Application instructions for Exchange programmes
KU Leuven only accepts exchange students in the framework of the official EU exchange programmes or as part of one of the many formally signed exchange agreements between KU Leuven and partner institutions abroad. If your home university is not involved in an exchange agreement with KU Leuven in your field of study, you will not be accepted as an exchange student.
In case of “Erasmus work placement” (traineeship) there is no need for an Erasmus bilateral agreement between KU Leuven and the home institution.
Instead of the Erasmus bilateral agreement the student has to deliver part 1 of the “Erasmus+ Learning Agreement for Student Mobility for Traineeships”.
Part 1 (“before the mobility”) of the Learning Agreement should be filled in properly and has to be signed by the home university, the student and the KU Leuven supervisor.
Application deadlines
For study exchanges:
- 30 April 2024 for students wishing to study at KU Leuven during the first semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. The first semester starts on Monday 23 September 2024.
- 1 October 2024 for students wishing to study at KU Leuven during the second semester of the 2024-2025 academic year. The second semester starts on Monday 10 February 2025.
For traineeships:
- at minimum 2 months before the start of the traineeship for applications of EEA citizens
- at minimum 4 months before the start of the traineeship for applications of non-EEA citizens
Important notes
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Please take into account that the processing time of your application could take up to 8 weeks from the moment you have uploaded the required documents (see below).
- For technical problems and/or questions about the application procedure, please contact the Admissions Office. See also our FAQ page.
- We advise you to use your desktop, laptop or tablet computer and not your smartphone when completing your application.
- Non-EEA students should take note that an application for a short stay or long stay visa for Belgium can take around three months.
- Exchange students are not required to pay the application fee!
- Students with a dual citizenship of which one is an EEA nationality are requested to apply with their EEA nationality (i.e. select their EEA nationality in the application form and upload a scan of their EEA passport/identity card).
Steps to follow: 1. Online application 2. Follow-up 3. Registration
1. Submit your online application
Login online
To start your application at KU Leuven, login to the web app and complete your personal data (personal data, addresses, curriculum and languages). Fields marked with * are obligatory. After saving your data, return to the main page ('<' button on top of the page) and check the completeness of each section.
Add application
- Add an application by clicking the '+' button in the Applications section on the main page of the web app
- Select the academic year
- Choose 'Exchange student' as type of programme
- Choose your specific programme by using the search tool
- Complete all additional information that is requested in the 'Exchange info' section.
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Erasmus Belgica is an exchange between the French speaking and the Dutch speaking regions of Belgium. If your main registration is at another European university outside Belgium, please choose Erasmus study or Erasmus work placement.
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- Complete the 'Additional remarks' section.
- Save the data
You have to complete your application(s) by clicking on the 'Edit' button, which you will find on the right side of your screen in the “Applications” section 
Upload attachments
After saving your application, you must upload all required documents as attachments in the 'Documents' section.
Core document:
- PDF scan of the identity page of your passport or identity card
Additional documents:
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Contact your coordinator to find out whether it is required to upload an English proficiency certificate
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Erasmus work placement students MUST upload the “training agreement” (“learning agreement for traineeships”). It must be completely filled in and signed by three parties: you, as a future exchange student, your home university, and the KU Leuven Erasmus Co-ordinator. You can find the “learning agreement for traineeships” here.
Upload a file for each document type by selecting the ‘arrow’ button on the right. Please note that you can only upload PDF or JPG files.
Application fee
Exchange students do not have to pay the application fee.
Submit application
Submit your online application.
- The submit button will only be activated after accepting the disclaimer.
- If one or more of the core documents are missing you will receive an error message. Please upload the requested documents before resubmitting your application.
- If your application meets the minimum requirements for completeness, a snapshot of your personal data and application will be sent to our admissions-database. If you wish to update these data after submitting your application, please contact our Admissions Office. These changes will not be forwarded automatically.
- If later on you wish to change the date of arrival and/or the date of departure in Belgium, please send an e-mail to the Faculty Exchange Programme Coordinator of KU Leuven, and we shall make the necessary changes.
2. Follow-up of your file
ONLINE FOLLOW-UP
After you have successfully submitted your online application, you can track the status of your application in the web app.
The approval process consists of several steps and takes some time, roughly four to eight weeks. During this period the following statuses may appear in the overview of the application(s) you submitted:
- Created (click “submit” after completing your application)
- Submitted / resubmitted (application will be checked for completeness)
- Evaluation in process
- Incomplete (click “submit” after completing your application)
- If any documents are missing from your application file, the Student Accounting and Mobility Office will contact you by email.
Kindly refrain from contacting our Student Accounting and Mobility Office about the progress of your application. If anything is lacking in your file, we will certainly contact you. If you do not hear from us in the meantime, that means your file is in order.
Follow-up by email
As soon as a decision has been taken concerning your application, you will receive your admission letter via email and the status of your application will change into ‘Admission letter uploaded’.
Please carefully follow the instructions in the email.
Receiving the admission letter does not imply any kind of obligation (regarding enrollment, etc.), it just allows the administrative process to continue.
3. Registration at KU Leuven
- Once you receive the admission letter with the accompanying instructions, you might want to read more into what further steps (applying for a visa, looking for housing, health insurance, etc.) you should undertake in order to prepare your arrival at KU Leuven. Please visit the Life at KU Leuven webpage for more information in this regard.
- Please do note that holding an admission letter, does not automatically imply that you are also registered! You can read more about how to register for your study programme (take into consideration that there are specific dates and procedures) on the following webpage.