1. General description
The Flemish Ministry of Education awards scholarships to outstanding students for Master programmes in Flanders and Brussels. The programme aims to promote Flanders and Brussels as a top study destination.
Applications will be accepted from all Flemish universities, Schools of Arts and the Antwerp Maritime Academy.
The total budget available for the Master Mind Scholarships programme 2020-2021 is €400.000. It is estimated that 30 international students can benefit from the Master Mind Scholarships.
2. General eligibility criteria
- The applicant applies to take up a Master degree programme at a higher education institution in Flanders (hereafter ‘Host institution’).
- The applicant should have a high standard of academic performance and/or potential:
o The student has a Grade Point Average of 3.5 out of 4.0:
https://www.foreigncredits.com/resources/gpa-calculator/
o The student has a good knowledge of the English language:
o an overall band score of minimum 7.0 on the IELTS test;
o a minimum total score of 94 on a TOEFL test;
o a C1 level of the Common European Framework of Reference;
o or a similar result in another official language test (recognized by the Host
institution).
Students who apply for a Master programme at a School of Arts have at least:
o an overall band score of minimum 6.5 on the IELTS test;
o a minimum total score of 90 on the TOEFL test;
o a B2 level of the Common European Framework of Reference;
o or a similar result in another official English language test (recognized by the Host
institution).
- The Host institution also performs an academic check of the student’s file. The student has to be accepted by the Host institution to be able to receive the scholarship. Even if the Host institution’s decision to accept the student is taken after the selection of the Master Mind Scholarships programme, this criterion applies.
- All nationalities can apply. The previous degree obtained should be from a higher education institution located outside Flanders. International students who have been on credit mobility in a hosting Flemish higher education institution are still eligible for a Master Mind Scholarship.
- Students who are already enrolled in a Flemish higher education institution cannot apply. The only exception is made for international students who, at the moment of their application in
Master Mind Scholarships / academic year 2020-2021
Spring 2020, are already enrolled in a specific preparatory programme in order to start a master programme in September 2020.
• Students who enroll for following programmes for the academic year 2020-2021 are not eligible for the Master Mind Scholarship:
o preparatory programmes; o bridging programmes;
o distance learning.
• Student mobility during the master programme is allowed. However, at least half of the credits of the master programme must be obtained at the Flemish Host institution.
3. Modalities
- The duration of mobility is one academic year for a Master programme of 60 ECTS and two academic years for a master programme of 120 ECTS.
- The incoming student is awarded a maximum scholarship of €8.000 per academic year according to the modalities mentioned in the appendix Payment of the scholarship.
- The Host institution can ask the applicant for a tuition fee that equals the lowest rate of the yearly tuition fee for a student who receives a study grant from the Flemish Government. The rate for the academic year 2020-2021 is €111,9. This rate may increase slightly from year to year.
- There are a number of scholarships reserved for students from certain countries: Japan (3), Mexico (3), Palestine (2) and USA (5). These countries are priority countries for the Flemish government. If these numbers of scholarships are not taken up, they will be awarded according to the ranking of the candidates as decided by the Flemish Selection committee.
- Students should not combine this scholarship with another scholarship from the Flemish Governement or an Erasmus Mundus scholarship.
- Upon completion of the mobility all students are expected to submit an essay for which a format is provided and to fill in a short questionnaire about their mobility.
- A maximum of 20 applications can be submitted per Flemish higher education institution. 4. Application
Step 1: The applicant submits his/her application to the Host institution. Internal deadlines set by the Host institution may differ (see section 6. Timing)
Step 2: The Host institution accepts the application of the candidate.
Step 3: The Host institution starts the application procedure for the Master Mind scholarship by creating the candidate’s application file in the Mobility-Online tool.
Step 4: The applicant receives an email generated by the Mobility-Online tool notifying him/her of being preselected for a Master Mind scholarship.
Step 5: The applicant registers in the Mobility-Online tool and completes his/her application file in the Mobility-Online tool before the deadline.
Documents to be uploaded:
- – Passport photo
- – International passport or national ID
Master Mind Scholarships / academic year 2020-2021
- – Transcript of records; if written in another language than Dutch, French, German or English, a certified translation must be enclosed.
- – English language test results or Letter of exemption provided by the Host university
- – Letter of motivation written in English
- – Two letters of recommendation from professors of your (previous) Home university, University of
Applied sciences, School of Arts or recent employer written in English.
- – Copy of acquired diploma(s); if written in another language than Dutch, French, German or
English, a certified translation must be enclosed.
- – Three reasons of motivation for submission (at least 150 words) of the candidate’s application
formulated in English by the Host institution; format: text box in the application form or a separate document.
Step 6: The Host institution validates and submits the completed application file in the Mobility- Online tool before the deadline of midnight 30th April 2020 GMT+1. Applications validated submitted after midnight 30th April 2020 GMT+1 will not be accepted.
5. Selection
In collaboration with the Flemish Ministry of Education, a Selection Committee will dothe selection after the application deadline, based on the following criteria:
o the quality of the applicant’s motivation (30 points);
o the applicant’s previous study results in the Transcript of records (30 points);
o the reasons for recommending the applicant in Recommendation letter 1 (10 points); o the reasons for recommending the applicant in Recommendation letter 2 (10 points); o the motivation for submission by the Host institution (10 points);
o the top talent profile of the applicant (10 points).
6. Timing
- Launch of the call: January 2020
- Deadline for application at Host institution:
Universities:
- KU Leuven / University of Leuven: 1st February 2020
- University of Antwerp: 1st March 2020
- Ghent University: 29th February 2020
- Hasselt University: 15th March 2020
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel: 28th February 2020
University colleges, also know as Universities of Applied Sciences (and Arts):
- Antwerp Maritime Academy: t.b.c.
- Artesis Plantijn University College Antwerp: 1st March 2020
- Erasmus University College Brussels: t.b.c.
- Karel de Grote University College: t.b.c.
- LUCA School of Arts: 1st March 2020
- PXL University College:2nd March 2020
- University College Ghent: 20th March 2020 (4.00 pm)
- Deadline for application: 30th April 2020
- Selection: May 2020
- Announcement of selection results: June 2020
- Start of mobility: September 2020
Should you have questions about the scholarship programme, please contact the Host institution or the VLUHR-secretariat: jessica.martin@vluhr.be.
