I'm not on Erasmus — can I still get an ESN buddy?

Buddy schemes are run section by section and usually built around incoming Erasmus and exchange students. Degree-seeking students aren't always matched automatically, but most ESN sections welcome you at their open events anyway. Email your local ESN section or your university's international office and ask — they will point you to what's open to you.

When is the best time to make friends?

The first two or three weeks of each semester. Welcome week, orientation and the early ESN events are when everyone is new and looking to connect. It gets harder once groups settle, so say yes to things early even if you're tired or jet-lagged.

Do I need to speak Lithuanian to make local friends?

No. Most students under 35 speak good English and university life runs in English for international programmes. But learning a few words — labas (hi), ačiū (thank you) — genuinely warms people up and is an easy conversation starter.

Lithuanians seem cold — is something wrong?

No. People here are reserved with strangers and don't smile on cue; it's the northern temperament, not rejection. Once you're past the first few conversations, friendships tend to be loyal and long-lasting.

How do I meet locals, not just other internationals?

Join an interest-based group — a sports team, a society, a volunteering project or a language tandem. Shared activity beats small talk. ESN events and university clubs both mix locals and internationals.

How to make friends as an international student in Lithuania

The fastest route to friends is to plug into the structures built for exactly this: your ESN section, welcome week, and a couple of university clubs. Show up in the first two weeks, say yes to things, and the rest follows. The path differs a little depending on whether you're here on Erasmus, as a degree-seeking student, or short-term — so here's what works for each.

Start with ESN (especially if you're on exchange)

The Erasmus Student Network (ESN) is a Europe-wide student association with nine active sections across Lithuania (ESN accounts directory). It's the single easiest entry point.

In Vilnius: ESN Vilnius University, ESN VILNIUS TECH (Vilnius Gediminas Technical University), ESN MRU Vilnius (Mykolas Romeris University) and ESN ISM.
In Kaunas: ESN VMU (Vytautas Magnus University), ESN KTU (Kaunas University of Technology), ESN LSMU (health sciences), ESN LSU (sports university) and ESN KK (Kauno kolegija).

Pick the section attached to your own university — that's where your buddy and the events aimed at you will be. To act on this:

Get a Buddy. Many sections match incoming students with a local-student volunteer who can meet you on arrival, help you settle into the dormitory, and become your first friend in the country (ESN Vilnius University).
Go to the events. ESN sections run city tours, Baltic trips, game nights, parties, photo hikes, volunteering days and language crash courses throughout the semester. You don't need to know anyone to turn up.
Find your section. Search "ESN" plus your university name, or ask your international office. Their Facebook and Instagram pages are where the events actually get posted — websites are often out of date, so follow the socials.

Message ESN before you arrive

Many sections take buddy requests in the weeks before term starts. Sorting this early means a friendly face on day one instead of an empty room.

EU vs non-EU vs Erasmus

Erasmus / exchange students are ESN's core audience — buddies and welcome programmes are usually aimed at you first.
Degree-seeking students (EU or non-EU) aren't always auto-matched with a buddy, but ESN events are generally open to all internationals. Just ask your section what you can join.
Everyone can use the international office. ISM, for example, plans seminars, picnics, city tours and a Lithuanian language crash course during welcome week (ISM).

Use welcome week and orientation

The first two to three weeks of the semester are when friendships form. Everyone is new, no groups have hardened yet, and the calendar is packed with events designed to mix people. This window closes fast — so prioritise it over almost everything else.

Attend every orientation session, even the dull-sounding ones.
Sit next to someone you don't know and ask what programme they're on.
Swap numbers and add yourself to the course or dormitory group chats — that's where plans actually happen.

Join something based on interest

Shared activity beats forced small talk. Lithuanian universities run lively societies and clubs — sports teams, choirs, robotics, debate, volunteering (Study in Lithuania).

Want to meet...	Try this
Other internationals	ESN events, dormitory common rooms, course group chats
Locals	University societies, sports clubs, volunteering, language tandems
People who share a hobby	Meetup groups, gym or climbing walls, board-game cafés
A language partner	Tandem, a Meetup language exchange, or a university language café (Tandem Vilnius)

Try a language exchange

Practising Lithuanian (or just meeting people over languages) is one of the most natural ways in:

University language cafés. Several universities run relaxed weekly Lithuanian-conversation sessions with a tutor — Vilnius University, for example, has hosted an Arqus Lithuanian Language Café. Ask your international office or language centre what's running this semester.
Tandem and Meetup. The Tandem app lists hundreds of Vilnius speakers, and there are recurring in-person language-exchange meetups in the city (search "Vilnius language exchange" on Meetup or Facebook). These mix locals and internationals by design.

Find your nationality community

Most larger nationalities have an established, year-round community that long outlasts any single cohort — a soft landing for your first weeks, and often the people who'll explain the paperwork. There are active Facebook communities for Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos and others living in Lithuania. Women of any nationality can also join Girl Gone International (GGI) Vilnius, a free, volunteer-run chapter of a worldwide women's community that holds casual meetups. Search the group name plus "Lithuania" or "Vilnius", and verify it's real and active before relying on it.

Cross-check before you trust the chat

Nationality and cohort groups are great for company and tips, but they are not an official source. Cross-check any visa, work or health-insurance advice against the relevant authority — see our directory of Facebook, WhatsApp and Telegram groups to join for the verified links and the scam warnings.

Learn the social rhythm

Set honest expectations first: Lithuanians warm up slowly. People here are reserved with strangers, don't smile on cue and rarely make small talk with someone they've just met — this is the northern temperament, not rejection or dislike. The pay-off is that friendships, once formed, tend to be loyal and long-lasting. Expect the first few weeks to feel like effort rather than instant chemistry.

A few habits make a real difference:

Make the first move. Be the one to say "hi" first — most people are quietly glad someone did.
Don't read coldness into reserve. Strangers here aren't effusive, but warmth comes once you're past the first few conversations.
Try the language. Locals appreciate the effort even if your accent is rough; a couple of Lithuanian phrases open doors.
Say yes to the small stuff. Day trips to Trakai or the coast, a jazz bar, a study session — bonding happens through shared experiences, not introductions.

If your cohort is small

Many international programmes — and smaller cities and universities — have modest intakes, so don't expect a huge crowd. A small cohort can mean quiet group chats, a handful of classmates and events that don't always fill up. That's normal, not a sign you've landed in the wrong place. Cast a slightly wider net: combine your own programme with ESN events, a nationality community, a language exchange and one interest-based club, rather than relying on your class alone. A few consistent connections beat a big group chat that never meets.

Loneliness is normal at first

The first month abroad can feel isolating for almost everyone, including people who look perfectly settled. If low mood lingers, it's worth talking to someone — your university almost certainly has a student counsellor, often free.

A simple first-week plan

Day 1–2: Message your ESN section and join your dormitory and course chats.
Week 1: Go to two ESN or welcome events and one club taster session.
Week 2–3: Sign up for one regular activity (sport, society or a language tandem) so you keep seeing the same faces.

Consistency is what turns acquaintances into friends — pick one or two things and show up repeatedly.