A small country, with an amazing cultural history, Belgium is home to 11,5 million people and has land borders with Germany, Luxembourg, France and the Netherlands.
With a welcoming environment for students, Belgium is a country where people speak French, Dutch, German and English. The French community offers education in French and English and the Flemish community in Dutch and English.
It’s also perfectly positioned if you wish to spend your spare time exploring Europe. For example, Brussels is located 1.5 hour by plane from Barcelona and Berlin, 2.5 hours by car from Paris, or 2 hours by high-speed train from London.
Why study here
Studying in Belgium offers more than a rich cultural pastime, thanks to many excellent higher education institutions (HEIs) dotted across the country. They do cater for international students, with many courses taught partly or fully in English.
In all, 25% of students enrolled in our HEIs are foreigners and the number of international PhD students reaches almost 50%.
Part of European Higher Education Area (EHEA)
Education in Belgium is an integrated part of the EHEA. This results from the commitment made by the authorities and the HEIs to guarantee the quality of higher education, to encourage student mobility and to make the academic system international and democratic. This also means that any credits acquired or degree awarded in Belgium can be recognised in the 48 countries of the EHEA.
The HEIs in Belgium issue Bachelor degrees, Master degrees and Doctorates corresponding to three cycle structures. The programmes are defined in credits compatible with the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). ECTS is a standard for comparing the study attainment and performance of students of higher education across the EHEA. For successfully completed studies, ECTS credits are awarded.
There are 11 universities, 30 university colleges and 19 schools of arts, all recognized and subsidized by the Belgian authorities. More information about our HEIs from the French community and the Flemish community.
From IT to law in English
Though most courses are taught in French and in Dutch, there are an increasing amount of internationally aimed courses that allow you to study in English. The HEIs offer hundreds of study programmes (Bachelors, Masters and Doctorates) fully or partly taught in English in various subjects of IT, Biomedical sciences, Engineering, Management, Economics, Law, to name but a few. These programmes are listed on https://www.studyinbelgium.be/en/our-formations and https://www.studyinflanders.be/programmes.
In general, you have to prove your English language skills by showing the results of an accepted English Language test. You typically need a score of at least 6.0 IELTS or TOEFL 600 (Paper Based), or 213 (Computer Based).
Affordable tuition fees
Belgium uses the Euro for its currency and enjoys a high standard of living. It isn’t an expensive place to live and there are also many discounts available and opportunities for international students to save money with offers on recreational activities.
International students will need to pay specific registration fees, for which the maximum annual amount is set as INR 332,600 in universities. In university colleges and schools of arts, the amount of tuition fees will depend on the type of studies and the year concerned : for one year, it is estimated between Rs 79,000 and Rs 158,000.
Some scholarships are available for studying in Belgium: https://www.studyinbelgium.be/en/scholarships and https://www.studyinflanders.be/scholarships.
Visa
Nationals from outside the European Union or the European Economic Area will need a visa to study here. The visa must last longer than 90 days, although it does depend on what course you are planning on taking. All details in this matter can be found at www.vfsglobal.com/Belgium/India.
