🎓 About ARES and This Scholarship

ARES is the public body that coordinates all higher education institutions in the French-speaking region of Belgium — the Wallonia-Brussels Federation. It brings together 127 higher education institutions, including some of Europe’s most respected universities, research centres, and professional schools. ARES has been running its International Training Scholarship programme for decades, and it occupies a genuinely different space from most scholarship schemes.

What makes ARES unusual is its approach to placement. You do not need prior admission to a Belgian university before applying. If selected, ARES itself assigns you to the institution within its network that best suits your chosen programme. That removes one of the biggest barriers international applicants face — being rejected by a university before even reaching the scholarship stage.

The 2027–2028 call is the first year of a new five-year programme cycle (2027–2032), which means the programme mix has been refreshed. The 10 available programmes span public health, human rights, economics, microfinance, food security, cybersecurity, supply chain, and disaster risk management — all areas directly linked to development challenges in the eligible countries.

Compare this to the Erasmus Mundus programme: Erasmus Mundus tends to target students earlier in their careers and covers a wider range of general academic disciplines. ARES is narrower in scope but far more development-focused and explicitly requires professional experience — making it a stronger fit for mid-career professionals than a typical master’s scholarship.

📚 Available Programmes 2027–2028

The 2027–2028 call offers 10 training programmes across Belgian universities — one Specialized Bachelor’s, eight Specialized Master’s degrees, and one Continuing Training Certificate.

Specialized Bachelor’s (1 programme):

• Digital Integrated Supply Chain

Specialized Master’s Degrees (8 programmes):

• Human Rights
• Integrated Management of Health Risks
• International and Development Economics
• Microfinance
• Public Health Sciences — Analysis and Evaluation of International Health Policies, Programmes and Systems
• Food Chain Safety Management
• Preventive Conservation and Collection Management
• Disaster Risk Management in the Anthropocene Era

Continuing Training (1 programme):

• Certificate in Cybersecurity Operations and Risk Governance

Scholarship slots are distributed as: 10 for the Bachelor’s, 81 for the Master’s, and 12 for Continuing Training (verify exact continuing training count on official website). Competition is intense — 103 total spots against thousands of eligible applicants across 32 countries.

📄 Required Documents

1. Completed GIRAF application form — submitted online via the ARES GIRAF platform; cannot be modified after submission
2. Certified copy of your graduate degree — must be officially attested; for applicants from countries with specific certification norms (e.g. Nepal’s TU or Tribhuvan University documents), ensure certification is done at the appropriate national authority
3. Academic transcripts — certified copies covering all years of your qualifying degree
4. Proof of professional experience — employer letter(s) confirming at least 2 years of relevant work; make sure dates and role descriptions clearly align with the programme you are applying for
5. Proof of residence — evidence confirming you are a permanent resident in an eligible country (national ID, utility bills, or official registration document)
6. Proof of employment — confirming you are currently working in one of the 32 partner countries
7. Language proficiency evidence — for English-language programmes, a certificate or letter; some programmes may have specific language test requirements (verify on official website)
8. Employer commitment letter — many successful applicants include a letter from their employer supporting the training and confirming a return to the same institution afterward
9. Passport copy — valid and matching your residency documentation
10. Motivation letter — explaining why this specific programme, why now, and what you will do with the training upon returning

Note for Nepali applicants: Documents issued by Nepali universities may require attestation from the Ministry of Education or the relevant embassy. Allow extra time for this step.

🪜 Step-by-Step Application Process

1. Create or validate your GIRAF account — if you do not have one, go to the ARES official page immediately. Account validation by ARES can take several hours to several days. Do not create more than one account — duplicates cause delays. Note: The GIRAF account creation deadline was September 4. If you missed it, check with ARES directly at scholarships-cooperation@ares-ac.be.
2. Log in to GIRAF and access the application form — go to “Competitive Calls” and click “Application – International Training 2027–2028” exactly once. Clicking it again creates a duplicate.
3. Fill in mandatory fields first — fields marked with an asterisk (*) must be completed before you can save a draft for the first time. Have your documents ready before starting.
4. Save as draft regularly — GIRAF has no auto-save. Save frequently to avoid losing progress. Return via “Competitive Calls” → “My Tasks.”
5. Upload all required documents — check file size and format requirements in the applicant’s guide. Poor-quality scans or missing attestations are a common cause of rejection at the eligibility stage.
6. Review everything before submitting — once you click “Submit My Application,” the form is locked permanently. No changes are possible after submission.
7. Submit before September 18, 2026 at 12:00 noon Belgian time (UTC+1) — do not wait for the final day. Server load near deadlines can cause access issues.

Practical tip: The strongest applications are those that make a clear, specific case for why the training fills a professional gap that the applicant will directly apply back home. Vague motivation letters (“I want to broaden my horizons”) rank far below those that describe a concrete role, a specific institutional need, and a post-training plan. This is what separates eligible applications from selected ones.

🌟 Why Apply for the ARES Belgium Scholarship?

Belgium is the headquarters of the European Union, NATO, and dozens of international organisations — studying there puts you at the centre of global policy-making. ARES’s university network includes institutions like UCLouvain, ULiège, ULB, and Haute École groups with genuine research strength in development, public health, and economics.

Unlike many European scholarships that fund academic study in isolation, ARES explicitly frames its programme around returning home and driving change. The selection process rewards applicants who show a credible post-training plan — which also means ARES scholars tend to carry institutional backing from their employers, strengthening their professional credibility at home and abroad.

The 12-month duration for Master’s programmes is a meaningful commitment but manageable for mid-career professionals. Belgium’s relatively affordable cost of living (compared to the UK or Switzerland) means the subsistence allowance goes further in practice.

One honest note on selectivity: with 103 spots across 32 countries and thousands of eligible applicants, this is a genuinely competitive programme. The odds improve significantly if your professional experience directly aligns with a specific programme’s stated development objectives and if your motivation letter demonstrates institutional support and a concrete return plan.

🔗 Official Source

• Official Call Page: ARES International Training Scholarships 2027–2028
• General Scholarships Hub: ARES Scholarships Overview
• Contact: scholarships-cooperation@ares-ac.be — Maryvonne Aubry
• Application Platform: GIRAF Platform (access via ARES official page)