Master programmes

You’ll need (at least) an academic bachelor degree to be able to enrol in an initial master programme. You’ll need a master degree to be able to enrol in an advanced master programme.

If you have a degree from an educational institution in Belgium and don't need a visa... 

...you can find the Belgian bachelor and/or master degrees, which entitle you to enrol, in the admission requirements of the specific (advanced) master programme . You may need the faculty's permission if your Belgian bachelor or master degree is not explicitly listed in the admission requirements for your programme ánd admission after permission is listed as an option for your level of degree. Depending on the programme you choose and the degree you have, you may have to take a preparatory programme.  If your Belgian bachelor or master degree is explicitly listed in the admission requirements, then you can continue the enrolment procedure without any problems. Don't forget to check the language and the additional admission requirements below!

Candidates who’s degree was recognised by the Flemish NARIC as being equivalent to a Flemish diploma also falls under this category and don't need to apply for admission but can use the enrolment procedure. In case the degree was only partially recognised (level recognition) by NARIC an additional permission of the concerned faculty is mandatory to start the desired programme. These students will need to contact the concerned faculty directly for this purpose.

If you have a degree from an educational institution in The Netherlands or Luxembourg and don't need a visa...

...you can follow the same procedure as Belgian bachelor or master degrees. However, bachelor and master degrees conferred by recognised higher education institutions in The Netherlands or Luxembourg are considered level-equivalent to degrees conferred by Flemish institutions. Prospective students with a bachelor or master degree from a recognised higher education institution in The Netherlands and Luxembourg can therefore enrol in a master or advanced master programme if it’s open to all bachelor or master degrees, or if the degree from The Netherlands or Luxembourg is explicitly listed in the admission requirements of the concerned programme. If your degree from The Netherlands or Luxembourg is not explicitly listed in the list of those that grant access to the programme, or if the programme is not open to all bachelor or master degrees (as stipulated in the list of programmes), you will need to obtain prior authorisation from the faculty in order to enrol on the programme and/or preparatory programme of your choice if this option is listed. Once you have obtained this authorisation, you will be able to enrol without any problems. Don't forget to check the language and the additional admission requirements below!

If you don't have a bachelor or master degree of a higher education institution in Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg or if you need a visa...

...you need to follow the admission procedure. Don't forget to check the language and the additional admission requirements below!

Please note that degrees from states/state actors which have not been internationally recognised cannot be taken into account.

Students interested in taking a programme taught in English, have to prove proficiency in English.  Always check the level required on the info pages of the programme you are interested in because the required level or minimum scores could be higher than the ones listed below.  For example, for language related programmes a minimum level of C1 is always required.

Students holding a degree issued by a recognized educational institution in Flanders, are exempt from the English language test. Based on the Benelux Decision about mutual degree recognition of 18 May 2015, this exemption of the English language test also applies to holders of degrees issued by recognized educational institutions in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg.

Candidates can prove their proficiency in English by submitting one of the language certificates below (obtained within the last two years; with the minimum score(s) mentioned):

• TOEFL iBT (Test of English as a Foreign Language; taken at a test center - Home editions are not accepted): a minimum score of 80. You can find more information about TOEFL at www.toefl.org
• ​IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System; taken at a test center - Online editions are not accepted): a minimum score of at least 6.5, and on each part minimum 6.0. You can find more information about IELTS at Online tests are not acceptedwww.ielts.org
• ITACE (Interuniversity Test of Academic English for Students): minimum level B2. You can find more information about ITACE at www.itace.be/students/about.html
• Cambridge English: minimum B2 First with a score of at least 176. You can find more information about Cambridge English at https://www.cambridgeenglish.org

An exemption from providing a  language test certificate is possible if you can prove that you have studied at least one academic year (= 60 ECTS credits) in an English-language Bachelor or Master programme.  Please note that the board of admission may require that you obtained your credits or diploma in an English taught programme in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America before you are exempted from providing a language test certificate.

Students who wish to register for a programme taught in Dutch will have to prove their proficiency in Dutch.

Dutch language proficiency can be shown in two ways:

• Either you have completed and passed at least one complete year (= 60 credits) of courses taught in Dutch at a secondary school, university college or university.  The courses should not be aimed at acquiring the Dutch language or preparing for the required level of Dutch in higher education.
• Or you’ve obtained one of the following language certificates (within the last two years):
  • the certificate Interuniversitaire Taaltest Nederlands voor Anderstaligen (level C1 for all language related programmes, masters of teaching and advanced masters of the Faculty of Medicine, level B2 for all other programmes).
  • the Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal (profile Educatief Professioneel for all language related programmes, masters of teaching and advanced masters of the Faculty of Medicine, profile Educatief Startbekwaam for all other programmes.
  • the diploma Staatsexamen Nederlands als tweede taal NT2 - programma II (all programmes except language related programmes, masters of teaching and advanced masters of the Faculty of Medicine)

Without proof of proficiency in Dutch, registering for one of our Dutch programmes is not possible.  Please note that no other language certificates than the ones listed above will be accepted (such as certificates from Adult Education Centers (CVO)).

Want to learn Dutch?
If you don’t master Dutch yet you can opt for the one-year preparatory language programme offered by Linguapolis. Please note that it’s not possible to obtain a student visa solely on the basis of this language programme. When applying for a visa you’ll also need to proof that you can start a master’s programme after completing the language programme. Thus two admission letters are requested to apply for a student visa: one for the preparatory language programme and one for the master's programme. To simplify things our University has devised one application procedure for both programmes (please read below for more information). As a result, it’s not possible to apply for a master's programme at our University while taking a language programme somewhere else.

In certain situations, additional exams apply in addition to the standard admission requirements:

• Students who wish to study medicine (Bachelor or Master) will have to pass the doctor's entrance exam (information only available in Dutch).

The APS (Akademische Prüfstelle) is a mandatory academic screening for most students who have a Chinese degree. These students will not be able to obtain access to higher education in Flanders and to receive a Belgian student visa without the screening.  The screening is done at one of the APS screening centres in China, namely in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, and consists of two parts: a formal check of the diploma and an interview of the candidate to test his/her academic knowledge. The screening can take several months before a decision is proclaimed; it’s therefore recommended to start the procedure on time. Please visit the APS website for detailed information.

Some categories of students can be exempted from the APS procedure:

• Students admitted to our university within  the framework of a bilateral agreement between their home university and the University of Antwerp
• Students admitted to our university as part of an official exchange programme (Erasmus-Mundus, ASEM-Duo…)
• Students admitted to our university with a scholarship from the China Scholarship Council
• Students that already have earned a degree or credits in a degree programme at an institution of higher education outside China
• Students with a diploma from Hong Kong or Macau
• Refugees from the People's Republic of China
• Non-Chinese students with a diploma obtained in the People's Republic of China

Additionally, some students can be exempted from the second part of the APS procedure (academic interview):

• Students with a permanent Belgian residence permit
• Students applying for a PhD

Students who want to apply for an exemption need to upload a document in their online application in Mobility Online which clearly proves that they belong to one of these categories. In case the proof is found to be valid the Registrar’s Office will contact the concerning authorities to grant the exemption.