Questions Everyone Has
But Nobody Answers Directly

For VLIR-UOS, you must hold the nationality of one of the 29 eligible countries and be residing there at the time of application. If you are a Kenyan national currently living in Ethiopia, you are eligible. If you are a Kenyan national currently living in the UK, Germany, Canada, or any other high-income country, you are not.

ARES has a similar rule: you must be a permanent resident working in one of the 31 partner countries. Palestinian nationals are the only exception — they remain eligible regardless of their current country of residence.

The underlying intention of both programmes is to train people who are embedded in developing country contexts and will return to those contexts after graduating. Living abroad for an extended period works against that intention and against eligibility.

The official VLIR-UOS country list is the only one that counts. Third-party scholarship aggregator sites frequently publish outdated or incorrect versions. Countries that appear on informal lists but are not on the official 2027 list include Egypt, India, Nigeria, Ghana, and Tunisia — all large countries with a high volume of scholarship-seeking students, which is probably why they circulate so persistently on unofficial sites.

Always verify directly at the official VLIR-UOS website before investing time in an application. The same principle applies to ARES — their list of 31 eligible countries is distinct from the VLIR-UOS list, and the two do not fully overlap.

Private sector workers are not automatically excluded. Both programmes list higher education professionals, government employees, and civil society workers as preferred candidates — but they do not make private sector workers ineligible.

What it means in practice: if your application is competing against someone with equivalent qualifications who works for a public university or government ministry, they will likely be ranked higher. The closer your work connects to a public development mandate — healthcare, agriculture, education, public infrastructure, NGO work — the stronger your profile is regardless of employer type.

Fresh graduates face a harder path than private sector professionals. At least professional experience of some kind demonstrates you have returned to your country and contributed after your previous degree.

For VLIR-UOS Initial Master programmes (two-year degrees), the hard cutoff is 35 years old as of 1 January of the intake year. Your birthday during the year does not matter — it is your age on 1 January specifically. If you turn 36 on 2 January, you are still eligible for an Initial Master starting that September.

If you are over 35, Advanced Master programmes (one-year programmes) have a higher age limit of 45 years. These are postgraduate programmes intended for experienced professionals. They require an existing Master's degree.

ARES does not publish a fixed age limit for its programmes, though individual programmes may set their own criteria. Check the specific programme documentation for details.

No. Anyone who has previously received a Belgian government scholarship — regardless of whether they completed the programme or not — is permanently ineligible for a new one. This applies across both ARES and VLIR-UOS. Receiving a scholarship, not graduating from it, is the disqualifying event.

If you were admitted to a VLIR-UOS programme but did not receive the scholarship (i.e., you self-funded or received a different scholarship), you may still be eligible to reapply. The specific situation matters, so contact the relevant institution directly to confirm your status before investing in another application.

Short exchanges and mobility programmes generally do not count as enrolling in a degree programme in Belgium. For VLIR-UOS, the disqualifying criterion is that you must not have enrolled at a Belgian institution before 1 January of the intake year. Participating in a brief exchange programme through Erasmus or a similar scheme is different from enrolling as a student.

That said, the programmes do give preference to candidates without prior study experience in higher-income countries generally. Mentioning a Erasmus stint in your motivation letter without context could work against you, so be thoughtful about how you frame it.

No. Applying to more than one ICP Connect programme in the same application year leads to automatic rejection of all applications you submitted — not just the extras. This is one of the strictest rules in the entire system, and it is enforced without exceptions. VLIR-UOS cross-checks applicants across institutions precisely for this reason.

The logic behind it: the scholarship is meant for a specific programme that addresses a specific development challenge in your home country. If you are applying broadly to increase your chances, you are demonstrating that you have not thought carefully about why that specific programme is the right one. That is the opposite of what the selection committee wants to see.

Choose the one programme that genuinely fits your professional trajectory and your country's needs. Apply only there. Rejected? You can apply again next year to the same programme or a different one.

The "one application" rule applies specifically within each programme's own system. VLIR-UOS and ARES are entirely separate organisations, so applying to one ARES programme and one VLIR-UOS programme in the same year does not technically violate either system's rule.

However, both scholarships prohibit combining them with other scholarships if you are selected. If you received an ARES scholarship and a VLIR-UOS scholarship simultaneously (which would be for different programmes at different institutions), you could not hold both. In practice, this scenario is unlikely because ARES and VLIR-UOS programme start dates and durations often conflict.

The more practical concern is your own time and effort. Both applications require serious investment. Splitting your focus across two completely different scholarship systems, with different language requirements, different application portals, and very different programme types, usually produces two mediocre applications rather than one strong one.

Yes, absolutely. Rejection is not permanent disqualification. As long as you still meet all the eligibility criteria at the time of reapplication — age limit, residency, no prior Belgian government scholarship received — you can apply again to the same programme or a different one.

Many successful VLIR-UOS and ARES recipients applied two or three times before being selected. The selection process incorporates gender balance and regional distribution, which means a well-qualified candidate from an over-represented country may be passed over in a year when regional balancing tilts against them, only to succeed in a subsequent year when the balance shifts.

One thing to keep in mind: you receive no feedback on rejection. The only way to improve is to critically assess your own motivation letter and profile, reach out to the programme coordinator for informal guidance if possible, and make concrete changes before reapplying.

Through the university. Each VLIR-UOS programme is hosted by a specific Flemish university, and you apply directly to that university's own admission system — not to any central VLIR-UOS portal. There is no central VLIR-UOS application form.

What VLIR-UOS does is review the shortlist that the host university sends them after their own initial screening. VLIR-UOS then makes the final scholarship selection from the university's recommended candidates. So the scholarship decision flows through the university, not around it.

The important practical implication: you must explicitly indicate within your university application that you are seeking the VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarship. If you do not flag this, you may be admitted to the programme but never considered for the scholarship.

No. There are no application fees for either ARES or VLIR-UOS scholarships. Both are completely free to apply. Any website or agent charging you an "application assistance fee," "processing fee," or any similar fee in connection with these scholarships is charging you for something you could do for free directly.

Some individual universities may charge a programme application fee separately — this is distinct from the scholarship application fee and worth checking with the specific institution. But the scholarship application itself has no cost.

Once submitted in GIRAF, the application is locked. ARES does not allow corrections post-submission. This is a well-known frustration with their platform — the submit action is permanent.

The only path forward is to contact ARES directly at [email protected] and explain the situation. They may be able to accommodate a correction at their discretion, but this is not guaranteed. The cleaner approach is to review your entire dossier carefully before hitting submit, ideally with a second person reading it.

Also note: creating multiple accounts on GIRAF (by clicking the account creation button more than once) creates duplicate records that cause problems. Only create one account.

This is a genuine difficulty that the ARES documentation does not address clearly. For self-employed applicants, the closest equivalent is a letter from a professional body, cooperative, or relevant association that you are a member of, confirming your professional standing and your intent to continue your activity after returning.

Alternatively, contact ARES directly before the deadline to explain your situation and ask what documentation they would accept in place of a formal employer letter. Getting written confirmation of what they will accept is much better than submitting something inappropriate and hoping for the best.

The underlying purpose of the letter is to demonstrate you have a professional home to return to and that someone is expecting you back. Any documentation that genuinely demonstrates that purpose is what you are trying to provide.

This varies by country and by institution. Some Belgian universities accept online verification through platforms like Parchment or My eQuals. Others require physical apostille stamps or full diplomatic legalization — the latter being a more involved process for countries that are not members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

Documents submitted in the application process are typically not returned. If legalization requires sending original certificates, check whether the institution accepts certified copies first. Some do.

Check directly with the specific programme you are applying to rather than relying on general guidance. Requirements genuinely vary.

In some cases, yes. VLIR-UOS and the host institutions are aware that diploma issuance timelines vary significantly across countries. A temporary certificate of completion or a letter from your institution confirming your degree award may be accepted during the application phase, with the final diploma required before you can begin the programme.

Always ask the specific programme. Do not assume either way. Some institutions are flexible; others require the official document.

Many VLIR-UOS host institutions will accept an English Medium of Instruction (EMI) letter from your prior institution in place of a standardised test score, if your previous degree was delivered entirely in English. Some also now accept Duolingo English Test scores.

However, each programme sets its own English proficiency requirements. Some still require IELTS (typically 6.5 to 7.0 overall) or TOEFL (typically 90 to 94) regardless of your instruction language. Check the specific programme requirements before you skip booking a test — test registration often takes months, and running out of time is a common and preventable problem.

Barely comfortably, depending on the city. Average student monthly costs in Belgium range from around €1,000 in smaller cities like Ghent, Leuven, or Liège to €1,350 or higher in Brussels, where rents run roughly 20 to 25% above the national student average.

With €1,400 in Ghent or Leuven, most students manage adequately — covering rent in a shared flat (€350 to €550), food (€200 to €300), local transport (€50), and basic personal costs. In Brussels, the margin is very thin, and unexpected costs (illness, a trip home for an emergency, course materials) can cause real strain.

VLIR-UOS is explicit that the scholarship is not designed to leave surplus funds for savings or family support back home. Budget carefully and treat any surplus as a buffer rather than regular income.

A limited amount of part-time work is not prohibited. Belgium allows international students with a valid residence permit to work up to a certain number of hours (typically around 20 hours per week during term, full-time during official breaks). The scholarship programmes do not explicitly forbid it.

What they do caution against is depending on part-time work to fund your studies. These are intensive academic programmes. Most VLIR-UOS ICP Connect degrees are designed with a demanding workload and international cohorts who take the academic work seriously. Splitting your attention between a job and a full-time master's programme is a risk to your academic performance.

Practically, finding part-time work in Belgium as an international student with limited Dutch or French is also not straightforward, especially in the early months. Treat the scholarship allowance as your primary income and any student job income as occasional supplementary money.

No. Both ARES and VLIR-UOS prohibit holding their scholarship simultaneously with any other scholarship or grant covering the same programme. If you are offered both and accept both, you can be disqualified from the Belgian scholarship.

Scholarships from your home government, employer sponsorships, or small bursaries from your previous institution that do not cover the same programme period may or may not be considered, but the safest approach is to disclose any other funding you have received or are expecting and let the programme coordinator confirm what is permissible.

Not directly. The scholarship covers the scholar only. VLIR-UOS provides a supplementary family allowance of €62 per month per dependent for scholars in master programmes, but this does not come close to covering the actual cost of bringing a family member to Belgium.

Dependents must obtain their own separate family reunification visas, which have their own requirements and processing times. The cost of housing, food, and daily life for a family in Belgium would significantly exceed the scholarship's monthly allowance. Most VLIR-UOS and ARES recipients who have families leave them at home for the duration of the programme and plan visits.

It depends entirely on which scholarship and which programme. All VLIR-UOS ICP Connect programmes are taught in English. Dutch is not required, not tested for admission, and not needed for your coursework. You will likely encounter Dutch in shops, public transport signage, and administrative offices in Flanders, but the academic environment is fully in English.

ARES is the opposite. All ARES programmes are taught in French, and mastery of written and spoken French is a mandatory admission requirement. ARES explicitly states that scholars must commit to learning French for daily life. If your French is not functional, ARES is not the right path. No amount of IELTS score compensates for a weak French proficiency in an ARES application.

Extensions are not possible. VLIR-UOS provides scholarships for the official duration of the programme only — 12, 24, or 36 months depending on the programme level — and does not grant extensions for any reason, including thesis delays. Once the scholarship period ends, the financial support ends.

If your thesis takes longer than expected, you would need to either complete it from home (if your institution permits remote thesis completion) or find other funding sources to remain in Belgium. Neither is an easy situation. This is one of the reasons most VLIR-UOS alumni strongly recommend starting thesis research as early as possible in the programme and not leaving it all to the final semester.

No, and this surprises a lot of applicants. Academic merit is one criterion, but VLIR-UOS explicitly balances selection across gender (targeting 50% female recipients), regional diversity (ensuring applicants from less-represented eligible countries are not consistently passed over), professional background, and a "Leave No One Behind" principle that gives additional consideration to candidates from particularly disadvantaged circumstances.

What this means in practice: a highly qualified candidate from a country that is already well-represented in the programme (say, Vietnam or Ethiopia, which have many applicants) may be passed over for a slightly lower-scoring candidate from an under-represented country, simply because the quota system works that way in a given year. It also means a strong female applicant from a mid-represented country may be selected over a male applicant with a similar academic profile.

This is not something to resent — it is by design. The scholarships are development instruments, not purely academic merit competitions. But it does mean that applicants from heavily represented countries need to demonstrate an exceptionally strong development impact case, not just strong grades.

For the upcoming 2027 intake (exact dates to be confirmed): most applications are expected to close around late February 2027, with selected and waitlisted candidates typically notified by email from mid-May to mid-June 2027. That is roughly three months of silence after you submit. The programme then starts in September. VLIR-UOS has not yet published the official 2027 calendar, so confirm the exact deadline on the programme page.

Rejected candidates hear directly from the host university rather than from VLIR-UOS, and the timing for those notifications may differ.

The long wait is a structural feature of the process — the university screens applications, sends a shortlist to VLIR-UOS, VLIR-UOS applies their balancing criteria and makes final selections, and then the cycle is communicated back. It genuinely takes that long. There is nothing you can or should do to follow up during this period — it will not change anything.

Yes, the waiting list is actively used. When a selected candidate declines the scholarship offer, the next candidate on the waiting list is offered it. In practice, this happens regularly — some selected candidates have visa issues, receive other scholarships they prefer, or have family circumstances change. Waiting list movement can happen as late as July, just two months before the September start.

Being on the waiting list is not a consolation prize. Treat it as a real possibility. Do not accept other incompatible commitments during the summer if you want to remain available. Keep your visa documentation ready so you can move quickly if you receive an offer.

This is a common frustration. Neither ARES nor VLIR-UOS provides individual feedback on rejected applications. You will not be told whether you were rejected for academic reasons, for motivation letter quality, because your country was over-represented that year, or simply because another candidate was stronger in the balancing criteria.

Without official feedback, you have to do your own honest assessment. Re-read your motivation letter critically: does it name a specific development problem in your home country? Does it explain precisely why this particular programme is the solution? Does it describe what you will do after graduating with enough concrete detail to be credible? A vague motivation letter is the single most common weakness in applications, and it is entirely within your control to fix it.

Some programme coordinators will respond to a politely worded informal inquiry after results are announced. It is not guaranteed, but it is worth trying once — not to contest the decision, but to ask if they can share any general guidance for reapplication.

Start as soon as you have confirmed your place — ideally by June for a September start. Belgian university cities, particularly Ghent, Leuven, and Brussels, have very competitive rental markets in August and September when thousands of students arrive simultaneously. Waiting until July or August often means choosing between poor-quality rooms or paying significantly above the normal student rate.

Most Belgian universities have an international student housing service that provides room listings and sometimes reservations specifically for international students. Contact your host institution's housing office as soon as your admission and scholarship are confirmed. University-managed student residences are typically the safest starting point, even if they are not your long-term preference.

You will need a D-visa (long-stay visa) to enter Belgium for studies lasting more than 90 days. This requires your admission letter from the university, proof of scholarship funding, proof of accommodation, valid travel insurance, and a clean criminal record certificate. The specific document list may vary depending on your nationality and your Belgian consulate's requirements.

Once in Belgium, you must register with the local commune (municipality) within eight working days of arrival. The commune will then initiate the process for your residence card (A-card for students). Your university's international student services office will guide you through this process, and most have staff specifically assigned to help international scholarship students with registration.

Start your visa application as early as possible after receiving your scholarship offer. Some Belgian consulates have very long processing queues, and September arrivals who applied for their visa in July are regularly caught by delays.

The return expectation is explicitly stated in the scholarship's philosophy. Both ARES and VLIR-UOS describe these as development scholarships that specifically aim to strengthen institutions and communities in the scholar's home country. The expectation is that you return and apply your knowledge there.

Whether there is a formal legal enforcement mechanism is a question that comes up repeatedly, and the honest answer is: the enforcement is primarily moral and reputational rather than legal in the Western contractual sense. There is no scholarship repayment clause for those who do not return. However, this may vary for ARES scholars who signed specific commitment documents with their employer.

That said, these scholarships are finite government resources designed for development. Using one to permanently relocate to a high-income country defeats the entire purpose for which public money was spent. It also affects the pool of opportunities available to future candidates from your country.

Yes, continuing to a PhD is possible. Several VLIR-UOS alumni have gone on to pursue doctoral research in Belgium or other countries. If a Belgian professor becomes interested in your master's thesis work, they may approach you about a PhD position or assist you in finding funding.

What this would not be is another Belgian government scholarship. You have already received one, which permanently closes that route. PhD funding would need to come from research grants, university funding, or other sources such as the Research Foundation Flanders (FWO) for doctoral fellowships, European research projects, or industrial partnerships.