Overview

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a dynamic and modern Flemish university with two campuses in the Brussels Capital Region: the main campus in Etterbeek is home to seven faculties, and in Jette you can find the medical campus and the University Hospital.

The university is organised into 8 faculties that cover a broad range of fields of knowledge including the natural sciences, classics, life sciences, social sciences, humanities and engineering.

The university offers high-quality education to almost 10.000 students, and the annual educational assessment indicates that the students are “satisfied” to “very satisfied” with 90% of their courses.

Lecture halls and laboratories are furnished with the most up-to-date equipment. Modern sports facilities, including gymnasiums, fitness rooms, tennis and squash courts, and a swimming pool, can be found on campus.

The University is an excellent research centre having contributed to many patents, spin-offs, international publications, top researchers, Ph Ds, and having a strong presence on the European research scene and several renowned transdisciplinary research teams.

 

Why choose VrijeUniversiteit Brussel?

  • The university has been ranked a place within the best 350 universities in the world by the Times Higher Education world university ranking 2011-2012 and the position nr. 204 in the QS World University Rankings 2011/12;
  • great location – Brussels is situated in the heart of Europe and due to the mixture of people living there is a very international city;
  • it is a perfect place to do research – The Brussels-Capital region is one of the European hubs of scientific research and advanced technologies.
  • The university has excellent facilities to practice all kinds of sport: among other possibilities there are numerous interesting sport programs such as underwater hockey, JuJitsu, waterpolo, badminton, and many others;

 

About higher education in Belgium

For Belgian and European students, higher education is financed to a very large extent by the public authorities.

The amount of tuition fees in Belgium varies depending on the year, higher education establishment and the type of programme followed.

For example, the basic tuition fees for an EU student for one year of main studies for the academic year 2012-2013 amount to 835 euros. 

In addition to the basic tuition fees, students from outside the European Union are required to pay additional fees. For the academic year 2011 – 2012, the amount of these fees varies between 1,923 euros and 3,845 euros.

The exact amount payable is stipulated to the student in the letter authorising him to enrol with the institution of his choice.

 

Accommodation

International students will have equal access to on-campus housing as local students. Please keep in mind that the deadline to apply for an on campus room is 1 May. Rooms are allocated on a first-come first-serve basis, so the sooner you apply the better. The standard rent for a VUB room is 291,28 EUR a month, for the academic year 2014-2015. For a double flat both tenants pay 218,46 EUR. These rates are below the average private market price in Brussels.