Universities in Belgium

If you want to find out more about universities in Belgium, we have compiled a list of some of the top universities and higher education providers in Belgium to browse in the list below.

Situated in western Europe, Belgium is the ideal location for international students who wish to experience a unique european culture with excellent living standards and a rich history and three spoken languages, whilst being ideally based for exploring other surrounding European nations.

The types of university

Universities in Belgium can be divided into their communities, French, Flemish and German speaking.

The French Community

• Universities – Which tend to be research-led, with a choice of over 5 institutions in Belgium, including the University of Liège, University of Mons and Université libre de Bruxelles.
• University Colleges (Hautes Écoles) – Which include institutions such as the Haute École Léonard de Vinci, École pratique des hautes études commerciales (EPHEC) and Haute École de la Province de Liège (HEPL).
• Arts colleges (Écoles supérieures des Arts) – Focusing on the studies of the arts, including institutions such as Institut des Arts de Diffusion (IAD), Arts² and École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque.

The Flemish Community

• Universities – including the University of Antwerp, Ghent University and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
• University colleges (hogescholen) – Every Flemish University college is associated with a Flemish University. They include the Antwerp Maritime Academy (University of Antwerp) and Hogeschool Gent (Ghent University).

The German Community

The Autonomous College East Belgium delivers courses taught in German.

Popular Belgian cities for international students

• Antwerp – Located in the North of Belgium, the historic city of Antwerp is an important port city, connected via the river Scheldt. Attractive to international students thanks to its diverse population, rich history and affordable costs of living. Antwerp is home to five universities, including the prestigious University of Antwerp.
• Bruges – Situated in northwest Belgium, Bruges is an attractive medieval UNESCO city boasting a network of canals and busy port. Students in Bruges benefit from Brugge Studentenstad – a project aimed at making Bruges an attractive destination for studies. There are several universities campuses based in Bruges for international students, including the College of Europe, KU Leuven and University-College West Flanders (Howest).
• Ghent – Belgium’s third largest city, located in the north of Belgium is one of the country’s largest student cities, with over five universities, including Ghent University, University College Ghent and Vlerick Business School.

The top universities in Belgium

Belgian universities consistently perform well in world university rankings, and has 5 universities in the Times Higher Education university rankings, including KU Leuven, Ghent University and the University of Antwerp.

Table of the top ranked universities in Belgium

We have compiled a list of some of the top universities and higher education providers in Belgium to browse below. Click on universities you are interested in below to read more and to see what courses are available for international students.