Belgium offers world-renowned universities, excellent opportunities for international networking, a multicultural population, a host of fabulous cuisines, beautiful countryside, and multilingual cities. The higher education system in Belgium is one of esteem and quality.
The Belgian educational system offers subsidized tuition fees estimated to be about €979.60 – €8,000 for international students depending on your program. Belgian Universities offer high-quality training in both basic and applied programmes in 21 extremely varied fields in the human and social sciences, health, art and science, and technology.
Higher education institutions in Belgium include universities, university colleges, art colleges, institutes of architecture, and the Royal Military Academy.
In Belgium, a bachelor’s degree usually takes three years (180 credits) to complete while a master’s degree takes up to one to two years (120 credits). Bachelor’s degrees are categorized as either a ‘professional/vocational bachelor’ or an ‘academic bachelor’. Bachelor’s and master’s degrees can be awarded by both colleges and universities in Belgium, while PhDs are only awarded by universities.
In addition to the tuition fees, your budget mainly depends on the type of accommodation chosen and your lifestyle, you will need about €950 per month. University accommodation in Belgium is often readily available for short-term or international students; however, if you wish to rent a private flat, it’s often necessary to sign a one-year contract. Expect to pay between €300 and €800 per month. As an international student, you’re allowed to work if you’re in a full-time course in a higher establishment recognized by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and in possession of a valid residence permit. Its student vibrant cities are Brussels, Liège, Leuven, Antwerp, Bruges, and Ghent.
Requirements Needed to Apply to a Belgian University.
- Senior School Certificate with at least 6 credited subjects including English and Mathematics (WAEC, NECO, GCE).
- Year one university education transcripts.
- Bachelor’s degree certificate.
- Full university transcripts.
- English language proficiency requirements (TOEFL, IELTS, Pearson Test of English, etc).
- French or Dutch language proficiency requirements if applicable, these include DELF, CNavT, etc.
- Tuition fees.
- A duly completed and signed university application form.
- A copy of your international passport or identity card.
- Curriculum vitae with the following data: name and first name, place and date of birth, official address, phone number, and email address, a summary of previous studies (secondary and higher education), and professional activities if applicable.
- Legalized copies of your educational certificates, such as WAEC, Bachelor degree, etc. legalization of certificates involves the following three places such as
*Ministry of Education
*Ministry of Foreign Affairs
*And the Embassy of Belgium
- An academic transcript of your SSCE or Bachelor’s degree with the following information:
*all attended courses
* The study load of each course (indicated in contact hours and study points or (ECTS) credits)
*The examination results
*The title of the dissertation (thesis)
*The final evaluation
- Letter of recommendation from professors, employers, HOD, etc
- Letter of motivation
- A copy of your dissertation (thesis).
- Application fee of €50
Please take note that these documents need to be written in Dutch, English, French, or German and stamped by the issuing university.
Top 9 universities in Belgium
- Catholic University of Louvain (UCL): This is a catholic university located in Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia, Belgium. It offers courses in the faculties of Theology, Law and Criminology, Economics, Social and Political Sciences and Communication, Management, Philosophy, Arts and Literature, Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Faculty of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, Public Health, Motor Sciences, Sciences, Louvain School of Engineering, Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Urban Planning, Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Engineering.
Programmes and courses link: https://uclouvain.be/en/study, https://uclouvain.be/en/study/study-in-belgium-ti.html, https://uclouvain.be/en/study/master.html
- University of Namur (UNamur): This university is located in Namur; it is a Catholic public university in the French Community of Belgium. It offers teaching and research in six Faculties in the fields of:
Philosophy and Letters
Law
Economic, Social, and Management Sciences
Computer Sciences
Sciences
Medicine
Programmes and courses link: https://www.unamur.be/en/teaching/en-pgm
- Free University of Brussels (ULB): It is located in Brussels, Belgium. The university is organized into 8 faculties with specialties in education, research, and service to the community. The university provides bachelor, master, and doctoral education covering a broad range of fields, which are:
Faculty of Economic and Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy
Faculty of Law and Criminology
Programmes and courses link: https://www.ulb.be/en/international, https://www.ulb.be/en/enrolment/useful-information-for-foreign-students
- University of Mons (UMons): This is a new Belgian university located in the city of Mons. It consists of seven faculties, three institutes, and four research centers focusing on twenty research fields. These faculties are listed as;
Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences
Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
Faculty of Sciences
Faculty of Translation and Interpretation (EII)
Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning
Faculté Polytechnique de Mons (FPMs) – Faculty of Engineering
Faculty of Economics and Management
Programmes and courses link: https://web.umons.ac.be/en/you-are/international-students/, https://web.umons.ac.be/en/training-offer/
- University of Liège (ULg): This public university is located in the French community of Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. It consists of 10 Faculties, 2 schools, and 45 departments such as;
Faculty of Philosophy and Letters
Faculty of Law and Political Science
Faculty of Science
Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science (Applied Science)
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Faculty of Agronomical Science and Biological Engineering
Faculty of Psychology and Education
Faculty of Social Science
Faculty of Architecture & Urban Planning
Programmes and courses link: https://www.enseignement.uliege.be/cms/c_9116345/en/international-programmes
- University of Ghent (UGhent): This public research university is located in Ghent, Belgium. It has a variety of top world rankings under its belt. Ghent University consists of eleven faculties, composed of more than 130 departments. These departments include;
Faculty of Bio-science Engineering
Faculty of Law
Faculty of Sciences
Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
Faculty of Engineering and Architecture
Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Programmes and courses link: https://www.ugent.be/en/programmes
- Catholic University of Leuven: The University of Leuven was founded at the center of the historic town of Leuven. There are 4 English bachelor programs and many different Master programs in English. The faculties in this university include the Faculty of Kinesiology and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Bioscience Engineering, Economics & Business, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies, Faculty of Engineering Science, Faculty of Engineering Technology, Arts, Law, Social Sciences, etc.
Programmes and courses link: https://www.kuleuven.be/english/faculties_schools
- University of Antwerp (UAntwerp): This university is located in the city of Antwerp, Belgium. The University of Antwerp has 33 academic bachelor programmes, 69 master programmes, 18 master-after-master programmes, and 23 postgraduates. In addition, there are 31 programmes completely taught in English (13 master, 14 master-after-master, and 4 postgraduate programmes). All of these programmes are divided into 9 faculties such as: The faculty of Applied Economics, Applied Engineering Sciences, Arts, Design Sciences, Law, Medicine and Health Sciences, Pharmaceutical, Veterinary, and Biomedical Sciences, Social Sciences, and Science.
Programmes and courses link: https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/study/admission-and-enrolment/admission/master/
- University of Hasselt: This university has campuses in Hasselt and Diepenbeek, Belgium. It offers academic courses from the faculties of Medicine and Life Sciences, Sciences, Engineering technology, business economics, law, architecture and arts, and transportation science.
Programmes and courses link: https://www.uhasselt.be/en/study/programmes?Opleidingstypes=25&OnderwijstaalEngels=true
Admission Link: https://www.uhasselt.be/en/study/application-and-admission/application-process
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