A scholarship can make your studies much more affordable. In Belgium, there are different types of study grants and scholarships. Here you'll find all information about the options for Belgian students.
Various funds and foundations offer scholarships for talented students. These often require a high average (usually 14/20 or higher on the Belgian scale).
The study grant is financial support for students. This is primarily based on your parents' income, not your grades. You can apply via studentenportaal.be (Flanders) or allocations-etudes.cfwb.be (Wallonia-Brussels Federation).
If you're in financial difficulty, OCMW (Flanders) or CPAS (Wallonia/Brussels) can support you with a living wage or study grant.
Typical requirements for scholarships in Belgium:
- Government study grant: no grade requirement, but income conditions
- University excellence scholarships: average ≥ 14/20
- Honours programs: average ≥ 13/20 - 14/20
- Some private funds: average ≥ 12/20
Note: Requirements vary greatly by scholarship. Always check the specific conditions!
As a Belgian student, you can also apply for international scholarships:
- Erasmus+: Grant for study or internship abroad
- Fulbright: For study in the United States
- VLIR-UOS: Scholarships for development cooperation
Belgian universities offer their own excellence programs and scholarships:
- KU Leuven: Metaforum Honours Programme for excellent students
- UGent: Scholarships for international and excellent students
- UCLouvain: Bourses d'excellence pour étudiants méritants
- ULB: Aides financières et bourses d'études
- Start early - deadlines are often months before the start of studies
- Collect evidence of your grades and achievements
- Write a strong motivation letter
- Request recommendation letters from professors who know you well
- Apply to multiple scholarships - success rates vary
Want to know if your average is high enough for an excellence scholarship? Use our calculator to calculate your weighted average based on your study credits.