Admission requirements
All students applying to degree programmes (bachelor's, master's and PhD) in Flanders must fulfill some general requirements regarding language proficiency and previous degrees or diplomas.
- Access to bachelor's programmes,
- Access to advanced bachelor's programmes,
- Access to master's programmes,
- Access to advanced master's programmes,
- Access to doctoral programmes (Ph. D.),
- Language requirements.
Access to bachelor's programmes
General admission requirements
The general admission requirement is the Flemish secondary school-leaving diploma.
If a foreign qualification is recognised on the basis of a Flemish decree, Belgian Law, a European Directive or an international convention, the holder will have direct access to Bachelor programmes.
Please contact the higher education institution or NARIC-Vlaanderen for more information.
Admission may also be granted, after individual assessment of your foreign qualification(s), if it gives access to higher education in your country.
Additional information:
- Entry examinations must be passed by any student who wants to take up studies in medicine or dentistry. More information on this can be found on: http://www.ond.vlaanderen.be/arts-tandarts.
- There are artistic competency tests to get admitted to art studies:"Audiovisual and Fine arts" and "Music and Drama"
- Most institutions require a proof of Dutch language proficiency for the programmes taught in Dutch and a preliminary language test for the programmes taught in another language. A teaching language test can be required.
Special admission requirements
Higher education institutions may adopt special admission requirements allowing to admit persons who cannot meet the general admission requirement.
These individual admission decisions must be based on:
- humanitarian grounds;
- medical, psychological or social grounds;
- the individual education level of the student, assessed by the by the higher education institution.
Admission requirements for students holding a bachelor's degree
Students holding a bachelor's degree may be admitted to another bachelor's programme without having to take up the whole programme. These students will however still have to follow a programme of at least 60 ECTS credits.
Access to advanced bachelor's programmes
General admission requirements
A number of professional bachelor degrees give access to advanced bachelor's programmes.
Most institutions require a proof of Dutch language proficiency for the programmes taught in Dutch and a preliminary language test for the programmes taught in another language.
Additional admission requirements
A preparatory programme may be required. The curriculum and study load (number of ECTS credits) of this programme will be determined by the higher education institution.
Access to master's programmes
General admission requirements
Foreign higher education degrees give access to Master's programmes in case the higher education institution considers the foreign qualification equivalent to the Flemish bachelor's degree giving access to the master programme concerned.
Most institutions require a proof of Dutch language proficiency for the programmes taught in Dutch and a preliminary language test for the programmes taught in another language.
Additional admission requirements
Admission to a master's programme may depend on the successful completion of either a bridging programme (to prepare students holding a professional bachelor's degree) or a preparatory programme (to prepare students holding a bachelor's degree from a study field different from the study field of the master's programme).
The curriculum and study load (number of ECTS credits) of these bridging/preparatory courses will be determined by the higher education institution taking into account the individual skills, professional experience, qualifications and competences of the student after an evaluation interview.
Admission requirements for students holding a master's degree
Students holding a master's degree may be admitted to another master's programme without having to take up the whole programme. These students will however still have to take at least 45 ECTS credits.
Access to advanced master's programmes
General admission requirements
Some master degrees will give access to subsequent master programmes.
Most institutions require a proof of Dutch language proficiency for the programmes taught in Dutch and a preliminary language test for the programmes taught in another language.
Additional admission requirements
A preparatory programme may be required The curriculum and study load (number of ECTS credits) of this programme will be determined by the higher education institution.
Access to doctoral programmes (Ph. D.)
Doctoral programmes are open to graduates with a relevant master's degree, in some cases after a preliminary examination.
Students who want to be admitted to a doctoral programme must already have obtained a master's degree. (To get a foreign master's degree recognised, you can contact NARIC-Flanders.)
A university can however demand to test a student's fitness to do research in the scientific discipline and present his/her views in a doctoral thesis.
A teaching language test can also be required.
Language requirements
Programmes with Dutch as the language of instruction
Higher education institutions may require a proof of Dutch language proficiency. This proof may be the successful completion of:
- a Dutch language test,
- one year of secondary education in Dutch, or
- 60 ECTS credits of higher education in Dutch.
Programmes with any other language as the language of instruction
Higher education institutions may require a preliminary language test.