ARES Belgium Training Scholarships 2027-2028 for Masters, Bachelors and Training Programs

For professionals in developing countries who have already moved beyond the “fresh graduate” stage, Belgium’s ARES International Training Scholarships 2027–28 offer something more targeted than a conventional university scholarship.

The programme is currently open for applications and is designed for applicants who already have higher-education qualifications and relevant professional experience. Around 100 scholarships are available across 10 specialized programmes in Belgium, covering a specialized Bachelor’s, several specialized Master’s degrees and a continuing-education programme.

Applications close on September 18, 2026 at 12:00 noon Belgian time, but new applicants who still need a GIRAF account should act much earlier because the account-request deadline is September 4, 2026 at 16:00 Belgian time.

Applicant Answer Box

This Scholarship Is Not Really Designed for Fresh Graduates

ARES is looking for applicants who can show a connection between their existing professional work, the Belgian training they want to undertake and what they intend to do with that expertise afterward.

Applicants generally need at least two (02) years of relevant professional experience after their latest higher-education qualification, acquired in an eligible partner country.

That requirement changes the nature of the competition.

Someone with excellent grades but no meaningful professional experience may be less suitable than an applicant who can clearly show that the chosen programme solves a problem they already encounter in their profession.

Which Countries Can Apply?

Applicants must meet ARES’s residence and nationality conditions for its partner countries.

The 2027–28 call includes applicants from countries such as Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Nepal, Philippines, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, DR Congo, Burundi, Cameroon, Mozambique, Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Haiti, among others.

The complete current list contains 32 eligible countries.

One point deserves attention: ARES eligibility is not simply about holding the right passport. Applicants normally need to live and work in an eligible country, subject to the specific exceptions and definitions in the current call.

What Can You Study Through ARES in 2027–28?

The latest competition has been narrowed to 10 programmes, so applicants should be careful with older scholarship articles listing courses that no longer belong to the current call.

Current options include areas such as:

• Digital Integrated Supply Chain
• Human Rights
• International and Development Economics
• Microfinance
• Public Health
• Health Risk Management
• Food Chain Safety
• Preventive Conservation and Collections Management
• Risk and Disaster Management
• Cybersecurity Operations and Risk Governance

Applicants may submit an application for only one programme. That single-programme rule makes choosing the right course one of the most important decisions in the application.

What Does the ARES Scholarship Actually Cover?

ARES provides a substantial funding package intended to make study in Belgium financially possible and depending on the type of programme, support can include:

• Tuition and registration costs;
• living/subsistence support;
• International travel;
• insurance;
• Eligible visa-related expenses;
• and certain programme-related travel costs.

International travel is normally covered under ARES programme conditions. Applicants should nevertheless avoid relying on old scholarship articles quoting a specific monthly stipend unless that amount appears in the current 2027–28 documentation. Funding structures and rates can change between calls.

How to Apply for ARES Scholarship 2027–28 — Step by Step

The biggest practical hurdle is GIRAF, ARES’s online application system.

Step 1: Check Your Eligibility First

Before creating an application, use the official ARES eligibility checker. Confirm your country, residence, academic qualification, professional experience and the conditions attached to your chosen programme.

Step 2: Choose Only One Programme

Do not create a strategy around applying to several ARES programmes. The current rules allow one programme application only, so select the course most closely connected with your previous education and present professional work.

Step 3: Request Your GIRAF Account Early

Applicants without an existing validated GIRAF account must request access. For the current round, new account requests should be completed by September 4, 2026 at 16:00 Belgian time.

Waiting until September 18 could therefore leave you unable to reach the application form at all.

Step 4: Open the 2027–28 Competitive Call

After logging into GIRAF, locate the section for Competitive Calls and activate the International Training 2027–2028 application. Activate the application only once and continue editing the same file until submission.

Step 5: Complete Your Academic and Professional Profile

This is where applicants need to show the logic behind their candidacy. Your previous qualification, work experience, responsibilities and chosen Belgian programme should form a coherent progression.

ARES is not simply asking, “Are you academically capable?”

The stronger question is: why does this particular professional need this particular training now?

Step 6: Upload the Required Evidence

Depending on your chosen programme, applicants should be prepared for documents such as:

• University degree certificates;
• Academic transcripts;
• proof of employment or professional activity;
• Passport or nationality evidence;
• recommendation letters;
• CV and professional information;
• and programme-specific documents.

Certain courses may request additional material, including a pre-project or other technical documentation.

Step 7: Review Everything Before Submission

Once submitted, the GIRAF application generally cannot simply be reopened for casual corrections. Check dates, document quality, employment history and programme-specific attachments before pressing the final submission button.

Step 8: Submit Before Deadline

The final ARES Scholarship 2027–28 deadline is September 18, 2026 at 12:00 noon Belgian time. Applicants should treat that as the absolute closing time rather than their personal target for finishing the application.

Why Strong Applicants Can Still Be Rejected?

ARES is highly competitive, and meeting the formal conditions does not guarantee selection.

A technically eligible application can still be weak when the applicant:

• Selects a programme unrelated to their professional experience;
• provides vague explanations of career impact;
• Cannot demonstrate the required work experience;
• Submits incomplete professional evidence;
• applies for more than one programme;
• or treats the motivation section as a generic study-abroad essay.

The strongest application connects three things very clearly:

what you already do → what you need to learn in Belgium → what you will improve after returning home.

That development impact is central to understanding why ARES funds these programmes.

Should You Apply?

ARES is particularly attractive for mid-career or early-career professionals from eligible developing countries who already have relevant work experience and want a short, specialized qualification rather than another broad academic degree.

It is less suitable for someone who has just graduated and has no professional track record.

The current 2027–28 application deadline is September 18, 2026, while applicants who still need a  should act before September 4.

If you discover this article after the current deadline, the information remains useful for preparing for the next ARES cycle. Start building evidence of professional experience, identify the programme most closely related to your career and prepare your academic documents early—but verify the next eligible-country list, programmes and deadlines once ARES publishes a new call.

If you are unsure whether your country, work experience, degree, chosen programme or GIRAF status makes you eligible, leave your question in the comments below the article with your nationality, qualification and current profession.