Gentstudent _ Ghent Student Life, Instagram and Shop - Discussions

Gentstudent is a student-life media brand from Ghent, Belgium. It posts funny, cheeky photos and videos of real student life in the city, mainly on Instagram and Snapchat, and it sells its own clothing through its official shop at gentstudent.com. It is run by AB Media Gcv and it is independent. It is not a university, not a college, and not an official channel of any school.

If you study in Ghent, you have probably seen the posts. A packed lecture hall. A bike pile outside a student bar. Exam-week chaos in a dorm kitchen. That mix of humor and recognition is the whole point, and it is why the brand grew so fast.

Quick facts

• What: Student-life media brand and clothing label from Ghent (Gent), Belgium
• Run by: AB Media Gcv
• Started: 2015, as a Snapchat account
• Official website: gentstudent.com, registered 8 April 2017
• Followers: 214,000+ recorded in a 2021 WIPO domain decision
• Trademark: GENTSTUDENT is a registered Benelux trademark, filed 13 March 2019 and registered 21 November 2019
• Official app: None. There is no Gentstudent app in the Play Store or App Store

From a Snapchat account to a real brand

Gentstudent started in 2015 as a Snapchat account. Students sent in photos and short videos of Ghent student life, and the account shared the best ones. Lecture halls, parties, libraries, late-night food runs, the everyday stuff every student knows. People loved it because it felt real, not polished.

The audience grew quickly. By 2017 the founder was also selling clothing under the Gentstudent name through gentstudent.com, and the domain was registered on 8 April 2017. Hoodies and tees with the name on them turned followers into walking billboards around the city. You still see the clothing on campus today.

The brand kept growing after that. A WIPO domain decision from 2021 (case D2021-1595) records more than 214,000 followers and treats Gentstudent as an established name. The GENTSTUDENT trademark was filed in the Benelux on 13 March 2019 and registered on 21 November 2019, which tells you the team took the brand seriously early on. If you want the full timeline, read our explainer on what Gentstudent is and how it started.

Instagram, Snapchat and the content

Social media is where Gentstudent actually lives. Instagram is the main home now, with Snapchat still part of the story it started with. The posts are short, visual and built to be shared. A lot of it is humor about lectures, exams, professors, student housing and nightlife. Some of it is provocative on purpose. That edge is part of why people follow it, and part of why it gets talked about.

You do not need an account on any special platform to follow along. You just follow the brand's verified social accounts and check the official site. Anything else using the name should make you pause and check twice. We cover the safe way to follow and buy in our page on the Gentstudent shop and socials.

The apparel shop

The shop at gentstudent.com is the only official place to buy Gentstudent clothing. That is where the hoodies, tees and other items with the brand name are sold. If a random webshop offers you Gentstudent gear at a strange discount, treat it with suspicion. Counterfeit student merch is common, and the quality is usually poor.

Buying from the official shop also supports the people who actually make the content. It sounds obvious, but with a name this well known in one city, copies pop up fast. Stick to gentstudent.com and you know where your money goes.

Why Ghent? Student life in the city

Ghent is one of the biggest student cities in Belgium. Ghent University (UGent) is here, along with Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, HOGENT and other colleges. Together they bring tens of thousands of students into a fairly compact, historic city center. That density is exactly what makes a brand like Gentstudent work. Everyone shares the same streets, the same bars, the same exam stress.

One thing needs to be clear. Gentstudent is not affiliated with UGent, Artevelde, HOGENT or any other school. It does not speak for them and they do not run it. It is an independent media brand that happens to be about student life in their city. Students follow it for fun, not for official news. For exam dates, enrollment or grades, you always go to your own institution.

Gentstudent vs Gentlestudent: one letter, two projects

This trips up a lot of people. Gentstudent, the media brand on this page, has no letter L after Gent. Gentlestudent, spelled with -le-, is a completely different project. It is a learning platform from Artevelde University of Applied Sciences, built around Open Badges and beacons, and it lives at gentlestudent.gent.

So if you are looking for memes and hoodies, you want Gentstudent. If your teacher sent you to a learning platform with badges, you want Gentlestudent. Mixing them up is easy, and you would not be the first. We break the difference down step by step in our Gentstudent vs Gentlestudent comparison.

Warning: there is no official Gentstudent app

Please read this part carefully. There is no official Gentstudent app. Not on Android, not on iPhone. If a website offers you a Gentstudent APK download, a math solver, a social app or anything similar under this name, it is not official. Do not install it.

Fake apps are a real risk. They can carry ads, trackers or worse, and some try to steal logins. Never log in with your Instagram, Snapchat, school or email password inside an app that claims to be Gentstudent. The only places you should ever interact with the brand are gentstudent.com and its verified social media accounts. Our download page explains why there is no app and where to go instead.

Frequently asked questions

Is Gentstudent part of Ghent University?

No. Gentstudent is an independent brand run by AB Media Gcv. It covers student life in Ghent, but UGent, Artevelde and HOGENT do not own it or control what it posts.

Where can I buy official Gentstudent clothing?

Only at the official website, gentstudent.com. That shop has sold Gentstudent clothing since 2017. Other shops using the name are not official.

Is there a Gentstudent app I can download?

No. There is no official app in the Play Store or App Store. Any APK or app using the Gentstudent name is unofficial. Do not install it and do not log in through it.

What is the difference between Gentstudent and Gentlestudent?

Gentstudent is the student-life media brand and shop. Gentlestudent, with -le-, is an Artevelde learning platform that uses Open Badges and beacons. Different spelling, different owners, different purpose.

When did Gentstudent start?

It started in 2015 as a Snapchat account sharing student photos and videos from Ghent. Clothing sales through gentstudent.com followed in 2017, and the Benelux trademark was registered in 2019.

Gentstudent works because every student in Ghent recognizes the moments it posts. Follow it on its official channels, buy from the official shop if you want the clothing, and skip any app that borrows the name. That is really all you need to enjoy it safely.