Registration Fee
Self-sponsoring students from low income and lower
middle income countries (DAC list of ODA recipients)
living in their countries of origin at the time of application pay a reduced fee of EUR 80. Students with a
BTC or VLIR-UOS scholarship also pay the reduced fee
of EUR 80.
Self-sponsoring students from low income and lower
middle income countries who are living in an uppermiddle income or high income country at the time of
application, self-sponsoring students from upper
middle income countries and high income countries
and students with Erasmus Mundus scholarships pay
a reduced fee of EUR 1250.
Sponsored students (except those with VLIR-UOS or
BTC scholarships) pay the full registration fee of EUR
5000, unless otherwise agreed between the
scholarship granting institution (or organisation) and
IOB.
IOB does not charge a tuition fee.
Visa Application
Accepted candidates who need to apply for a student
visa to Belgium can obtain detailed information on the
visa procedure and the required documents from the
Belgian diplomatic office in their home countries or
from https://dofi.ibz.be/sites/dvzoe/EN/.
Candidates should initiate the visa-application
process immediately upon receiving notice of admission to the Master programme, as this process can
easily take several months. Please note that IOB
cannot intervene in visa procedures.
Registration
Admitted candidates must arrive in Belgium one week
before the actual start of the programme (third week
of September), in order to make practical arrangements (e.g. enrolment, housing, insurance). Students
must register before the start of the programme. In
exceptional circumstances, late enrolment will be possible until 10 October. Students will be refused
enrolment after this date. Delay in arrival due to late
submission of the visa application will not be accepted
as an excuse and will result in refusal of enrolment.
Upon arrival in Belgium and once the enrolment fee
has been paid, the student will receive a student card,
which provides access to university facilities (e.g.
library, computer rooms, student restaurant).
Payment of the enrolment fee will also enable the
student to obtain the compulsory Belgian residence
permit. Detailed information on how to obtain this
Belgian ID will be provided upon the student’s arrival.
22 · master programmes
Intensive Language Course
Students with insufficient knowledge of English (as
detailed on Page 7) will be required to follow an
intensive language course, which starts in mid-August
and runs for six weeks. In addition to bringing the
student’s English competency up to the required level,
this course also includes an introduction to the
literature and practice of international development.
Although the course is offered free of charge by the
Institute, students should note that only VLIR-UOS
scholars will receive scholarship payments during this
period. Students should submit their visa applications
well in advance, in order to ensure that they are able
to participate in this programme.
Cost of Living
In Antwerp, the cost of living (e.g. housing, food, study
materials) amounts to a minimum of approximately
EUR 10 000 per year. Private-sector accommodation is
available near the campus. A list of addresses with
rentable rooms is available from the social-service
office. Given the scarcity of housing, however,
students are strongly advised to contact the IOB
social-service office prior to their arrival, in order to
request assistance with finding housing.
Scholarships
The Flemish Interuniversity Council (VLIR-UOS) offers
10 scholarships for each Master programme (see the
application procedure). Several other organisations
also offer scholarships or grants. Applicants should
contact these organisations directly.
The Belgian Technical Cooperation (BTC) manages
scholarships awarded by the Belgian Directorate
General for Development Cooperation (DGD). Further
information can be obtained from the Belgian Embassy. http://www.btcctb.org/
The DGD provides a selected overview of study and
training grants for students from developing
countries.
http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/development_
cooperation/grants/study_and_training_grants/
Information about other scholarships can be found on
our website : http://www.uantwerp.be/iob