Belgium is home to 450,000 students, 8% of which are international. Students from neighbouring France and the Netherlands dominate the international student population and only 2% of students are from outside Europe.

Tuition fees are low, particularly for specialist courses, making Belgium appealing to students from neighbouring European countries.

For example, the French favour francophone Belgian medical schools because of their lower entry requirements, affordable fees (around €800 per year) and shared language.

As a consequence, Belgium has capped the number of international students taking its medicine and dentistry courses to 30%, to stem the surging number of French crossing the border to study.

The quotas apply to those who have not lived in Belgium for more than three years, aimed at French who study in Belgium but return home to work after graduation, leaving the medical professions under-resourced.

Kots are common

Limited accommodation is provided by the universities in Belgium usually only for short-term or international students. Individual student rooms in the private sector called ‘kots’ are common. In Leuven, accommodation in student housing is provided and charged based on family income.

The student housing provision rate in Belgium is 11%. Student rents average €66 per week, ranging from just €43 in Leuven to €78 in Brussels.

Taken from
Spotlight: European Student Housing