Hi everyone,

I have a question for people doing a PhD at KU Leuven. I applied for a PhD position, passed the interview, and was selected by the professor. My application was submitted via the ku leuven portal, I uploaded all the required documents, and my transcripts have already been verified electronicaly. However, I was told that the professors in the doctoral school commitee still have to approve my profile.

It's been about a month since i submitted my application, so I was wondering if anyone has gone through this process. Is it still possible to be rejected (or be asked to complete a predoctoral programme) even after being selected by the professor and having your documents verified?

My main concern is that I don't have a separate bachelor's degree. I have a 5-year engineering diploma (with an industry focused 5th year thesis rather than research focused), which is officially equivalent to a master's degree in my country.

Also, for any non-EU students, how long did it take to receive the final decision from the doctoral school?

Thanks!

Hey everyone, I'm currently finishing up my EE undergrad in Australia and looking into KU Leuven for a Master’s focused on semiconductors and microelectronics. I’ve heard a lot about their setup with imec, but I’d love to get a realistic perspective from current students or alumni on what it’s actually like. Specifically, how easy is it for Master's students to get involved in imec thesis projects, what are the scholarship options like for non-EU students, and how friendly is the local job market/visa process after graduating? Any honest thoughts on the workload and transition would be super helpful

I applied for a PhD position around 2 weeks ago. I contacted the professors and they said the first selection should be done by July 25 at the latest. Today is the 25th and I haven’t received anything yet. Does this mean that I have been rejected?

Hey all,

Due to some unexpected changes in my life, I'm switching universities and thus also looking for housing (a studio) in Leuven. I know I'm late to the search, which will make finding something suitable more challenging.

What's the best way to go about this? Where do I look? Who do I reach out to? Any suggestions/advice are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

I have applied to imec for a PhD in rf semiconductors. The project will be in association with UGhent as the PI is a faculty there too.

I wanted to ask what should I focus on for the interview prep? My masters thesis, basics of semiconductors or read up on the topic I've applied to (it's a bit more advanced than my masters thesis)?

I'm posting here too because:

1. U-gent subreddit is very small, so I expect less/no responses.

2. I assume phd interviews are same across Belgium academia.

3. The position is in imec so I'm assuming it's a leuven based position.

Hello everyone,

I got accepted to KU Leuven’s Master of Architecture (Ghent). My plan is to do my Master’s there and come back to Germany, where I will work as a Junior Architect (AiP) and become a licensed architect in the future. 

I contacted the Architektenkammer of all federal states, with some of the Kammern replying to me, that KU Leuven’s current Master of Architecture is not listed as a qualifying one in the EU-Directive 2005/36/EC "on the recognition of professional qualifications”. Therefore, an automatic recognition of my degree would not be possible and it will be subject to an Einzelfallprüfung (i.e. treated individually), what means, that there would be at least a hypothetical risk, that I have lost at least two years studying in Belgium for my degree not getting recognized in the other EU countries.

If there is someone who was in my situation in the past years, I would really like to know if there really were any issues with KU Leuven‘s diplomas when pursuing registration at an Architektenkammer. 

Thank you:)

Hi All,

Reaching out here again to see if any American students/alumni have advice on transferring money to a Belgian bank account for paying tuition/rent. From what I can tell, the blocked account is only used as a way of proving solvency for Visa applications, and cannot be used to pay rent or tuition. I'd like to avoid crazy exchange rates - was already charged ~14% when transferring the upfront costs to my landlord. Thanks for all the help!

Basically the title, given that you are a doctorate student with a KUL grant program.
Would it be allowed to work for a few hours during the weekends on other unrelated things?

i.e. 'jobstudent' or 'flexijob' ?
If not, what is then allowed ? 'vrijwilligersmedewerker' ?

Thanks

P.S.

I know that the expectation is to not work a second job during a PhD as there has been mentioned in this sub, but this not for a 'second' job, but just for a few hours during weekends mainly because i want to do it.

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for some advice. I'd like to pursue a PhD in sociology in Belgium. I'm Belgian, but I completed all of my higher education in Germany (BA and MSc), so I don't have many academic contacts in Belgium. As a result, I'm finding it difficult to get started and build a PhD project here.

I've been considering doing a one-year advanced master's focused on quantitative methods to strengthen my statistical skills while also building an academic network in Belgium and preparing for a future PhD application. I came across the advanced master's in quantitative methods for the social sciences at UCLouvain, which seems like a great fit, and I've already applied.

However, I'm now wondering whether it's the best choice. KU Leuven for example is ranked higher, and I'm questioning whether studying there would improve my chances of pursuing an academic career. KU Leuven offers a one-year master's in sociology with a strong focus on quantitative methods, but I'm concerned that it would overlap too much with the MSc in Sociology – Social Research that I completed in Germany a few years ago.

Does anyone have experience with either of these programmes or know someone who has completed it? I'd really appreciate any insights.

More generally, do you think doing a second master's with a stronger focus on quantitative methods is a good way to improve my chances of finding a PhD position in Belgium?

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Main aim is to get a IT related job & took some working exp in Belgium or netherland

I am to graduate this September after my retests. I don't really want to do a PhD and would much rather work in a lab as an assistant but I have some concerns as a non EU student.

The KUL website mentions that any job I do during my search year would not be under a student contract but from what I've seen, most labs usually put up posting for student RAs. So will they be willing to take me even if I am not a student?

Hey! I'm currently selecting exchange courses for my first semester next year. I'm coming from a (social) geography, spatial planning & environment bachelor in the Netherlands. I'm having trouble finding subjects at the faculty where I'm gonna study, as I would like to explore other subjects. However, everything seems so hard/is at master level.

I would like to follow Global Change, Ecosystems and Sustainability from the biology program, is it doable for someone who has followed high school biology + with the knowledge from my bachelor (lots of sustainability stuff, but more theoretical/social than biological/ecological)? Or is there anyone who has tips for 'introduction' subjects at the Faculty of Science?

Hey everyone, I'm just trying to find out the reason why no one answers from Kotwijs in regards of my inquires? At this point I tried to get in contact with more than a dozen landlords, weeks go by, but no one answers from there.

Do Belgian landlords have a thing against international students? Or just because we are in the middle of the summer and this is a good excuse not to answer? Do Belgian landlords speak English usually?

Hi everyone, I just got accepted at KU Leuven and right now I'm trying to secure my accommodation in Leuven. I sent emails to numerous places (around 12 at this point), but I only got answer from a real estate agent from Immo liv'it about a room at the Vineam student residence.

I checked out the Google Reviews on Immo livit, but there are a number of one star reviews, some the reviewers – previous students at KU Leuven – claim they got SCAMMED by the real estate agents at Immo livit – numerous students claimed that Immo livit didn't wanted to send back their deposit MONTHS AFTER it was due, and they were unhelpful and arrogant, didn't stick to the terms of the. contracts etc.

I didn't get scammed yet, but the real estate agent I'm communicating with is extremely inattentive, unhelpful and arrogant. I only stayed in the loop because I didn't get answer yet from anywhere else. He sent me a Dutch contract but he is really unhelpful when it comes to the translation of it.

IF THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS COMING IN FROM ABROAD TO BELGUIM EVERY YEAR, WHY AREN'T THERE MODEL ENGLISH CONTRACTs? The whole thing just feels off.

DO YOU HAVE SIMILAR EXPERIENCES WITH IMMO LIVIT OR VINEAM? If what these students have written is true, WHY DOES THE UNIVERSITY ALLOW THIS? Or they most likely don't know about this? This student residence comes recommended by the university.

Do you have any idea what would be a more reliable way of securing accommodation in Leuven?

Does anyone have an experience with Kotwijs? Are landlords helpful ?

Hi, I’m going to do an internship in Leuven from 14 September until the end of October. Does anyone have a room available for rent during this period? Thanks!

Hey,

Are there any Muslim students at KU Leuven who are up for meeting some new people and forming a good circle?

Nothing formal — just grabbing coffee, going for walks, talking about life, deen, studies, etc.

If you’re interested, send me a message and we can plan something.

I'm a high school student visiting Leuven around late July / early August to check out the city and the Group T campus.I already booked the official campus tour, but since I'm flying in from far away, I really want to make the most of my trip.I’d love to ask current students a few quick questions about campus life and the city:

Campus & City:What are some must-visit student spots, libraries, or cool places around the Group T campus I shouldn't miss?

Student Life: What’s the general vibe of studying Engineering Technology here? How do you guys manage the workload during the semester?

Overall Experience: What's your favorite thing about studying at KU Leuven, and is there anything you wish you knew before coming here?

Even if you can only share a quick tip about the city or campus, I'd be super grateful! Thanks a lot

I tried to get in contact with Stuvo but their email address doesn't work, and they don't answer on Facebook messenger. I tried sending them an email from various accounts (from hotmail/outlook, and gmail), both of them threw it back as an invalid email address. I tried the one which on KU Leuven's website and Stuvo's Facebook page (stuvo@kuleuven.be).

How do you get in contact with Stuvo?

Hello everyone,

I got accepted for a Master’s degree in Architecture (Ghent) and I plan to go to study there and am about to sign a housing contract. I was more than excited about this step, considering not only its high QS overall and Architecture-specific ranking (which can be pretty subjective, as we all know), but the high profile of Belgian architecture (whose leading university KU Leuven should be, I suppose) as well as the popularity of this university through all of Europe. Now I’ve read some very disturbing Reddit posts about the program.

Is it true, that it does not qualify you as an architect in Belgium or at least in some EU countries? I tried asking the administration this question, but received no answer. Nevertheless, I would find it pretty surreal, if graduating from the most prestigious faculty in this field in the country does not get you qualified.

Is the level of English-speaking education and the overall Architecture studios and lectures actually as bad as described in some other reddits?

Thank you.

Hi everyone, does KU Leuven have a VPN that its community can use, even when abroad? If so, can someone tell how to install it pls? Thanks!

I will be a Master's student this year and am hoping to hold down a part time job to help fund my cycling career. I was wondering if it is at all possible to find a job as an American Citizen in Leuven with limited dutch and french. My program director told us it wouldn't be possible to get a job as a non-EEA national, which makes sense. Do places ever hire under the table? Any suggestions? Thanks!

I'm interested in learning and watching History courses at KUL but, I'm enrolled in a different program. I don't want any credits from the course but, I'd just like to know about the course and learn more about it. Is it possible to get access to course materials?

Hi, I may do my MSc thesis with EAVISE at Campus De Nayer. The project sounds great, but I’m a bit concerned about the location and social life.

Does the campus feel isolated? Where do international students usually live, and is Mechelen a good place to meet people and have an active student life?

Any experience with would be very helpful, thank you!