Karel de Grote Hogeschool
Checklist
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Apply for your place in the programme
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Accepted into a full degree programme? Pay your tuition fee to get enrolled
- Apply for a visa (if necessary)
- Start house hunting
- Get the funds in place to cover your initial costs
- Arrange insurance cover (differs for degree and exchange students)
- Book your flight/train/bus to arrive in time for our Welcoming Days
Questions?
studentservices@kdg.be
EEA or non-EEA?
- European Economic Area: including all 27 EU-member states + Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway
- Belgian students are EEA students and follow this procedure
All other nationalities
- You need to apply for a long-stay visa (known as a D visa) before arriving in Belgium. Please contact your local Belgian consulate in your home country or country of legal residence.
- As a general rule, authorisation to stay in Belgium for more than three months is granted to foreign students wishing to pursue higher education here as a regular student.
- You will need your KdG letter of enrolment before you can apply for a visa.
- Degree students: we'll issue your letter of enrolment once your tuition fee is paid.
- Exchange students: you'll receive your letter of enrolment once your nomination by your home university is accepted by KdG.
- As a public school, we are subsidized by the Belgian government. This is important when applying for a visa as it determines the level of the application fee.
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Start the visa application process early. It can take up to three to five months for a visa to be granted and the academic year begins in September.
For official information about the visa application procedure and the required supporting documents visit:
Proof of solvency
We offer our own optional proof of solvency procedure to help non-EEA students prove their financial solvency. It has a proven track record and a higher success rate than a sponsor.
You will receive detailed information about the procedure and payment instructions once your application to KdG is approved. Note that the monthly amount is set by the Belgian government and is subject to change. If any changes occur, we will notify our students.
Please note that you will also need to prove your solvency for each year you wish to extend your initial visa and continue your studies in Belgium.
- Degree students
- If you wish to use the proof of solvency procedure, you will need to pay 9.600 euros (12 x 800 euros) to KdG’s bank account.
- On arrival in Belgium, you open a local bank account (any European account with an IBAN number is fine) and KdG will return your money in 12 monthly instalments. Note that transaction costs from the initial payment will be deducted before KdG refunds the money (approx. 100-400 euros).
- In the event your visa application is turned down, we will reimburse the full amount.
- Exchange students
The process is the same as degree students but the number of instalments are tailored to the length of your exchange.
Check our cost of living estimate to ensure you have enough funds in place to cover daily life.
Questions? Please contact our International Student Services Officer: studentservices@kdg.be
Accommodation
Student accommodation is called a kot. For a room with a shared bathroom and kitchen the average cost is €410. A studio with private facilities averages €515. For your own apartment you can expect to pay an average of €675.
- Kotweb is a dedicated service for finding a place to live. All rooms on Kotweb are systematically checked by the city of Antwerp for quality and safety in line with statutory regulations.
- Discover the areas in this welcoming student city
- And check out STAN, another organisation dedicated to serving our city of almost 50000 students.
There are lots of great neighbourhoods for students in Antwerp. We suggest you look for a place close to your campus.
- International Business Management & Applied Computer Science: campus Groenplaats (Nationalestraat 5)
- Multimedia & Creative Technologies: campus Hoboken (Salesianenlaan 90) and campus Zuid (Brusselstraat 45). The majority of the lessons take place at campus Hoboken, which is a bit outside of the city centre, so you may prefer to live close to campus Zuid and commute to campus Hoboken.
How KdG helps you find a place to stay
KdG’s international student service are here to provide support on where to live and how to secure the best place. We’ll introduce you to Kotweb, explain which areas are close to their place of study, and we will fully explain lease information and costs so you can be reassured that everything is in place.
You can ask a KdG student in our In&Out Facebook group about types of accommodation, neighbourhoods or student life.
When to start looking for accommodation
- Degree student: start looking for accommodation as soon as you receive your (conditional) letter of enrolment. Most rooms become available in May, June and July. The sooner you start looking, the more choice you will have.
- Exchange student: begin your search once your application is approved and confirmed.
Cost of living
We recommend that you budget at least 1000 euros a month for your living costs.
When budgeting your costs, these are some factors for you to consider:
- Our tuition fees are calculated annually and published late November for the next academic year
- Books and study materials: check with your degree or exchange programme. Note that some programmes require you to have a laptop that meets certain specifications
- A Belgian bank account can take a couple of weeks to open, so make sure you have the funds in place to cover your initial costs. Rental deposit, the first month’s rent, living costs...
Work and study?
It takes discipline, time management skills and planning to successfully combine your studies with a student job. But yes, you are allowed to work while studying. Check Study in Flanders website for further details.
Many students do so without any problem, but your studies must remain your primary focus. A job is no excuse for missing deadlines or failure to attend mandatory classes. And note, that academic performance is also a consideration in visa renewals.
Insurance
Degree students
Foreign students who follow a KdG degree are insured for physical accidents during their study and internship.
- It is mandatory for all foreign students to arrange their own health insurance before arrival in Belgium. It must cover the duration of your stay.
- Health insurance means adequate coverage for medical costs in case of illness or injury.
- We also recommend a third-party liability insurance. This covers you in the event that you are sued for compensation by a third party, who believes they have suffered a loss due to your negligence or carelessness. It covers third- party material damage and physical injury.
For more information, please contact insurance@kdg.be
Exchange students (study or internship)
Students who temporarily (one or two semesters) come to Belgium (including Erasmus Belgica) for an internship or to study are not insured by KdG except for physical accidents during the internship in Belgium.
- When your medical costs for injury and illness are not covered by a health insurance in your home country, we strongly recommend that you take out a travel insurance.
- We also recommend a third-party liability insurance. This covers you in the event you are sued for compensation by a third party, who believes they have suffered a loss due to your negligence or carelessness. It covers third-party material damage and physical injury.
- If you are in need of an insurance covering accident, illness, travel assistance and third-party insurance, we can suggest the SIP (Student Insurance Programme).
For more information, please contact insurance@kdg.be