Study in Belgium From Pakistan
A Comprehensive Guide to Study in Belgium from Pakistan with NorthPole Consultants
Belgium, located in the heart of Europe, offers an extraordinarily ideal blend of quality education, a multicultural environment, and a hub of opportunities for Pakistani students. With its highly advanced and employable education system, Belgium stands out as a most popular study-abroad destination for international students, particularly from Pakistan and Asian countries looking for quality education at an exceptionally affordable price.
Belgium is home to some of Europe’s top universities and offers a huge range of English-taught programs across multiple disciplines, making it the best option for Pakistani students who want to study abroad, especially in the Schengen area of Europe.
This comprehensive guide provides a detailed outline of why to study in Belgium from Pakistan, including the most significant reasons to choose Belgium as an ultimate study abroad destination, its admission processes, Belgium study visa requirements, scholarships opportunities for Pakistani students to study in Belgium, living expenses, and post-graduation prospects as an international student.
Why Belgium?
Belgium has become the most in-demand study-abroad destination for international students, including those from Pakistan. Following are the salient features which unfold why Belgium is an attractive destination for Pakistani students.
Quality Education: Universities in Belgium are famous for their excellent educational standards, state-of-the-art facilities, and highest academic rankings. Higher Education Universities like KU Leuven, Université libre de Bruxelles,and Ghent University are among the top educational institutions in the world not just for native students but also for International students as well.
Diverse Global Environment: Belgium’s multicultural social system is known as a melting pot of different cultures, civilizations, and nationalities. The country is largely known as a home to a vast number of international students, making it easy access for Pakistani students to feel welcome and integrate into its social culture.
An ideal place for Multilingual People: Belgium is typically known as a multilingual country, where Dutch, German, and French languages are most widely spoken. However, hundreds of higher education programs are offered in English, particularly at the master’s level. This very thing provides Pakistani students with an edge and flexibility to study in their required language and experience a rich multicultural environment in the heart of Europe.
- Ideal Location in Europe: Belgium’s geographical location makes it an excellent place for exploring the rest of the parts of Europe. The most famous cities like Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin are just a short train trip from Belgium, offering international students the marvelous opportunity to travel and experience vibrant cultures during their global studies tenure.
- Research and Innovation: Belgium has a strong focus on research-intensive programs in different walks of life, particularly in fields like engineering and technology, business and management, medicine, dentistry, social sciences and life sciences. Students from Pakistan can get result-oriented benefits from Belgium’s cutting-edge research facilities and work under the supervision of top professionals in different fields of education.
- Ideal Location in Europe: Belgium’s geographical location makes it an excellent place for exploring the rest of the parts of Europe. The most famous cities like Paris, Amsterdam, and Berlin are just a short train trip from Belgium, offering international students the marvelous opportunity to travel and experience vibrant cultures during their global studies tenure.
Top-Ranked Universities in Belgium: Belgium has several top-ranked world-class.Universities and higher education providers, each of which offers unique. Programs, educational and employment opportunities for local and International students. Following are the top universities in Belgium for native and international students.
- KU Leuven: As one of the oldest landmark and the most prestigious and esteemed university in Europe, KU Leuven consistently ranks among the top 100 best universities across the world. It provides a vast range of English-taught programs at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels, making it the best and popular choice for students to study in Belgium from Pakistan.
University of Ghent known for its research-oriented approach and achievements, Ghent University is another most in-demand higher education provider for local, European, and international students. It offers a wide range of programs in many different languages, with a great focus on science, engineering, and technology fields.
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB): ULB is located in the capital city of Belgium Brussels, also known as the heart of Europe as well as the Head Quarter of many International organizations. ULB offers a broad range of programs in both English and French just to facilitate and educate native and international students. It is specifically known for its highly in-demand programs in the subjects of social sciences, law, and humanities.
University of Antwerp: The University of Antwerp is another highly acknowledged higher education institution for its innovative teaching methodologies with research-intensive programs. It offers a huge range of programs in English, specifically in the areas of business, economics, engineering and technology.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) : VUB another very famous and in-demand higher education provider offers a range of English-taught programs and is also recognized for its focus on research and advanced teaching methodologies. It’s a matchless option for Pakistani students looking for a kind of ultra-modern university in a developed European environment.
Degree Programs in Belgium for Pakistani Students
Universities in Belgium offer a multi range of study programs at different academic levels, ensuring that students from Pakistan and other areas of the world can find the right program to match their academic needs and professional goals.
While many Bachelors’ programs in Belgium are offered in French and Dutch, a constantly increasing number of English-taught programs are in the fields of business administration, engineering and technology, social sciences, arts, and humanities for the students to study in Belgium from Pakistan.
Belgium is known for its quality Master’s Degree programs in English across the fields of International Business, Engineering Sciences, Medicine, Technology which are the most popular among international and Pakistani students.
Higher Education Providers in Belgium also offer a wide range of opportunities for students who want to pursue research intensive programs like a Master’s with research studies as well as a Ph.D. Research programs across various disciplines with cutting-edge research facilities in the fields of Biotechnology, Science, Physics, and Computer science.
International and Pakistani students usually get enrolled in the degree programs of Engineering, Business Administration, Information Technology, Social and Agricultural Sciences. These fields of academics are in demand globally, Moreover, Higher Education Providers and Belgian universities are fully -equipped with state-of-the-art teaching faculty and other mandatory resources to provide the necessary education and skills-based training to the students of various disciplines and degrees.
Admission Process for Pakistani Students
Higher Education Institutions and Belgian universities require proper planning for its admission process. Students from Pakistan and non-EU countries are required to have careful preparations for their entire admission process. The following is detailed information that can help Pakistani and most particularly the Non-EU countries students to successfully secure their admission either to undergraduate or post graduate degree programs.
So if you are also planning to secure your admission, the following point could certainly help you secure your admission to the degree programs of your choice.
Pakistani and international students must fulfill the admission eligibility criteria for the university and specific programs they intend to apply. This typically includes having completed higher secondary education for undergraduate programs and a 4 years bachelor’s degree for master’s programs.
Search out the desired programs offered by Belgian universities and higher education providers and ensure you meet the academic requirements.Prepare the necessary documents, including your academic transcripts and certificates, proof of English or French proficiency (such as IELTS, TOEFL Duolingo, and a personal statement or a motivation letter known as SOP.
In order to secure your admission in Belgium students are also required submitting their recommendation and reference letters along with their admission application pack as per requirements. Some Universities and Higher Education providers in Belgium require a one-year tuition fee to be paid or some institutions offer their admissions on a deposit of a 1-semester tuition fee as well. So students are required to ensure it before proceeding with their admission application to avoid any inconvenience.
- Submit the admission application to the admission department of the university or institution of your choice.
- Pay the admission application fee if applicable.
- International Students are also required to appear in the interviews for their successful admission. Some Higher Education providers in Belgium conduct a proper admission interview before issuing the offer letter to the students to study in Belgium from Pakistan.
Admission Application deadlines vary by university and the program of choice. Usually, admission application deadlines for non-EU and Pakistani students are between February and April of the degree programs starting in the fall intake each year. However, some universities and higher education providers in Belgium also offer the spring intake as well, so in such a scenario the admission application deadlines are usually from August to November for courses starting from January or February each year.
Visa Application Process for studying in Belgium from Pakistan
Once an applicant receives an unconditional admission letter from a Belgian university, the next step is to apply for a student visa.
Types of Visa: Pakistanis including non-EU students require a long-stay visa (D Type) if they intend to study in Belgium for more than 90 days period.
Belgium Study Visa Requirements:
- Proof of confirmed or unconditional admission from a recognized Belgium university or higher education provider.
- Proof of sufficient financial means to support yourself during your whole study period of stay in Belgium. This proof of fund could be in the form of bank statements, scholarships, blocked accounts, or a sponsor’s financial guarantee.
- Proof of accommodation private or university accommodation in Belgium.
- Health insurance coverage from an approved insurance provider as per requirements for the duration of stay.
- A valid travel document/passport.
- All necessary and required documents along with the visa application pack are to be submitted to the nearest Belgium Embassy /Consulate or a Belgium Visa application processing center.
Visa Processing Time: The processing time for the National D visa of Belgium usually takes 4 to 6 weeks, so it is very important to apply for your Belgium Student visa well in advance in order to avoid any inconvenience of visa delay.
Scholarship Opportunities for Students to study in Belgium from Pakistan
Belgium offers different scholarships and financial aid opportunities for Pakistani and Non-EU countries students each year. All scholarships are subject to meeting the eligibility criteria and policies of each education provider in Belgium, no individual can influence or interfere with the scholarship awarding criteria. These scholarships and financial aids aim to help international and non-EU countries. Students to reduce the financial burden of studying in Belgium. Following are the famous Scholarships to study in Belgium from Pakistan.
Belgian Government Scholarships:
- ARES Scholarships
- University-Specific Merit based- Scholarships
- VLIR-UOS Scholarships
- External Scholarships
- Erasmus Mundus Joint Master’s Degrees
- Commonwealth Scholarships
Cost of Studying in Belgium
The average cost of studying in Belgium is comparatively affordable to other European countries or Schengen countries. However, Pakistani and all non-EU countries Students are required to pay the specific cost of tuition and living expenses.
Tuition fee of Public Universities: The average annual tuition fees at public universities in Belgium are relatively lower for international students as compared to private institutions. For International Non-EU countries Students fees range from €2000.00 to €6000.00 per year, depending on the program of choice.
Tuition fees for Private Universities: Tuition Fees at private educational institutions are relatively higher than the public institutions, and it range from €6,000 to €10,000 per year.
Cost of Living in Belgium for the International Students
An average monthly rent for a student accommodation can cost from €300 to €600, depending on the size, location, and type of accommodation. Apartments that are near the town and city areas are a bit expensive in monthly rents, however, those accommodations which are situated away from the city and town areas are relatively cheaper.
Public transport in Belgium is very efficient. The monthly transport costs in Belgium for students are around €50 to €100 however, it also subject to the area and distance you are living and studying indeed.
The average monthly cost of groceries and other essentials is between around €300 to € 400 for students to study in Belgium from Pakistan.