English-Taught Degrees in Belgium: The 2026 Guide

A first-year master’s seminar at KU Leuven, late September. The room holds a Brazilian engineer, two Indian data scientists, a Spaniard who came for the imec connection and a Pole who picked Belgium for the price. The lecturer switches into English without ceremony, because that is simply the working language of this programme, and for the next ninety minutes nobody’s mother tongue matters. None of these students speaks Dutch. None needs to. This is the part of Belgium that international applicants miss: behind a country famous for being split between two languages sits one of Western Europe’s deepest English-taught master’s offerings, attached to seriously good universities, at a tuition price that reads like a typo.

Here is the bottom line. Belgium runs more than 150 English-taught master’s programmes, led by KU Leuven with 80-plus and Ghent University with 70-plus, plus a full European-affairs menu at the Brussels universities (Study in Flanders). For an EU student the price is the same whatever the language: a full fee of about €1,194 a year at French-speaking universities (means-tested down to €835 or €374 for lower-income students) and about €1,157 at Flemish ones for 2025/26 (Study in Flanders tuition; UCLouvain). The catch, and the reason this guide exists, is that the English-taught choice is overwhelmingly at master’s level. At bachelor’s level it is thin, far thinner than the Netherlands, where English undergraduate degrees run into the hundreds.

This article is the focused companion to our full Study in Belgium guide. It answers one question in detail: if you want to study in Belgium in English, what can you actually do, where, and what does each university require? You will find the university-by-university English provision, the short list of English bachelor’s options, the language scores that gate every programme, the funding that makes them cheaper still, and an honest comparison with the Netherlands for anyone whose plan depends on an undergraduate degree.

English-Taught Degrees in Belgium, Key Numbers

Source: Study in Flanders, KU Leuven and Ghent international pages, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, College Council Atlas, 2025/26.

Why English-taught Belgium is underrated

Most international applicants who can study in English default to the obvious destinations: the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland. Belgium rarely makes the first shortlist, and that is exactly the gap worth exploiting. Three things make the English-taught route here unusually strong.

The first is research quality the country does not advertise. KU Leuven, founded in 1425, is one of the most research-intensive universities in Europe and has been named the continent’s most innovative by Reuters more than once; it hosts imec, the nanoelectronics institute at the centre of the global semiconductor industry. Ghent is a top-tier life-sciences university with a world-class veterinary school. These are not second-choice institutions teaching token English programmes to fill seats. The English-taught master’s tier sits inside the same research faculties, four of which place Belgium in the QS world top 250.

The second is price, and it does not change with language. Belgium charges its low public tuition by region and nationality, not by the language of instruction. An EU student therefore pays the same low fee for an English-taught master’s as a Belgian pays for a Dutch one: about €1,194 a year at a French-speaking university (less with a low-income reduction) or €1,157 at a Flemish one. A full English master’s at Ghent or UCLouvain costs an EU citizen roughly €1,700–€2,400 in total tuition. Even non-EU fees, at €2,300–€9,500 in Flanders, undercut a single term at most Anglophone universities. For a globally ranked degree taught in your working language, this is the value play of Western Europe.

The third is Brussels and the EU. No other English-taught study destination on the continent puts you inside walking distance of the European Commission, Parliament, Council and NATO. If your master’s points toward European law, policy, economics or international relations, the English-taught programmes at VUB, ULB and the Brussels campuses come with a location advantage you cannot buy elsewhere.

Be honest about the one real limit, though. This strength is concentrated at master’s level. If you need an English-taught bachelor’s, Belgium gives you about five viable options, and the Netherlands gives you hundreds. We spell out the short list below, because choosing Belgium for an undergraduate degree you cannot actually take in English is the most common mistake we see families make.

English provision, university by university

The table below is keyed to what matters for this topic: how much each university teaches in English and where its real strengths lie, not a rehash of overall rank. The QS chip is kept for continuity with the main Belgium guide, but read the English column first.

A few patterns stand out. KU Leuven and Ghent are the volume leaders, and between them they account for the bulk of the country’s 150-plus English master’s. The Brussels universities (VUB and ULB) trade on location: their English programmes cluster around European law, politics, economics and international relations, because their students are aiming at the institutions down the road. UCLouvain and Antwerp are the strong supporting cast, with smaller but real English menus in management, data and the sciences. Liège and Hasselt also run a handful of English master’s, but for an English-first applicant the six above are where the depth is.

Want to compare campuses, fees and programmes side by side? Every institution here lives in the College Council Atlas, where you can filter by city, field and language of instruction.

English-taught master’s — where the real depth is

If you are flexible on field, the English-taught master’s tier in Belgium is wide enough that the question is rarely “is there a programme” but “which of several.” The strongest clusters map onto each university’s research identity.

For engineering, computer science and the hard sciences, KU Leuven is the obvious anchor, with English master’s spanning artificial intelligence, electrical engineering, nanoscience and bioinformatics, much of it feeding directly into imec and the Flemish deep-tech economy. VUB and Ghent run parallel English programmes in engineering, physics and computer science. For the life sciences and biotechnology, Ghent is exceptional, with English master’s in bioengineering, biochemistry, molecular biology and aquaculture, and KU Leuven matches it in biomedical sciences. For economics, management and business, all six universities compete, with KU Leuven, Ghent and UCLouvain running well-regarded English master’s and the Brussels schools (Solvay at ULB, the Vlerick connection) adding a business-school layer.

The distinctive Belgian cluster is European and international affairs. Because Brussels is the EU capital, the English master’s offering in European law, European studies, international politics, public policy and development is unusually deep and unusually well-placed. VUB and ULB lead it, UCLouvain and Antwerp contribute, and for many students the draw is as much the internships at the Commission, Parliament, NGOs and law firms a tram ride away as the degree itself.

One thing I tell families that the rankings will not: in my experience advising international applicants, the strongest applications to these programmes are not the ones chasing KU Leuven’s overall QS number but the ones that match a specific research group to the student’s goal — an AI master’s that feeds imec, a bioengineering track at Ghent, a European-law programme that places interns in the Commission. The Belgian system rewards the applicant who picks the faculty, not the logo.

Two practical notes. First, English-taught master’s deadlines for international applicants typically fall earlier than the local-language intake, often around early March, so confirm each programme’s date and apply ahead of it. Second, a Belgian master’s is one or two years on top of a bachelor’s, and the two-year research master’s is the more common shape in the sciences. For the full admissions mechanics, deadlines and the Wallonia equivalence step, see the main Belgium guide.

English-taught bachelor’s — the short list

This is where the picture narrows sharply. Belgium is a master’s destination for English-language study; the undergraduate offering is small, and most bachelor’s teaching happens in Dutch in Flanders or French in Wallonia. If you want a three-year English bachelor’s, the options number about five.

Source: university international pages, 2025/26. Confirm current intake and language of delivery on each programme page before applying.

That is roughly the whole picture at undergraduate level, and it skews heavily toward business, social sciences and international affairs. There is no broad English-taught bachelor’s menu in engineering, the sciences or the humanities the way there is at master’s level. If your heart is set on an English-language bachelor’s in a STEM or arts field, Belgium will probably frustrate you, and the responsible advice is to look next door first.

The comparison that decides it: the Netherlands offers several hundred English-taught bachelor’s programmes across nearly every field, which is why it, not Belgium, is the default for international undergraduates who need to study in English. Belgium wins decisively at master’s level and on price; the Netherlands wins decisively on English undergraduate breadth. Pick your country to match the level you are entering, not the brand you have heard of.

Language requirements — the gate every programme shares

Whatever you study and wherever, an English-taught programme has one non-negotiable entry condition: a recognised English-language certificate. This is the single thing most likely to stand between a strong applicant and an offer, because the academic file can be excellent and the application still stalls on a missing or low test score.

The standard range across Belgian universities is IELTS Academic 6.5–7.0 or TOEFL iBT 88–100, with the exact bar set per programme. KU Leuven master’s programmes commonly ask for IELTS 7.0 (or the TOEFL equivalent); Ghent sets IELTS 6.5–7.0 depending on the programme. Many universities also accept Cambridge C1 Advanced (CAE), and some will waive the test if you completed your secondary education in English or earned a strong English result in a recognised school-leaving exam. The detail varies by faculty, so the rule is simple: read the specific programme page, note the exact minimum, and aim a half-band above it to leave no doubt.

Source: KU Leuven, Ghent and other university admission pages, 2025/26. Always confirm the minimum on your specific programme.

Two things should push you to prepare for the score properly. It is often the only standardised number in your file, so it carries weight; and unlike grades, it is fully in your control. Book the test early, sit a full timed mock under exam conditions, and treat the speaking and writing sections, where most candidates lose points, as the part to drill. That is precisely what our TOEFL app is built for.

Costs and funding for English-taught study

The headline already appeared above and it bears repeating because it is the strongest argument for English-taught Belgium: the language of instruction does not change the price. An EU student pays a full fee of about €1,194 a year at a French-speaking university (UCLouvain, ULB, Liège), reduced to €835 or €374 on a means test, or €1,157 at a Flemish one (KU Leuven €1,181.40, Ghent, VUB, Antwerp) for an English master’s, exactly as for a Dutch or French one. A non-EU student pays the international fee instead: roughly €2,300–€9,500 a year at Flemish universities, or the standard fee plus a €4,175 supplement in Wallonia and Brussels under the Wallonia-Brussels Federation’s rules. Add living costs of roughly €700–€1,200 a month depending on city, and the all-in EU budget lands at €9,000–€15,500 a year, among the lowest in Western Europe for a top-250 university.

The funding picture for English-taught master’s is unusually good. The best-funded route by far is Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s: international, English-taught, and several of them run by KU Leuven, Ghent and their partners, these come with full scholarships covering tuition and a living stipend. They are competitive, but for a master’s applicant they are the single best deal in the country. Beyond Erasmus Mundus, KU Leuven, Ghent, UCLouvain and VUB each run their own merit and faculty scholarships, mostly partial fee reductions, listed on their international pages. Erasmus+ funds exchange periods within Europe, and many countries run a national academic-exchange agency whose mobility grant can top up a stay abroad. Our European scholarships guide maps the full set; the working rule is to apply to everything you are eligible for and budget as if you will win nothing.

For the complete cost breakdown, including a month-by-month student budget and the non-EU visa proof-of-funds figure, see the costs section of the main Belgium guide.

Is English-taught Belgium right for you?

Use this as a quick self-test before you commit.

Choose English-taught Belgium if you are entering at master’s level, want a globally ranked degree at public-tuition prices, are aiming at engineering or the life sciences (KU Leuven, Ghent) or at European and international affairs (the Brussels universities), and value being inside the EU institutions’ orbit. The combination of research depth, English delivery and an EU tuition bill of roughly €1,157–€1,194 a year is rare.

Look elsewhere first if you need an English-taught bachelor’s outside business and social sciences, in which case the Netherlands offers far more; or if you want English-taught medicine, which does not exist in Belgium (medicine is taught only in Dutch or French and gated by a competitive entrance exam). For an English-language undergraduate STEM or arts degree, the Dutch system is the more natural home.

One nuance that catches people out: you do not need Dutch or French to study or graduate in English, but a little of the local language transforms daily life, student jobs and your career options if you intend to stay in Belgium afterwards. Treat it as a bonus to pick up, not a barrier to entry.

How College Council helps

For an English-taught application, the part that most often derails a strong candidate is not the academic record but the language test, because every English programme in Belgium gates on it and it is usually the only standardised score in your file. Our TOEFL app runs full TOEFL iBT practice tests with AI-graded speaking and writing feedback, the closest thing to a real exam you can do from home, and it targets exactly the sections (speaking and writing) where most applicants lose the points that separate an 88 from a 100. Belgium does not require the SAT, but if your plan also spans the US or one of the European universities that accept it, our SAT app runs the full digital SAT, and our list of European universities that accept the SAT shows where it helps.

Beyond the tests, the hard part is judgement: which of 150-plus English master’s actually fit your background, whether to enter in Flanders or in French-speaking Brussels, how each university reads your file, and which deadline applies to the international English track. Register on College Council and you get the whole map in one place, the same university dataset that powers this guide, or check your chances to start from a realistic, sourced shortlist rather than a browser full of tabs. You can also explore every Belgian university in the Atlas, filtered by field and language of instruction.

Frequently Asked Questions

Next Steps

1. Match your level to the country — Belgium is a master’s destination for English study; if you need an English-taught bachelor’s outside business or social sciences, check the Netherlands first.
2. Shortlist by field, not by rank — engineering and life sciences point to KU Leuven and Ghent; European affairs to the Brussels universities. Browse them in the Atlas.
3. Book your language test early — most English programmes want IELTS 6.5–7.0 or TOEFL iBT 88–100; prepare in our TOEFL app and aim a half-band above the minimum.
4. Chase the funding — apply to every Erasmus Mundus and faculty scholarship you qualify for; see our European scholarships guide.
5. Register on College Council — start from a sourced shortlist of English-taught programmes. Create your account or check your chances.

Read Also

• Study in Belgium: a comprehensive guide for international students — the full country picture, costs, admissions and visa
• Study in the Netherlands: complete guide for international students — far more English-taught bachelor’s programmes
• KU Leuven: detailed guide for international applicants — Belgium’s English-taught flagship in depth
• Scholarships for European universities — Erasmus Mundus, national grants and more
• European universities that accept the SAT — if your plan also spans the US

Sources and Methodology

University rankings are drawn from the QS World University Rankings 2026 and cross-checked against College Council’s Atlas dataset of Belgian higher-education institutions. English-programme counts, tuition and language requirements were verified against official Study in Flanders and university sources in June 2026, and reconciled with our main Belgium country guide. EU and non-EU fees differ sharply and are indexed yearly, and programme-specific English requirements vary by faculty, so always confirm the exact figure and minimum on the relevant university page for your intake year.

1. Study in Flanders — Official portal and Tuition fees (EU/EEA ~€1,157; non-EEA €2,300–€9,500; English-taught master’s catalogue)
2. KU Leuven — English-taught programmes and Tuition fees (80+ English master’s; €1,181.40 for a 60-credit year, EEA, 2025/26; IELTS commonly 7.0)
3. Ghent University — Programmes in English (70+ English master’s; English Business Economics track; IELTS 6.5–7.0 by programme)
4. UCLouvain — Registration-fee amount (French-Community full fee ~€1,194, means-tested down to €835 / €374; English master’s menu)
5. Wallonia-Brussels Federation / ARES — non-EU droit d’inscription spécifique of €4,175 added to the standard fee
6. Erasmus Mundus — Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s (fully funded, English-taught joint master’s, several with Belgian universities)
7. QS / TopUniversities — QS World University Rankings 2026 (KU Leuven #60, Ghent #162, UCLouvain #191, ULB #227, Antwerp #280, VUB #294)
8. College Council — Atlas higher-education dataset (Belgian HEI rankings, location, language of instruction and programme data) and internal advising experience with international applicant families