Excellent education with accessible registration fees
In the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the annual cost of higher education studies ranges between €8,000 and €12,000. However, to make sure that these fees are not an obstacle for young men and women wishing to embark on higher education, the government pays almost all of them. The student will just have to pay the tuition fees. Their maximum limits are set by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation and depend on the type of higher education institution (university, university college, school of arts).
Tuition fees and increased tuition fees for universities
As a rule, tuition fees for studying at universities of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation will depend on the student’s status:
- Students from Wallonia-Brussels Federation or European Union Member State nationals pay maximum annual tuition fees of €835.
- From the academic year 2023-2024, students from outside the European Union will need to pay increased tuition fees, for which the annual amount is set at €2,505.
This amount is applicable for 4 consecutive academic years, i.e. from the academic year 2023-2024 to the academic year 2026-2027 inclusive.
All nationals of a country listed in Annex 1 who enrol in a first or second cycle programme are liable to pay the increased registration fee for each enrolment in that programme.
Please note: for certain advanced Master’s degrees and MBAs (issue of a certificate), the amount of tuition fees may differ. Contact the institution of your choice for more information.
Exemption from paying increased tuition fees – universities
In some cases, non-European students may be exempted from paying increased tuition fees. At that point, they will merely need to pay the annual tuition fees of €835. However, certain conditions must be met:
- You must be a national of a country listed in Annex 2 or 3
or
- You must be a national of a country listed in Annex 1 and meet one of the following conditions:
- you must have a certificate of upper secondary education, issued by a fully operative or socially-promoted secondary teaching institution by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, after at least two years of study;
- you must have been assigned a grant by Wallonia-Bruxelles International;
- you must be enrolled on a PhD course (3rd cycle);
- you must be enrolled on an AESS (Certified upper secondary education teacher) study programme.
Tuition fees and specific tuition fees applied by university colleges and schools of arts in French-speaking Belgium
In university colleges and schools of arts in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, the amount of tuition fees will depend on the type of studies, the year concerned and the student’s status:
- For students of Wallonia-Brussels or European Union Member State nationals:
- For short study courses, the maximum annual tuition fees will be €175.01 per year, and €224.24 for graduation year.
- For long study courses, the maximum annual tuition fees will be €350.03 per year, and €454.47 for graduation year.
- Students who are not European Union nationals will be required to pay specific tuition fees:
- for Professionally-oriented higher education: €992
- for Academic-oriented higher education, 1st study cycle: €1,487
- for Academic-oriented higher education, 2nd study cycle: €1,984
Exemption from specific tuition fees – university colleges and schools of arts
- Be a national of a country listed in Annex 2
Or
- Belong to one of the following categories (non-exhaustive list. Full list):
- Married students whose spouse resides and works or receives replacement income in Belgium;
- Legally cohabiting students whose legal cohabiting partner resides and works or receives replacement income in Belgium;
- Students residing in Belgium and who have obtained the benefits linked to a status of refugee or asylum-seeker there;
- Students residing and effectively working or receiving replacement income in Belgium;
- Students who have obtained a study grant under the framework of development cooperation.
How can I find out how much the tuition fees are?
To find out exactly how much you need to pay in tuition fees, please contact the admissions and enrolments service of your future university, university college or school of arts. The amount to be paid will be specified in a letter authorising you to enrol.