KU Leuven

KU Leuven maintains a list of scholarship opportunities, some of which may be open to Illinois students.

Depending on your country of origin, you may be eligible for other scholarships available in Belgium.

Program Dates

• • Spring 2022: February 1- June 26, 2022

  • Summer 2022: date TBD

  • Fall 2021: September 14-December 19, 2021

Check out the detailed PECS calendar

KU Leuven will send you emails with detailed arrival information. If you plan to arrive outside of their suggested arrival date, you will need to arrange for your own transportation from the airport and, if necessary, accommodation before your regular housing becomes available.

You will need to sign up for orientation prior to departure, which is required upon arrival.

• Fall Orientation 2021: September 15th-17th.

• Spring Orientation 2021: February 1st-7th.

For information regarding the COVID 19 response at KU Leuven, please visit this webpage.

PECS students are placed in 6 different university residences spread out across town. You will need to research the 6 different options and indicate your top choices on the housing application form, which you will receive from your study abroad advisor via email along with the academic information form. Both are due at the same time as your KU Leuven application.

Below are some highlights of housing:

• • Bed linen, comforters, pillows, kitchenware, and use of Internet are included in the rent.

  • No formal meal plan is available at KU Leuven, but each residence has kitchens you can use to cook with.

  • You will live with a mix of other international students and Belgians.

After you have been assigned housing, KU Leuven will communicate with you where and when you will pick up your key to move in.

Where classes are held

• • KU Leuven's buildings are in various locations in the city, but most are centered in the middle of Leuven.

Registering for courses

• • KU Leuven requires that you select your courses in your application form. You do have the option to request a change in your course schedule within the first two weeks of classes.

Academic Culture

• • Read more about Belgian academic culture.

  • Check Illinois' grade and credit equivalencies for KU Leuven.

KU Leuven provides multiple opportunities to remain involved across the semester. You can find more information on their Cultural Package website, but below is a sample of some:

• • The PECS program offers 4-5 cultural programs and excursions per semester, and information about these programs will be sent to you before or once you arrive. You must register for day trips early, as they do reach capacity.

  • Included in your tuition at KU Leuven is the culture card, which gets you free and low-cost tickets into many events.

  • Consider signing up for the KU Leuven Buddy Program to have a local student volunteer guide you as you explore student life.

  • Stop by or volunteer with Pangaea, KU Leuven's international hub and support center, which includes a cafe, language tandems, yoga, intercultural dinners, and more!

  • Become involved with sports at KU Leuven

  • Consider attending an "About Belgium" Lecture.

  • You have the opportunity to obtain an internship while at KU Leuven, either in your desired field or by teaching in a local high school.

• • I registered for five classes at the host institution but took one online course with UIUC at the same time. Usually, it is 26 hours of lectures per class during the whole semester, that is to say, it can be 2 hours per class per week or 4 hours per class every two weeks. It can also be 39 or 52 hours of lectures of the whole semester for one class. It depends on departments.

  • class schedule: Tuesday- 6 hours of class; Wednesday- 3 hours of class; Thursday- 6 hours

  • Attend lectures and study hard as usual.

  • The course structure is usually fine, but the difficulty levels of most courses are high. Workload is minimum during regular days, but extremely high during exam periods. Because most instructors do not give any assignments, quizzes or exams to help students master the materials, students have to study by themselves, which can be miserable during the exams. Exams are difficult and it covers all the topics in lectures of the whole semester. A lot of memory stuff for social science classes.

  • I shared a room with an exchange student in an old house. I recommend to live in a single room at a relatively new apartment building. Meals at school dining are very affordable. Location is nice, and I did not see any safety issues.

  • I was in a single room dorm that was safe and somewhat conveniently located. Did not include meals.

  • Program coordinator Annelies is helpful, and she organizes field trips for exchange students.

  • Airport pick-up and orientations made me feel warm. Libraries have limited spaces, and that is one of the reasons that I recommend to live in a single room. Gym is far from campus.

Course recommendations: (Which course(s) that you completed abroad did you find most interesting/meaningful?)

• • Advanced Public Economics [D0C12a] This is a master-level course, and the difficulty level is high. But students can learn a lot from the class materials and discussions with classmates. Class is also well-organized.

  • The courses on the history and Institutions of the EU is what I found most interesting.