How to apply?

Due to the interdisciplinary character of the programme, the organizers choose to accept graduates from a wide range of educational backgrounds.

Candidates should hold a master degree (master degree following a bachelor degree, e.g. Master in Law, Master in Business Economics, etc.), but in specific cases, after examination of their curriculum, candidates with an equivalent foreign degree of 240 credits (e.g. a 4-year BSc degree) may be admitted. Students who are graduating may apply and will be conditionally admitted, subject to the successful completion of their degree.

Candidates must complete the online application procedure (see below) and submit all required documents by the application deadline. They will only be accepted after thorough screening and selection.

Non-Flemish students need to present proof of sufficient English proficiency. We require a score between 510-559 for paper TOEFL, 72-94 for Internet based TOEFL or 6.0 for IELTS. This should be equivalent to level B2. However, there is a possibility to obtain an exemption for prospective candidates who have successfully completed a study programme of minimum one year (60 credits) in English. There is also an exemption for native English speakers.

The tuition fee for the Maritime Science programme is € 7.079,40 for EEA-students and € 11.951,40 for non EEA-students. The costs of all study trips and company visits are included. Fees do not cover course materials or living expenses.

The Registrar's Office will check the general academic requirements and the authenticity of the provided documents, while the Maritime Science programme will assess the application file and decide on whether or not to grant admission.

In selecting students, the individual profile, academic potential and motivation are taken into account. Not only the past academic performance of the applicant, but also his/her perceived ability to successfully complete the Maritime Science programme and to be a valuable part of the student group are assessed.

Admission decisions are typically being reached within 2-3 weeks of receipt of the application form with the supporting documents. Applicants are notified of their admission by email and are asked to confirm their participation in the programme via the application tool. It is only after such confirmation that applicants are considered to be admitted to the programme.

We welcome applications for the upcoming academic year from October until:

• students from Benelux countries: the beginning of the academic year;
• students outside the Benelux who don’t need a visa: 1 July; 
• students who need a visa: 1 April.

We encourage you to start the application procedure as early as possible, even if you currently do not possess the required diploma (in case you are a student with expected graduation date before the beginning of next academic year) or English proficiency certificate yet. For students in need of a visa, early applications are required to ensure timely arrival in Ghent (before the start of the academic year), and all applicants must be aware that applications will only be taken into consideration depending on the available spots left.

The programme is able to offer a limited number of partial tuition fee waivers for excellent applicants showing financial need. You can apply for a partial tuition fee waiver by adding an additional motivation letter (and relevant documents, where necessary) to your application file, demonstrating your financial need. The deadline to apply for the partial tuition fee waiver is 1 April, and a decision on the received applications will be communicated before 1 May.

However, apart from these partial tuition fee waivers, candidates who need financial assistance are advised and encouraged to explore all potential avenues of financial aid. The Maritime Science programme is not in a position to offer any technical or logistical support for external application processes, but there are some options listed below that you can consider.

• To start off, it is desirable to look into financial aid options in your home country.
• With regard to Belgian funding, one can consult the relevant webpages of Ghent University and the Government of Flanders. It is strongly recommended to contact the Belgian Embassy or Consulate General in your home country to learn about scholarship opportunities.
• For other funding opportunities, ScholarshipPortal can be a useful tool.

You should however bear in mind that scholarships are in great demand. As the competition is quite strong and a lot of foreign students are asking for financial assistance, we strongly urge our applicants to be financially self-supportive, either through personal means or through third-party intervention. Also keep in mind that apart from the tuition fee, the cost of living in Ghent should be taken into account.