Scholarships and Part-Time Work for Students in Belgium

Fee figures: catalogue of 6 October 2026.

Belgium has low fees for EU students and very few scholarships for international bachelor's students. Most Belgian scholarship schemes you will read about, such as the Flemish Master Mind awards, are for master's students or graduates. For a bachelor's degree, the realistic ways to save money are fee exemptions, a lower-fee institution, and part-time work.

State scholarships: mostly not for bachelor's students

Flanders. Study in Flanders, the Flemish Community's official portal, describes the Master Mind Scholarships as awards for international students who want to study a master's programme. It lists no state scholarship for bachelor's students from abroad.
VLIR-UOS. The Flemish university cooperation agency funds full scholarships for students from 25 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. For 2027/28 its call includes two bachelor's programmes taught in English, a Bachelor of Applied Computer Science and a Bachelor of Hotel Management. The scholarship covers tuition and living costs. Bachelor's applicants must be at least 19 and no older than 35 on 1 January of the intake year, and the call deadline is 28 February 2027, although individual programmes can set different dates.
Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles. We found no state scholarship for students from abroad starting a first bachelor's degree. If a grant is offered to you, check that it covers a full bachelor's degree and not a short or specialisation course.

Fee exemptions and lower fees

In the FWB, non-EU students pay the minerval plus a supplementary contribution of €4,175 a year, but several groups are exempt from the supplement:

citizens of the countries on the UN list of Least Developed Countries;
at universities, citizens of other countries on a list set by ARES;
holders of the FWB school-leaving certificate after at least two years at a school in the FWB;
grant holders of Wallonie-Bruxelles International.

In Flanders each institution sets its own fee for non-EEA students, and some charge the Belgian rate, at least for Dutch-taught programmes. Comparing institutions is often worth more than any scholarship. See how much it costs to study in Belgium.

Study grants: for residents

Both communities have means-tested study grants, the studietoelage in Flanders and the allocation d'études in the FWB. They are designed for students whose family lives in Belgium.

In the FWB, an EU student must, for example, hold permanent residence or work in Belgium (student jobs do not count), or have a parent who does. A non-EU student must have lived in Belgium for at least five years, or have an EU parent working in Belgium.
In Flanders, an EEA national must, for example, have worked in Belgium for at least 12 months in the last two years, with a contract of at least 32 hours a month, or have a parent who did. A non-EU national needs at least 12 months of legal residence with a qualifying residence card, and a permit granted for higher education or for work does not count.

A student who comes to Belgium only to study will not normally qualify. Eligible students in the FWB also pay a reduced minerval or none.

University awards

We found no merit scholarships for new international bachelor's students at the large Belgian universities. Ask the international office or the student social service of your institution whether it can help students in financial difficulty, and check programme pages for fee reductions. Private institutions set their own discounts.

Working while you study

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens can work without a permit.
Non-EU students with a student residence permit may work up to 20 hours a week during the academic year, if the job is compatible with their studies. The limit does not apply during school holidays, and no separate work permit is needed. See student visa for Belgium.

Student contracts

Most student jobs use a student employment contract. For the first 650 hours a year, employer and student pay only reduced solidarity contributions, 5.42% and 2.71% of pay. Above 650 hours, normal social contributions apply. The government's Student@work service shows how many hours you have left.

Pay

Belgium has a national minimum income, the guaranteed average monthly minimum income (RMMMG), set by collective agreement no. 43 of the National Labour Council. Students aged 18 to 20 on a student contract can fall under a separate agreement, no. 50. Many sectors set higher minimums. The Federal Public Service Employment publishes the current amounts by sector in its minimum wage database.

Finding a job

University job services. Most universities have a student job service or career office with vacancies for students. Ask during your first weeks.
Public employment services. VDAB in Flanders, Actiris in Brussels and Le Forem in Wallonia list jobs, including student jobs.
Language. Many jobs require Dutch in Flanders or French in Wallonia; Brussels offers more English-speaking options, but bilingual candidates still have an advantage.

Where to look next

Official sources

VLIR-UOS: ICP Connect Scholarships 2027-2028
FWB: study grants in higher education (in French)
Flanders: nationality conditions for a study grant (in Dutch)
Social security: Student@work (in Dutch)
FPS Employment: wages and minimum income (in French)

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