9 Cheap Universities in Belgium for International Students

Belgium has been accepting and hospitable in receiving international guests and students to their residence or territory. As of now, more than 11 million citizens of different ethnicity and different backgrounds reside in the country along with Belgian citizens. For this reason, Belgium has become one of the most globalized countries in the world.

Aside from their well-developed economy and industrialized country, they are also leading in providing high-quality education to those who want to pursue it. Not everyone knows how many known philosophers and scientists studied in this country and succeeded in their profession because they were not neglected by the country.

However, education in Belgium is not accessible for all. With this, all information related to cheap universities in Belgium is here and will guide you on how to get an education at the lowest price.

Cost of Studying in Belgium

The cost of studying and living in Belgium is relatively higher compared to other industrialized countries even if it has a good economy. University tuition fees depend on the three main regions of Belgium.

For local or domestic students, tuition fees do not exceed 835 EUR (988 USD) per year. On the other hand, up to five times, this price is the average tuition fee of international students ranging from 900 EUR up to 4,300 EUR (1,065 USD – 5100 USD) per year. The cheapest university in Belgium for international students is currently $290 a year.

Furthermore, the cost of living in Belgium for students annually depends on your accommodations and ranges from 750 EUR to 900 EUR. Being a regular international student with no scholarships or any financial assistance would be hard during your stay in Belgium so try to find some and apply to them.

Are Universities Free in Belgium?

Universities in Belgium are very far from being free even for its citizens. As of now, the country needs funds for developing assets and other fields of their economy and their budget would not be enough if they would be supporting universities.

Scholarships and financial assistance are being prioritized to its citizens along with being prioritized when applying for part-time jobs for their studies. On the other hand, international students are encouraged to get scholarships from their government aside from the scholarships offered in Belgium.

What are the languages of instruction for universities in Belgium?

There are three main regions in Belgium and they all have two native languages. Aside from English, courses in universities in Belgium are taught in either French or Dutch depending on what you will choose. For example in Vrije Universiteit Brussel, students must pass language requirements for Dutch and English because some courses have no English alternative so you will have no choice but to attend them in classes taught in Dutch. The same requirements apply to universities that have French as their common language such as the University of Liège. But other universities have full degrees taught in English so research about universities with this kind of offer.

Cheapest Universities in Belgium

1. Vrije Universiteit Brussel

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €245 – €1,450 ($290 – $1,718)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €245 EUR – €1,450 ($290 USD – $1,718)
  • Tuition Fee Link

Being one of the most internationally oriented university in Belgium, Vrije University Brussel has been aiming for providing high-quality research and education to all of its students, local and international. Merits in the university are gained through your achievements no matter where you are from. 180 years have passed since the establishment of the university and connections with other countries have also been established. In addition, Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the cheapest university in Belgium for international students. These are the reasons why Vrije Universiteit attracts many foreign students to enroll at them.

2. Hasselt University

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €250 EUR – €950 ($297 USD – $1,125)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €947 EUR – €2,145 ($1,120 USD – $2,460)
  • Tuition Fee Link

Hasselt University believes that innovation is the key to nurturing talent and pushing scientific boundaries. Since they have been established, this has been their principle and guide as they adapt to the changes that the world is undergoing. This adapting system changed when the number of international students rises from the total number of students. Currently, over 15% of the 6,333 students of Hasselt University are international students. However, the courses taught in English for the degrees they offered are limited to every department. This is the current challenge that they are adapting to. Recently, they have been hiring professional instructors and educators from around the world to fill this lack of English courses.

3. UC Leuven – Limburg

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €320 EUR – €950 ($380 USD – $1,125)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €950 – €1,750 ($1,125 – $2,073)
  • Tuition Fee Link

The next cheapest university in Belgium is UC Leuven – Limburg. The principle of UC Leuven – Limburg slightly differs from other universities as they try to maximize the relationship and interaction with education and research. This is the result of the annual gathering of more than 15,000 professionals in the university for professional training, conference, and networking aside from expanding their international relations. Currently, the university is involved with 33 international projects and expects to accept at least 2,000 international students. Furthermore, to accommodate these students and their specializations, the university has five campuses to cater to their distinct professions.

4. University of Liège

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €835 EUR – €885 ($990 USD – $1,050)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €835 EUR – €1,325 ($990 USD – $1,570)
  • Tuition Fee Link

The University of Liège is the most popular public research university in Belgium. Among other public universities, it has the most number of enrolled international students. The university has been active and drafting international agreements and projects with its neighboring countries and now it has more than 2,000 agreements or contracts. Recently, the university wanted to take a huge step towards internationalization that’s why they were generously accepting international students from around the world so check them out.

5. Université Catholique de Louvain

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €835 EUR – €4,175 ($990 USD – $4,944)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €4,175 ($4,944 USD)
  • Tuition Fee Link

The Université Catholique de Louvain on the other hand focuses and prioritizes their excellence and achievements than anything else. They believe that these reflect their global competency and get their name on the top of global university rankings. In other words, achievements are the reasons why students from other countries want to study at their university. For this affordable university in Belgium, international-mindedness means considering their international involvement and position that’s why, if you want to be in a competitive environment where results need to show, check out this university.

6. University of Namur

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €835 EUR – €4,175 ($989 USD – $4,945)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €4,175 ($4,945)
  • Tuition Fee Link

The main guiding principle of the University of Namur to its students is focusing personally to its students and specifically teaching them about responsibilities by putting strict deadlines. Besides this, the university interweaves various skills from around the world by offering international degrees and student exchange programs. Of course, with this huge step for internationalization, the university made various changes to the degrees it offers. Currently, they have more than 120 subjects fully taught in English.

7. Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €940 EUR – €1,200 ($1,113 USD – $1,421)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €600 – €1,580 ($711 – $1,872)
  • Tuition Fee Link

All the fifteen faculties of the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven have a genuine dedication to education and research. Each department offers doctoral degrees for those who wanted to pursue research in any field with the whole support of the university and your internationality does not matter. Commitment to research has to lead the university to be accepting and open to international practices and disciplines through student exchange programs and international relations. In the past years, almost 2000 international students with different specializations got admitted to different faculties and now thriving at this cheap university in Belgium.

8. Ghent University Global Campus

Ghent University Global Campus is a campus of Ghent University that caters to students from every part of the world. It was an active member of the Incheon Global Campus in Korea because of its achievements and unique degree programs in life sciences. Up to date, the Ghent University Global Campus invites students from every country who have the will and curiosity about environmental technology, food technology, and molecular biotechnology.

9. University of Antwerp

  • Tuition Fee for Undergraduate Programs: €3,100 EUR – €5,800 ($3,672 USD – $6,870)
  • Tuition Fee for Graduate Programs: €5,800 EUR – €9,000 ($6,870 USD – $10,660)
  • Tuition Fee Link

The final candidate in our affordable universities Belgium is the University of Antwerp. Even though the main principle of the University of Antwerp lies in the process of education, they still earned 15 centers of excellence in different fields of study. The university is also the proof and representation that excellence can also be the product of thorough learning and the flexibility of the university to the need of its students. As of now, more than 4,000 international students reside in the university out of its 20,000 enrolled students.

 

I hope that this article on the cheapest universities in Belgium was helpful. If you are interested, visit the Cheap Universities Category!