kudapostupat
270088 
Capital: Brussels
Currency: Euro
Time zone: UTC +01
Main language of study: Flemish
Second language of study: English, French, German
Structure of education system: elementary, secondary, higher
The most popular cities among entrants are: Brussels, Leuven, Louvain-La-Neuve, Antwerp
Belgium is the country giving enough resources to the development of the sphere of education to be considered one of the best countries for Indians. Belgian universities are the ones where students get not only fundamental knowledge, but huge practical experience. This can be proved by existence of its educational institutions in the world rating of best universities.
Higher education in Belgium for Indians
There are no standard requirements for entrants, because they depend on the selected specialization and academic level. For example, when submitting documents to the first year of Bachelor’s program it is necessary to provide a document about graduating from school, which is equal to the one in Belgium, a medical certificate, a certificate of no criminal record and a certificate showing financial possibilities to study and live in Belgium.
It should be mentioned that a Belgian education system is quite different from the Indian. For instance, you can get a Bachelor’s Diploma after 2 years of studying, while Master’s program requires 3 years. Besides, a Bachelor’s program can have practical or academic direction, depending on whether a student plans to continue studying at a Master’s program or not.
Despite the fact that most universities in Belgium accept students without examination (it is important to apply a year before and pay a registration fee), the most prestigious of them dictate their terms. In addition, big cities have branches of some European universities, which can also be a good start for getting a competitive diploma for a student from India.
A number of Indian students are enrolled in 18 major universities in Belgium. In each academic year, there are about 400-600 students from India registered in the KUL, which makes them the second largest student community in a non-European country after China. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR) has founded the Department of Indian Science at the Catholic University of Leuven. There are about 136 Indian students registered at Ghent University. The University of Ghent also formed the “Indian Platform”, which includes intellectuals, researchers and businessmen who are working on the dissemination of information related to India for the local population of Belgium. Another well-known technology institute – the T group, based in the Belgian city of Leuven, has signed a Memorandum of Cooperation with the University of Delhi. In group T, about 30 registered Indian students are mainly for graduate students and postgraduate students. This university also has discipline with Indian universities. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations annually provides scholarships to citizens of Belgium for study in India.
Advantages of education in Belgium
- Availability of scholarship programs for Indian students.
- Permission to work while studying and job placement assistance from special departments at universities.
- Diploma recognized in the world.
- Huge choice of education programs for Indians in different languages.
- State universities cover most part of student’s expenses, which makes higher education in Belgium affordable for most Indians.
- Comfortable location of the country suits Indian students who want to travel around Europe.
There are also two more country features important for students from India – quite high expenses for accommodation and multilinguality. While the first one is somehow compensated by means of financial assistance from the university, the second one might be a bit confusing at first. At this point, availability of education programs in different languages is an advantage rather than a disadvantage for Indians.
