Required documents

Check this overview to find out which documents you need to apply at VUB

The requirements depend on the type of programme you're applying for, and there are some extra's for Chinese citizens and students with a Dutch diploma. Down below you can find more detailed information on what exactly we expect for each different document.

Students with an equivalent secondary degree

Check the list of equivalent secondary school certificates

• ID card (front and back) or passport
• Recent picture for your student card
• High school diploma*
• Transcript of records* - Official document with signature and stamp from the school or with digital verification
• Proof of language proficiency (if applicable)

* we need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.

Students with a different secondary degree 

Not in the list of equivalent secondary degrees (see above)

• all of the documents mentioned above  +
• Motivation letter
   

General required documents

• ID card (front and back) or passport
• Recent picture for your student card
• Higher Education diploma*
• Transcript of records* - Official document with signature and stamp from the school or with digital verification
• Proof of language proficiency (if applicable)

* we need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.

Extra documents for each programme

• all of the documents mentioned above  +
• Motivation letter (recommended length: 1page A4)
• 2 recommendation letters 

(check your programme's admission requirements to see if this applies to you)

EEA citizens

• ID card (front and back) or passport
• Recent picture for your student card
• Higher Education diploma*
• Transcript of records* - Official document with signature and a stamp from the school or with digital verification
• Proof of language proficiency (if applicable)

* we need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.

Non-EEA citizens

• all of the documents mentioned above  +
• Motivation letter

Extra documents required from Chinese citizens 

 

• APS-certificate (more info) - doesn't need to be uploaded during the application process, but will be requested from you once you have been accepted.
• CHSI verification report of your diploma (may be uploaded instead of the regular diploma document)

Extra documents required from students with a Dutch diploma

(from the Netherlands)

• Digital DUO certificate of your diploma ("Uittreksel Diploma") - this may replace the regular diploma document

Graduated from a non-Flemish institution?

• ID card (front and back) or passport
• Recent picture for your student card
• Research topic, research proposal and research plan
• Application form Registration PhD (foreign diploma)
• CV
• Diploma + transcripts of records of your master programme*
• Transcripts of records of your bachelor programme**
• If you are applying for a joint PhD, please mention this in the application form.

* we need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.
** Only required for the faculty of Engineering or Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences.

Graduated from a Flemish institution after 2004?

• PhD application form (Belgian diploma). Please note that the approval of the faculty is based on your research topic/proposal. This is another document which you need to fill out. Contact your faculty secretariat or your supervisor for more information.
• To use the correct terminology concerning the name of your doctoral degree, please consult annex 1 of the Doctoral Regulations. In case you wish to start an interdisciplinary doctorate, please contact our PhD department in order to add the right designation.
• After the document is signed by your faculty and supervisor, you can enrol as a PhD student.

What exactly do we need?

Find out what each document means and what exactly we need from you. Not everyone needs every document to apply. Make sure to check which documents are required from you in the overview above.

Document quality requirements

We need clear scans or decent quality pictures of your full original documents. Make sure the entire document is clearly visible. Please make sure any document you send us has a stamp and signature or is digitally verifiable.

Please provide a recent picture

of yourself that we can use to verify your identity and create your student card. 

We need your ID card or passport to verify your identity.

Please provide a picture of your ID card (front and back) or your passport. We cannot process your application without this document. 

We require your high school diploma if you applied for a bachelor programme.

If you apply for a master, advanced master, postgraduate or PhD programme, you may add this to strengthen your application but this is not compulsory. 

If you are in your final year (and you have not obtained your diploma yet), please provide an enrolment certificate drafted by the administration including:
- confirmation of current enrolment (including the type of curriculum and/or stream)
- expected date of graduation
- title of diploma you will obtain (in the original language + translated) 

We need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.

We require your bachelor and/or master diploma if you applied for a master, advanced master, postgraduate or PhD programme.

If you are in your final year (and you have not obtained your diploma yet), please provide an enrolment certificate drafted by the administration including:
- confirmation of current enrolment
- expected date of graduation
- title of diploma you will obtain

We need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.

Only required for students applying for the Dutch programme 'Geneeskunde'.

Students must provide proof that they attended the compulsory entry exam for medicine, organised by the Ministry of Education (you will get this document when you attend the exam). Our admissions team will then check if their test results are adequate.

More info about the Medicine entry exam

If you want to apply before the entry exam has taken place, because you want to apply for VUB student housing, you can upload an empty pdf or proof that you're registered to take the exam. That way you can continue with your application, and send in the proof of attendance later (via e-mail to admissions@vub.be).

Only required if the programme you're applying for requires a calibration test. 

In this case, students must provide proof that they attended the calibration test (you will get this document when you take the test).

Calibration tests are never required for English programmes, only for a number of Dutch programmes.

Find out about calibration tests for Dutch programmes

If you want to apply before the calibration test has taken place, because you want to apply for VUB student housing, you can upload an empty pdf or proof that you're registered to take the test. That way you can continue with your application, and send in the proof of attendance later (via e-mail to admissions@vub.be).

Every student must prove that they have sufficient skills in Dutch or English (depending on the language of instruction of each programme)

More about the language requirements and how to prove sufficient skills 

 

Previous education

To prove you have studied in the language of instruction before, please make sure the language of instruction (from you previous studies) is stated clearly on the document(s) you provide, or request extra documentation (with stamp and signature) from your previous school to prove this. In this case you don't need to add extra documentation in this section, as our admissions team will see from your diploma that you meet the language requirements.

Language test

If you are proving sufficient skills with a language test, please provide the official test results in this section. 

Still waiting for your language test (results)? No problem: you can submit your application without it and the faculty can already screen your file, but make sure to provide the required test results before the application deadline. Only Non-EEA students can send in the language certificate after the application deadline (31 March), and at the latest on 30 June (before 1 July). We don't send out conditional acceptance letters without the proof of language proficiency.

If you have a Belgian high school diploma

• Students with a Flemish high school diploma don't need this proof to apply for a Dutch or English programme.
• Students with a Walloon high school diploma don't need this proof to apply for an English programme. They do need it to apply for a Dutch programme.

Please provide all academic results from your previous education.

That means we need all academic results from your previous programme. If you are in your final year, please provide all available results you've obtained in the programme so far. We need an official document with a signature and a stamp from the school or with digital verification.

We need the original as well as a certified translation if these documents are not in English, Dutch, French or German.

Only required if you're applying for a(n) (Advanced) Master programme

• Except for the Master of Management and Communication Studies (no recommendation letter required)
• If you apply for a science program (Biology, Geography, etc) this must be written by an academic
• For other programmes it's best to have this written by someone who was your superior or mentor in an academical or professional context (teacher, employer, supervisor,...).

This letter must be signed and stamped.

Template (optional)

Submitting the recommendation letter(s)

Preferrably you upload the recommendation letter yourself through the online application tool. If the recommender wants to submit the letter confidentially, they can exceptionally e-mail it directly to admissions@vub.be.

Only provide this if it's required 

Check which documents you need

Please provide a comprehensive motivation about why you want to study at the VUB and why you want to apply for a specific program. You could also describe your future plans, explaining the importance of the program in this regard. Important elements could be:

• Why do you want to study at the VUB?
• Why do you want to apply for a specific program?
• Describe your future plans and the importance of the program in this regard
• What knowledge or skills are you hoping to acquire by attending the program?
• How will you use the knowledge you have acquired upon returning to your country?
• How will it fit in with your present or future professional position?
• How will you transfer the acquired knowledge upon returning to your country?
• Who will benefit from your knowledge?

We advise a motivation letter of about 1 page in length.

Only required for PhD applicants

Please provide your research topic, research proposal and research plan.

Template research plan

Only required for PhD applicants

If you are a PhD applicant, you need to provide us with an ‘application form enrolment PhD’. Without this document your application can’t be screened.

Application form enrolment PhD with a Belgian diploma 



Application form enrolment PhD with a foreign diploma

Are you applying with a Flemish diploma? Have your Dean sign the application form, to be able to skip the faculty screening.

• Please note that the approval of the faculty is based on your research topic/proposal. The application form is another document which you need to fill out. Contact your faculty secretariat or your supervisor for more information.
• To use the correct terminology concerning the name of your doctoral degree, please consult annex 1 of the Doctoral Regulations. In case you wish to start an interdisciplinary doctorate, please contact our PhD department in order to add the right designation.
• After the document is signed by your faculty and supervisor, you can enrol as a PhD student.

Please provide your CV or resume

This document is only required if you're applying for a credit- or exam contract. Most students are enrolled with a regular 'diploma contract' and don't need to provide this document. If you want to follow courses from different faculties, you must have a form signed per faculty. Without this document your application for a credit- or exam contract will not be processed.

Credit contract

If you applied to study under credit contract, please provide us with the following filled out form

 Credit contract form

Exam contract

If you applied to study under exam contract, please provide us with a filled out form 

Exam contract form

It is important to find the name of the course, the catalog number, the semester and the faculty. 
Find this information in the course outline