VLIR-UOS Scholarship Funding: What the €1,400 Covers

What Is Covered

VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarships cover tuition, travel, insurance and living costs (board and lodging) for the full duration of the programme: 12, 24 or 36 months. Partial scholarships and extensions are not possible. The amounts below come from VLIR-UOS’s scholarship framework (revised 22 December 2025); VLIR-UOS notes that amounts can change with government funding decisions.

1. 1
   The €1,400 monthly allowance

   This single allowance covers living costs, board and lodging, health insurance, installation costs in Belgium (household items, study supplies, a computer, thesis printing, shipping materials home), indirect travel costs and the tuition fee. ICP Connect scholars receive it for 12, 24 or 36 full months, whatever day they arrive or leave.

2. 2
   Tuition, insurance and housing come out of it

   Depending on the institution, you either pay your own tuition, insurance and/or accommodation from the allowance, or the institution pays them directly and deducts them from your monthly amount. Either way, what reaches your bank account can be well below €1,400. Ask your programme how it works before you budget.

3. 3
   An economy return flight

   One economy ticket to Belgium at the start, including connecting local flights or trains, and one back to your country of residence at the end. Students in a three-year bachelor's get one extra round trip during the programme. Business class, excess baggage and family members' tickets are not paid.

4. 4
   Insurance

   The host institution arranges or helps arrange cover from the day you leave home: health, personal injury, third-party liability and repatriation. It is paid from your allowance.

5. 5
   Visa and paperwork costs

   The doctor's certificate (including vaccinations), legalising documents, travel to the embassy and the visa or VFS/TLS service fees are counted as part of the allowance. Extra costs are reimbursed only if the Belgian diplomatic post is in another country or the visit needs an overnight stay: the cheapest economy route, up to €30 a day and up to €50 a night for at most 10 days, with receipts.

6. 6
   Proof of funding for the visa

   Your host institution should give you the scholarship documents you need as proof of financial means for your visa application. Ask it exactly what it will issue.

7. 7
   An emergency fund

   VLIR-UOS's “Leave No One Behind” fund can cover sudden, unforeseen costs linked to your personal situation — pregnancy, health or psychological problems, emergencies — with VLIR-UOS approval, via your programme.

If you graduate after the first exam period, the remaining allowance keeps being paid after you return home — an incentive to finish on time. In two- and three-year programmes you must earn at least 42 ECTS in your first year (84 by the end of year two in a three-year programme) to keep the scholarship.

What Is Not Covered

The scholarship is comprehensive, but it has firm boundaries. These are your responsibility.

• Family members. The scholarship covers the scholar only. VLIR-UOS accepts no responsibility for family; their travel, visa, housing and living costs are yours.
• Extensions. Funding stops at 12, 24 or 36 months. Only urgent medical reasons, backed by a doctor and approved by VLIR-UOS, can postpone or, rarely, prolong it.
• Extra travel. Only the designated flights are covered. Trips home during the summer break, conferences and personal travel are on you.
• Language classes and extra activities. Dutch or other language classes come out of your allowance, and VLIR-UOS gives no extra money for activities such as Global South immersions (some programmes may have their own funds).
• Travel between campuses. Reimbursed only in the four official multi-institution programmes (Food Technology, Water Resources Engineering, Marine and Lacustrine Science, Sustainable Land Management), and only for required on-campus activities. Local transport within a city is not covered.

ITP Training Scholarships

For ITP short-course participants — this is different from the ICP Connect degree scholarship, though ITP scholarships are also limited to the VLIR-UOS scholarship countries. Under the same framework, short stays in Belgium of 7 days to 6 months are paid as an all-in allowance:

The organising institution also pays an economy return ticket, arranges insurance, and there is no tuition fee for VLIR-UOS-funded ITP courses. Family support and stays beyond the training period are not covered.

Belgian Living Costs: What €1,400 Gets You

City matters. The same allowance goes much further in Geel or Hasselt than in Brussels — and remember that tuition and insurance may be deducted first. The figures below are our estimates, not official VLIR-UOS numbers.

Practical money tips

• Cycle. Ghent, Leuven and Bruges are very bike-friendly. A second-hand bicycle (€50–150) cuts monthly transport costs dramatically.
• Choose your supermarket. Lidl and Aldi are budget options, Colruyt is mid-range, Delhaize and Carrefour cost more. Shopping mainly at Lidl or Aldi can cut your food bill noticeably compared with premium stores.
• Use university cafeterias. Most Belgian universities offer subsidised student meals at €4–7, often cheaper than cooking from scratch every day.
• Budget extra for month one. Plan €1,000–1,500 for set-up: deposit, household items, bedding and kitchen equipment. The allowance does not fully cover these first-arrival costs.

Can You Work While on the Scholarship?

Yes, a little. VLIR-UOS says students can generally work a few hours a week to supplement their budget, but paying for your studies mainly through a student job is not advisable, and you may not work when you are required to attend classes or other study activities. Belgium's student-job system gives each student a quota of 650 hours a year at reduced social contributions (about 12 hours a week averaged over the year).

• You cannot hold another scholarship at the same time — but a casual job is not a scholarship.
• No work during class or other required study hours.
• English-language casual work is limited. Most retail, hospitality and service jobs require Dutch or French. University jobs (research assistant, tutoring) may be possible but are not guaranteed.
• The allowance is meant to cover living costs. Working full time alongside study is neither necessary nor realistic for most scholars.