KU Leuven Belgium Inspiring the Outstanding Scholarships 2025

About the program

KU Leuven's Inspiring the Outstanding Scholarship offers a full tuition fee waiver for the duration of the selected programme, with recipients only required to pay a minimal administrative fee. For the 2025-2026 academic year, this fee will be announced in December 2024 (the previous year's fee was €131.50). In addition to the tuition waiver, scholarship holders will receive a generous €12,000 annual stipend, providing financial support for up to two years.

The scholarship is funded by the KU Leuven International Scholarship Fund, which gathers donations from the global KU Leuven community. It is intended to attract outstanding students from diverse backgrounds and nationalities, reinforcing KU Leuven's global reputation as a hub for academic innovation and research.

Available Subjects

Following subject are available to study under this scholarship program.

All Subjects

Benefit

For selected individual:

Full Tuition Fee Waiver: Scholarship holders enjoy a complete waiver of tuition fees, allowing them to focus entirely on their studies without the burden of tuition costs.
Annual Allowance: Recipients receive an annual scholarship of €12,000 to help cover living expenses and other academic-related costs, providing financial security for up to two years.
Minimal Administration Fee: Students only pay a small annual administration fee, with the exact fee for the 2025-2026 academic year to be announced in December 2024 (the fee for 2023-2024 was €131.50).
Extended Duration: The benefits of the scholarship, including the tuition fee waiver and financial support, are provided for the full duration of the programme, which can be up to 2 years.

Eligible Nationalities

This scholarship is open to students of all nationalities.

Eligibility Criteria

The Inspiring the Outstanding Scholarship is available to students from all nationalities who wish to pursue a Master's or Advanced Master's programme at KU Leuven. However, there are specific eligibility criteria to consider:

Previous education: Applicants must have obtained their previous degree from a higher education institution outside Flanders. International students who have completed credit mobility at a Flemish institution are still eligible.
Current enrolment: Students already enrolled in a Flemish institution are not eligible, except for those enrolled in preparatory programmes leading to a Master's degree starting in September 2025.
Other scholarships: The Inspiring the Outstanding Scholarship cannot be combined with any other scholarships.

Notably, applicants to preparatory, bridging, or distance learning programmes are ineligible for this scholarship.

Application Procedure

Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year opened on 15 October 2024, and the deadline is set for 15 January 2025, 12.00 CET. To apply for the Inspiring the Outstanding Scholarship, candidates must first submit a complete application for an eligible Master's programme at KU Leuven. The application must include the KU Leuven Scholarships & Master Mind Candidacy Form, which can be downloaded from the official website given down below and uploaded to the application tool as an annexe.

Students are encouraged to exceed the programme requirements and demonstrate exceptional academic performance, with preference given to those with a high GPA and excellent command of English. Additionally, candidates who have received academic awards will have an advantage.

After an initial selection process by the KU Leuven faculties, the top-ranked students will be invited to submit a 1-minute motivation video explaining how they intend to make a difference in their field of study and society at large. This motivation video will play a crucial role in the final selection process.

Selection and Timeline

The selection process occurs in three phases:

Nomination by KU Leuven Faculties: Each programme may nominate one student who has expressed interest in the scholarship.
Motivation Video: The top candidates will be asked to submit a 1-minute motivation video.
Final Selection by Central Committee: The central committee will rank the top three students based on their applications and videos, with the selected candidate announced in April 2025. If the top candidate declines, the offer will pass to the next in line.
follow its instructions to finish all the required application procedures.
Applicants must apply the system as requested within the application period

By providing this scholarship, KU Leuven is committed to empowering the next generation of leaders, researchers, and innovators. Through access to world-class education and cutting-edge research opportunities, students are encouraged to excel and contribute to global progress.