History

ESN Edinburgh, formerly known as the International and Exchange Student Society, was the combination of two pre-existing groups, the International Student Centre and Exchange 360, that catered to international and exchange students respectively. The International Student Centre started in 1995 when a group of students felt it essential to create a place by international students for international students. Integrating into a new culture is not easy and international students often felt isolated and homesick, this group wanted a place where all could feel accepted. In 2010, the student society Exchange 360 was founded to share experiences and information with students interested in exchange programs, as well as welcome incoming exchange students and integrate them into the community.

However, with the growing overlap in audience, activities and aims, a bilateral consensus to become more effective by coordinating and sharing resources was reached and the IESS was born in 2018. With the growth in membership due to the merging of two societies, the committee felt like the IESS could offer even more to international and exchange students in terms of support and experiences within Scotland and beyond. This resulted in IESS’s membership with the Erasmus Student Network (ESN) in 2019, which included the benefit of ESN cards that gives members discounts with certain websites when travelling within the UK and Europe.

ESN Edinburgh has close connections, a long history and, support from both the University and the Student Union for its important role in promoting the experience and welfare of international and exchange students. This included the establishment of the lounge (currently located in the Activities Hub at Pleasance), the provision of trips, social events, and the Buddy Program, as well as bringing the complaints and queries of international students to the attention of the university. For example, the ESN Edinburgh (as the previous ISC and IESS) persistently lobbied the university on behalf of international students for better financial support and representation within its members and officers. While the role of ESN Edinburgh is undergoing refinement in these early stages of development with our association with the Erasmus Student Network, we remain autonomous. Our main priority and goal is to build a community for our students, especially foreign ones, through our provision of trips, social events, and the running of the lounge.