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Admission requirements
The admission requirements depend on previous degrees (type of degree, country of issue, etc.) or additional experience.
For more info on the admission requirements for the different tracks, please see:
The teaching language is English, so for foreign students, an English certificate (CEF B2-level or higher) is required. The certificate cannot be older than four academic years, counting from the academic year after the proof of language was acquired. An Interuniversity Test of Academic English (ITACE) is also good to demonstrate a thorough command of both written and spoken English; see here.
For non-EER students, a score report of their Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General test is also required.
Application instructions and deadlines
You can find all information here.
Foreign students need to apply online in time before the deadline:
- 1st of March for students who need a Visa
- 1st of June for students who do not need a Visa
Belgian students that are interested in following our program need to contact us.
Info session & Job fair
Next session: Thursday 27/04/23 at 12.30
The session will be online via Gather. You need to use a PC (mobile devices are not yet fully supported) and open this link using a modern browser.
The Master program and the relevance of bioinformatics and computational biology will be presented in the Talk Room (door at the top left of the entrance room). Afterwards, there is the opportunity to ask questions and talk with current students, alumni and doctoral students in the Booth Room (door at the top right of the entrance room). People from industry will also be present to discuss internship and job opportunities.
You can find the flyer to spread the word here.
Contact: Annick.Bleys@psb.ugent.be
Master grants
There are scholarship possibilities for foreign students:
- UGent Top-up grant for very good students from developing countries of the OESO-DAC country list (priority is given to students from the first three columns; as an exception, students from the fourth column can be considered upon clear motivation). Please be aware that there are only 10 grants for all new UGent students, for which we can only suggest max. 3 candidates from the MSc in Bioinformatics. Deadline 1/04.
- Master Mind scholarship of Flanders Knowledge Area for students from other countries with a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 and a minimum score of 94 on the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language). A proof of the GPA and TOEFL are both required. You can calculate your average GPA here. Please be aware that UGent can only suggest 20 candidates to the government of Flanders, of which we can only suggest 2 for the MSc in Bioinformatics. Deadline 1/03.
If you are interested, please send an email to Prof. Kathleen Marchal (kathleen.marchal@ugent.be) with a short motivation (at least three reasons, at least 150 words) why we should suggest you (with the required documents for the Master Mind scholarship in addition to the prospect application file) before the deadline, so we can suggest your application.
Also be aware that these are topping-up grants and not full scholarships. You must still be able to provide for your own financing in order to be able to make the most of your studies.
Practical
Welcome at UGent
Please check the guide for new students.
Costs
The Master program costs about €1900, without living expenses. The exact tuition fee can be found here.
Housing
Regarding the housing you can find details here.
VISA
All information about obtaining a Visa for Belgium is available here.
As a rule, students must apply for this Visa at the Belgian Consulate or Embassy in their own country or in the country where they legally reside, and not at the public authorities in Belgium itself. If there is no Belgian Consulate or Embassy in their home country, they may submit their application at the Belgian Consulate or Embassy in one of the neighboring countries.
ATTENTION: Students should not enter Belgium with a tourist Visa if they intend to stay longer than 90 days.
Contact
If you have any questions, send a mail to Prof. Kathleen Marchal (kathleen.marchal@ugent.be).