How to Apply to Universities in Belgium: Requirements, Deadlines and Portals

Belgium has no central application portal

Unlike the UK's UCAS system, Belgium leaves admissions to each institution. You choose a university or university college first, then submit your application directly through that institution's own online portal. A KU Leuven application and a Ghent University application run on separate systems with separate logins, even though both sit inside the Flemish Community.

Step 1: Confirm your diploma gives you access

EU/EEA students holding a secondary school diploma that grants university entry in their home country can generally enrol directly in a Belgian bachelor's program, without a formal admission review. The University of Antwerp's admission page confirms this for its academic bachelor's programs and lists recognized qualifications that bypass the review entirely.

Some universities still ask you to get your diploma formally checked before enrolling, particularly for master's admission or programs with limited places. Recognition runs through 2 separate bodies depending on where you plan to study:

• NARIC-Vlaanderen handles equivalence for the Flemish Community.

• The Equivalence Service (Service des Équivalences) handles it for the French Community.

Both are described on the federal Belgium.be equivalence of diplomas page . Start this step early. Processing adds weeks to your timeline, and some programs treat it as a prerequisite for enrolment rather than an optional extra.

Step 2: Apply through the university's own portal

Create an account on your chosen university's application system and upload the required documents. Expect to submit:

• Secondary school diploma or transcript, with a certified translation if it is not in Dutch, French, English, or German

• Passport or national ID

• Proof of language proficiency for the program's teaching language

• A motivation letter or CV for many master's programs

• Proof of diploma equivalence, where the university requires it before enrolment

Language proof for Dutch-taught programs usually means a recognized certificate (such as NT2) or at least one full year of prior Dutch-medium schooling. English-taught programs typically ask for IELTS or TOEFL, with universities setting their own minimum scores.

Step 3: Watch program-specific entrance exams

Medicine and dentistry require a mandatory entrance exam in both the Flemish and French Communities, on top of the standard application, and both communities cap the number of places available to students who did not complete secondary school in Belgium. Some engineering and polytechnic programs run their own admission tests as well. Check the program page directly, since these requirements sit outside the general application process described above.

Step 4: Mind the deadlines

Deadlines vary by university, program, and applicant category, and they are not uniform across Belgium. As a rule, programs with an entrance exam or a non-EU quota close applications earliest, often in the spring, while standard bachelor's programs for EU/EEA applicants tend to stay open later, sometimes into the summer. Confirm the exact date on your target program's page rather than assuming a fixed national deadline, since none exists.

Step 5: Enrol and register locally

Once accepted, you complete enrolment and pay tuition directly with the university, usually from July onward. EU/EEA citizens do not need a student visa to study in Belgium, but anyone staying longer than 90 days must register with the local municipality (commune or gemeente) to get a residence document. Bring your acceptance letter, passport, and proof of address to that appointment. Students from European countries outside the EU/EEA should check visa rules with the Belgian embassy in their home country well before their intended start date, since processing takes time.