The IE University student experience begins before the first class. By the time orientation week starts, most students may have already sorted their neighborhood and their commute. What they may not have figured out is what the next few months will actually demand academically, socially and professionally. This article covers that gap and shares what your first semester at IE University will really look like and how to make the most of it.
(For the practical side of arriving in Madrid, including housing, costs and neighborhoods, see our guide to moving to Madrid and estimated cost of living.)
Orientation week: Your first days on campus
Orientation is busier than most students expect. Across a few days, you will meet your cohort, set up campus access, complete administrative steps and attend welcome sessions from faculty and program leadership. The pace is intentional. IE University moves fast from the beginning, and orientation is partly designed to signal that.
The administrative side is worth preparing for: bring your passport and any enrollment documents your admissions contact specified. Student ID cards and library access are typically sorted during this first week.
Beyond the logistics, orientation serves one clear purpose: it is the most concentrated period of cohort-building you will get. It’s a chance to really set the foundation for your university experience. Showing up to everything (even the sessions that sound optional) makes a difference.
Your campuses: María de Molina, IE Tower and Segovia
Master’s students spend most of their time at the María de Molina campus in Madrid’s Salamanca district. The area is one of the city’s most established neighborhoods, walkable and well-connected by metro. The campus is compact but well-equipped, with classrooms designed for the discussion-heavy sessions that define the IE University teaching approach. Most students find it easy to settle into a rhythm there within the first few weeks.
The Segovia campus sits about an hour from Madrid by train and plays a particular role in the undergraduate experience. Some programs include immersive periods there, and the contrast with the capital (which is a UNESCO World Heritage city with a very different pace) tends to stay with students. If your program includes time in Segovia, treat it as part of the education rather than a detour from it.
Depending on your program, some undergraduate students are primarily based at IE Tower, a modern building in Madrid’s financial district. The location has a different character from Salamanca and Segovia—more corporate in its surroundings, closer to major Spanish and international companies. For undergrads with an eye on internships and industry contacts, that proximity is not accidental. IE Tower is an experience to behold and hosts many events and networking opportunities open to all students.
What IE University’s teaching style is really like
This is the part that students often find surprising. IE University classrooms are participatory. Professors expect preparation before each session, and many use the case method. You should arrive having read, formed an opinion and prepared to defend it in front of your peers, some of whom will be ready to challenge you and open your mind to new perspectives.
If you come from an academic tradition where lectures are passive, the adjustment is real. Students who do best in the first semester are typically those who treat participation as part of the grade from day one, not something to warm up to over time.
The cohort you are learning alongside is international in the fullest sense. IE University consistently draws students from more than 160 nationalities, and the composition of any given cohort reflects that. Constant group work means working across different communication styles, professional backgrounds and academic traditions. That friction is intentional and is one of the more valuable parts of the experience.
The student community in your first semester at IE University
IE University has an active student association scene, with clubs covering finance, entrepreneurship, culture, sport and social impact. Most recruit heavily during the first few weeks of term, which is when it is easiest to get involved.
The social calendar in September and October tends to be dense: welcome events, networking sessions, club fairs and company presentations. It can feel like a lot alongside the academic demands. Most students find their rhythm within the first month, prioritizing a few of commitments that interest them rather than everything on offer.
Building your network in the long-term at IE University is less about attending every event and more about the relationships formed in class, in group projects and in the smaller moments between sessions. The alumni network spanning 75,000 graduates across 165 countries exists because those relationships were built early and maintained.
What IE University provides: Student services
IE University’s student services team covers practical support from the moment you arrive: immigration and visa questions, housing guidance, healthcare registration and help for partners or family members relocating with you. If you have questions before orientation, they are the right first contact.
Career services begin engaging students early in the first semester. For master’s students especially, the job search is closer than it feels in September. Programs with the strongest career outcomes tend to be those where students engage with career services from the start rather than treating it as a second-semester concern.
What new students say surprised them most
The pace. Almost universally, students arrive expecting a demanding program and still find the first semester faster than anticipated. The academic workload, the social calendar and the city itself are all running at once.
The second most common answer is the quality of the people around them. The international cohort is not just a selling point; it changes what classroom conversations are actually about, and it makes the network built during a single semester more useful than most students expect.
Scott is editor-in-chief of Uncover IE and Senior Content Manager at IE University. He holds degrees in English Literature and Spanish from Saint Louis University and has spent more than a decade working in content strategy, editorial leadership, journalism and multilingual communications.
