Belgium is a multi-lingual country that offers a quality education at a cheap price. It is one of the few countries that offer free education – only requiring very affordable registration fees along the way.
If you plan on taking your bachelor’s or master’s degree abroad, then make sure to try for any of these cheap universities in Belgium.
What Are the General Requirements to Study in Belgium?
Apart from filling out an application form, applicants need to submit requirements such as a high school/bachelor’s diploma, transcript of records, passport photocopy, resume, etc. Other documents may be needed for courses with strict selection procedures, such as Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary Science, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Engineering.
Check Also: Available Programs for International Students
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.
What is the Best Checking Account for International Students in Belgium?
As an international student planning on studying in Belgium, you are not short of options when opening a bank account. The process of opening a bank account in Belgium involves providing identification documents (passport or ID card), proof of residence, and sometimes proof of registration of residence with the municipality. If you want to avoid the hassle of gathering all these documents and going to a bank after you arrive in Belgium, we suggest using financial services like Wise, Revolut, and N26.
We recommend Wise as they support more countries than their counterparts. Through Wise, you can get a multi-currency account without having to step foot in any bank and without even having to leave your own country. Wise offers the best checking account for international students because not only is it completely free to open and hold an account with them, but they also offer the best currency conversion rates out there, meaning that if you are holding funds in any other currency than the Euro, you’ll be saving a lot by using Wise. You can also use Wise to pay for your tuition and visa fees before leaving your country. Make your Wise account now and enjoy fast, cheap, secure international transfers.
For
€7, you can order a Wise Visa debit card that you can use for all your day-to-day transactions. While in Belgium, you can set up direct debits if you use Wise to pay for your accommodation fees, and you won’t have to worry about missing your rent payments.
Make a Wise account and order your
debit card now!
Affordable Universities 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 the tuition fee starting from €835 for undergraduate students, Université Libre de Bruxelles is the cheapest university in Belgium for international students.
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.
ULB is currently organized into the Faculties of Architecture, Physical Science, Arts & Philosophy, Psychology & Education, Law & Criminology, Social & Political Science, Science, and European Studies.
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, it 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 cheap university in Belgium only has about 4,000+ students enrolled, it continues to attract learners worldwide due to its unique offerings. For one, it offers 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. Université de 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 and letters, Science, Social Science, Law and Political Science, Medicine, Applied Science, Veterinary Medicine, Agro-Science and Bioengineering, Psychology and Education, Management, and Architecture.
The university, ranked as one of the best in Belgium, is highly regarded for its Clinical, Physical Science, and Computer Science programs. It also ranks for the Arts & Humanities, Engineering, and Social Science.
20% of the university’s almost 21,000 students are from outside the country.
4. Ghent University
Ghent University, popularly known as UGhent, 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. These are the Faculties of Arts and Philosophy, Law, Science, Bio-science and Engineering, Medicine and Health, Engineering and architecture, Economics and business, Veterinary Medicine, Psychology and education, Pharmacy, and Political and Social Science.
As one of the biggest Flemish universities, UGhent has a whopping population of 50,000+ students, including more than 7,000 grouped as foreign nationals.
UGhent is not only affordable but is also ranked as the second-best educational institution in all of Belgium. As of the recent survey, it leads in Life Science and Arts & 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.
To date, the University of Antwerp offers 31 bachelor’s degrees and 78 master’s programs in the fields of Business, Arts, Applied Engineering, Law, Medicine and health, Design Science, Pharmacy and Veterinary Science, Science, and Social Science.
As one of the best universities in Belgium, This cheap university in Belgium leads in the young school rankings (13) – 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.
Although the university only offers 21 bachelor’s and 13 graduate programs in Management, Technology, Health, Education, and Wellness, it has a burgeoning student population. 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.
We hope this article on the cheap universities in Belgium for international students was helpful. To know more information like this, check out the Programs in Europe for International Students!
