Study in Belgium
Study in Belgium, as one of our neighboring countries in the center of Europe, is automatically the contact point for German and international students. You have the choice between French, Dutch and English-speaking study programs. And maybe wondering about the conflict between the language communities.
Reasons to study in Belgium
Right in the heart of Europe: Belgium’s location, history and, of course, importance in the European context guarantee special status for the small kingdom. You can study in Belgium at a total of eleven universities, in addition to a few university equivalent Study system in Belgium
In Belgium, there are two types of higher education: the academic area is responsible for academic education, while non-university institutions impart mainly applied knowledge (roughly speaking, the latter can be compared with the German universities of applied sciences.) Speech communities.
Study in Belgium for international students
In Belgium, universities are found only in the French and Flemish communities – in the German-speaking part there is only one institution comparable to a university of applied sciences in Germany. Of course, this also means that as a German you do not enjoy language advantage if you are interested in university studies: in the Walloon part of Belgium, French is a prerequisite for admission to a university, in the Flemish part of the Netherlands. On the other hand, English (only in the master’s area) is usually required (only) English, which must be proven by appropriate test results (TOEFL or IELTS – at the respective university for details and necessary scores!).
University area: Bachelor and Master as usual
Belgium has also made the transition to the Bachelor-Master system behind it. At universities, the system is similar to that familiar from Germany.
Non-university area: Professional and Advanced Bachelor
Non-university higher education institutions make a significant difference to the German system: universities usually offer the “Professional Bachelor” degree, which, like the university undergraduate degree, also covers three academic years and 180 credits, but still does not allow a direct transition to a Master’s degree. In addition, bridge courses have to be passed in. Partly, the so-called “Advanced Bachelor” is offered based on the “Professional Bachelor”, in rare cases there are also suitable Masters, which are accessible without bridging
Courses, whereas the “Academic Bachelor” offers in principle the possibility of attending a Master’s degree immediately afterwards, but this is usually offered at universities only in the artistic field.
In the French-speaking part, the different bachelor names are not used, but there is also the requirement of bridging courses, if you want to change to a bachelor’s degree at a non-university university to a master’s degree at a university.
Application procedure at universities in Belgium
Basically, the German Abitur qualifies students to study at a Belgian university. A language test is – except for the very few German language courses – compulsory, depending on the country in Dutch or French. If you study an English-language study program, you will have to pass a test in Dutch or French, but of course you must have sufficient English language skills. There are entrance examinations for medicine and dentistry, as well as for artistic studies.
Achievements
At the Examinations Office of the home university or – in the case of degree programs that conclude with a state examination – at the responsible State Examination Office, it can be clarified to what extent the study achievements in Belgium can be credited to study at the German university. Although the Bologna Process should have brought simplifications in theory with the standardization of the bachelor’s / master’s degrees and the credit points of the ECTS – in practice, it can still still crunch.
Costs and financing
In Belgium, there are tuition fees of € 570 (Flanders / Dutch language colleges) or € 835 per academic year in the university bachelor (in the master may be more, less at non-university universities in Wallonia) compared to other countries are quite moderate.
There are many ways to at least partially finance your stay abroad: funding options include, for example, university exchange programs such as Erasmus, which provide partial scholarships. However, organizations such as the DAAD, foundation funds
Visa and health insurance for Belgium
As an EU citizen you only need a valid ID card to enter Belgium. However, in case of a longer stay, you have to get in touch with the local government, where an entry in the register of foreigners takes place u can also studying in Belgium in English.
As in Germany, students in Belgium have to have health insurance. A health insurance agreement between Belgium and Germany guarantees that students who are members of a statutory German health insurance can also benefit from the services of the Belgian health service after having submitted the necessary documents (usually the European Health Insurance Card). Nevertheless, it is highly recommended to contact the health insurance company before leaving and to inform about the details of the insurance cover.