According to figures from the Flemish Education Department for the first time, there are more international PhD students than Belgians at Flemish universities. The figures that appear in Monday’s edition of the daily ‘De Standaard’ show an increasing internationalisation of higher education in Flanders.
International students outnumber Belgians on PhD programmes at Flemish universities for the first time
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According to the latest figures, 6,653 of the 13,112 PhD students at the 5 Flemish universities come from outside Belgium. This is an increase of 40% in just seven years.
KU Leuven has the greatest number of international PhD students. Foreign doctoral students have been in the majority at Leuven University for several years now.
KU Leuven’s Vice-Rector for research policy Isabelle Huys told ‘De Standaard’ that “In order to attract the best profiles, we take a very international approach. International researchers are essential to increasing our excellence in research. That is our core idea. They bring complementary knowledge and an international perspective.”
European funding
In recent years, universities have secured a great deal of additional research funding through European projects. There has been also a slight increase in the number of international students graduating from bachelor’s and master’s programmes.
Hannelore De Grande, of Brussels’ Dutch-Medium Free University (VUB) told De Standaard that it is sometimes challenging to find Belgian candidates for doctoral programmes in engineering.
“It is becoming increasingly difficult to attract students to research work. We really need to look abroad to fill doctoral positions.” Belgian graduates often have other options once they have graduated.
Another explanation for the appeal of a PhD programme in Flanders for foreign students is that good scolarships are on offer. This applies to both salary and working conditions. “In many other countries, doctoral students receive the minimum wage”, Ms De Grande said.
However, many international PhD students are not, or are only partially, on the university’s payroll. Some countries such as Pakistan, Vietnam and Ecuador award scholarships to researchers to obtain a doctorate in here Belgium.