local contacts). Usually, the rents were around 250 - 300 euros per month for a moderate room in a shared apartment. There is also the possibility to reserve an apartment in advance with various providers.  As a rule, however, these are 50-100 euros more expensive. However, it is not advisable to transfer money before arriving or visiting the apartment, as there are many cases of fraud in Valencia. In my opinion, the best location in Valencia for students is around Blasco Ibañez street. This area is very close to the university and has very good bars, clubs and restaurants. Also, most Erasmus events take place in the area and you can get to the beach quickly by bike or bus! 

1 Photo from: https://www.upv.es/perfiles/futuro-alumno/galeria-imagenes-upv-es.html  (last access: 17.11.2020)

2 Photo from: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ciutat_de_les_Arts_i_de_les_Ci%C3%A8ncies,_Valencia.JPG  (last access: 17.11.2020)

3https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polytechnische_Universit%C3%A4t_Valencia  (last access: 17.11.2020)

4http://www.upv.es/organizacion/la-institucion/misionvisionvalores-plan-upv-en.html  (last access: 17.11.2020)

5https://www.upv.es/organizacion/escuelas-facultades/index-en.html (last access: 17.11.2020)

6https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ciutat_de_les_Arts_i_les_Ci%C3%A8ncies (last access: 17.11.2020)