Certain courses have limited student numbers

Each year, certain institutions or courses are over-subscribed by students. In order to regulate these applications, in 2006 the government of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation established quotas in terms of the number of non-resident Belgian studies enrolling for the first time for higher education in French-speaking Belgium. Also termed “quota studies”, the number of students is limited.

Quota studies

  • In the universities
    • The Bachelor’s degree in physical therapy and rehabilitation
    • The Bachelor’s degree in veterinary medicine
    • The Bachelor’s degree in psychological sciences and sciences of education, with a focus on speech therapy
    • The Bachelor’s degree in medicine 
    • The Bachelor’s degree in dental sciences

Please note, in order to study for a Bachelor’s degree in medicine or dental sciences, you must first pass an entrance exam.

  • In the university colleges
    • The Bachelor’s degree in physical therapy 
    • The Bachelor’s degree in speech therapy 
    • The Bachelor’s degree in audiology 

To adhere to these quotas, the universities and university colleges of French-speaking Belgium limit their enrolments:

  • to 30% of the total number of resident and non-resident students enrolled during the previous academic year (20% in veterinary medicine);
  • to 30% of all those passing the entrance exam for medicine and dental studies.

If a path with limited enrolments receives more than 30% (or 20% in veterinary medicine) of applicants, in respect of the total number of enrolments the previous year, the higher education institution simply draws randomly. A non-resident Belgian student who has not been drawn can therefore not be enrolled for the relevant academic year.

Full information is available on the procedures, dates and documents to be prepared from the various websites of the universities and university colleges of French-speaking Belgium, or from the website mesetudes.be.

The number of students studying medicine and dentistry has been limited since the academic year 2017-2018. And any student wishing to enrol in medicine or dental sciences must also successfully pass an entrance exam. While resident students merely need to pass the exam to be admitted, foreign students’ places are assigned according to the marks obtained in this entrance exam.

“Non-resident” students must follow a specific enrolment procedure; they must:

  • not have a place of domicile in Belgium at the time of enrolling in a quota path,

OR

  • not have a place of domicile in Belgium at the time they take the entrance exam for studies of medicine or dentistry.

Please note, in accordance with the law, to be considered as a “resident” of Belgium, a simple address here before enrolling, is not enough. There are other conditions that must also be met.

To be considered as a “Belgian resident”, all non-European Union national students must meet one of the following conditions:

  • you must have lived in Belgium for at least five years and provide the following two documents:
    • a front/back copy of:
      • your F+ card;
      • or your “C. Aliens’ identity card” residence permit;
      • or your “B. Certificate of inscription in the aliens’ register” residence permit.
    • A certificate of residency with past information and dated, at the earliest, the 1st May before submitting the enrolment application. You can obtain your certificate of residency with past information by means of the application granting access to the National Registry or from your local town hall.
  • You have a diplomatic/consular/special identity card.
  • You are recognised as a refugee for Belgium.
  • You have applied for asylum for Belgium.

Please note this list is not complete. For more information, refer to the website mesetudes.be.