The University of Antwerp (UAntwerp) is based in Antwerp, Belgium’s second-largest city and home to one of Europe’s biggest ports. In its current form it dates from 2003, when three Antwerp university institutions merged, but its roots go back to the 19th century. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 227th in the world and the fourth-highest-ranked university in Belgium. It’s known for applied economics, the biomedical sciences, pharmaceutical sciences, law and maritime and transport studies.
Most of UAntwerp’s bachelor’s programmes are taught in Dutch, but it offers a growing number of English-taught programmes, especially at master’s level. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on the University of Antwerp’s own guidance and official Belgian and EU information.
1. Choose an English-taught programme
UAntwerp’s English-taught bachelor’s programmes include Social-Economic Sciences and the Bachelor of Urban Sustainability Studies, which is run with the YUFE alliance of European universities and has its own admission procedure. Its other bachelor’s programmes are taught in Dutch, and you’d need to prove your Dutch or first take a one-year preparatory Dutch course. Its English-taught master’s and advanced master’s programmes cover fields such as economics and business, the sciences, law, maritime and air transport, and development policy. University of Antwerp: all programmes.
2. Apply between 4 November 2026 and 28 February 2027
Applications for 2027-28 open on 4 November 2026 in UAntwerp’s Mobility Online system. If you’re not an EEA or Swiss citizen and don’t already live in Belgium, you must upload all your documents, including any test results, by 28 February 2027. EEA and Swiss citizens, and people who already live in Belgium with a valid residence permit, have until 31 May 2027. Erasmus Mundus master’s programmes and some advanced master’s use their own procedures, so check your programme first. University of Antwerp: procedure and deadlines.
3. Apply to just one programme
You can only have one application running at a time at UAntwerp, and trying to get around this with different email addresses or names will get all your applications rejected. You must also submit and follow up your application yourself, as the university doesn’t allow third parties such as agents to interfere. So research your programme carefully and choose the one that fits you best.
4. Prepare your documents and motivation letter
For the first part of your application, you upload a copy of your passport, a CV, a motivation letter, your degree certificate (or a letter from your university confirming you’ll graduate this year), and, for a master’s, your transcripts and course descriptions, with translations into Dutch, French, German or English if needed. The programme’s admission board then checks your education and motivation, which can take up to six weeks. Use your motivation letter to show why this programme suits you. See our 50 sample SOPs for ideas.
5. Prove your English
English-taught programmes ask you to prove your English, usually with IELTS Academic, TOEFL iBT or a Cambridge English qualification, although applicants who studied in English in certain countries may be exempt. Minimum scores are set by each programme, so check yours, and book your test early so your results are ready when you apply. Practise with our free IELTS and TOEFL practice tests. At UAntwerp, you upload your English certificate with your application, so take your test before the deadline.
6. Send your legalised documents on time
If the admission board says yes, the registrar checks that your documents are genuine, which can take up to four weeks. Non-EEA applicants must make sure their legalised (or officially certified) diploma and transcripts, and any sworn translations, reach the registrar by 31 May 2027 (30 June 2027 for EEA applicants). Legalisation can take a long time, so start it straight away rather than waiting for the board’s decision. Applying is free, but you pay for legalisation, translations and postage.
7. Understand the fees
EEA students pay the standard Flemish tuition fee, which is about €1,200 for a full 60-credit year. For non-EEA students, UAntwerp’s standard fee for a 60-credit master’s programme is €7,800 a year, after a rise from €5,800 linked to the Flemish government’s funding cuts for non-EEA students, and its bachelor’s fees are lower. You pay an advance equal to the fee for 60 credits soon after you enrol, and the final amount is worked out from your course list. University of Antwerp tuition fees.
8. Aim for a High Potential Incentive
UAntwerp gives outstanding non-EEA master’s students a High Potential Incentive, which cuts the fee for a full-time 60-credit master’s from €7,800 to €4,300. You don’t need to apply separately: students are selected when their faculty assesses them for admission, so a strong application is the best way to be considered. You can also look for external scholarships, including the Flemish government’s Master Mind scholarships. University of Antwerp: High Potential Incentives.
9. Apply for your student visa early
EU/EEA and Swiss citizens don’t need a visa, but they must register with their local town hall within a few months of arriving. If you’re from outside the EU/EEA, you need a long-stay student visa (type D) from the Belgian embassy or consulate in your country, which you apply for once the University of Antwerp has sent your letter of admission or enrolment. You must prove that you can support yourself: for the 2026-27 academic year the minimum is €1,062 a month, which you can show with a blocked account holding twelve months’ worth (€12,744), a scholarship certificate or a sponsor’s formal undertaking (Annex 32). Processing can take three months or more in summer, so apply as soon as you’re admitted, and don’t enter Belgium on a short-stay Schengen visa, because it can’t be converted. After you arrive, you register at your town hall to get your residence card. EU Immigration Portal: studying in Belgium.
10. Plan for work during and after your studies
International students can work up to 20 hours a week during term, with no limit in the official school holidays, as long as the work doesn’t interfere with their studies. Many part-time jobs need Dutch or French, so don’t count on them to pay your tuition or living costs. After you graduate, non-EU students can apply for an orientation year: a 12-month residence permit with full access to the labour market, so you can look for work or set up a business. You must apply while your student residence permit is still valid. The University of Antwerp’s career services can help you find internships and thesis projects with companies. EU Immigration Portal: studying in Belgium.
Applying for a PhD at the University of Antwerp?
PhD students at UAntwerp usually apply for an advertised, funded position or agree a research project with a supervisor first, and many are paid as doctoral researchers. PhD students only pay tuition fees in their first year and the year they defend their thesis. See our 50 sample SOPs and free GRE practice tests.
Be ambitious, but apply to a balanced list
Apply to more than one university to give yourself options. Read our guides to KU Leuven, Ghent University, UCLouvain and ULB. Our guide to studying in Belgium explains how the Belgian system works, and our free study abroad assessment can help you build a shortlist.
Information was taken from the University of Antwerp’s official admissions, fee and scholarship pages, Belgian and EU government sources and the QS World University Rankings 2027, and checked in October 2026. Admissions rules, deadlines, fees and immigration rules can change, so always confirm the details on the University of Antwerp’s admissions website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with the University of Antwerp.