Education System in Belgium

The Belgian system of Education is regulated by the Bologna declaration. The Bologna process was initiated in 1999 when the Ministers of Education from 29 European countries signed the Bologna declaration in the Italian city of Bologna. The purpose of the process is to create educational standards for academic degrees and quality assurance, in order to make it easier for students to move from one European country to another and to improve the overall quality of European higher education. The system also incorporates aspects of the American higher education system and thus simplifies comparison. The Bologna System uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to measure the amount of higher education credits.

The Bologna system, and thus the higher education system of Belgium, follows the Bachelor/Master system:
Bachelor's degree:3 years (180 ECTS credits) towards a professional bachelor or an academic bachelor. Offers students core teaching in the chosen discipline, as well as a broad general education. The academic bachelor gives access to master's studies.
Master's degree:1 or 2 years (60 or 120 ECTS credits). Provides specialized content whilst allowing for further development of the scientific research process.
After obtaining a Master's degree, students can choose to pursue research projects leading to a Doctorate degree (PhD). PhD's are only awarded by Universities.
The Bologna System also uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) to measure higher education credits.

Universities

The university institutions in Belgium have as their specific purpose fundamental and applied scientific research. University education is founded on a close link between scientific research and teaching.

Other institutes

Higher education organized outside of university institutions aims at obtaining professional or artistic higher qualifications. Among these are:

• - Institutes of Higher Education
• - Higher Institutes of Architecture
• - Colleges of the Art

Admission

Anybody with a qualifying diploma of secondary education can apply to all Belgian institutes of higher education with three exceptions: degrees within the fields of Medicine, Arts and Engineering Science. The student that wishes to study Medicine or Dentistry needs to take an entrance exam organized by the government. Art students must take a practical test held at the individual colleges. To be admitted to studies towards a Master of Science within Engineering colleges within the French Community can require students to take an entrance exam.

Cost

Every year, students in Belgium must pay a registration fee. For Belgian and European Union students, higher education is financed to a very large extent by the public authorities. The amount of the registration fee varies depending on higher education establishment and type of program. The registration fee for Belgian and European students for one year is set at around €800.

Foreign students from non-European Union member countries have to pay additional registration fees whose sums vary in accordance with the type of study.
Information concerning the total amount of fees to be paid can be obtained from the education institutions.

Student living costs depend on type of program, type of accommodation and way of life. According to recommendations students will need a minimum of €700 per month without taking registration fees into account. The minimum price for accommodation may be estimated at between 200 and 300 Euros per month.