Written by Christian Chinonso
Founder, LearnViaHub | Academic Credential & International Student Research
✓ Last Verified: October 2026Sources Cited
Quick answer
The VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarship is a €1,400-a-month scholarship for English-taught programmes at Flemish universities and university colleges in Belgium. It is open only to people who are both nationals and residents of one of 29 listed countries, and you apply through the institution running the programme, not through VLIR-UOS (European Funding Guide; Quy Nhon University).
Each programme sets its own deadline, and the 2027–28 call is expected to open in late October 2026 (European Funding Guide). Nigeria, India, Ghana and Pakistan are not on the list.
For other awards, see our fully funded scholarships guide, our Stipendium Hungaricum guide and our Erasmus Mundus guide.
The 29 eligible countries
| Region | Countries |
|---|---|
| Sub-Saharan Africa | Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe |
| Middle East and North Africa | Morocco, Palestine |
| Latin America and the Caribbean | Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru |
| Asia | Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam |
This is the list for the 2026–27 call (Quy Nhon University, quoting the VLIR-UOS call). Countries such as Nigeria, India, Ghana, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal are not on it. The list is set each year, so check the 2027–28 call when it opens.
Eligibility rules
- Nationality and residence. You must be a national of one of the 29 countries and a resident of one of them at the time of application, not necessarily the same one (University of Antwerp application form).
- Age. No older than 35 on 1 January of the intake year for an initial master’s, and 45 for an advanced master’s (VLIR-UOS statement). For a bachelor’s or first master’s the limit is 35 (European Funding Guide).
- One application a year. You may apply for only one ICP Connect scholarship per year and may not hold another scholarship for the programme at the same time (VLIR-UOS statement).
- No earlier Belgian scholarship or study. You must not have received a Belgian government scholarship for a study programme, and must not have been enrolled in a programme at a Belgian higher-education institution before 1 January of the intake year (VLIR-UOS statement).
- Admission. You must meet the academic and English requirements of the programme you choose (Quy Nhon University).
What the scholarship pays
| Item | What the sources state |
|---|---|
| Monthly amount | €1,400 a month, covering living costs and accommodation (European Funding Guide) |
| Tuition, insurance, travel | Covered for the full programme (VLIR-UOS statement) |
| Flights | An economy return flight from your home country, plus a second return flight for the three-year bachelor’s programmes (European Funding Guide) |
| Settling in | Settling-in costs are covered (European Funding Guide) |
| Duration | The full programme only: 12, 24 or 36 months, with no partial scholarships (VLIR-UOS statement) |
We found no source stating that visa fees are reimbursed, so check this with your programme.
How to apply
- Pick one programme. About 20 English-taught programmes are on offer at Flemish universities and universities of applied sciences, and none requires Dutch (European Funding Guide).
- Apply to the institution, not VLIR-UOS. You apply for both the programme and the scholarship through the institution that runs it, and you state your interest in the scholarship on the programme application (European Funding Guide).
- Meet that programme’s deadline and document list. Each programme sets its own.
VLIR-UOS adds that preference goes to applicants who can show how they will contribute to sustainable development in their home country (Quy Nhon University). The University of Antwerp’s Master of Epidemiology required a separate scholarship form with the application (University of Antwerp form).
Deadlines and dates
Deadlines differ by programme. For 2026/27 the University of Antwerp’s Master of Epidemiology closed on 28 February 2026 (University of Antwerp form). Vietnamese promoters of the scheme described 28 February 2026 as a common deadline (Quy Nhon University), while other listings gave 1 February (NEU Abroad Connect). We therefore give no single deadline for 2027/28.
The call for 2027/28 is expected to open in late October 2026, with studies starting in September 2027 (European Funding Guide). Check each programme’s page for its date once the call opens.
How selection works
The institution pre-selects and ranks candidates, and VLIR-UOS makes the final choice. It emails selected applicants by mid-May (European Funding Guide). VLIR-UOS aims for a balance between male and female scholars, strongly encourages women to apply, and gives preference to candidates who have never received a scholarship to study in a higher-income country (NEU Abroad Connect, quoting VLIR-UOS).
VLIR-UOS provides a fixed number of new scholarships per master’s programme. Its own statements have said 10 and, more recently, 12 (Scholarship Portal). We found no published application numbers, so we give no acceptance rate.
Frequently asked questions
How much is the VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarship?
€1,400 a month, plus tuition, insurance, travel and settling-in costs for the full programme (European Funding Guide).
Which countries are eligible?
29 countries in Africa, the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, listed above. You must be both a national and a resident of one of them.
Is Nigeria, India or Pakistan eligible?
No. They are not on the 29-country list for 2026/27.
Do I apply to VLIR-UOS?
No. You apply through the institution running your programme and state your interest in the scholarship (European Funding Guide).
What is the age limit?
35 on 1 January of the intake year for bachelor’s and initial master’s programmes, and 45 for advanced master’s (VLIR-UOS statement).
Can I apply if I studied in Belgium before?
No, if you were enrolled in a programme at a Belgian higher-education institution before 1 January of the intake year, or received a Belgian government scholarship (VLIR-UOS statement).
When does the 2027/28 call open?
Expected in late October 2026 (European Funding Guide). Deadlines are set by each programme.
When are results announced?
VLIR-UOS emails selected applicants by mid-May.
How we researched this
Last checked: 20 October 2026. We could not retrieve the VLIR-UOS website itself. We read the University of Antwerp’s 2026/27 application form, Scholarship Portal’s copy of VLIR-UOS’s master’s scholarship text, a summary of the 2026/27 call from Quy Nhon University, the European Funding Guide’s entry (verified 15 October 2026) and a Vietnamese listing quoting VLIR-UOS.
This page is general information. LearnViaHub is not affiliated with VLIR-UOS or the Belgian government. Rules, dates and the country list change by year, so confirm them on vliruos.be and your programme’s page before applying.
Christian Chinonso is the founder of LearnViaHub, with 6+ years of research experience in international education — including GPA systems, scholarships, student financing, and study-abroad guidance — for students worldwide.