The Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) was founded in 1834 in Brussels on the principle of free inquiry, the idea that teaching and research should be free of political and religious dogma. It has more than 38,000 students, a third of them international, on campuses including Solbosch, La Plaine and Erasme in Brussels and others in Charleroi and Gosselies. In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published in June 2026, it was 248th in the world and the fifth-highest-ranked university in Belgium. It’s known for the sciences, medicine, political science, law, economics and engineering, and for the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management.
ULB teaches mainly in French, but it offers around 30 master’s programmes taught fully in English, and being in Brussels puts you next to the EU institutions and many international organisations. Here are 10 things you can do to give yourself the best chance, based on ULB’s own guidance and official Belgian and EU information.
1. Choose an English-taught master’s, or study in French
ULB’s English-taught master’s programmes include economics specialisations at the Solvay Brussels School, data science, computer science, statistics and bioinformatics in the Faculty of Sciences, and a range of engineering master’s run with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) through the Brussels Faculty of Engineering (Bruface). Its bachelor’s programmes and most of its other master’s are taught in French, so you’d need good French to take them. Check the language of teaching and the admission requirements in ULB’s course catalogue. ULB: programmes.
2. Apply between 16 February and 31 March if you’re not from the EU
Non-European students apply for all programmes between 16 February and 31 March, unless they live in an EU country, in which case they can use the same dates as European students. Belgian, EU and Swiss students apply from the end of June to 30 September for the first year of a bachelor’s, and from 1 April to 30 September for a master’s. Some specialised master’s programmes have their own dates, so check with the faculty. You apply online after creating a MonULB account. ULB: submission deadlines.
3. Pay the €200 administrative fee by 31 March
Applicants who aren’t treated as equivalent to Belgian students must pay a €200 administrative fee by bank transfer by 31 March, and ULB won’t examine your application until it has been paid. The fee isn’t refunded if you’re refused or don’t enrol, and you pay any international transfer charges, so check that you meet the admission requirements before you pay. ULB: eligibility requirements.
4. Get your school diploma recognised for a bachelor’s
To start a bachelor’s, you need a qualification that ULB accepts as equivalent to the Belgian certificate of upper secondary education. The European Baccalaureate and the International Baccalaureate are accepted directly, but most other foreign diplomas need an equivalence decision from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. Non-EU applicants to bachelor’s programmes are also assessed by a central admissions committee with its own criteria.
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. For French-taught programmes, you’ll need to prove your French instead.
6. Check for entrance exams and quotas
To study medicine or dentistry, you must pass the entrance exam organised by ARES and be selected, then upload your selection certificate to your ULB application. Civil engineering at the Brussels School of Engineering (Polytech) requires a special admission exam, and medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, physiotherapy and speech therapy limit the number of non-resident students who can enrol for the first time. These exams and programmes are in French.
7. Understand the fees
Since the 2026-27 academic year, the full tuition fee at universities in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation (Belgium’s French-speaking universities) has been €1,194 a year, up from €835, following a reform adopted on 5 June 2026. Most students who aren’t nationals of an EU country pay an extra €4,175 on top, so €5,369 a year in total. Nationals of the countries listed in Annexes 1 to 3 of the ARES circular, and some other groups such as students with Belgian student status, are exempt from the extra fee. ULB tuition fees.
8. Look for scholarships
ULB has its own international scholarships, and students from some countries can apply for scholarships from ARES and Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI), depending on their nationality, level of study and project. WBI scholarship holders don’t pay the extra €4,175 fee. Check the deadlines early, as many close months before the course starts. ULB: international students.
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 ULB 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. ULB’s career services can help you find internships and thesis projects with companies. EU Immigration Portal: studying in Belgium.
Applying for a PhD at ULB?
To start a PhD at ULB, you first agree a research project with a supervisor and set up your supervisory panel, then apply for enrolment, which is open from 16 February to 31 October. Many doctoral researchers are funded through paid positions or grants such as those from the FNRS. 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 the University of Antwerp. 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 ULB’s official admissions and fee 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 ULB’s enrolment website before you apply. StudyAbroadMarket is not affiliated with ULB.