International PhD students outnumber Belgians for the first time
For the first time, there are more international PhD students than Belgians at Flemish universities. Figures from the Flemish government, reported by De Standaard, show the increasing internationalisation of higher education in the region
According to the most recent data, 6,653 of the 13,112 active doctoral students at Flanders’ five universities are from outside Belgium, an increase of 40 per cent in seven years.
The frontrunner is KU Leuven, which has had more foreign than Belgian doctoral students for several years. “In order to attract the best profiles, we take a very international approach,” Isabelle Huys, vice-rector for Research Policy at KU Leuven, told De Standaard.
“International researchers are essential to increasing our excellence in research. That is our core idea. They bring complementary knowledge and an international perspective.”
Intellectual capital
In recent years, universities have secured a great deal of additional research funding through European projects. There is also a slight increase in the number of international students graduating from bachelor’s and master’s programmes.
"International researchers are essential to increasing our excellence in research"
This evolution illustrates the battle for intellectual capital in Flanders. Hannelore De Grande, of the vice-rectorate for Research at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, told the paper that it is challenging to find Belgian candidates for doctoral programmes in engineering.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract students to research work,” she said. “We really need to look abroad to fill doctoral positions.”
The state of the labour market also plays a role: Belgian students often have other options after they graduate.
An additional explanation is the appeal of a doctorate for foreign researchers. “We can offer very good scholarships,” says De Grande. This applies to both salary and working conditions. “In many other countries, doctoral students receive the minimum wage.”
Many international PhD students are not, or are only partially, on the payroll, however. Countries such as Pakistan, Vietnam and Ecuador award scholarships to researchers to obtain a doctorate in Belgium.
#FlandersNewsService | © Illustration shows students at Ghent University, October 2025 © BELGA PHOTO DIRK WAEM
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