🇧🇪 How to apply to university in Belgium

There is no central application system: you apply to each institution directly. Programmes usually start: Mid-September.

Checked on 20 October 2026 against the official sources listed below.

The essentials

Application system: None — apply to each institution on its own website.
When programmes start: Mid-September.
International applicants: International students apply directly to each institution; there is no national system, and Flanders and the French-speaking community have separate rules. In the French community non-EU applicants must also provide a financial plan.
Language: Flanders: B2 — e.g. IELTS 6.0 or TOEFL iBT 72–94 for English-taught, Dutch B2 (some C1) for Dutch-taught. French community: no French test for most bachelor's.

Key dates

Add all these dates to my calendar (.ics)

Application deadlines are set by each institution. In Flanders applications usually open around November–December; in French-speaking Belgium non-EU enrolment generally closes at the end of March, so apply in February. The French community's 2027 medicine and dentistry entrance exam date isn't announced yet.

Date	What	Who	Intake	Source	Calendar
1 March 2027 –17 May 2027	Registration for the Flemish entrance exams in medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine	Anyone applying for these programmes in Flanders (taught in Dutch); exams on 2, 3 and 4 July 2027	Academic year 2027–28	Vlaanderen.be — Toelatingsexamens arts, tandarts en dierenarts
15 November 2026 –15 July 2027	Equivalence of a foreign secondary diploma (French-speaking community)	Holders of a foreign secondary diploma applying to institutions of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation	Academic year 2027–28	Wallonia-Brussels Federation — Equivalence: I have finished secondary school

A window shows its opening date above its closing date. Individual universities and programmes can set earlier dates of their own — always confirm on the official page before you rely on a date. The calendar file adds each date as an all-day event with a reminder a week before.

Your checklist

The usual steps for an international student applying to a bachelor's in Belgium, in order. Tick them off as you go — your ticks stay in this browser, with no account.

1.Decide between Flanders (Dutch- and English-taught) and the French-speaking community — their rules differ.
2.Check admission: in Flanders the institution assesses your diploma (bachelor's applicants also need an access declaration from their school); in French-speaking Belgium you need an equivalence of your diploma (15 November 2026 – 15 July 2027).
3.Register for an entrance exam if you're applying for medicine, dentistry, veterinary science, engineering or an arts programme.
4.Apply online on the institution's website by its deadline (end of March for many non-EU applicants in French-speaking Belgium) and pay any fee.
5.Receive your admission letter.
6.Apply for a type D long-stay visa at the Belgian embassy with proof of means — €1,062 a month for 2026–27 (blocked account, bank guarantee or sponsor).
7.On arrival, register at the town hall and find housing.

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Next steps

Sources

Written by CollegeMatcher in our own words from these official pages, checked on 20 October 2026. Dates change every year.