How Belgian Scholarship Winners Are Selected

Not purely merit-based

Belgian scholarship selection is not purely merit-based, and that surprises a lot of applicants. Both ARES and VLIR-UOS use development-focused criteria alongside academic performance, and both explicitly apply gender and regional balancing. Understanding how selection actually works helps you tailor your application to what reviewers look for — and manage your expectations about outcomes.

ARES selection process

Phase 1: administrative check

• Are you eligible? (residence and work in a partner country, degree age, experience, language)
• Are all documents complete and properly certified?
• Did you apply for only one course?
• Passing this check does not guarantee you'll be selected.

Phase 2: academic jury review

Each course has an academic jury that scores applications against ARES's eight official criteria: the quality of your academic career; previous scholarships (earlier ARES grant holders are excluded); professional experience related to the development issues the course covers; membership of an ARES partner institution (a tie-breaker); your potential to be an agent of change; nationality (each course aims for geographic diversity); gender parity; and your ability to transfer what you learn after returning home. In practice, the jury is also judging your command of the course language and the quality of your pre-project or motivation.

Phase 3: possible interview

• Not all candidates are interviewed.
• Shortlisted candidates may be asked to demonstrate communication skills, academic preparation and professional potential.
• Interview format and timing vary by course.

Outcome categories

• Selected — you're in.
• Reserve list — you get in if someone selected declines.
• Not selected — no detailed feedback is provided. Appeals can only be lodged with Belgium's Council of State.

VLIR-UOS selection process

Phase 1: university level

The host university or programme committee reviews all eligible applications, evaluates them against its own academic admission criteria, ranks candidates in order of preference and passes its selection results to VLIR-UOS.

Phase 2: VLIR-UOS level

VLIR-UOS then applies its policy criteria across the ranked lists:

1. Motivation and professional goals. Does the candidate show competence in knowledge transfer? Is their motivation linked to sustainable development? Can they articulate how they'll be an “agent of change”?
2. Professional experience. Has the candidate shown the ability to implement and transfer knowledge in a development context?
3. Knowledge transfer potential. What are the realistic opportunities for applying new skills after returning home?
4. Gender balance. VLIR-UOS targets a balance between male and female scholars and “strongly encourages” women to apply.
5. Regional and country balance. If many high-scoring candidates come from one country, some may be passed over in favour of candidates from under-represented countries.
6. Leave No One Behind (LNOB). Among equally qualified candidates, preference goes to people from vulnerable or disadvantaged groups, ethnic minorities or underserved areas.
7. No previous study in a higher-income country. Preference goes to candidates who haven't already done a bachelor's or master's in a higher-income country.

Why the best application doesn't always win

A lower-scoring female candidate from an under-represented country can be selected over a higher-scoring male from an over-represented country. This is by design — VLIR-UOS aims for representative, diverse cohorts, not just the top academic performers.

The same applicant with the same application can be selected one year and rejected the next, purely because the applicant pool changed. If your country sent 50 strong applicants last year and 200 this year, your chances dropped even though your application didn't get worse.

This frustrates many applicants, but it's transparent: VLIR-UOS publishes these criteria openly. The problem is that most applicants never read the policy documents and only discover this after being rejected.

No feedback on rejection reasons is provided, so you can't know whether you were rejected on merit or on balancing criteria. You won't get a letter saying “your score was X but we needed more candidates from country Y” — just a rejection email. Reapplication is allowed, but there's no guarantee of a different result: if the pool stays similar, your outcome may too, however much you improve.

Master Mind selection

• The host institution preselects up to 20 candidates and submits them to the Flemish Higher Education Council (VLUHR) — you can't apply to the Flemish government directly.
• Selection is based on academic excellence (GPA 3.5+), English proficiency, motivation and recommendations; the VLUHR selection committee awards the scholarships to the highest-ranking students.
• Few spots: Study in Flanders does not publish a total, but we estimate around 30 across all Flemish institutions.
• Some spots are reserved for priority countries: USA (5), Japan (3), Mexico (3) and Palestine (2). Unfilled reserved spots go back to the general ranking.
• Purely merit-based — no development focus or positive discrimination. If you have the best grades and scores, your nationality won't count against you. The reserved places only give priority-country applicants a separate quota.
• If a selected student declines, the scholarship goes to the next-ranked candidate — from the same priority country first, where relevant.

What actually gets you selected

For ARES

• Strong command of the course language — usually French — or at minimum clear evidence you're learning. Half-hearted “I plan to learn French” statements won't cut it.
• Solid professional experience directly connected to the course. Random work history doesn't help — the experience needs to make the course choice logical.
• A pre-project that's specific, achievable and development-relevant. Vague plans about “contributing to my country's growth” are exactly what everyone writes.
• Recommendation letters from people who know your professional impact. A boss who can describe what you actually did matters more than a professor who remembers your grade.
• A clear return plan with concrete institutional backing. Your employer's commitment to re-employ you is now a required document — and worth its weight in gold.

For VLIR-UOS

• A motivation letter that goes beyond “I want to contribute to development” — show HOW and WHERE. Name specific institutions, projects or initiatives.
• Evidence of current work in education, government, civil society or research. They want people already embedded in systems that can benefit from new knowledge.
• A concrete knowledge transfer plan (e.g. “I will develop curriculum for X at Y university” or “I will train 50 health workers on Z protocol at my district hospital”).
• If you're female or from an under-represented country, the gender and regional balance criteria can work in your favour.
• Previous community or development work, even if unpaid. Volunteer coordination, NGO fieldwork, community health initiatives — these signal the kind of person VLIR-UOS wants to fund.

For Master Mind

• An outstanding GPA — 3.5 is the minimum, not the target. In our estimate, competitive applicants often have 3.7+.
• Near-perfect English scores. Scores well above the minimum (for example IELTS 7.5+ or TOEFL 105+) help, in our estimate.
• A motivation letter that shows genuine intellectual curiosity, not just career ambition. Why this programme at this Flemish institution?
• Strong recommendations from academic supervisors who can speak to your research potential, not just say you were a good student.

Dealing with the wait

ARES: about 9 months between application and results, with no interim updates. You submit in September and hear back by June. That's the deal.

VLIR-UOS: 3–6 months depending on your programme deadline. Also no interim updates — the silence is normal.

Both programmes send results by email only, so check your spam folder. Seriously. If you don't hear by the expected date, contact the programme directly — for ARES, scholarships-cooperation@ares-ac.be.

• Don't put your life on hold — apply to other opportunities simultaneously. Belgian scholarships should be one option among several.
• The wait is normal, not a sign of rejection. Everyone waits the same amount regardless of outcome.
• If you're on a reserve list, decisions can come very late (July–August). Keep your passport ready and don't commit to other plans until the window has closed.

What happens if you get selected

• Visa: apply immediately at the Belgian embassy or consulate. The Immigration Office has up to 90 days from the receipt for a complete file to decide, and embassy appointment queues come on top. Do not wait.
• Accommodation: start looking immediately — student housing fills fast, especially in Brussels, Leuven and Ghent. Some programmes help arrange housing, but many don't.
• Insurance: ARES pays insurance directly; VLIR-UOS insurance comes out of your allowance; Master Mind students arrange their own. Verify the details in your award letter.
• Registration: you must register at your local commune (municipality office) within 8 days of arrival. This is a legal requirement.

For detailed post-selection guidance, including the most common mistakes selected scholars make, see Common Mistakes.