IB Diploma: University Admission in Belgium

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

For an IB student, Belgium is one of the more straightforward countries in Europe. Neither system ranks bachelor's applicants by school grades, so there is no formula that turns IB points into a Belgian score. The questions are simpler: does your diploma give access, do you have the right subjects for the programme, and can you prove the language of teaching. The answers differ between the two systems, the Dutch-speaking Flemish Community (Flanders) and the French-speaking Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles (FWB).

French-speaking universities: no equivalence needed

In the FWB, a foreign school diploma normally has to be declared equivalent to the Belgian school-leaving certificate (CESS) by the FWB's equivalence service before you can enrol. IB Diploma holders are exempt.

• ULiège states that students with an International Baccalaureate awarded by the IB in Geneva, like holders of the European Baccalaureate, do not need an equivalence.
• UCLouvain states that the European Baccalaureate and the Geneva International Baccalaureate are automatically recognised as equivalent for bachelor's admission. It asks applicants with these diplomas to include the diploma and their last transcripts with the application.

The exemption saves you the fee of €150 or €400 and a wait of several weeks. It does not extend any deadline. UCLouvain also sets general conditions for applicants from outside the EU, such as having obtained the secondary diploma within the three academic years before the application; read them on its admission page. See diploma equivalence in Belgium.

Dutch-speaking universities: the institution decides

In Flanders there is no central recognition for bachelor's admission. The university or university college decides whether your diploma gives access to its programme. KU Leuven's programme pages name the European Baccalaureate and the IB Diploma Programme as examples of foreign qualifications that give access, alongside other diplomas that are equivalent by law, decree or agreement. You apply through the institution's admissions office with your diploma and transcript.

Subjects and grades

There is no national list of required IB subjects, and no minimum score set by law. Requirements come from individual programmes, mostly in science, engineering and economics. One example: KU Leuven's English-taught Bachelor of Business Engineering strongly advises IB applicants to take Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches at Higher Level, and every applicant must take the faculty's free online mathematics test and upload the result. Read the admission page of each programme for similar advice.

Language

The IB Diploma does not by itself prove Dutch or French. For Dutch-taught programmes KU Leuven asks for Dutch at B2 at least, and French-speaking universities set their own proof of French. For English-taught programmes, institutions set their own test scores and exemptions; KU Leuven's Business Engineering programme, for example, lists IELTS 6.5 or TOEFL iBT 90, but exempts IB Diploma holders if at least half of their courses were taught in English. An online IB Diploma does not give that exemption. See IELTS and TOEFL for European universities and DELF, DALF and TCF French exams.

Timing

IB results for the May session come out in early July. Belgian deadlines for applicants from outside the EU fall well before that: KU Leuven's deadline for its Dutch-taught programmes is 1 February 2027, and ULB and ULiège have set 31 March in recent years. So you will usually apply with your predicted grades and send the final diploma once you receive it. EU applicants can often apply later, and in the FWB the general enrolment deadline is 30 September.

Medicine and dentistry

Admission depends on an entrance exam, not on IB points.

• Flanders. Medicine, dentistry and veterinary medicine each have a competitive entrance exam. For 2027 the exams are on 2 July (medicine), 3 July (dentistry) and 4 July (veterinary medicine), with registration from 1 March to 17 May 2027. You can take the exam before you have your diploma, but you must obtain it by 30 September of the year you are ranked to start.
• FWB. Medicine and dentistry require a single competitive exam held once a year in the second half of August. Applicants not resident in Belgium can take at most 15% of the places. The 2027 date has not been announced yet.

Both exams come with their own registration rules, so plan them alongside your IB exams. Details are in how to get into a university in Belgium.

Documents

Prepare the IB Diploma and the Transcript of Grades issued by the IB. Because the IB is exempt from the FWB equivalence, you send these directly to the university. Institutions in Flanders may ask for certified copies and check authenticity during admission. If you need a visa, keep the originals for the embassy. See student visa for Belgium.

Where to look next

• How to get into a university in Belgium
• Diploma equivalence in Belgium
• How much it costs to study in Belgium
• IB Diploma and universities in continental Europe
• All 1,429 programmes in Belgium

Official sources

• ULiège: secondary school diploma equivalents
• UCLouvain: application requirements
• KU Leuven: Bachelor of Business Engineering, admission requirements
• KU Leuven: Bachelor of Theology and Religious Studies, admission requirements
• Flanders: entrance exams for medicine and dentistry (in Dutch)

Always check current information on the official website of the university before you apply.