Student grants for higher education: eligibility criteria for the academic year 2024-2025

Entitlement to a student grant is subject to a number of conditions relating to household income, cadastral income and rent, nationality and educational curriculum of the student who wishes to receive a grant (known as the recipient).

Eligibility criteria based on household income

Account shall be taken of the income of all the members listed in the student’s household composition certificate in Belgium on the date of the application for the student grant for the academic year in question.

If the student’s tax liability is shared between two households, the income taken into consideration is that of the household applying for the student grant. However, where there is a risk of refusal due to the thresholds being exceeded, the application must be reviewed taking into account the proportional resources of each household to which the student belongs.

The resources concerned are:

• Taxable income as a whole, plus separately taxable income * (notice of assessment: 2022 income – tax year 2023 (SPF Finances/Contributions)).
•  Allowances and replacement and/or integration income.
•  Income from an international organisation, even if exempt from tax.
• Income not taxed in Belgium.

With the exception of:

• the income of the student grant applicant (unless he/she shares a notice of assessment with another member of his/her household);
• the income of the applicant’s brother(s) and sister(s), half-brother(s) and half-sister(s);
• the income of the applicant's co-tenants and/or owners of rented properties (kot).

* Where the separately taxable income consists wholly or in part of a severance allowance which was received without the household member in question having resumed work or received replacement income as a result of that dismissal and up to the date of the application, no account shall be taken of the severance allowance received in the aggregation of the household’s resources.

Income thresholds

The sum of all resources may not exceed the following income thresholds (taxable income as a whole plus separately taxable income indicated in the notice of assessment (Income – 2022)):
The dependants to be taken into account are those listed in the notice of assessment (SPF Finances/Contributions) (codes: 1030, 1032, 1034/1036, 1043).
Important: Under certain conditions, the number of dependants may be increased by the number of (full-time) higher education students included in the household composition certificate.

Modified income

A recent change in your financial situation (loss of job, illness, separation, social benefits, etc.) may be taken into account, under certain conditions, and may make you eligible for a specific allowance (lump sum).

Eligibility criteria based on cadastral income and gross rents

The applicant is not entitled to a student grant if the person receiving the income taken into consideration is the owner of property (other than residential property occupied for personal use) whose cadastral income (indexed amount) + cumulative gross rents exceed EUR 1.191,61.
(Please note that the cadastral income is not indexed on the notice of assessment (codes: 1106/2106 and 1109/2109 + 1110/2110 (gross rents)).

Conditions relating to the recipient’s curriculum

The student:

• must produce proof of definitive and full-time registration with a higher education institution.
  Enrolment in a year of preparation for higher education and enrolment for a teacher’s agrégation or master’s degree in teacher education also entitles the student to a grant.
• will be denied the student grant if he/she has obtained a diploma of the same level.
• will be denied the student grant for a doctoral thesis, for a specialised bachelor’s/master’s degree and for training provided under the promotion sociale scheme.

Nationality requirements

The student must have a household composition certificate certifying residence in Belgium at the time of the application for the student grant.

By way of derogation, a national of a Member State of the European Union, of a State party to the European Economic Area or of the Swiss Confederation may produce a document similar to the household composition certificate issued by the corresponding competent authority (household composition on the date of the student grant application).

• EU citizens:
  ~ The residence of the student must be established as at 31 October 2024.
• Third-country nationals:
  ~ Have a total of at least 5 years of residence in Belgium on 31 October 2024 and hold a valid residence permit of more than 3 months.
• Refugees, Stateless persons, Subsidiary Protection:
  ~ By 31 October 2024, the student must have held refugee, stateless person or subsidiary protection status as recognised by the General Commission for Refugees and Stateless Persons or the Council for asylum and immigration proceedings for at least 1 year. If the student is a minor and the legal representative has refugee status, the student is also considered to be a refugee.

Foreign students must provide proof that no student grant has been granted to them by another country.
Applicants who have not been included in one of the above categories are not eligible for a student grant.