ICP Connect — The 29 Eligible Countries
These are the only countries whose nationals can apply for the VLIR-UOS degree scholarship. If your country is not on this list, the ICP Connect degree route is not open to you.
About 50% of ICP Connect scholarships are specifically targeted at Sub-Saharan African candidates — a preference VLIR-UOS actively applies in its selection process. Being from an African country on this list does not guarantee selection, but the odds are more favourable than for other regions.
Countries on the ITP List but NOT the ICP Connect List
These are countries that frequently appear in searches for "VLIR-UOS scholarship" — but whose nationals cannot apply for the degree scholarship.
What to do if your country is only on the ITP list
If your country appears only on the ITP list, the degree scholarship route is not available to you through VLIR-UOS. The ITP gives access to short professional development training (14–90 days) in Belgium, which is genuinely useful for working professionals but is not a degree programme. For degree scholarships, students from these countries should look at other Belgian government scholarship routes or other scholarship programmes entirely — ARES scholarships (French community), the Erasmus Mundus programme, or country-specific bilateral agreements.
Residency Requirement
Eligibility requires both nationality AND current residency. Many people miss this.
The eligibility requirement is both nationality AND residency. You must be a national of an eligible country AND be living there at the time you apply. Citizenship alone is not enough. If you are currently studying, working, or residing in a country that is not on the eligible country list, your application will not be accepted — even if you are a citizen of a country that is on the list.
If you are currently abroad in a non-eligible country, your application will not be accepted. You must apply while resident in an eligible country. If you are abroad temporarily and plan to return before the application deadline, you may still be able to apply — but residency at the time of application is what counts.
Prior Belgian Study — The Disqualifier
This rule is permanent, not just a timing issue.
If you have previously studied at any Belgian higher education institution before January 1 of the intake year, you are not eligible for ICP Connect, regardless of which country you are from. There are no exceptions documented publicly.
This includes:
If you completed a prior study period in Belgium, you are permanently ineligible for a new ICP Connect scholarship. This is not a one-year waiting period — it is a permanent disqualification. Check the official VLIR-UOS site to confirm current policy, but no exceptions have been publicly documented.
Rwanda — A Specific Note
Verify Before Applying
Rwanda appears on some third-party scholarship websites as an ICP Connect eligible country. The official VLIR-UOS eligible country list for the most recent published cycle did not include Rwanda in the 29-country ICP Connect list (the 2027–2028 list is expected to be published later this year and is not yet confirmed), though Rwanda is on the broader 54-country ITP list. Rwandan students should verify directly on the official VLIR-UOS website before investing time in an application, as the country list can change between cycles. Do not rely on this page or any third-party source — check the official list at vliruos.be for the most current intake year.
If Your Country Is Not on Either List
If your country appears on neither the ICP Connect list nor the ITP list, VLIR-UOS is not an available route for you at all. Belgian university study is still possible as a self-funded international student, and Belgium has other scholarship routes worth investigating.
ARES Scholarships
The French community equivalent of VLIR-UOS. Different eligible country list, French-language universities in Wallonia and Brussels.
University Scholarships
Individual Belgian universities (KU Leuven, Ghent, Antwerp) have their own scholarship funds with different eligibility criteria.
Erasmus Mundus
EU-funded joint degrees with broader international eligibility. Many Belgian universities participate in Erasmus Mundus consortia.