If you love class and luxury, not to mention a comfy lifestyle, living as if each day is a party hosted by the Great Gatsby, you will find that Luxembourg was very expensively tailored for your refined tastes.
Ok, maybe the streets aren’t flowing with champagne, but Luxembourg has the best economy in Europe, with the highest minimum wage on the market, and with the living costs to match.
But how can you break into this amazingly luxuriant country to study a Master’s degree. Well, put on your top hat and/or pearls, and let’s start exploring the glorious adventure of applying to a university in Luxembourg.
A quick overview of Luxembourg’s universities
Luxembourg only has 2 universities, a private and a public one:
- University of Luxembourg – the public one
- Sacred Heart University Luxembourg – the private one
And, although I think you've guessed it already, I have to confirm your suspicion that the most popular Master’s degrees in Luxembourg are in:
Where and how to apply for a Master’s degree in Luxembourg
In order to apply to a Master’s degree, you have to go on the official website of the University of Luxembourg and start navigating through these steps:
- First, pick from the list of Master’s degrees the programme that interests you. Pay attention and select the right list, depending on whether you're a European Union (EU) or non-EU student. After selecting the degree, check out the language it is taught in and the admission requirements.
- After you decide which programme you want, create an account on the link for Master’s degree, and be careful to include all the information they ask for. This can range from the basics, like name, nationality, address, e-mail, to the specific, like what languages you speak, what you studied, with what grade you graduated, and so on.
- After you submit this application, you will receive an e-mail that you are being considered for enrolment and that you are kindly asked to send, paper or scanned, some of the documents you mentioned in the application (the English language proficiency certificate, your Bachelor’s degree, and so on).
Admission requirements for a Master’s degree in Luxembourg
We can’t tell you exactly what documents the University of Luxembourg will ask for, specifically, because the requirements vary based on your nationality and on the type of academic programme you're after.
Still, you can bet that some of the documents you should prepare, no matter what, are:
- Your Bachelor’s diploma (or equivalent)
- Your IELTS or TOEFL test results, if you study in English (and any other language certificate they might ask for if you plan to study in either German or French)
Application deadlines for a Master’s degree in Luxembourg
The University of Luxembourg has different deadlines for students, depending on your nationality (EU/EEA vs non-EU/EEA). So, the deadlines and the logic behind it goes as follows:
For EU/EEA students
- The deadline for all envelopes containing application forms is one week after the deadline for online application forms
- Online application deadline: end of July
- File reception application deadline (the envelope kind): start of August
For non-EU/EEA students
- The deadline for all envelopes containing application forms is one week after the deadline for the online application forms
- Online application deadline: end of April
- File reception application deadline (the envelope kind): start of May
Keep in mind that these deadlines can change every year, so the best thing you can do is to check the dates for each study programme before you apply.
Tuition fees at the University of Luxembourg
At the University of Luxembourg, tuition fees for most Master's programmes range between 0 and 5,200 EUR per year. Specialised Master's degrees — e.g. Master's in Logistics and Supply Chain Management — can reach 24,000 EUR/year.
Other expenses you'll need to cover after you arrive include:
- 1,500 EUR for registration, health insurance, first rent, and food
- 400 EUR for registration, if you’re in the first or second semester
- 200 EUR for registration, if you’re in the third to sixth semester
Also, don’t forget to check out the Financial Aid Luxembourg can provide!
You can calculate the sum you will receive on your own, using the calculator they provide online, and, using their Guidance page, you can download the correct form, check out what documents you have to attach, and learn how to fill the forms.
The deadlines for this financial aid are:
- For the winter semester: 30th of November
- For the spring semester: 30th of April
You should consider applying for a scholarship, because the average living cost in Luxembourg is between 1,200 and 2,100 EUR per month. You can also check out the Studyportals Scholarship to get some help on financing your studies abroad.
Tuition fees at Sacred Heart University Luxembourg
Like everything we did in this section, let’s just take each Master’s programme and discuss the tuition fees separately.
So, the tuition fees are as follows:
- Welch MBA: 29,000 EUR
- Welch MBAs with internships: 39,000 EUR
But, besides these fees, you will also have to pay for the application submission fee, which is 100 EUR, and an admission fee of 125 EUR. This admission fee doesn’t need to be paid by the students accepted at the MBA with internship, though, so yay!
Also, you should know that, when sending an application, you should also include a scholarship request letter along with it, as scholarships are a great way of covering some of the costs of your international Master’s degree.
There are 4 types of scholarships available at Sacred Heart University. These are:
- Merit-based: you can apply if you score super-high grades on your GMAT or GPA (grade point average) during your Bachelor’s degree.
- Need-based: if you still have good grades, and you come from somewhere where you just can’t keep up with Luxembourg’s prices and expenses, you can get the chance to receive a 10,000 EUR scholarship.
- Housing: well, yes, this one is obvious. If you need housing and can’t find / pay for it, this is the scholarship for you.
- Government Aid: this one is solely for residents of Luxembourg, for people who work in Luxembourg, or if you’re a student from the US.
Last thing before you go study in Luxembourg
After all is said and done, and you receive that ivory envelope, sealed with wax and written with golden ink, that tells you “Congratulations, Dear Sir/Madam!”, then you’re off to the races once again.
From the student visa for Luxembourg, to the work permit, you will still have a lot of documents to hunt for, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Best of luck and have a great study experience!