VLIR-UOS ICP Connect Scholarships

Tuition, travel, insurance and living expenses (board and lodging) for the full programme only. The page gives no money amounts and warns costs may change.

Fields: Development studies, Agriculture and food, Business and management, Public policy and governance, Environment and climate, Engineering

Citizens of 17 listed countries

Eligible country codes: BJ, BF, BI, CM, CD, ET, GN, KE, MG, MZ, NE, SN, ZA, TZ, UG, ZW, MA

• You must hold the nationality of an eligible country and live in one when you apply. The African countries on the list are Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe and Morocco.
• Nigeria, Ghana, Rwanda, Mali, Malawi and Zambia are not on the country list, so Nigerian applicants cannot use this scheme unless the list changes.
• Age on 1 January of the intake year: 35 or younger for bachelor's and initial master's, 45 or younger for advanced master's. Bachelor's applicants must be at least 19.
• You cannot have received a Belgian government study scholarship before, or been enrolled in a Belgian higher education institution before 1 January of the intake year.
• You may apply for only one ICP programme per year and cannot hold another scholarship for the same study.

The 2026/27 call is closed. The call for 2027/28 is expected to open by the end of October 2026, with deadlines set per programme and published then. Selected and waitlisted candidates are told by mid-May at the latest.

Deadlines move a little every year and some close early. Confirm the date on the official page before you plan around it.

• Documents are set by each programme and institution. Expect admission documents, CV, motivation and references, and check the programme page.

1. 1

   Step 1: Check the country list

   Confirm that your nationality and country of residence are both on the ICP Connect country list.
2. 2

   Step 2: Choose one programme

   Look through the ICP Connect programmes and the offering institution's website. You may apply for only one.
3. 3

   Step 3: Apply through the institution

   Apply for the programme and the scholarship together via the institution and indicate the scholarship request in the programme application.
4. 4

   Step 4: Wait for notification

   Selected candidates and the waiting list are notified by email, no later than mid-May.

• Scholarships cover the full length of the programme only, with no partial awards or extensions.
• Holding another scholarship for the same study leads to exclusion.

• Look at the country list first. Many African applicants, including Nigerians, are not eligible.
• Show how you will act as an agent of change at home. Selection looks at motivation, experience and balance by gender and region.
• Prefer programmes that are not being phased out. Eight programmes will not offer scholarships for 2027/28.
• Recheck the country list and programme list when the 2027/28 call opens, as these can change.

Winning the award does not include the visa. Plan your application with our guide for the host country.

• Belgium student visa

Checked against these official pages on 17 Oct 2026.

• VLIR-UOS study scholarships (opens in a new tab)
• VLIR-UOS ICP Connect country list (opens in a new tab)