The Mission

Relocation should not feel like a part-time job. Student Compass exists to reduce the friction, uncertainty, and stress students face when moving to a new city, especially international students navigating unfamiliar administrative, academic, and social systems. Our data shows that moving to Maastricht costs the average international student 10 weeks of lost time before they can fully focus on their studies and daily life. Instead of fragmented information spread across government websites, university pages, agencies, and informal forums, the Student Compass App provides a single, personalized starting point for official procedures, housing, essential services, and student life. The platform adapts to each student’s situation — including nationality, study status, city of residence, and timeline — and continuously surfaces what is relevant at each stage, from registering for a BSN and setting up health insurance to academic deadlines, housing, and local support. By improving clarity and orientation early on, Student Compass contributes to: ✓ Better student well-being and quality of life ✓ Stronger integration into the city ✓ Higher student retention at institutions ✓ Longer engagement with the local ecosystem Student Compass is currently available in public beta and accessible to students via our website at studentcompass.nl or directly through student-compass.app.

The Challenge

Each year, over 1.7 million international students enroll in higher education across the EU. Despite this scale, student onboarding remains fragmented, informal, and inconsistent. Critical information about residence permits, registration, healthcare, housing, work regulations, and daily-life services is scattered across government platforms, university websites, agencies, and online communities. As a result, students frequently: • Miss deadlines or legal requirements • Make costly or unsafe housing decisions • Spend weeks navigating systems instead of settling into study and life What should be a structured transition becomes a trial-and-error process — increasing stress for students and creating unnecessary administrative pressure for universities, municipalities, and support services. This fragmentation also negatively impacts student satisfaction, retention, and long-term engagement with the city, while limiting visibility for local businesses that offer student-oriented services. The 10-Week Problem (Student Data) We surveyed over 75 international students studying in Maastricht. The results show that relocation is not just inconvenient — it is a significant productivity drain. On average, students lose 10 weeks before they can fully focus on their studies and daily life: • 7 weeks spent on high-stress housing searches • 3 weeks navigating administrative procedures and setting up essential services This time is lost to searching, comparing, waiting, and correcting mistakes — rather than studying, working, or integrating into the local environment.

The solution

Student Compass is a mobile-first app that acts as a shared infrastructure layer between students, institutions, and local service providers. The app transforms a fragmented relocation and onboarding process into a single, structured, and city-integrated system — guiding students from pre-arrival to everyday student life. Rather than relying on scattered information across government websites, university pages, agencies, and informal channels, Student Compass provides a clear, sequenced environment aligned with how students actually arrive, settle, and integrate into a city. Infrastructure, Not Replacement Student Compass does not replace universities, municipalities, or existing service providers. Instead, it functions as a coordination and orientation layer that connects students to what is already there. The App: 📍 Shows students which institutions, services, and systems exist 📍 Explains how they work and when they are relevant 📍 Directs students to the correct official channels and verified local partners By teaching students how to navigate the city’s existing ecosystem, Student Compass reduces confusion, errors, and unnecessary pressure on institutional support services — while improving outcomes for all parties involved. Platform Architecture The app is built around three connected layers, ordered by impact and institutional relevance. 1. Structured Student Onboarding (Core Layer) At its foundation, Student Compass provides step-by-step guidance for all essential procedures students must complete when moving to a new city. This includes: • BSN registration • Residence permits • Health insurance • Tuition setup and student finance • Work regulations and taxes Each procedure is presented with: • Clear steps and required documents • Direct links to official appointment booking, opened directly in the app • Urgency indicators and legal timelines • Time estimates and progress tracking This core layer replaces fragmented instructions across multiple institutional platforms with one reliable, structured flow. Impact: ✓ Higher compliance and preparedness of students ✓ Fewer administrative errors ✓ Significantly reduced stress during the first weeks ✓ Less repetitive support pressure on universities and municipalities 2. Housing, Services & Social Integration Ecosystem Built on top of the onboarding flow, Student Compass connects students to a verified local ecosystem covering the most critical and high-risk aspects of relocation. Housing & Roommate Matching • Students gain access to: • Verified housing options with transparent pricing • Roommate matching based on lifestyle, habits, and preferences This directly addresses one of the biggest stress factors in student life — where and with whom you live — while improving safety, trust, and decision quality. Buddy Matching Across Faculties To support social integration beyond administration, Student Compass enables: Buddy matching across different faculties Matching based on interests, lifestyle, and social preferences (“matching your vibe”) This reduces isolation, breaks faculty silos, and helps students build meaningful social networks earlier, especially important for international and first-year students. Essential Local Services Students can also access: • Banking, mobile plans, insurance, and mobility • City-specific student services and verified local partners For local businesses, this creates structured, relevant exposure based on real student needs and timing — rather than unfiltered visibility through informal channels. 3. Personal Guide & Assistant (Scout) Scout is the interface layer that helps students navigate the system effectively. Rather than being a standalone feature, Scout is connected to: The student’s profile and personal timeline Active procedures and upcoming deadlines Academic calendar elements such as exams or resits Students can ask practical, context-aware questions such as: • What still needs to be completed • What applies to their specific situation • Where and when a class or an exam takes place Scout reduces cognitive load and search time by helping students act at the right moment — while the underlying structure remains the core value. Impact By combining structured onboarding, a verified local ecosystem, and a context-aware guide, Student Compass replaces weeks of uncertainty with a clear, manageable process. The result: ✓ Significant time savings for students ✓ Better compliance and preparedness ✓ Higher student well-being and retention ✓ Reduced pressure on universities and municipalities ✓ Stronger integration between students, institutions, and the local economy Student Compass is currently live in public beta and actively used and iterated with students in Maastricht.