Master’s degree : admission and enrolment conditions

Depending on the type of Master’s degree you wish to study for, you will need to meet certain admission conditions:

  • Master’s degree studies: in order to study for a Master’s degree in French-speaking Belgium, you must have a Bachelor’s degree (1st cycle of 180 ECTS credits) in an area of study that is similar or identical to that you wish to pursue.
  • Advanced Master’s degree studies: in order to study for a specialist Master’s degree in French-speaking Belgium, you must have a Master’s degree (2nd cycle).

The specific case of an advanced Master’s degree in medicine:

Only students who have a certificate of admission to the specialist studies concerned can access a specialist Master’s degree in medicine. Indeed, in French-speaking Belgium, the number of new doctors able to access a general or specialist medicine practice each year (in a situation whereby their patients can be reimbursed for the care received) is pre-determined. Moreover, the certificate of admission to specialist studies is issued by a special inter-university panel upon completion of a selection test. For additional information, refer to the website of the Faculty of Medicine of the university of your choice.

Some schools of arts require candidates to take an admission test or interview. For more information, please contact the school of arts of your choice.

Generally speaking, international students need to take a B2 level test in the language used for teaching (French or English). However, the higher education institution you have chosen may instead ask you to provide proof of having passed a standardised test. The following tests are very often accepted:

  • DALF, DELF, TEF or TCF, if the language used to teach is French.
  • TOEFL or IELTS, if the language used to teach is English.

Students wishing to study to become teachers, for example for a teaching Master’s degree or upper secondary school teaching certificate, must have C1 level in French.

Below are the tests and respective acceptable scores (corresponding to level B2):

TESTS

 SCORES B2

IELTS

 5.5 - 6.5

TOEFL (paper)

 567 - 633

TOEFL iBT

72 - 95

TOEIC

 785 - 940

Cambridge FCE (First Certificate in English)

 > 160

Cambridge CAE (Certificate of Advanced English)

 > 180

If you meet all the admission conditions, you can move onto the next steps in enrolment:

1 : Fill out an admission request on-line, on the website of your choen higher education institution. Even if the calendar is specific to each institution, we recommend you enrol as soon as February and before 31 March.

2 : Complete you file xith all the documents required (photocopy of passport, qualification, letter explaining your reasons, etc.) and post or e-mail it.

3 : Your file is analysed (this step can take several weeks).

4 : Your file manager will tell you what decision has been made by your chosen higher education institution. If accepted, you will receive autorisation to enrol.

Please note: if you wish to enrol for the 2nd cycle in medicine or dental sciences, on the basis of a course completed abroad, you do not need to respect the date of 30 April. You will instead need to take the entrance exam at ARES.

If you are not a European Union national, you must have sufficient resources to be able to study for your Master’s degree in French-speaking Belgium. You will therefore need to provide the higher education institution of your choosing with a detailed financial plan. This should describe the nature, source and amount of resources you can gather to complete your studies in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Once sent, it will be checked by the higher education institution and by the Foreign Office.

To obtain a study visa for Belgium, you must prove that you have sufficient means of subsistence to cover your healthcare, living costs, study and repatriation costs to your home country. The minimum amount of this is set and indexed each year by Royal Decree. For the 2022-2023 academic year, it s a net €670/month.

Please note : bear in mind that this monthly figure will not suffice to pay for your study stay. You must have other sources of finance available. You will need, for example, to pay a deposit on your accommodation when you arrive. Find out how much it costs per year to study in Belgium.

Your annual financial plan must cover the following :
€10,000 = sufficient resources to complete your studies
+ €4,175 or €835 = registration fees

In addition to meeting the legal conditions to be allowed to study, non European Union nationals must also meet certain academic conditions to be able to submit their file to the admission committees and study for a Master’s degree in French-speaking Belgium. Set by a panel, they may differ from one higher education institution to the next. To find out all about the admission conditions, please contact the admissions service of your future institution.

Note, however, that if you come under one of the following categories, you do not need to worry about these minimum academic conditions:

  • “equated” students (e.g. refugees and asylum-seekers);
  • students subject to selection in application of the “non-residents” decree (veterinary, physical therapy, speech therapy, medicine and dental sciences);
  • students with valid residence permit in Belgium and who have taken the entrance examination for engineering studies;
  • students applying to enrol on the basis of a qualification obtained in the European Union (exceptions are possible if duly explained).