Study in Belgium
Verified essentialsWestern Europe · Official language: Dutch / French · Last updated 2026-06-01
Moderate tuition, EU institutions on the doorstep and strong programmes in public policy, biotech and engineering.
Public tuition
Official€4,000–€6,000 per year for non-EU students
Private tuition
Estimate€6,000–€12,000 per year
Living cost
Estimate€800–€1200 per month
Financial proof
OfficialRoughly €8,000 per year
Work while studying
Official20 hours per week
After graduation
Official12-month search year
Intakes
OfficialSeptember · February
Visa type
OfficialType D visa
English-taught availability
GuidanceModerate
How to read this page
- OfficialPublished by the authority that sets the rule. Confirm the current figure on the source before acting.
- EstimateA planning figure built from ranges and typical student spending. Not a quotation and not policy.
The full Belgium hub — admissions, visa steps, city costs and student life — is being written. The figures above are verified essentials; confirm them on the official immigration and university portals before making decisions.
Admission process
What changes between Flemish and French-speaking Belgium?
Admission is university by university, and the region decides the language, the equivalence procedure and the deadline — Flanders and Wallonia are effectively two systems.
- 1
Pick your region first
KU Leuven and Ghent (Flanders) teach in Dutch at Bachelor's with wide English Master's; ULB and UCLouvain (Wallonia/Brussels) teach mostly in French.
- 2
Apply for equivalence of your diploma
French-speaking Belgium requires an équivalence decision from the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, with a mid-July cut-off; Flanders handles recognition through NARIC Vlaanderen.
- 3
Apply to the university
Master's applications open around October–November, with non-EU deadlines commonly between 1 March and 1 June depending on the programme.
- 4
Prove language level
IELTS 6.5 for English-taught, French B2 (often DELF) or Dutch B2 (ITNA) for local-language programmes.
- 5
Apply for the type D visa
Show the admission letter, roughly €830 per month of funds, medical certificate and police clearance — Belgian files are document-heavy.
What quietly costs students an intake in Belgium
- Missing the separate équivalence deadline, which is earlier than the admission deadline.
- Assuming a Brussels programme is in English because the city is bilingual.
Review category: Admission requirements · next review due 2027-08-24
Official sources
- Study in Belgium — Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles Government
- NARIC Vlaanderen Government
Always confirm current requirements with the official source before acting. Figures labelled as estimates are planning aids, not policy.
Deadlines, portals and recognition bodies above are set by the authorities linked here. The sequencing advice and the mistakes list are our counselling judgement from working these files — useful, but not policy. Always confirm the current deadline on the programme page before you plan around it.
Scholarships
Funding relevant to Belgium
Trust
Sources and verification
Status is derived, not declared: a record with no attached primary source is never shown as verified, and records past their review date are flagged for re-checking.
Review category: Visa rules · next review due 2026-12-01
No primary source is attached to the Belgium record yet, so we do not present it as verified. Treat the figures as a starting point for your own checks.
Always confirm current requirements with the official source before acting. Figures labelled as estimates are planning aids, not policy.
Thinking seriously about Belgium?
Bring your marks, budget and target intake. We will map realistic options with you — no obligation to sign up for anything.