Apply For ARES scholarships to study in Belgium

Are you a national of an ARES partner country? Do you have a higher education degree? Do you have professional experience and would you like to deepen your skills in a development-related topic? The ARES scholarships offer you the opportunity to follow a one-year advanced bachelor’s or master’s degree program or a 2-to-6-month continuing education program within a higher education institution of the Wallonia-Brussels Federation in Belgium.

Scholarships 2024-2025

The call for applications for the academic year 2024-2025 is now open.

Opening: 15 September 2023.

Deadline: 17 November 2023 at 12pm.

Want to apply? The application procedure is ONLY online via the GIRAF platform.

Study in Belgium and help your country reap the benefits!

Which training courses are available?

Within the framework of the ARES 2022-2027 cooperation program, three types of training are offered through the international training scholarships:

• Advanced bachelor’s and master’s degrees are inter-institutional training programmes organised in one academic year and at the end of which an academic degree is awarded.
• Continuing education programs are more practical and of shorter duration (2 to 6 months). They deliver a certificate.
  

  How to apply?

  Applications for scholarships must be submitted in accordance with the application procedure and meet the eligibility criteria described below. The selection of scholarship holders is made by a selection panel for each training course after analysis of their administrative admissibility by ARES.

  All applications received between the first and last day of the call will be treated equally. ARES encourages applications from women. For equal quality, women will be given preference.

  01/ Procedure for submitting applications

  Applying for an ARES scholarship is completely free. ARES does not charge any fees at any stage of the application or selection process. You may inform us via e-mail at scholarships-cooperation@ares-ac.be of any problems with individuals or companies claiming to represent ARES and request any payment.

  

  
  HOW DO I SUBMIT A GRANT APPLICATION?

  Vous consultez actuellement cette page en anglais. Pour consulter la version en français, cliquez ici ou sur le lien “FR” du sélecteur de langue en haut de page.

  Your application should be submitted to ARES via the GIRAF platform:

  • You must first ensure that you have an active GIRAF account.
    • You can create an account on the GIRAF platform via this link. This account will be validated (within a few hours to a few days, don’t create more than one account) by ARES and you will receive a confirmation mail to create a password.
    • If you created a validated account last year, you can reuse that account and if necessary reset your password.
  • Once logged into your GIRAF account, you can access the application form via the Competitive calls tab of your GIRAF profile. Please note that you must only click once on the “International training application 2024-2025” button. You will then find your form in the My tasks table of the Competitive calls.
  • You can complete your form several times, as long as you use the “Save and edit later” option. You will find your form each time in the My Tasks table of the Competitive calls tab in GIRAF.
  • As soon as you click on “Submit my application”, your application is sent to ARES and you can no longer modify it. You can still consult it in the My submitted files table.

  
  DEADLINE FOR SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS

  Applications must be submitted via GIRAF by 17 November 2023 at 12pm (Belgian time, UTC+1) at the latest. Applications submitted after this date will not be considered.

  All successful and reserve candidates will receive an email at the end of the selection process (June 2024). Unsuccessful candidates will receive an e-mail by the end of June 2024 at the latest. No communication other than that mentionned above will be made to applicants

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  02/ Admissibility criteria

  In order to be eligible, the applicant must:

  1. Be national, reside and work in one of the following countries: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mozambique, Nepal, Niger, Peru, Philippines, Republic of Guinea (Conakry), Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Tunisia, Uganda, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.
  2. Hold a diploma comparable to a graduate level degree (300 credits ECTS) from Belgian university studies for advanced masters and countinuing education courses (equivalent to Bac+5); Hold a diploma comparable to a undergraduate level degree (180 credits ECTS) for advanced bachelors (equivalent to Bac+3). The candidate must have held the relevant academic degree for a maximum of 20 years at the time of the start of the course. This maximum period is increased by one year by childbirth and/or adoption.
  3. Possess relevant professional experience in a ARES partner country of at least two years after graduate studies for advanced bachelors, after postgraduate studies for advanced masters and countinuing education courses.
  4. Complete the application in the language in which the training is given and can attest a good written and spoken knowledge of it. Moreover, knowing a minimum of French allows for a good integration into daily life in Belgium.
  5. Apply for only one training course.

  Please note that compliance with the admissibility criteria does not guarantee selection and eligibility for the course (see Selection Criteria).

  Applicants should not obtain prior admission to one of the French-speaking institution in Belgium in order to be considered for ARES scholarship.

  Application files will not be considered if they:

  • are not completed in their entirety and are not accompanied by the required documents (certified copy of the diploma, etc.). A certified copy is a copy of the document on which it is stated that it is “a true copy of the original” with the stamp and signature of the competent authority (notary, town hall, municipal administration, etc.) ;
  • do not clearly mention compliance with the admissibility criteria specified above (certified copy of diploma, professional experience, etc.).

  List of documents required for the application to be valid:

  • 2 letters of recommendation (academic and/or professional);
  • Certified copies of the original diplomas;
  • Certified copies of the original transcripts for all years;
  • Proof of occupation for the last 5 years;
  • Certificate of nationality or copy of passport;
  • Pre-project (for certain courses – see the admission conditions specific to the courses).

  Applying for an ARES scholarship is completely free. ARES does not charge fees at any stage of the application nor selection process. You may inform us via e-mail at scholarships-cooperation@ares-ac.be of any problems with individuals or companies claiming to represent ARES and request any payment.

  03/ Selection criteria

  The selection is carried out by a deliberative jury organised for each training. The ARES grants the selection panel the right to evaluate the compliance of the applications with the common selection criteria described below, individually or in combination with each other. Additional criteria may be applied for each training. These are announced on the training description page (see above).

  Quality of the academic curriculum

  Tthe academic quality of applications is evaluated on the basis of diplomas, lists of courses completed, results, teaching or research activities and publications.

  For degree programs, priority will be given to applicants who have not yet completed a degree with equivalent skills, except under exceptional circumstances duly justified in the application file.

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  Benefit of previous scholarships

  Priority will be given to applicants who have not yet received an ARES scholarship in Belgium.

  Professional experience

  ARES gives priority to people who, after their university studies, have had the opportunity to work in a profession related to development issues. The social impact of the professional experience is an element of appreciation.

  Membership in a partner institution

  Individuals who work in an institution with which ARES has a partnership, either in the context of institutional support or in the context of a research for development or southern training project, are given priority in case of equality over the other selection criteria.

  The potential of people to be actors of change in their own society

  Particular attention will be given to application files from candidates who, in addition to their academic qualities, have demonstrateda commitment to development. The commitment is illustrated by having worked with the most disadvantaged social groups and having engaged with them to find efficient ways to defend and promote their interests.

  Nationality criteria

  ARES wishes to diversify the geographical origin of its recipients. It ensures that there is no over-representation of any nationality in the international training programs.

  Gender

  The cascade effect for gender must be respected in the selection process. It is defined as follows: the proportion of women selected must be greater than or equal to the proportion of applications from women that are assessed as being of sufficient quality.

  If this cascade effect is not respected, the selection must be justified accordingly.

  ARES guarantees the possibility of deferring a grant in case of pregnancy (for men and women).

  The ability (personal and professional) to ensure a transfer of the knowledge and skills acquired by the scholarship holders.

  A maximum of guarantees is required concerning the applicant’s return to his/her country of origin or to another developing country, as well as his/her reintegration into a field that will allow him/her to make use of the training acquired in Belgium in a development context (e.g. a work contract or a formal promise of commitment) and to generate a multiplier effect.