Belgium

Capitol: Brussels;

Location: on the North Sea coast in the Benelux;

Language: French, German, Deutch/ English as well;

The different stages of education are the same in all communities:

• Basic education (Dutch: basisonderwijs; French: enseignement fondamental), consisting of Pre-school (kleuteronderwijs; einseignement maternel): 6 years;
• Primary school (lager onderwijs; enseignement primaire): 6-12 years;
• Secondary school (secundair onderwijs; enseignement secondaire): 12-18 years;
• Higher education (hoger onderwijs; enseignement supérieur) University (universiteit; université);
• Polytechnic (hogeschool; haute école).

The Kingdom of Belgium has a federal state structure, organised into three Communities:

Flanders - the Flemish Community (Dutch speaking);

Wallonia - the French Community (French speaking);

a smaller German Community (German speaking) in the eastern part of Belgium.

Additional information:

For more information, visit the specific profiles for Flanders and Wallonia.

For more about education specifically in each community you can visit the following:

Study in Flanders - Brussels

Study in Wallonia - Brussels