Studying in Belgium

  

Context

In Belgium, the Communities are responsible for taking decisions on services for individuals, such as education. The Flemish Community is therefore responsible for education in the Dutch-speaking part of the country whilst the French Community is the competent authority for the French-speaking part of Belgium.


Entry requirements for Belgium

If you are from a non-European Union country, you may require a visa. For this and other questions, you should contact the Belgian embassy or Belgian consulate in your country: http://www.diplomatie.be/en/addresses/abroad/default.asp .

You can already read more about visa procedures at
http://www.diplomatie.be/en/travel/visaLangdetail.asp?TEXTID=22051 . 

Once you arrive in Belgium, details of your country's embassy or consulate may also be useful: http://www.diplomatie.be/en/addresses/belgium/adresdetail.asp?TEXTID=41201 .


Grants

The Belgian Development Cooperation website lists all official bodies which offer grants in Belgium:
http://www.dgdc.be/en/dgdc/grants/index.html .


Accommodation

Many schools and universities have rooms available for students or provide lists of rooms which are available to rent locally. As such, it is advisable to contact your educational establishment to find out this information.


Education in the Flemish Community

http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/english/

http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/publicaties/?get=INT&nr=140: Higher Education in Flanders brochure in pdf format. This brochure lists and explains the various degrees and diplomas which can be obtained from Flemish educational establishments. It also provides information on the range of study options in Flanders. The brochure also gives a comprehensive overview of higher education establishments and financial information on all types of courses (e.g. grants). 

http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/hogeronderwijs/NARIC/default.htm : This site tells you if your foreign diploma receives the same recognition in the Flemish Community as in your own country.

General site Study in Flanders


Education in the French Community

At http://www.enseignement.be/citoyens/index.asp  you can find an overview of opportunities for studying in French-speaking Belgium.

The site http://www.cfwb.be/infosup/pg009.htm gives details of who to contact if you would like more information.

http://www.cfwb.be/equival : This service deals with the equivalence of foreign primary and secondary education certificates. To find out if your university degree receives the same recognition in the French Community as in the country where you received it, write to the following e-mail address equi.oblig@cfwb.be or http://www.enseignement.be/citoyens/annuaires/sup/equivalences/equivalences.asp .

http://www.cfwb.be/allocations-etudes : useful information on how to submit an application for a student grant or student loan.


Education in the German-speaking Community

At http://www.unterrichtsverwaltung.be you can find an overview of opportunities for studying in German-speaking Belgium.


Other interesting links

http://europa.eu.int/ploteus : This is an extensive portal for the various schools, universities, etc. in Europe. It includes the Socrates/Erasmus programme for university and college students who have already completed one year of their studies. The grants system allows you to attend classes at a partner institution in another country. Some 29 countries, including 15 in Europe, are involved in this programme.

http://europa.eu.int/comm/education/programmes/socrates/comenius/index_fr.html : This is the website of the Comenius programme, which supports partnerships between educational establishments, training projects for teaching staff and education networks. The aim of Comenius is to improve the quality of education, strengthen the European dimension, encourage language learning and promote mobility of students and lecturers.