Who Can Actually Apply for Belgian Scholarships
Belgium does not have one scholarship system. It has three. The country is split along linguistic and political lines — French-speaking Wallonia, Dutch-speaking Flanders, and a small German-speaking community — and each region runs its own higher education system with its own international scholarship programmes. ARES handles scholarships for the French-speaking universities. VLIR-UOS handles scholarships for the Flemish (Dutch-speaking) universities. And the Flemish government runs a separate merit-based programme called Master Mind. These three systems have entirely different eligibility requirements, different application procedures, and different lists of eligible countries.
This matters because getting the eligibility wrong is the single most common reason Belgian scholarship applications fail before a reviewer ever opens them. I have seen applicants spend three months preparing an ARES dossier only to discover they needed two years of work experience they did not have. I have seen people apply to two VLIR-UOS programmes in the same year and get automatically disqualified from both. I have watched fresh graduates aim for ARES when they should have been looking at VLIR-UOS or Master Mind instead. These mistakes are completely avoidable if you understand the differences upfront.
Below is the full eligibility breakdown for each programme. Read the section that matches the scholarship you are targeting, then check the comparison table at the bottom to make sure you have not missed anything. If your country is not on the ARES or VLIR-UOS lists, skip straight to the Master Mind section — it is open to every nationality in the world.
ARES — French-Speaking Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels)
ARES (Académie de Recherche et d’Enseignement Supérieur) manages scholarships for universities in Wallonia and Brussels that teach in French. These are development-focused scholarships, which means they are specifically designed for professionals from developing countries who will return home and apply what they learned. That focus shapes every eligibility requirement below.
Nationality: 31 Specific Countries Only
ARES maintains a fixed list of 31 eligible countries. If your country is not on this list, you cannot apply to ARES no matter how strong your profile is. The list is reviewed periodically but changes rarely. Here is the full breakdown by region:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Peru
Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam
Palestinian Territory (eligible regardless of current residency)
Residency Requirement
You must be both residing and working in an eligible country at the time you submit your application. Being a citizen of an eligible country but living and working in Europe, North America, or another non-listed country will disqualify you. This is one of the most overlooked requirements. If you are a Cameroonian living in France, you are not eligible for ARES.
Age Limits
Under 40 for degree programmes (Master’s, specialisation). Under 45 for shorter training courses and stages. Age is calculated at the application deadline, not at the start of the programme.
Academic Qualifications
You need a degree comparable to a Belgian second-cycle diploma, which means roughly 300 ECTS credits or the equivalent of a Master’s degree. In practice, a four-year or five-year bachelor’s degree from most developing countries usually meets this threshold, but ARES will evaluate equivalence on a case-by-case basis. Your diploma must have been obtained within the last 20 years. This window is extended by one additional year for each childbirth or adoption, which is a provision specifically aimed at supporting women who took career breaks.
Professional Experience
This is the requirement that catches the most people. You need a minimum of 2 years of relevant professional experience in a partner country. If you hold a postgraduate degree from an industrialized country, the minimum increases to 3 years. Fresh graduates cannot apply to ARES. Internships and volunteer work generally do not count — they want paid, full-time professional experience that is directly related to the programme you are applying for.
Language: French Required
Almost all ARES programmes are taught in French. You must be fluent in French, both written and spoken, at the time of application. There is no standardised test score requirement (like DELF/DALF), but the application itself is in French, the interview is in French, and your motivation letter must be written in French. If your French is not strong enough to do all of that comfortably, ARES is not the right programme for you. You must also commit to learning French for daily life in Belgium during your stay.
VLIR-UOS — Flemish Belgium (English-Taught)
VLIR-UOS (Vlaamse Interuniversitaire Raad – Universitaire Ontwikkelingssamenwerking) funds scholarships at Flemish universities, and nearly all of their International Course Programmes (ICPs) are taught in English. Like ARES, these are development-oriented scholarships. But the eligibility rules differ in important ways — particularly around age limits, language requirements, and the one-application-per-year rule that has disqualified thousands of applicants who did not take it seriously.
Nationality: 29 Eligible Countries
The VLIR-UOS country list overlaps significantly with the ARES list but is not identical. A few countries appear on one list but not the other, so check carefully. Here is the full list:
Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
Morocco, Palestine
Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru
Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam
Key difference from ARES: Rwanda and Tunisia are on the ARES list but not the VLIR-UOS list. Nicaragua is on the VLIR-UOS list but not on the ARES list. Nepal is on the ARES list but not on VLIR-UOS. Always double-check which list applies to the programme you are targeting.
Residency Requirement
You must be residing in an eligible country at the time of application. Unlike ARES, the residency country does not need to match your nationality — a Kenyan citizen living in Ethiopia, for example, would be eligible since both countries are on the list. But a Kenyan citizen living in Germany would not qualify.
Age Limits
Under 35 for bachelor’s and initial master’s programmes (calculated on January 1 of the intake year, not the application deadline).
Under 45 for advanced master’s programmes.
Minimum 19 years old for bachelor’s programmes.
The way VLIR-UOS calculates age is different from ARES. They use January 1 of the intake year as the reference date. So if the programme starts in September 2027, you need to be under 35 on January 1, 2027 — not on the application deadline.
Professional Background
VLIR-UOS gives preference to candidates working in education, research, government, and civil society/NGO sectors. These are the sectors they consider most likely to create development impact when scholars return home. However — and this is important — recent graduates and private sector professionals can still apply. You are not automatically excluded. But you need a much stronger motivation letter explaining how your studies will contribute to development in your home country. Private sector applicants who cannot draw a clear line between their work and broader development goals tend to be ranked lower.
Language: English (TOEFL/IELTS)
Since most ICP programmes are taught in English, you need to demonstrate English proficiency through a standardised test. TOEFL and IELTS are the most commonly accepted, but the exact score requirements vary by programme. Some programmes accept TOEFL iBT 79, others require 90 or higher. IELTS requirements typically range from 6.0 to 7.0. Always check the specific requirements for the programme you are targeting — there is no single VLIR-UOS-wide minimum score.
CRITICAL: One application per year only
You can only apply to one ICP programme per year. If you submit applications to two or more programmes, all of your applications will be automatically disqualified. This is enforced through a centralized system, so there is no way around it. Choose your one programme carefully.
Master Mind — Flemish Government Merit Scholarship
Master Mind is a completely different animal from ARES and VLIR-UOS. It is not a development scholarship. It is a merit-based scholarship funded by the Flemish government to attract top international students to Flemish universities. The eligibility rules are much simpler, but the academic bar is significantly higher.
Nationality: Open to All (with exceptions)
Master Mind is open to all international students from any country in the world. You do not need to be from a developing country. You do not need to be from a specific list. A student from India, Brazil, Nigeria, Japan, or Canada can all apply. The one explicit exclusion: Russian nationals are not eligible. This restriction has been in place since 2022.
Academic Requirements: Very High Bar
This is where Master Mind separates itself. You need a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 or equivalent. That puts you roughly in the top 10-15% of graduates at most universities. If your grading system uses percentages, that typically translates to 85% or above. If your country uses a different scale, the university you apply to will assess equivalence. There is no wiggle room here — if your grades do not meet this threshold, your application will not be considered.
Language: High English Proficiency
The English requirements are stricter than VLIR-UOS:
Standard programmes: IELTS 7.0+ or TOEFL iBT 94+ (C1 level on the CEFR scale).
Arts schools: IELTS 6.5+ or equivalent (B2 level).
These are minimum thresholds. Universities may have their own higher requirements for specific programmes.
How It Works: University Nomination
You cannot apply directly for Master Mind. The process works through the university. You apply for admission to a Master’s programme at a Flemish university, and then the university decides whether to nominate you for the Master Mind scholarship. Different universities have different internal processes for this — some require a separate scholarship application form, others automatically consider all admitted international students. You need to contact the admissions office of the specific programme you are interested in to find out their process.
Numbers and Reserved Spots
Master Mind awards roughly 30 scholarships per year across all Flemish universities. That makes it extremely competitive. Of those 30 spots, a portion are reserved for students from specific countries under bilateral agreements:
The remaining spots are open to all other eligible nationalities, so the competition for the non-reserved slots is fierce. If you are from one of the reserved countries, your odds are meaningfully better — but you still need to meet the GPA and language thresholds.
Side-by-Side Comparison
Here is everything in one place. If you are still unsure which programme to target, this table should make it clear.
| Criteria | ARES | VLIR-UOS | Master Mind |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible countries | 31 developing countries | 29 developing countries | All countries (except Russia) |
| Age limit | Under 40 (degrees) Under 45 (training) |
Under 35 (initial master’s) Under 45 (advanced master’s) |
No age limit |
| Language | French (fluent) | English (TOEFL/IELTS) | English (IELTS 7.0+ / TOEFL 94+) |
| Work experience | Min. 2 years required | Preferred, not required | Not required |
| Monthly allowance | €1,150/month (approx.) | €1,100/month (approx.) | €8,300/year lump sum |
| Awards per year | ~150 across all programmes | ~180 across all ICPs | ~30 total |
| How to apply | Direct to ARES | Direct to VLIR-UOS programme | Through Flemish university (nomination) |
The Traps That Catch People
Every year, hundreds of applicants get disqualified for reasons that were completely preventable. Here are the four mistakes I see over and over again.
“I applied to two VLIR-UOS programmes and got disqualified from both”
This happens every single year and it is always devastating. The applicant finds two ICP programmes that interest them, figures they will double their chances by applying to both, and instead loses everything. VLIR-UOS enforces a strict one-application-per-year rule. Their system flags duplicate applicants automatically. Both applications get thrown out without review. There is no appeal, no exception, and no second chance that year.
The fix is simple: pick the one programme that best matches your background and go all-in on that single application. If you are torn between two programmes, choose the one where your professional experience and academic background align most closely with the programme description. A strong application to one programme beats two mediocre applications every time — except here you do not even get mediocre, you get zero.
“I didn’t know I needed work experience for ARES”
Fresh graduates cannot apply to ARES. The two-year work experience requirement is not a suggestion or a preference — it is a hard minimum. I have seen applicants with excellent grades and strong motivation letters get screened out in the first round because they graduated six months ago and went straight to the application. ARES scholarships are designed for mid-career professionals, not recent graduates.
If you just graduated and want to study in Belgium, VLIR-UOS and Master Mind are your options. VLIR-UOS prefers applicants with professional experience but does not require it. Master Mind has no work experience requirement at all. Come back to ARES after you have accumulated two or three years of solid professional experience in your field.
“I’m not from a listed country — am I completely out?”
Not at all. If your country does not appear on the ARES or VLIR-UOS lists, those two programmes are off the table for you. But Master Mind is open to students from any country in the world (except Russia). That is your primary option. The trade-off is that Master Mind requires a higher GPA (3.5/4.0) and has fewer spots (~30 per year), so the competition is intense.
Beyond Master Mind, individual Flemish and Walloon universities offer their own institutional scholarships for international students. These are separate from the three government-funded programmes discussed on this page, and each university sets its own eligibility criteria. Check the international admissions pages of specific universities like KU Leuven, UGent, VUB, ULB, and UCLouvain — many have merit-based tuition fee waivers or partial scholarships that are open to all nationalities. For a broader overview, see the Study in Flanders scholarships page.
“I had a Belgian scholarship before and applied again”
Both ARES and VLIR-UOS have a lifetime bar on repeat recipients. If you received an ARES scholarship in 2019 and want to apply for a VLIR-UOS scholarship in 2027, you are not eligible. The restriction applies across all Belgian government scholarship programmes, not just within the same programme. It does not matter how long ago you received the scholarship or whether you completed the programme.
The reasoning behind this is straightforward: Belgium wants to spread its development funding across as many individuals as possible rather than giving multiple awards to the same person. If you already benefited from one Belgian scholarship, your slot goes to someone who has not. Master Mind does not explicitly share this restriction (since it is a Flemish government programme, not a development cooperation programme), but in practice, universities may deprioritize applicants who already hold Belgian degrees.
Next: What the scholarship covers →
Now that you know whether you are eligible, the next step is understanding exactly what each programme pays for — tuition, living costs, travel, insurance, and the numbers behind each package.