How to Apply for Belgian Scholarships 2027/28

Three systems, three different processes

ARES uses the GIRAF platform — a centralised online system where you create an account, upload documents and submit everything through one portal. VLIR-UOS works entirely through individual university portals — there is no central application site, and each host university runs its own admissions process. Master Mind is different again: you cannot apply to the Flemish government yourself. You apply through a participating Flemish institution, which preselects and nominates candidates.

Getting the process wrong — applying through the wrong portal, submitting to the wrong system, or applying to multiple programmes when you're only allowed one — is an immediate disqualification. Below, we walk through each application system step by step so you know exactly what to do.

French-speaking Belgium. The 2027–2028 call ran from 3 August to 18 September 2026 and is now closed; ARES has announced its next call for August 2027. The steps below are what you will repeat then.

1. 1
   Check eligibility first

   Before you touch the application, confirm that you live and work in one of the 32 ARES partner countries, that your degree is no more than 20 years old when the course starts, that you have at least 2 years of relevant professional experience after your last degree, and that you can work in the course's language — usually French.

2. 2
   Choose your course

   Browse the courses on our ARES programme page or the official ARES website. You can only apply for ONE course — choose wisely. Does it match your professional background? Is it relevant to development in your home country? Can you clearly show the connection to your career goals?

3. 3
   Create your GIRAF account

   Register at giraf.ares-ac.be, the only portal through which ARES accepts applications. Validation can take hours to days, and new accounts are suspended two weeks before the deadline (4 September in the 2026 round). If you used an account in the previous two years, reuse it — do not create a new one. Check your spam folder if the confirmation email doesn't arrive within a few hours.

4. 4
   Prepare your documents before starting the form

   Two recommendation letters; certified copies of diplomas (“true copy of original” with an authority stamp); certified transcripts for ALL years; proof of occupation for the last 5 years; a certificate of nationality, ID card or passport copy; proof of residence; your employer's commitment to re-employ you; and a pre-project if your course requires one. See the full required documents page.

5. 5
   Complete the application form

   In GIRAF, go to Competitive Calls, click the “Candidature formation internationale” button only once, then open your form from My Tasks. Fill in all required fields — you can save as draft and return later — and double-check every section, especially the uploads.

6. Submit

   Click “Submit my application.” This is irreversible: no modifications are possible afterwards. Track it under “Mes dossiers soumis” (submitted files).

English-taught programmes in Flanders. The 2027–2028 call is expected to open in mid-November 2026.

1. 1
   Verify eligibility

   VLIR-UOS has its own country list, age limits and residency rules — they overlap with ARES but aren't identical. Check the eligibility page for the 29-country list (the 2027–2031 programme names 25), verify the age and residency rules, and confirm you have (or will have) the required degree before the programme starts.

2. 2
   Choose ONE programme

   Browse the ICP Connect programmes on our VLIR-UOS page or the official VLIR-UOS website. Absolutely critical: if you apply for more than one ICP Connect scholarship, every one of your applications is excluded — not just the duplicates.

3. 3
   Find the university application portal

   There is no centralised platform. Go to the programme's page on the host university's website and look for the ICP Connect or VLIR-UOS instructions. If you can't find them, contact the programme coordinator — contacts are listed on the VLIR-UOS programme page.

4. 4
   Apply for admission AND the scholarship

   One application covers both. You must explicitly state you are applying for a VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarship. Some universities (like KU Leuven) have a specific ICP Connect form — check carefully, and don't assume you'll be considered automatically.

5. 5
   Submit the required documents

   Certified transcripts and diplomas; English proficiency proof (TOEFL or IELTS, minimum scores vary by programme); passport copy; 2 recommendation letters; CV; a motivation letter emphasising development impact and knowledge transfer; and any programme-specific documents.

6. 6
   Wait for results

   There is no application fee. After you submit, the university and VLIR-UOS handle the review. Selected and waiting-list candidates are emailed no later than mid-May (mid-May 2027 for this cycle).

Applying to Master Mind (via your host institution)

1. 1
   Check eligibility

   GPA of 3.5/4.0 on your last degree (calculated with Scholaro), IELTS 7.0 or TOEFL iBT 94 (6.5 / 90 for schools of arts) no older than 3 years, any nationality except Russian, and a previous degree not obtained in Flanders. See the full criteria.

2. 2
   Check that your institution participates — and its deadline

   Not every institution or programme takes part. Study in Flanders lists the host institutions and deadlines. Ask the international office whether your programme is eligible.

3. 3
   Apply to the institution

   Apply for admission to the master's programme and submit your scholarship documents to the institution before its deadline. You must be admitted to receive the scholarship, even if the admission decision comes after the scholarship selection.

4. 4
   Institutional preselection

   After its deadline, the institution checks eligibility and preselects candidates. It can put forward a maximum of 20, so competition starts here.

5. 5
   Complete your file in Mobility Online

   If preselected, you receive an email from the Mobility Online tool. Register and upload: a profile picture, passport or ID, a CV showing your GPA out of 4.0 (plus publications, awards and previous scholarships), transcripts, English test results (or an exemption letter), a motivation letter in English, two signed recommendation letters in English, and copies of your diplomas. Documents not in Dutch, French, German or English need certified translations.

6. Validation and selection

   The institution validates and submits your file to the Flemish Higher Education Council (VLUHR). Its selection committee awards the scholarships to the highest-ranked students and notifies you of the result.

Master Mind deadlines: the last round as a guide

Deadlines for 2027–2028 have not been published yet, and Study in Flanders says the scheme is under review for that year. For reference, the 2026–2027 institutional deadlines were:

Timeline comparison: all three programmes

The three programmes run on completely different calendars. ARES has the earliest and tightest window. VLIR-UOS deadlines are spread across months depending on the programme. Master Mind depends on each host institution.

The 5 biggest application mistakes

These are the errors that get people disqualified before their application is even reviewed. Every single one of them is avoidable.

1. Applying to multiple VLIR-UOS programmes

This is one of the easiest ways to get disqualified. VLIR-UOS allows one ICP Connect scholarship application per year, across all Flemish institutions. Applying for more than one leads to the exclusion of every application you submitted.

2. Clicking the GIRAF apply button multiple times

GIRAF is not fast. If you click “Apply” again because you think it didn't work, it creates duplicate applications. This causes confusion in the review and can get your application flagged or rejected.

3. Submitting the ARES application before it's ready

Once you click “Submit my application” in GIRAF, that's it. You cannot edit, update or add documents. If you submitted with a missing recommendation letter or an incorrect transcript, you're stuck with that incomplete application for the entire review cycle.

4. Not certifying document copies properly

A plain photocopy of your diploma is not a certified copy. You need a “true copy of original” stamp from a recognised authority — your university registrar, a notary or your country's ministry of education. Uncertified copies get your application thrown out at the document check, before anyone reads your motivation.

5. Waiting until deadline day to create a GIRAF account

GIRAF accounts need manual validation, and new accounts are suspended two weeks before the deadline (the ARES window typically closes in mid-September). Create your account as soon as the call opens, even if you're not ready to start the application yet.

Each programme has specific document requirements — certified transcripts, recommendation letters, language certificates and more. Next: exactly what you need to submit.