At least three top Flemish universities will significantly raise tuition fees for non-EU students next year, after the government announced it will only subsidise 2% of non-EU enrolments.
Previously, Flemish universities could receive public funding for all eligible non-EU students, with the change prompting tuition hikes at several highly ranked institutions.
At the University of Antwerp, tuition fees for non-EU master’s students will rise by over a third from €5,800 to €7,800, while undergraduate fees will see a higher proportional increase from €3,100 to €4,300.
KU Leuven – Belgium’s highest ranked university – is set to increase fees across all categories by roughly 20%, while VUB Brussels University announced several increases between €400 – €1,000 depending on the program, as reported by the Brussels Times.
The three institutions to announce tuition changes are also those most financially exposed to the 2% cap, with VUB hosting the highest proportion of non-EU students, followed by KU Leuven and the University of Antwerp, according to Study in Flanders data.
Annik Schellens, manager of international programs at Thomas More University of Applied Sciences, said her institution had been closely monitoring the fiscal situation over recent years, with the latest changes set to have a limited impact on its finances.
More broadly, education economist Kristof De Witte criticised the policy as “short-sighted”, arguing that Belgium needs skilled graduates to contribute to the workforce and warning that fee hikes could discourage non-EU students from coming to Belgium.
But Schellens said the developments were not all negative, as they had reignited discussions about the need to attract more non-EU students to Belgium, aligned with wider European recruitment efforts.
“We are hearing increasing calls from various stakeholders to welcome more international students from outside the [European Economic Area], so these policy changes have certainly brought that debate back to the forefront.”
We are hearing increasing calls from various stakeholders to welcome more international students from outside the EEA
Annik Schellens, Thomas More University of Applied Sciences
The reduction in government subsidies for non-EU students follows a string of reforms impacting international students, as the Belgian government pursues a hard-line anti-immigration agenda despite labour shortages in the country.
From next academic year, international students will face stricter visa scrutiny and tighter requirements for renewing residence permits.
What’s more, Schellens said academic success will become “even more critical” under the government’s new academic progress requirements, vowing that her institution would, where possible, provide more academic support to students.
She welcomed the move to increase students’ proof of financial requirements as a “positive development” set to provide a “more transparent and realistic” indication of the cost of studying and living in Belgium.
“It is better for students to carefully consider these costs before they arrive than to face financial difficulties during their studies,” she said.
