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 Science
- M.Sc. Biomedical Engineering
- M.Sc. Civil Engineering
- M.Sc. Computer Science
- M.Sc. Electrical Engineering
- M.Sc. Nuclear Engineering
Natural Sciences & Mathematics (7)
- M.Sc. Biology
- M.Sc. Chemistry
- M.Res. Gerontological Sciences
- M.Sc. Molecular Biology
- M.Sc. Physics and Astronomy
Social Sciences (7)
Environmental Studies & Earth Sciences (4)
- M.Sc. Biology
- M.Sc. Physical Land Resources
Arts, Design & Architecture (3)
- M.Sc. Urban Studies
Business & Management (3)
- M.Sc. Business and Technology
- M.Sc. International Business
- M.Sc. Management
Computer Science & IT (3)
- M.Sc. Applied Computer Science
- M.Sc. Computer Science
- M.Sc. Electrical Engineering
Humanities (2)
Journalism & Media (2)
Medicine & Health (2)
- M.Sc. Disaster Medicine (EMDM)
- M.Sc. Global Health
Agriculture & Forestry (1)
Applied Sciences & Professions (1)
- M.Sc. Disaster Medicine (EMDM)
Education & Training (1)
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.Global Student Satisfaction Awards 2019
GSSA 2019
The Global Student Satisfaction Awards empower students across the globe to determine the best universities of 2019. By rating institutions on a scale from 1 to 5, on multiple studies-related questions, we found the top educators in the world.
Learn more about the Global Student Satisfaction AwardsUniversity Ranking
QS World University Rankings by TopUniversities
2020
195 -7
2019
188 -6
2018
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.
World University Rankings by Times Higher Education
2020
201 50
2019
251 50
2018
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.
Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University
2019
201
2018
201
2017
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.
Best Global Universities Rankings by U.S. News & World Report
2020
259 21
2019
280 -25
2018
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.
Student Reviews
Education for the future - Taking education to practicable contexts
Anonymous rated 5 out of 5 stars
Engaging and practical learning The language barrier was an issue. Belgium is predominantly French and Dutch speaking yet the program was delivered in English
A VERY NICE TEACHING APPROACH
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
IT IS A BIT HECTIC, IN THE SENSE THAT YOU HAVE TO SUBMIT YOUR THESIS TOPIC IN OCTOBER AND DO A PRESENTATION OF YOUR - ONGOING - RESEARCH IN MARCH (THE ACADEMIC YEAR ENDS IN AUGUST). HONESTLY, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND THIS RUSH, BUT... WHATEVER. PROFESSORS ARE REALLY FRIENDLY AND AT THE SAME TIME RESPECTED AND RESPECTFUL. THE CAMPUS IS NICE, VERY GREEN AND QUITE WELL...
Anonymous rated 4 out of 5 stars
Very exciting experience!
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