Study in Belgium: Where Europe's Capital Meets Centuries of Learning

Belgium rarely tops a student's first list of dream destinations — and that is precisely what makes it worth a second look. This is a country where a lecture hall can be older than most nations, yet the city outside it hosts the European Parliament, NATO headquarters, and hundreds of international organisations. For a student building a global career, that combination of academic depth and real-world proximity to power is hard to find anywhere else in Europe.

Belgium is small, but it thinks in three languages — Dutch, French, and German — and works comfortably in a fourth: English. Through JRK's partner institutions, students get a practical, career-focused route into that world, without needing a research-university profile to get started.

Why Belgium?

• A seat at Europe's table. Brussels is the de facto capital of the EU, home to the European Commission, the European Parliament, and NATO.
• Practical, career-first education. Belgium's universities of applied sciences ("hogescholen") are built around internships, real-world projects, and direct industry ties — ideal for students who want a degree that leads straight into employment.
• A genuinely multilingual culture. Students graduate with real exposure to multiple European languages and working cultures.
• Central location. Brussels, Ghent, and Antwerp are all a short train ride from Amsterdam, Paris, Cologne, and London.

Where JRK Students Study: Our Partner Institutions

These five institutions are JRK's confirmed partners in Belgium — all offer English-taught programmes and are genuinely built for international students, not just tolerant of them.

1. Thomas More University of Applied Sciences Belgium's largest university of applied sciences, spread across 10 campuses in Antwerp province, with its main international campus in Mechelen. Around 19,000–22,000 students, 150+ nationalities, and part of the KU Leuven Association. English-taught bachelor's programmes include International Business Management, International Tourism and Leisure, Media & Communication, Applied Computer Science, Multimedia & Creative Technologies, and Nursing — most with a built-in internship. Typical English proficiency requirement: IELTS 6.0 (or Duolingo ~120 / TOEFL iBT ~85, varies by programme).

2. Artevelde University of Applied Sciences Located in Ghent — Flanders' largest student city — with around 14,000 students. Programmes span Business & Management, Communication & Media, Education, Health Care, and Social Work, with a strong practice-oriented focus; the university reports that around 97% of graduates find work within a year of finishing. English-taught bachelor's programmes typically require IELTS 6.5.

3. VIVES University of Applied Sciences Spread across five cities in West Flanders — Kortrijk, Bruges, Ostend, Roeselare, and Torhout — with around 17,000–18,000 students. VIVES focuses exclusively on bachelor's-level and advanced-bachelor programmes (no master's degrees), including a fully English-taught Business Management bachelor's, Hotel Management, and a one-year Advanced Bachelor in International Management for those looking to specialise after an initial degree.

4. UBI Business School An English-language business school with its main campus in Brussels (plus Luxembourg and Shanghai), offering BSc and MSc programmes validated by Middlesex University London. Specialisations include Business, International Business Management, Management of Technology, and Management of AI & Machine Learning, alongside MBA options. Small, close-knit cohorts with 25+ nationalities represented and strong corporate internship ties (200+ partner companies).

5. Brussels College A note on accuracy: I wasn't able to independently verify "Brussels College" as an officially registered institution under that exact name — Brussels has several similarly named colleges (Vesalius College, Erasmus University College Brussels, Brussels School of Governance, among others), and I don't want to guess and get a partner's details wrong in a published post. Could you share the institution's website or full legal name? I'll fold in accurate programme, tuition, and admission details right away.

Tuition Fees (2026–27)

Tuition varies by institution and programme level. As a guide:

• Thomas More: non-EEA bachelor's around €9,300–9,600/year; non-EEA postgraduate roughly €3,250–5,500/year. EEA students pay a fraction of this (around €1,180/year).
• Artevelde: non-EEA bachelor's roughly €7,760–9,136/year, depending on programme.
• VIVES: bachelor's programmes for non-EEA students generally fall in a similar €6,000–9,000/year range to other Flemish universities of applied sciences — always confirm the exact current figure for the specific programme, as VIVES doesn't publish one flat rate.
• UBI Business School: BSc programmes average around €16,000/year; MSc programmes run about €11,900/year (EEA) to €17,000/year (non-EEA); the MBA ranges from roughly €19,950 to €28,500/year depending on format.

Worth flagging for 2026–27: several leading Flemish universities — including KU Leuven, the University of Antwerp, and VUB — have raised non-EU tuition fees after the Belgian government capped subsidised non-EU enrolment at 2% of the student body. This is a Flanders-wide funding shift, so while the confirmed increases so far are at the larger research universities, it's worth checking current fees directly with Thomas More, Artevelde, and VIVES (all Flemish institutions) before finalising a budget with a student.

Cost of Living by City

• Mechelen / Antwerp province (Thomas More): 1-bed apartment €780–950/month outside vs. in the city centre, plus ~€230/month utilities.
• Ghent (Artevelde): moderate cost of living, broadly in line with other mid-sized Flemish cities — typically €700–900/month all-in for rent and essentials.
• West Flanders — Kortrijk / Bruges (VIVES): the most affordable of the five, around €600–800/month.
• Brussels (UBI Business School): the priciest option, typically €885–1,305/month including accommodation, transport, utilities, and groceries.

For the student visa itself, applicants must show proof of financial means. For the 2026–27 academic year, the minimum requirement is €1,062 per month (about €12,744 for the year), most commonly demonstrated through a blocked bank account.

Student Visa & Residence Permit Process

Non-EU/EEA students planning to stay in Belgium for more than 90 days need a Type D national long-stay visa, applied for through the Belgian Embassy or Consulate in their home country. Processing typically takes 6–12 weeks.

Typical steps:

1. Secure admission and an official acceptance/registration letter from the partner institution.
2. Gather supporting documents: proof of financial means, health insurance for the full stay, a medical certificate, and a criminal record certificate (for applicants 18 or older).
3. Submit the Type D visa application at the embassy or consulate.
4. On arrival in Belgium, register at the local commune/gemeente within 8 working days to receive a residence permit (an "A-card" marked student).
5. The residence permit is valid for the academic year plus one month, and must be renewed annually.

Worth flagging for 2026–27: Belgium has tightened the rules around renewing a student residence permit, under a Royal Decree adopted in May 2026. Renewals now come with closer checks on academic progress, a cap on how long a student can hold study-permit status overall, and stricter conditions around switching programmes — another reason to steer students toward practical, well-structured programmes like the ones at our partner institutions, where progression is more predictable.

Part-Time Work Rules

International students holding a valid Belgian residence permit can work up to 20 hours per week during term time, provided it doesn't interfere with their studies. Rules on working during official semester breaks can vary slightly by institution, so it's worth confirming with the international student office once enrolled.

After Graduation

Belgium offers a 12-month "orientation year" residence permit for eligible graduates who want to stay on to look for work or start a business. Students must apply before their student residence permit expires.

The Bottom Line

For JRK students, Belgium's real value isn't KU Leuven's 600-year-old lecture halls — it's the practical, career-first pathway that Thomas More, Artevelde, VIVES, and UBI Business School offer: English-taught programmes, built-in internships, genuinely international classrooms, and a cost of living well below Western Europe's biggest cities. With tuition and visa rules shifting for 2026–27, the smartest move is the same as ever: confirm current fees directly with the partner institution before a student commits.

This guide reflects tuition, visa, and residence permit information available as of September 2026, based on the institutions' own published figures. Always confirm current tuition and admission requirements directly with the university before advising a student, as fees are changing this year across Flanders.