What Belgian Scholarships Actually Cover
The word "fully funded" gets thrown around a lot on scholarship blogs, and for Belgian scholarships it's mostly true — but with important differences depending on which programme you're in. ARES, VLIR-UOS, and Master Mind each cover different things at different levels. The gap between what one programme pays and another can be several hundred euros per month, which matters enormously when you're budgeting for a year abroad.
Understanding exactly what's included (and what isn't) saves you from financial surprises after you've already committed. Too many students accept an offer, book a flight, and then discover that their stipend doesn't cover the deposit on a room in Brussels, or that insurance isn't included, or that the first payment doesn't arrive until six weeks after classes start.
This page breaks down every programme side by side, with the actual euro amounts, and then shows you what it really costs to live in Belgium's main university cities. No vague promises, just numbers.
ARES — What You Get
Académie de Recherche et d'Enseignement Supérieur — Wallonia-Brussels Federation scholarships for developing country nationals.
- Indirect mission fees: €150 one-time
- Inter-institutional travel: up to €250 per stay
- Full insurance coverage (paid directly by ARES)
- Visa fees exceeding €200 covered
- Round-trip economy airfare included
- €150 indirect mission fees
- €200 international travel fee
- Full insurance for entire duration
VLIR-UOS — What You Get
Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad — Flemish university scholarships for developing country nationals.
- Medical certificate costs
- Document legalization fees
- Visa fees
- Travel costs to the Belgian embassy in your country
Important: VLIR-UOS does not offer partial scholarships. You either get the full package or nothing. Extensions beyond the stated duration are not possible.
Master Mind — What You Get
Flemish Government scholarship for outstanding international students pursuing a Master's in Flanders.
- Airfare — you pay your own flights
- Housing — find and pay for your own accommodation
- Insurance — arrange your own health coverage
- Living costs beyond the grant — the €10,225 is it, not a stipend on top of other support
Be clear about this: the €10,225 annual grant is your living expenses budget. It's not a stipend layered on top of free housing and meals. You receive the money and use it to pay for rent, food, transport, and everything else. That works out to roughly €852 per month, which is tight in any Belgian city.
What It Actually Costs to Live Here
The range is €800–1,400 per month depending on the city and your lifestyle. That's a wide spread, and which end you land on depends mostly on where you live and how much you cook at home. Here's the city-by-city picture.
Transport perk: under-24 STIB annual pass costs just €12/year. Brussels is expensive for rent but this saves a fortune on getting around.
A student-focused city. "Kots" (student rooms) are the standard. Most things are bikeable. KU Leuven's housing service helps, but start early — rooms fill fast.
Good value for what you get. Vibrant student life, excellent cycling infrastructure, slightly lower grocery costs than Brussels.
Walkable and bikeable city centre. The compact layout means you can often skip public transport entirely, saving €30–50/month.
Budget €1,500–2,000 for your first month. This is the part that catches people off guard. Before your stipend kicks in (and sometimes before your first payment arrives), you need cash for:
- • Rental deposit (typically 1–3 months rent upfront)
- • Household items: bedding, kitchenware, cleaning supplies
- • Belgian SIM card or phone plan
- • Transport pass or bicycle
- • First grocery haul and first month's meals before you find your routine
Is It Actually Enough?
Here's the honest breakdown. These are not scare tactics — just realistic assessments based on what students actually spend.
Tight in Brussels, manageable in smaller cities like Liège or Namur. If you end up in Brussels, you'll need to budget carefully — a shared room plus groceries and transport can easily eat through €1,000 before you've bought anything else. Outside Brussels, this stipend covers the basics with a small margin for unexpected expenses.
More comfortable, but not lavish. This comfortably covers a room in a student house, groceries, transport, and a phone plan, with some left over for the occasional dinner out. You won't be saving money, but you also won't be stressed every month. Leuven and Ghent are the most affordable destinations on this stipend.
Tight everywhere. At €852 per month, you're below the typical cost of living in every major Belgian city. You'll almost certainly need personal savings or part-time work income to make this work comfortably. It's doable if you're frugal, but expect trade-offs: the cheapest room, cooking every meal, and limited social spending.
International students in Belgium can work up to 20 hours per week during term time, and unlimited hours during official holiday periods. Minimum wage is around €12–13/hour. Common jobs include university research assistantships, restaurant/bar work, retail, and tutoring. If you're on an ARES or VLIR-UOS scholarship, check your specific contract — some programmes require you to dedicate your full time to studies.
What's NOT Covered
Even the most generous Belgian scholarships have gaps. These are expenses that nobody mentions in the promotional material but that will definitely show up in your first few months.
€150–200 for processing your foreign degree recognition in Belgium
Some programmes cover basic health insurance but not supplementary hospitalization coverage
Weekend trips to Amsterdam or Paris come out of your own pocket
€15–20/month for a Belgian SIM; home internet if not included in rent
Belgium gets cold, wet, and grey from November to March. If you're coming from a warm country, budget €150–300 for a proper coat, layers, and waterproof shoes.
Your stipend may not start until weeks after arrival. You need cash to bridge the gap between landing and your first payment.
Now that you know what each programme covers financially, learn about ARES in detail — eligibility, application process, and which programmes are offered.
Next: Learn about ARES in detail