VLIR-UOS Scholarships in Belgium: Fully Funded Masters Through the ICP Connect Program

VLIR-UOS is the Flemish Interuniversity Council for University Development Cooperation. It funds the ICP Connect scholarships, a fully funded award that sends students from 25 partner countries to study English-taught degree programs at universities in Flanders, Belgium. The 2027-2028 call is open now, with 12 programs, a monthly allowance of 1,400 euros, and a call deadline of 28 February 2027. Read the eligibility list first, because this scholarship is limited to citizens of 25 named countries, and Pakistan is not on the current list.

1. Introduction

VLIR-UOS stands for the Flemish Interuniversity Council for University Development Cooperation. It is the Belgian body that funds development cooperation between Flemish universities and university colleges and partners in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Its scholarship program pays for students from its partner countries to take full degree programs in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking region of Belgium.

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Quick Facts

Scholarship Name	VLIR-UOS Scholarship
Host Country	Belgium
Host University	Any participating Flemish university
Study Level	Professional bachelor’s, initial master’s, advanced master’s
Funding Type	Fully funded: EUR 1,400 monthly allowance plus return economy flights
Eligible Nationalities	25 eligible countries; Pakistan is not on the 2027-28 list
Study Duration	1-2 years (Master’s)
Application Deadline	28 February 2027 (call deadline). Food Technology closes 1 February 2027. Check your program page.
Scholarship Year	2027-28
Official Website	vliruos.be ICP Connect 2027-2028

The award is called the ICP Connect scholarship. ICP stands for International Course Program. The programs are built around development themes, and the students they train are expected to become agents of change in their home countries after they graduate. The scholarship is fully funded, and it covers the whole standard length of the program, which is 12, 24, or 36 months depending on the degree.

For the 2027-2028 academic year, VLIR-UOS is offering full scholarships for 12 programs. Studies start in September 2027. The call submission deadline is 28 February 2027, but several programs set their own earlier deadline, so the date on your chosen program page is the one that counts for you.

One fact matters more than any other in this guide. The scholarship is open only to nationals of 25 specific countries, and you must also be living in one of those countries when you apply. Pakistan is not on the current list. If you are a Pakistani student, do not spend time and money preparing documents for this call. Check the official country list again each year, because VLIR-UOS updates it between calls, but for the 2027-2028 cycle the answer for Pakistani applicants is no.

2. Types of VLIR-UOS Scholarship

VLIR-UOS runs two scholarship lines. The ICP Connect study scholarship is the degree award this guide covers. It funds a full professional bachelor’s, initial master’s, or advanced master’s program at a Flemish university or university college. The second line is the International Training Program, or ITP, which funds short professional training courses of a few days to a few months for working professionals. ITP awards follow different rules and a different application route, so this guide does not cover them in detail.

Within the ICP Connect study scholarship there are three degree types. A professional bachelor’s is a three-year undergraduate program at a university college. An initial master’s is a one-year or two-year master’s program open to bachelor’s graduates. An advanced master’s is a one-year specialized master’s program, usually for applicants who already hold a master’s degree, although some advanced master’s programs also accept applicants with a four-year bachelor’s degree. Check the entry rules of the program you want, because the definition of an advanced master’s varies by institution.

There are no partial scholarships and no extensions. You either receive the full package for the whole standard length of the program, or you receive nothing. If your program lasts two years, the scholarship lasts two years. If it lasts one year, it lasts one year.

3. VLIR-UOS Scholarship Degree Level

The ICP Connect scholarship funds three degree levels: professional bachelor’s, initial master’s, and advanced master’s. It does not fund PhD study. If you want a doctorate in Belgium, you need a different funding route.

The length of the award matches the length of the program. A one-year advanced master’s is funded for 12 months. A two-year initial master’s is funded for 24 months. A three-year professional bachelor’s is funded for 36 months. The scholarship cannot be extended past the standard length of the program, and it cannot be split into a partial award.

You apply for one ICP Connect scholarship per year. You cannot apply for two programs at the same time, and you cannot hold another scholarship or grant for the same study program at the same time. If you applied last year, were admitted to a program, but did not receive a VLIR-UOS scholarship, you can apply again this year, as long as you did not start the program without a scholarship. Once you start a program without a scholarship, you cannot apply for a VLIR-UOS scholarship for that program from the second year onward.

4. Available Subjects

Scholarships are offered only for the 12 programs listed on the VLIR-UOS website for the 2027-2028 call. There is no award for a program that is not on that list. The programs are all English-taught and built around development themes.

The programs on the official list include the Master of Aquaculture, the Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies, the Master in Sustainable Development, the Master of Water Resources Engineering, the Master of Transportation Sciences, the Master of Science in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management (Oceans and Lakes), the Master of Science in Food Technology, the Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Systems, the Master of Globalisation and Development, the Master of Governance and Development, the Master of Human Settlements, the Master of Development Evaluation and Management, the International Master of Science in Rural Development, the Master of Epidemiology, and the Master of Statistics and Data Science. The full, up-to-date list with each program’s deadline is published on the VLIR-UOS Study Scholarships page, and you should confirm your program is on it before you apply.

The subjects cluster around a few fields: food and agriculture, water and environment, health, governance and development, and urban planning. If your bachelor’s degree is in an unrelated field, some programs may still consider you if you have relevant work experience, but you should confirm this with the program directly. Each program sets its own academic entry requirements, and those requirements decide whether your background fits.

The host institutions are Flemish universities and university colleges, including KU Leuven, Ghent University, the University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and Hasselt University. You apply to the institution that runs your chosen program, and the institution handles the admission decision.

5. Scholarship Benefits

The ICP Connect scholarship is a fully funded award. The core of the package is a single monthly allowance of 1,400 euros, paid for every month of the program. This allowance is designed to cover living expenses, board and lodging, health insurance, installation costs in Belgium, indirect travel costs, and the tuition fee. It is one payment, not a set of separate allowances.

• Monthly allowance of EUR 1,400, paid for 12, 24, or 36 months depending on the length of your program. It covers living costs, meals, personal transport, personal expenses, accommodation, health insurance, installation costs, indirect travel costs, and tuition fees.
• Tuition fee, covered through the allowance. Depending on the institution, you either pay your own tuition, insurance, and accommodation from the allowance, or the institution pays them directly and deducts the cost from your monthly amount. Ask your program which arrangement applies, because it changes how much cash reaches your bank account each month.
• Return economy flights. At the start of the scholarship you receive a round-trip economy ticket to Belgium, including any necessary local flights. At the end of the scholarship you receive a return ticket to your country of residence. Students on a three-year bachelor’s program also receive one extra round-trip ticket during the program.
• No application fee. ICP Connect scholarship programs do not charge an application fee, and you should never pay anyone who asks for a fee to process a VLIR-UOS application.

The 1,400 euro figure comes from the VLIR-UOS scholarship framework, and VLIR-UOS notes that amounts can change in line with government funding decisions. The amount is generous for smaller Flemish cities such as Hasselt, Geel, and Bruges, and tighter in Ghent and Leuven, where rent is higher. In Brussels it is very tight. Remember that tuition and insurance may be deducted from the 1,400 euros before the money reaches you, so the amount you actually receive each month depends on your institution’s arrangement.

6. Eligible Nationalities

The ICP Connect scholarship is open only to citizens of 25 countries, and you must also be living in one of those countries at the time of application. Your country of nationality and your country of residence do not have to be the same, but both must be on the list. The official list, published on the VLIR-UOS country list page, is:

• Sub-Saharan Africa (16): Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe
• Middle East and North Africa (2): Morocco, Palestine
• Latin America and the Caribbean (4): Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Peru
• South-East Asia (3): Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam

Pakistan is not on this list. India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana, Egypt, Zambia, and Rwanda are also not on it. If your nationality is not on the list, you cannot apply, and there is no exception or waiver. The list changes between calls: the 2026-2027 cycle covered 29 countries, including Cambodia, Haiti, Mali, Nicaragua, and Rwanda, while the 2027-2028 list has 25. VLIR-UOS also notes on its call page that Mali was recently added to the list, so check the official country list page for the latest version before you apply. The country list page is the final word, not a third-party summary.

Residence is checked. If you are a citizen of an eligible country but you are living, studying, or working in a high-income country when you apply, you are not eligible. Short exchange programs in a higher-income country do not disqualify you, and preference is given to candidates who have not yet had the chance to study in a higher-income country, but a degree earned in a high-income country does not by itself make you ineligible.

7. Eligibility Criteria

VLIR-UOS and the host institutions check eligibility before anyone reads your motivation letter. The rules below are the confirmed requirements for the 2027-2028 call. Always confirm the current rules on the official pages before you apply, because details can change between cycles.

• Nationality and residence: You must hold the nationality of one of the 25 eligible countries and be living in one of those countries at the time of application. The two countries do not have to be the same.
• Age: Candidates for a bachelor’s or initial master’s program cannot be older than 35 on 1 January of the intake year. Candidates for an advanced master’s program cannot be older than 45 on the same date. Candidates for a bachelor’s program must be at least 19 years old by 1 January of the intake year.
• Academic background: You must meet the admission requirements of the program you apply to. For an initial master’s, that normally means a bachelor’s degree in a relevant field. For an advanced master’s, it normally means a master’s degree, although some advanced master’s programs accept a four-year bachelor’s degree. Confirm the exact requirement with the institution.
• One application per year: You can apply for only one ICP Connect scholarship per year, and you cannot receive any other scholarship or grant to take part in the same study program at the same time.
• No previous Belgian government scholarship: You must not have previously received a scholarship from the Belgian government to attend a study program, and you must not have been enrolled in a study program at a Belgian higher education institution before 1 January of the intake year.
• Professional background: Preference is given to candidates employed in higher education, government, or civil society, or to candidates aiming for a career in one of those sectors. Candidates employed in the private sector and recent graduates with no work experience may also be considered if they show strong motivation and a convincing profile.

The age rule is strict and it is checked on 1 January of the intake year, not on the application deadline. For a September 2027 start, the reference date is 1 January 2027. If you turn 36 on or before that date and you are applying for an initial master’s, you are too old for this call. Do the arithmetic before you spend time on documents.

8. English Language Requirements

All ICP Connect programs are taught in English, and every program requires a high level of English. There is no single VLIR-UOS English test or score. Each institution sets its own requirement, and you must meet the requirement of the program you apply to. Check the program page or contact the institution to find out which tests it accepts and what score it wants.

Most programs accept IELTS Academic or TOEFL, and some accept other tests. Minimum scores vary by program, so a score that passes one program may fall short at another. If you have not taken a test yet when you submit your application, some programs let you upload proof that you have registered for a test in the meantime, but your results must reach the institution by its own deadline. At KU Leuven, for example, test results had to arrive no later than 1 March for the 2026-2027 cycle.

Some programs waive the English test if you studied in English before. The waiver rules differ by institution. At KU Leuven, applicants who had not graduated from an English-taught program in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, or the United States had to submit a certificate of English proficiency. Only one KU Leuven program, the Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies, accepted a previous degree taught entirely in English as proof. For the other programs, the language of instruction of an earlier degree was not accepted as proof. Do not assume your earlier degree will exempt you. Ask the program.

You do not need Dutch. All ICP Connect programs are taught in English, and daily life in Belgium is manageable in English. Learning some Dutch helps with everyday interactions, but it is not a requirement for admission or for the scholarship.

9. Required Documents

There is no separate VLIR-UOS scholarship form. You apply to the program itself through the host institution’s online application, and by doing so you are automatically considered for the ICP Connect scholarship. The documents you need are the standard documents for that master’s program, plus a small set of scholarship-specific items. The exact list varies by program, so use the program page as your checklist.

• Your bachelor’s degree certificate and full transcripts, or a temporary certificate and official transcripts if your final certificate is not ready yet. Many programs accept temporary certification until the final document is available.
• Proof of English proficiency, such as an IELTS or TOEFL result, unless the program waives it for you.
• Two letters of recommendation. At KU Leuven, only letters submitted in the official format are considered, and they must be sent from the recommender’s official email address to the admissions office. The subject line must read with your full name, the words VLIRUOS ICP Connect, and your application number.
• A motivation letter or statement of purpose. The length and the question vary by program. The Master of Water Resources Engineering asks how the skills you gain will help your future career plans, in a maximum of 500 words. The Master of Food Technology and the Master of Human Settlements ask for 500 to 1,000 words on personal motivation and perspectives. The Master of Cultural Anthropology and Development Studies asks for a two-page statement of purpose describing your motivation and research interests. Write to the program’s question, not to a generic template.
• The ICP Connect scholarship document, where the program asks for it. Download it from the program page and upload it with your application.
• A digital portfolio, only for the Master of Human Settlements, if you have a background in architecture.
• Proof of payment of the application fee, where a program normally charges one. ICP Connect scholarship programs do not charge an application fee, but the application system may still ask for a document in that category. At KU Leuven, applicants upload a standard PDF provided by the university in that slot.

Applicants from certain countries may need to legalise documents through a Belgian embassy or consulate. Ask your program whether legalisation applies to you, and start early, because embassy legalisation can take weeks. Reference letters are part of the admission process of the institution, so you do not need separate letters for the scholarship and for the program.

10. Selection Criteria

Selection runs in two stages. First, the host institution reviews all eligible applications and ranks them. Then VLIR-UOS screens the ranked list the institution sends it. VLIR-UOS contacts selected candidates and candidates placed on the waiting list by email. Applicants who are not selected or waitlisted are notified by the program they applied to.

The selection is built around the idea that scholars are potential agents of change who can contribute to social transformation in their home country or region after they graduate. The criteria used are:

• Motivation: Your motivation and professional goals must show that you can transfer the knowledge and skills you gain, set up extension activities, and work on themes that matter for sustainable development and for your study program.
• Academic achievements: Your grades and academic record carry real weight in the ranking.
• Professional experience: Preference goes to candidates who can show a stronger chance of applying and transferring their new knowledge in a sustainable development context after the program, whether in higher education, government, civil society, or the private sector.
• Gender balance: VLIR-UOS seeks a balance between male and female candidates and strongly encourages women to apply.
• Regional balance: Where enough qualified candidates exist, VLIR-UOS seeks a fair spread of scholars across countries and regions.
• Leave No One Behind: Where candidates are equally qualified, preference goes to candidates from vulnerable groups.
• Previous scholarships: Preference goes to candidates who have not previously received a scholarship to study in a higher-income country.
• Recommendation letters: Preference goes to candidates who are strongly recommended by their sending institution.

The motivation letter is where most applications are won or lost. A strong letter connects your past work, the specific program, and a concrete plan for what you will do back home. A weak letter repeats general claims about development without naming what you will actually do. Write about real work you have done and real plans you have, in your own words.

11. How to Apply – Step by Step

There is no paper form and no agent route. Every application goes through the host institution’s online system. Follow the steps below.

1. Check the official country list on vliruos.be and confirm that your nationality and your country of residence are both on it. If either one is missing, stop here.
2. Open the official Study Scholarships page and read the list of 12 programs for the 2027-2028 call. Pick the one program that fits your degree and your career plan. Remember that you can apply for only one ICP Connect scholarship per year.
3. Open the program page on the host institution’s website and read its own deadline, its academic entry requirements, its English requirement, and its document list. Program deadlines differ from the call deadline, and some close weeks earlier.
4. Prepare your documents: degree certificate and transcripts, English test result or proof of test registration, two recommendation letters in the required format, your motivation letter written to the program’s question, and the ICP Connect scholarship document where asked.
5. Apply through the institution’s online application system before the program deadline. You do not fill in a separate VLIR-UOS form. Submitting the program application is what puts you in the scholarship pool.
6. Do not pay any application fee for an ICP Connect program. If the application system asks for a payment document, upload the standard document the institution provides for scholarship applicants.
7. Track your application in the institution’s online system. The institution reviews and ranks applications first. VLIR-UOS then screens the ranked list.
8. Watch your email. VLIR-UOS contacts selected candidates and waitlisted candidates by email. If you are not selected, the program informs you.

VLIR-UOS runs an online information session on 26 November, from 14:30 to 16:30 CET. Registration is on the VLIR-UOS website. If you are unsure about any rule, the session is the best place to ask, because VLIR-UOS states that it only answers questions that are not already covered on its website.

12. Deadline

The 2027-2028 ICP Connect call is open now. Here is the confirmed timeline from the official VLIR-UOS call page.

Stage	Date
Call opens	Applications open in October 2026 (dates vary by program)
Information session	26 November 2026, 14:30 to 16:30 CET
Food Technology deadline	1 February 2027
Call submission deadline	28 February 2027
IMAQUA deadline	28 February 2027
Nutrition and Food Systems deadline	28 February 2027
Studies begin	1 September 2027

The 28 February 2027 date is the call submission deadline, but it is not the deadline for every program. The official call page warns that the start and end dates of the application procedure can vary depending on the specific program, and it tells applicants to check carefully. Some programs close on 1 February 2027, and others may set their own dates. Treat the date on your chosen program page as your real deadline, and submit early, because the portal and the admissions office get busy in the final days.

Check every date, amount, and rule on the official VLIR-UOS website before you apply. The official call page is vliruos.be ICP Connect 2027-2028, the official country list is on the VLIR-UOS country list page, and the full list of programs is on the VLIR-UOS Study Scholarships page.