Change your studies

Up until September 23, you can change your programme at VUB by following the steps below:

1. Enroll in your new programme;
2. Disenroll from your current programme.
3. Once your enrolment is complete, check to make sure all your courses have been registered correctly.

During this period, changing programmes will not affect your academic credit, tuition, exam chances, etc.

PLEASE NOTE! Earlier deadlines apply to foreign degrees! Switching programmes after your deadline is only possible if you’ don’t need a visa to stay in Belgium AND if you have your dean’s approval. Read how to submit a reasoned request to your dean. 

You have missed the enrolment deadline for the first semester and can only request an exception if you are enrolled in a bachelor’s programme for the first time and wish to change your programme. Read how to submit a reasoned request to your dean. Read how to submit a reasoned request to your dean. 

The deadline for course registration for the first semester is October 8. If you enroll after this date, your courses may no longer be automatically registered. Please contact your faculty secretariat for more information.

If this is not your first enrolment in a bachelor’s programme or if your request for an exception is denied, check whether it is possible to start in the second semester. For the time being, remain enrolled in your current programme if you do not want to risk losing your student status or child support. Please note: Earlier deadlines apply to foreign degrees. Switching programmes after your deadline is only possible if you’ don’t need a visa to stay in Belgium AND if you have your Faculty’ Dean’s approval.

If your request for an exception is granted, follow the steps below:

1. Enroll in your new programme;
2. Disenroll from your current programme.
3. Once your enrolment is complete, check to make sure all your courses have been registered correctly.

You missed the enrolment deadline and can no longer start in the first semester. You cannot request an exception to this rule.

Check whether it’s possible to start in the second semester of your chosen programme. If so, you can start your new application now.

If starting in the second semester isn’t possible, you won’t be able to begin a new programme until September. For the time being, remain enrolled in your current programme if you do not want to risk losing your student status or child support.

Contact your study path counselor if you need help

It is no longer possible to change your program this academic year. We recommend you to stay enrolled in your current programme if you do not want to risk losing your student status or child support.

Impact on your threshold if you stay at VUB

Changing programmes affects your threshold:

• If you switch to another VUB bachelor’s programme belonging to the same threshold, you will start in threshold year 2 in your new programme. 
• If you switch to a different VUB bachelor’s programme belonging to a different threshold, you will start in threshold year 1 in your new programme.

Please note: if you switch to a different VUB bachelor’s programme in a different threshold area but later re-enroll in your original programme, you will start in threshold year 2. This option is therefore not available within a single academic year.

Threshold

Always take the applicable study progress rules into account.

Are you switching programmes after being denied re-enrolment? If your new programme is in the same field of study as your first programme, binding conditions will be imposed immediately within your new programme. Upon your initial enrolment in the new programme, you must obtain at least 75% of the credits you’ve registered for and pass the courses you’re taking for the third time (or more).

Study progress

If your new programme includes courses that were also part of your old programme and you have not yet passed these courses in January, we recommend that you remain registered for these courses in your old programme and take the (retake) exams so that you do not lose any exam opportunities.

Contact your study path counselor if you need help 

Did you take a mandatory positioning test? 
Some programmes require taking a mandatory positioning test. Check the page below to see which programes.

Positioning tests 

Impact on your learning account if you stay at VUB

Find out all about your learning account and what the consequences might be if you choose to change or terminate your studies.

Learning account

Impact on your tuition fees if you stay at VUB
 

• Changing your programme at the VUB is possible without incurring additional tuition fees if you do this before 1 December.
• In case you only started in the second semester you can change programmes without incurring additional tuition fees before 1 March.

Attention! If the credits of your new programme exceed your initial number of credits, additional tuition fees will be charged.

Tuition fees

Impact on your student grant If you continue studying at the VUB

Your eligibility for a student grant depends on when you withdraw from your initial VUB programme and the number of credits you registered for.

Eligibility requirements for the student grant

You are eligible for a student grant if, during the academic year, you are enrolled and remain enrolled at one or more institutions of higher education for a total of at least 54 credits under a diploma contract (exception: final year of study) and are under 30 years of age as of December 31 of the academic year.

Changing programmes before December 1

To remain eligible for a student grant, you must enroll in at least 54 credits in your new programme at the VUB (under a diploma contract).

• If you enroll in fewer than 27 credits in your new programme at the VUB, the Student Grants Department will reclaim your entire student grant, should you have already received it.
• If the number of credits in your new programme at the VUB is more than 27 but less than the number for which you were enrolled in your initial program at the VUB, the Student Grants Office will reclaim a portion of your student grant, if you have already received it.

If the student grant has not yet been paid out, you should notify the Student Grants Department of this new situation as soon as possible.

Changing programmes between December 1 and March 15

To calculate your student grant, both the credits from the courses in the first semester of your initial programme at the VUB and the credits from the courses in your new programme at the VUB are taken into account. 

Please note: For “generation” students who change programmes between December 1 and the last day before the start of the first exam period of the first exam session, half of the courses from the first semester are considered not to have been taken. This does not apply to “generation” students who are simply changing higher education institutions and continuing the same programme!

• If the total number of credits is less than 27 (old VUB programme + new VUB programme), the Student Financial Aid Office will reclaim your entire student financial aid, should you have already received it.
• If the total number of credits is more than 27 (old VUB programme + new VUB programme), but less than the number for which you were enrolled in your initial programme at the VUB, the Student Grants Department will reclaim a portion of your student grant, if you have already received it. 

If the student grant has not yet been paid out, you should notify the Student Grants Department of this new situation as soon as possible.

Changing programmes after March 15

When calculating your student grant, the credits from all courses in your original programme at the VUB, as well as those for which you enroll in your new programme at the VUB, are taken into account. You will receive a student grant for the total number of these course units, keeping in mind that you can receive a student grant for a maximum of 60 credits per academic year. 

Your eligibility for child benefit or the “Groeipakket” depends on when you disenroll from your initial VUB programme and the number of credits for which you are registered.

Eligibility for Child Allowance or the Flemish “Groeipakket”

As a student, you are eligible for child allowance or the Flemish “Groeipakket” if you are no older than 25 years of age and are registered for - and remain registered for - at least 27 credits during the academic year (exception: graduation year).

Growth Package as a Student

If you live in Flanders, in order to receive the child support “Groeipakket “without interruption, you must enroll in a new programme at VUB (for at least 27 credits) before the end of the month following your disenrolment. If you live in Brussels, this must be done in the same month you disenrolment.

Growth Package as a School Leaver

If this is not the case, you can still receive the child support “Groeipakket” as a school leaver for the interrupted months for a maximum of 12 months and as long as you are under 25 years of age. To take advantage of this maximum 12-month child support “Groeipakket” credit as a school leaver, you must not register as a job seeker with the VDAB. You can also take advantage of this child support “Groeipakket”  benefit for school leavers if the number of credits in your programme at the VUB is less than 27. 

Changing programmes before December 1

To continue receiving child benefit or “Groeipakket”, you must register for at least 27 credits in your new programme at VUB.

The credits from your initial programme at VUB no longer count toward the 27-credit limit.

If the number of credits in your new programme at the VUB is less than 27, you will no longer receive child benefit or “Groeipakket” as a student starting the month following the month in which you disenrolled from your programme at VUB.

Changing programmes between December 1 and March 15

To continue receiving child benefit or “Groeipakket”, you must have registered for at least 27 credits after enrolling in your new programme at VUB.

To determine whether you have registered 27 credits, the following applies:

• the credits from the courses in the first semester of your initial programme at VUB
• the credits from the courses in your new programme at VUB

If the total number of credits is less than 27, you will no longer receive child benefit or “groeipakket” as a student starting the month following the month in which you disenrolled from your initial programme at VUB.

Changes after March 15

Normally, you will continue to be eligible for child benefit or “Groeipakket” because the credits from all courses in your initial programme at VUB and from the courses in your new programme at VUB count toward the 27-credit limit. It is very likely that this total number of credits will exceed 27.