The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the largest Dutch-speaking employer in the Brussels Region. Centrally situated in the capital of Europe, our university takes up its role as an ambassador for Flanders and Brussels, in a spirit of active pluralism and open mindness.
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Top reasons to study here
- Take advantage of the varied and unique portfolio of English-taught bachelor's and master's programmes offered at very reasonable tuition fees.
- Experience living in Brussels, the Capital of Europe, a truly cosmopolitan city with an amazing variety of career opportunities.
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel is your ideal partner for prestigious research and education with an outlook on Europe and the world.
Master's Programmes
Engineering & Technology (11)
- M.Sc. Applied Computer ScienceFaculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- M.Sc. Biomedical EngineeringFaculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- M.Sc. Civil EngineeringFaculty of Engineering
- M.Sc. Computer ScienceFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- M.Sc. Electrical EngineeringFaculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
- M.Sc. Nuclear EngineeringFaculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
Social Sciences (8)
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- M.Sc. GeographyFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- M.Res. Gerontological SciencesFaculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
- M.Sc. Urban StudiesFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
Natural Sciences & Mathematics (7)
- M.Sc. BiologyFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering
- M.Sc. ChemistryFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Faculty of Engineering
- M.Res. Gerontological SciencesFaculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
- M.Sc. Molecular BiologyFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- M.Sc. Physics and AstronomyFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences (4)
- M.Sc. BiologyFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- M.Sc. Physical Land ResourcesFaculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Engineering
Arts, Design & Architecture (3)
- Faculty of Engineering
- Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- M.Sc. Urban StudiesFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
Business & Management (3)
- M.Sc. Business and TechnologyFaculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- M.Sc. International BusinessFaculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- M.Sc. ManagementFaculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
Computer Science & IT (3)
- M.Sc. Applied Computer ScienceFaculty of Engineering
- M.Sc. Computer ScienceFaculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
- M.Sc. Electrical EngineeringFaculty of Engineering
Humanities (2)
- Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
- Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
Journalism & Media (2)
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
- Faculty of Social Sciences and Solvay Business School
Medicine & Health (2)
- M.Sc. Disaster Medicine (EMDM)Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
- M.Sc. Global HealthFaculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
Agriculture & Forestry (1)
- Faculty of Science and Bio-engineering Sciences
Applied Sciences & Professions (1)
- M.Sc. Disaster Medicine (EMDM)Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy
Education & Training (1)
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
About
History
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the offshoot of the French-speaking Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) that was founded in 1834 by a Brussels lawyer with Flemish origins, Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. He wanted to establish a university that would be independent from the state and the church and where academic freedom would reign.
Education
We offer a quality education to more than 15,800 students (21.5% of these are international students, covering some 128 nationalities). Add to that the 5,000 students of our partner, the Erasmus Hogeschool Brussels; the 400 students at the English-speaking Vesalius College; the 5,000 students at the Centre for Adult Education that shares our campus, and the more than 150 research teams working on our campuses, and you get one of the biggest centres of knowledge in the capital of Europe.
Research
High quality education and research are central issues. Our research teams are internationally recognised in many disciplines of fundamental and applied research.
Career
The VUB Career Center is the university’s central information hub to assist and support students and young graduates to make an efficient start on the labor market.
The Career Centers offers individual career counselling on themes such as career guidance, job application and interview techniques, tailoring and enhancing a CV, networking. Additionally, the Career Center runs a job and internship board students are invited to make use of.University Ranking
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2019
188 -6
2018
182
2017
182
QS World University Rankings is one of the top international rankings measuring the popularity and performance of universities all over the world. They measure university reputation based on the impressions of higher education experts, companies who hire graduates, and teaching quality. QS also considers the ratio of international teachers and students present at universities, as well as the times research papers were mentioned by researchers. After calculating and comparing these criteria, QS ranks the universities accordingly.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2018
201
2017
201
2016
201
ARWU World University rankings is the first world university ranking. It ranks the world's top 1000 colleges and universities based on objective indicator. They look at the number of award-winning (Fields Medals and Nobel Prize) scientists who are located there, how much of their research is cited and referenced around the world, and how much they've contributed to different academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, ARWU ranks the universities accordingly.
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2019
251 50
2018
301
2017
301
World University Rankings is a vital resource that provides the definitive list of the world's best universities. They look at how often they're producing new ideas, what their reputation is around the world, and how much they're contributing to science and academic fields. After calculating and comparing these criteria, THE ranks the universities accordingly.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2019
-
2018
280 -25
2017
255
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report presents all the top universities from the U.S. and 60 other countries around the world. They measure the rate of students going to their second year of studies, as well as the rate of students who graduate. It also asks university representatives on the performance of universities, and evaluates university resources, teacher salaries, graduation rates, student academic achievements and satisfaction. After calculating and comparing these criteria, U.S. News ranks the top international universities accordingly.
Services
Student services
VUB students have access to a variety of services, such as personalized study guidance, social services, housing service, medical services, career development, integration within the VUB community, foreign language learning, library services, etc.
Housing services
VUB has 1265 rooms, including 39 double apartments, 14 studios and several wheelchair accessible rooms. These rooms are all located on and around the campuses, and are offered at very attractive prices thanks to government subsidies.
Library services
The VUB University Library consists of the Central Library and the Medical Library. Both libraries offer a large number of databases and contain an extensive collection of printed or electronic journals, books, newspapers. Most electronic sources are available for remote access by the VUB community via the library website.
ICT services
All VUB campuses have public computers at student's disposal, including within the libraries. All computer rooms have printers and/or copy machines.
The VUB campuses have free wireless networks coverage.
Students have access to the online learning platform, the student self-service, webmail, etc.Medical services
The VUB provides medical and psychological services to its students. These services are located on or close to the campuses. Students have easy access to general medical and dental consultations, a dental clinic, physiotherapy.
Additionally, there is a mental health care center. On top of that, students also get access to the medical services conveyed by the University Hospital.Student Life
Campus life
VUB is located in 3 campuses in the Brussels-Capital Region: Brussels Campus, Brussels Health Campus and Brussels Kaai Campus.
The main campus is the Brussels Campus, a green and compelte campus with numerous auditoria, classrooms and labs, a library, sports facilities, a student restaurant, the career center, a medical center, a bank.
The Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy and the University Hospital are both located in the Brussels Health Campus, also a fully-fledged campus. Finally, Brussels Kaai Campus hosts the department of Industrial Engineering, a place where students can work on/with the latest computer controlled machines such as 3D printers and laser cutting machines.Sports facilities
The VUB sports infrastructure consists of a swimming pool (25m.), athletics track, two large multi sports halls, an artificial grass rugby/football pitch, and artificial training field (tennis/football), three squash courts and a martial arts room. Each campus includes a fitness center as well.
Student clubs
The International Student Platform consists of international students that cooperate with the general VUB Student Council. This platform has been created to give a voice to the growing number of international students at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
The Student Council, and other bodies of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, can consult the International Student Platform regarding issues pertaining to international students, but the members of the platform can themselves also propose new ideas and policy changes.
The platform consists of international student representatives. The International Student Platform meets twice per month, except during exam and holiday periods.Accreditation
VUB is registered with the Flemish government of Belgium. The VUB programmes are accredited by the Dutch-Flemish Accreditation Organisation (NVAO, Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie).
This official organisation was established by an international treaty between the Flemish and the Dutch governments to ensure the quality of higher education in both the Netherlands and Flanders.
The Global Study Awards
Together with the ISIC Association and British Council IELTS, Studyportals offers you the chance to receive up to £10000 to expand your horizon and study abroad. We want to ultimately encourage you to study abroad in order to experience and explore new countries, cultures and languages.
Student Reviews
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
It has been a bumpy ride with a rough start. Studying wasn't really my thing, but I was interested in Law and all its aspects. Eventually, I managed to find a study system that works for me and I'm happy that I'm closing in on my degree. I really liked the ability to follow courses from home, thanks to live recordings. The VUB is an excellent university, offering everyone...
Challenge accepted
Anonymous rated 3 out of 5 stars
International environment was very appreciated. University subjects gives a lot of work, mainly in the second semester of the first year with such amount of projects at the same time. Challenging but improving me.
High quality still matters to consider
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
The urban studies program is not available at my home university which was the main reason to chose VUB. It's an high quality master on an international level. Some of the professors although should keep in mind that we are all having different academic backgrounds and therefore describe more detailed what they expect.
