Katholieke Universiteit (K.U.Leuven) Scholarships for International Students
PhD / Doctoral Scholarships
Fully Funded Scholarships for International Students
2025 / 2026 Scholarships in Flanders, Belgium
Katholieke Universiteit (K.U. Leuven) Scholarships 2025
Katholieke Universiteit (KU Leuven) is granting scholarships to students from Least Developed Countries, Low Income Countries, and Low Middle Income Countries. Every academic year, KU Leuven offers scholarships to talented students from poor countries to pursue a PhD at Flanders’ largest university in Belgium.
KU Leuven is one of the greatest universities in the world and the top-ranked university in Belgium. KU Leuven is ranked well in the major international rankings as of 2025; it is now ranked 63rd in the QS World University Rankings.
The goal of the GM Scholarship is to provide scholars with the opportunity to conduct four years of doctoral research under a “sandwich” system, in which a minimum of fifty percent of the research will be conducted and funded by the scholar’s home institution, with support from a local co-supervisor, and a maximum of fifty percent will be funded and carried out at KU Leuven. Thus, the home institution and KU Leuven collaborate on the co-financing of the research. Furthermore, KU Leuven provides a supervision allowance to both the supervisor at KU Leuven and the local co-supervisor at the home institution.
Field of Study / Subjects
Doctoral programs are offered in the following schools:
- Biomedical Sciences
- Engineering
- Science
- Social Sciences
- Technology
- Biomedical Sciences
- Humanities
Other latest Scholarships in Belgium are also offered for different degrees and subjects all over Belgium.
Duration of Scholarship
The K.U.Leuven PhD scholarships offer 4 years programs.
Scholarship Description / Details
The K.U.Leuven PhD scholarships include:
■ Duration in Belgium: 24 months maximum
■ Home Institution: 24 months minimum
■ Monthly Allowance in Belgium: €2,400/month
■ Tuition Fees: Waived
■ Insurance: Health, accident, and liability covered in Belgium
■ Flight Tickets: 4 round trips
■ Supervision Allowance: €310/month for supervisors
For more details visit this link.
Eligible Countries
Candidates mustbe citizens of one of the following nations.
Africa
- Benin
- Tanzania
- Burundi
- Madagascar
- D.R. Congo
- Mozambique
- Burkina Faso
- Ethiopia
- Cameroon
- South Africa
- Guinea
- Zimbabwe
- Kenya
- Morocco
- Uganda
- Niger
- Senegal
- Rwanda
Asia
- Palestinian Territories
- Cambodia
- Vietnam
- Philippines
- Indonesia
Latin America
- Ecuador
- Bolivia
- Haiti
- Cuba
- Peru
- Nicaragua
Eligibility Criteria
To be eligible for K.U.Leuven PhD scholarships:
■ Applicants must be citizens of one of the following countries: Least Developed Countries, Low Income Countries or Low Middle Income Countries.
■ Do not hold EU citizenship or a long-term residency permit.
■ Requires a master’s degree (within ten years).
■ Possess an academic qualification comparable to a high education.
■ The master’s research project should be of high academic level and relevant to development.
■ The research project must have a clear timeframe alternating between the home institution’s and KU Leuven’s research periods (maximum 12 months at each).
■ Applicant has to have a formal affiliation with the home university. The candidate may apply for this scholarship program even if they do not already have this affiliation; however, the scholarship will not be given out until this affiliation is established.
■ The candidate’s home institution must demonstrate that the doctoral project has adequate funding, and it must ensure that the candidate will receive funding through a full-time position that is fully funded. This includes social security benefits comparable to those provided to employees at the same level and with the same credentials in the home institution.
■ Candidates who are presently enrolled in KU Leuven’s PhD program and receive funding from the university are not eligible for this program. They may, however, be eligible for the Southern Researchers’ PhD Scholarship.
■ Applicants who have previously worked in an EEA nation other than Belgium are not eligible for this prize. However, they could qualify for the Southern Researchers’ PhD Scholarships.
■ The applicant’s motivation should be development-focused.
■ A supervisor from KU Leuven must approve the candidate.
■ The candidate’s home university’s local co-supervisor has to support her or him.
■ The candidate must have great references from at least two relevant referees.
■ Only those who meet the criteria mentioned above are invited to submit their applications. Incomplete or late applications will not be accepted. There won’t be any exceptions.
For more details visit this link.
How to Apply / Download Scholarship Form / Documents Required
There are two phases in the application process:
(1) The candidate should first be accepted into a predoctoral or doctoral program.
(2) After winning admission, the candidate may apply for the KU Leuven Global Minds Doctoral Scholarship. Receiving a scholarship is not a guarantee of acceptance into a PhD or predoctoral program.
■ Must fill out the online application form, in order to submit an application.
■ Additional requirements (page count, language, attachments, etc.) are included in this form.
■ These are the main components of the scholarship application:
■ The applicant’s resume in Europass format
■ The candidate’s list of references, in this format
■ CV for the local co-supervisor.
■ The supervisor’s or co-supervisor’s curriculum vitae at KU Leuven.
■ Research proposal (no more than six pages)
■ Motivation letter maximum 3 pages
■ Proof of the candidate’s association with their home institution.
■ The home institution must promise that the candidate will have adequate time to do PhD research during their stay there.
■ Provide a certified copy of the candidate’s contract (scholarship agreement, work contract, or other instrument attesting to the fully-funded, inclusive of social security coverage, full-time staff role) from their home institution.
■ Two recommendation letters
For more details visit this link.
Contact us:
Oude Markt 13 – bus 5500
3000 Leuven
tel. +32 16 3 24010
Last Date to Apply / Deadline:
The application deadline is 28 February 2025 at 17.00 GMT.
Make sure you secure admission as soon as possible. It is highly advised that you apply for admission 2.5 months in advance of the PhD Scholarship Call deadline of February 28, 2025, or by the latest in November and December of 2024. If the application procedure begins too late, the file may not be examined in time.
Official Website:
Visit the official site of K.U.Leuven
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