We list 6 fully Funded Masters Scholarships for Nigerian Students in Belgium, with the deadline, study level and eligibility of each one taken from the award's own terms. 1 state eligibility that includes Nigerian applicants. Awards with a known closing date are listed soonest first.
Written from the 6 awards on this page — every figure below is counted from what the awards themselves state. 5 min read.
This page collects 6 fully funded masters scholarships in Belgium that are open to Nigerian students. Every award on the list is labelled fully funded, and every one of them is at masters level. Belgium is the host country for all six.
The awards come from six different providers. One is ARES. Four are tied to Flemish institutions — the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and two listings that name the Flemish universities as a group, including KU Leuven, Ghent University, the University of Antwerp, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Hasselt University. The sixth comes from the University of Liège (ULiège) in the French-speaking part of the country.
The list is not only masters. Alongside the six masters awards, the same collection carries one bachelors award, one PhD award and one short course. If you are still deciding what level to apply for, that mix is worth knowing before you start.
Fully funded means different things at different institutions, so it is worth reading what each award actually writes down. Of the six, 4 name tuition in their own text and 4 name living costs. The same number, 4, name health insurance.
Travel is named by 3 of the awards, and accommodation by 3. A smaller group — 2 — names research or training costs, which matters if your masters involves lab work, fieldwork or a thesis budget. One award names a settling-in or arrival grant.
These counts describe what the awards say in writing. They are not a promise that every cost you will face is covered, and they are not a ranking. Read the individual award page for the one you intend to apply to and check the wording yourself.
This is the part most applicants get wrong, so read it slowly. Of the six awards, 1 states that Nigerians may apply. Within that one award, 0 name Nigeria or the region specifically, and 1 carries no nationality restriction at all. Those two figures describe the same single award, not two separate groups.
For the remaining 5 awards, eligibility is not stated on the award page. That is not the same as being closed to Nigerians. It means the page does not say either way, and you will need to check the provider's own eligibility rules before you spend money on transcripts or a courier.
The qualification that leads into this level is a first degree or HND — B.Sc, B.A, B.Eng, LLB, MBBS or HND. These are taught and research masters. Where an award states a minimum class of degree, an "upper second" corresponds to Second Class Upper (2:1) on a Nigerian transcript. Whether an HND is accepted is decided by each university, not by this page.
The requirements the awards state in writing are worth planning around, because each one costs you time or money from Nigeria.
The English test is the single most common stated requirement on this list. If you are applying to more than one award, budget for the test once and use the score across applications where the provider accepts it. Where a waiver applies, it will be stated by the university, not by this page — check before you pay for a test you may not need.
Letters of recommendation take longer than people expect. Lecturers move, departments are busy, and a referee who has agreed in principle may still take weeks to sign. Ask early and give them the deadline in writing.
Two awards on this page carry a stated date. The other 2 are still open, 4 are undated, and 2 recur — meaning the same award returns on a cycle, so a missed round is not necessarily the end of the road.
The busiest months are January and February, with one award closing in each. The two closing soonest are:
Other awards on the list carry deadlines that vary by institution or by programme. The VLIR-UOS award depends on the programme, typically February to March. Master Mind runs February to April and varies by institution. The University of Liège listing points to January to February for ARES Scholarships. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel listing gives March 31 and July 31 dates.
Because so much of the calendar depends on the individual programme, the deadline on the award page is the one that matters. Treat any month range here as a prompt to go and confirm, not as the final date.
Durations on this list run to 1–2 years depending on the masters programme, with one listing describing a one-year masters. That is a short window. Belgian masters programmes are structured, attendance matters, and the academic calendar does not bend around a visa delay or a late transcript.
One award on the page sits in the natural sciences. The rest do not name a field in the brief, so do not assume a subject area is excluded or included — check the individual award.
Belgium also splits its higher education between Flemish and French-speaking institutions. Four of the providers here are Flemish, one is the University of Liège, and ARES operates in the French-speaking community. The language of instruction and the application portal differ accordingly. Confirm which system your chosen programme sits in before you start gathering documents.
Start with the two dated awards, because they set your timeline. The ARES deadline of 8 January and the KU Leuven deadline of 15 February are the anchors for this application season. Work backwards from whichever one you are targeting.
Then open each award page on this list and read it end to end. Six awards, six sets of rules. The ones that fit your transcript, your subject and your budget are the ones worth your application fee.
Looking to pursue a world-class education in the heart of Europe? Belgium, known for its multilingual culture, high-quality education system, and international outlook, offers fully funded scholarships for Nigerian students for the academic year 2025-2026.
Belgian universities and government bodies provide generous financial aid covering tuition fees, living expenses, accommodation, travel, and health insurance. Whether you’re applying for a bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD, Belgium has something to offer—especially for students from developing countries, partner nations, and underrepresented regions.
In this guide, you’ll find the most prestigious fully funded scholarships in Belgium, including programs funded by the Belgian government (ARES, VLIR-UOS) and scholarships offered directly by top universities like KU Leuven, Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), and University of Ghent.
*UNESCO Institute for Statistics, inbound internationally mobile students from Nigeria, 2023.
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