Belgium is a multilingual country that offers quality education at a cheap price. It is one of the few countries that provides education at a minimal cost, requiring only very affordable registration fees.
Though the living expenses in the country can be costly, you can reduce the overall costs by choosing to study at a low-cost university. Don’t worry about the quality as the education system in Belgium is cut above the rest. You’ll be provided with exceptional education whether you enroll in an expensive or cheap institution.
So if you plan on taking your bachelor’s or master’s degree abroad, then make sure to try any of these affordable universities in Belgium.
Affordable Schools in Belgium for International Students
1. Université Libre de Bruxelles
The brainchild of lawyer and politician Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, the Université Libre de Bruxelles or ULB is a free-education university established in 1834. Although it started as bilingual (teaching in Dutch and French), the university has become predominantly French-speaking.
With a €835 tuition fee for both undergraduate and graduate students, Université Libre de Bruxelles is the cheapest university in Belgium for international students. Additionally, Ph.D. students pay €835 in their first years and in the next years, they pay €32.
Labeled as one of the best universities in the country, ULB is famous for its social, physical, and life science programs. It also ranks globally in business, arts & humanities, clinical health, and computer science.
2. Université Saint-Louis – Bruxelles
Saint Louis University in Brussels – or UC Louvain Saint-Louis Brussels – is a ‘free education’ institution specializing in the Social and Human Sciences. Formerly, the Facultés Universitaires Saint-Louis has taken its current name to denote its relationship with the UC Louvain system.
The university, which has campuses in Saint-Louis and Marie-Haps, is divided into the Faculties of Philosophy, Law, Economics, Translation & Interpretation, and European Studies. All in all, these departments oversee 25 bachelor’s programs and 2 master’s degrees.
Although this affordable university in Belgium only has about 4,500+ students enrolled, it continues to attract learners worldwide due to its unique offerings such as trilingual programs and an English-taught Business degree. It also offers evening classes and an opportunity to complete a double degree in certain disciplines.
3. University of Liège
The University of Liege, one of the cheapest universities in Belgium, is an institution in the French region of Wallonia, Belgium. It first opened its doors in the year 1817 through the efforts of King William I of the Netherlands.
The university has become a major institution from a simple mining school with various faculties. Today, students can specialize in philosophy, social science, law, medicine, veterinary medicine, psychology and education, and architecture to name a few.
20% of the university’s almost 21,000 students are from outside the country.
4. Ghent University
Ghent University, popularly known as UGent, is a state university in East Flanders’s capital. Founded in 1817 by Dutch King William I, it is the first university in Belgium to use the Dutch language.
This affordable university in Belgium is currently organized into 11 faculties that oversee 130 departments. As one of the biggest Flemish universities, UGent has a whopping population of 50,000+ students, including more than 7,000 grouped as foreign nationals.
UGent is not only affordable but also ranked as one of the educational institutions in Belgium. According to a recent survey, it leads in the field of Life Science and Arts and Humanities. It’s also renowned for its clinical and social science programs.
5. Hasselt University
Hasselt University was founded in 1971 as the Limburgs Universitair Centrum before it changed its name in 2005. Today, the institution – considered one of the world’s best ‘young’ universities – has campuses in both Hasselt and Diepenbeek.
The university offers various graduate programs through the Faculties of Medicine & Life Science, Science, Engineering Technology, Business & Economics, Law, Architecture & Arts, and Transportation Science. However, it’s widely known for its Life & Clinical Health courses, followed by its Engineering and Physical Science degrees.
Despite having a small student population of only 6,700+ enrollees, the university has a growing international community. Currently, around 1,200+ of its learners are foreigners.
6. University of Antwerp
Universiteit Antwerpen is a public educational institution established in the year 1852. Also known as UA, it can trace its roots back to the Jesuit-found Sint-Ignatius Handelshogeschool. In the 1960s, it was granted university status, named the Universitaire Faculteiten Sint-Ignatius Antwerpen.
As one of the best universities in Belgium, This cheap university leads in the young school rankings – and the fields of social sciences, business and economics, arts and humanities, and life sciences.
Since UA offers 20 master’s degrees in English, it has seen many foreign students searching for European education. 17% of its 21,00+ student population comes from nations all across the globe.
7. UC Leuven-Limburg
UC Leuven-Limburg, or UCLL, is one of Belgium’s youngest universities considered a ‘Catholic applied science school’.
Founded in 2014, it was created following the merger of the Katholieke Hogeschool Limburg and the Leuven University College. As a member of the KU Leuven network, it operates 10 campuses in Diest, Leuven, Hasselt, Genk, and Diepenbeek.
To date, the UCLL is home to 16,000+ local and foreign students. This popularity is attributed to the university’s wide array of English-taught programs, including a Bachelor’s in Management Marketing, International Management, and Design Thinking & Innovation. It also offers English-taught post-graduate courses in International Education, Content and Language Learning, and International Cooperation.
FAQs: Studying in Belgium
Do Universities in Belgium Offer English-taught Programs?
Yes, some Belgian universities offer certain courses in English. At the University of Namur, where French is the primary medium, several bachelor’s and master’s subjects are taught in English. The same goes for Université Saint-Louis, which offers English classes in the Faculties of Philosophy, Economics, and Law.
As an international student, if you are looking for world-class higher education in Belgium and at the same time don’t want to break the bank because of tuition fees, the above universities are worth giving a shot. Do your research and narrow down to the institution that best suits you. All the best!
We hope this article on the cheap universities in Belgium for international students was helpful. For more information like this, check out the Study in Belgium and Available Programs in Europe for International Students pages.
