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What kind of exchange experience do you want?
I want to spend a all program lengths  studying in Belgium-Flanders, or maybe all regions. And I'm looking for something with a traditional exchange  and I definitely want to show off my need for  any language skills. Can I go whenever?
  • All around the world.

    all regions
    Africa & Middle East
    Asia & Pacific
    Eastern Europe
    Latin America
    Scandinavian Countries
    Western Europe
    North America
  • Pick a place, any place.

    Say what?

    Any language requirements?

     Any  Yes  No
  • What I'm into.

    a traditional exchange
    a gap year option
    college & university programs
    language classes
    a connection to the Arts
    sports & outdoors
    a volunteer program
  • How long I want to go.

    All program lengths
    Summer
    Short-term
    Semester
    Year-long

    When can I leave?

    whenever
    May to September
    December to March
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Glance

Scholarships Available

385 - Holcomb & Farnell Foreign Stud...
368 - YFU Community Grant
384 - YFU Financial Aid Fund

Age Requirement

Fall programs: July 31, 2000 - August 1, 2003. Spring programs: January 1, 2000 - January 1, 2003 Students who do not meet this age requirement or will graduate high school before the start of their program will be considered for admission on a case-by-case basis.

Language

Dutch. No previous language study is required for Dutch-speaking Belgium.

Host Family Placement

Students are typically placed in suburban areas or in villages. Students on the summer program typically stay with host families and in hostels while they travel. In Belgium, all members of the family usually participate in household chores, such as cooking dinner, washing dishes, and grocery shopping. Belgian families are typically very close knit and participating in these activities will help you bond with your new family!

School

September through June. The school day may last from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 or 5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday. Students typically do not have classes on Wednesday afternoon, so students can expect to complete homework and other lessons after school.

Trips

Year program students will have a 4 day excursion to a nearby city (often Paris) included in their tuition. In past years, YFU Flanders has organized other optional trips at an additional cost to places such as Paris, Antwerp, Sint-Truiden, Leuven, Bokrijk, Mechelen, and the Flanders Fields WWI battlefields. Students often have the opportunity to travel with their schools on organized trips to places such as London, Berlin, Amsterdam, Paris, or Italy.

Home to the headquarters of the European Union and NATO, Belgium offers you a chance to immerse yourself in the history, culture, and epicenter of today's global community.
Learn more about Belgium-Flanders.

YFU Belgium is represented by two offices, one for the French-speaking part of the country and the other for the Dutch-speaking. YFU Belgium-Flanders is the Dutch-speaking program, and it offers a summer program, traditional trimester, semester, and year-long high school academic programs, as well as seven unique programs in Art, Dance, Fashion, Music, Performing Arts, Sports, and Tourism. For each of those programs, students will attend a traditional high school and take courses in their chosen specialization. Students are advised to apply early if interested in these specialized programs, as spaces are very limited. Since all of these programs are intensive, beginners should not apply.

 

ACADEMIC YEAR, SEMESTER, AND TRIMESTER PROGRAMS

School: With its 99% literacy rate, Belgium is ranked 16th by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) when it comes to education, proving that it has top quality teachers and schools. The Belgian school system offers a strong foreign language program and almost everyone in Flanders (Dutch-speaking Belgium), and Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium) speaks at least three languages: English, French and Dutch! The educational system is divided between a state system and a private, mostly Catholic system, both of which are free. While native Belgians can choose from Technical, Vocational, or Art Secondary Schools, most YFU students will be enrolled in General Secondary Education.

 

Orientations: All students applying for the semester or year program must be available for a mandatory 3-day National Pre-Departure Orientation, which is typically held in mid-July. This orientation is a required part of your program aimed to prepare you for your experience overseas. All students will participate in a one-day local pre-departure orientation in May or June. In Belgium, Year-long students will participate in 3 orientation programs: post-arrival, mid-year, and re-entry. In Dutch-speaking Belgium, semester students will participate in the post-arrival and re-entry orientations only. The arrival orientation in Belgium is either 3 or 5 days and include a language learning component.

 

Visual Arts: Study art in the country where famous painters including Rene Magritte, Peter Paul Rubens, and Luc Tuymans began their careers! Students enrolled in this program are typically enrolled in a school with a strong visual arts program. These are regular high schools, but in addition to offering basic subjects (math, languages, history, sciences), they also offer subjects related to practical and theoretical visual arts. Please note that this program is only available for the full academic year; students will not be accepted to this program for a shorter term.

Requirements: Students must submit a portfolio with their application. Students must also pass an entrance exam before being accepted.

 

Dance:  Students traveling to Belgium on the dance program are usually enrolled in a school that has a strong dance program. They will take all of the courses of a traditional high school, but will also be offered the opportunity to study dance in a rigorous environment, with people from all over the world that have similar interests. Please note that this program is only available for the full academic year; students will not be accepted to this program for a shorter term.

Requirements: Students must submit a video of themselves performing both ballet and a contemporary dance. All candidates will be interviewed via Skype after their portfolio has been reviewed.

 

Fashion: Ever thought about creating your own clothing line, or owning your own boutique? If you love to sew and design clothes, or have aspirations of working in the fashion industry, this program offers the opportunity to learn about the creative and commercial aspects of the fashion business. Depending on the school, students typically take 16-22 hours per week of practical courses such as design and drawing, retail, fashion presentation, trend studies, fashion development, fashion and tailor-made, clothes for men, patterns design, internships and projects, management, ready-made clothing, retouch (touch up), material research, social and communication skills, costume and art history, and marketing and distribution. General subjects may include Dutch, French, English, and social studies.

Requirements: Students applying for this program must have a keen interest in fashion!

 

Tourism: This program is designed for students who like to study languages and geography and who are interested in learning about the travel industry. Depending on the school, students usually have around 10 hours per week in courses such as public relations, reception, history, geography, animation/entertainment, movement recreation, art and culture, applied economics, tourist destinations, internships and projects, and languages.

Requirements: Students should possess a strong desire to learn different languages, especially Dutch, French, German, and/or Spanish.

 

Sports: This program is designed for the athletic student who wants to combine a general education in math and sciences with sports coursework. Depending on the school, students can have around 10 hours per week in courses such as physiology, movement research, anatomy, sports theory, athletics, gymnastics, rhythm and dance, swimming, basketball, soccer, handball, volleyball, badminton, ping pong, tennis, and fitness. Students looking to play a specific sport may notice a change in tuition costs depending on placement. 

Requirements: Students with no prior sports experience should not apply. Previous practice of the student's chosen sport is required.

 

Music: Students applying to the music program can choose to specialize in either classical or jazz. They will take all of the courses of a traditional high school, but also study subjects related to practical and theoretical music. Please note that this program is only available for the full academic year; students will not be accepted to this program for a shorter term.

Requirements: Students must submit a portfolio with their applications. All candidates will be interviewed via Skype after their portfolio has been reviewed.

 

Performing Arts: Students enrolled in the performing arts program will attend all of the courses of a traditional Belgian high school, but will also have the opportunity to take subjects where they will focus on singing, dancing, and making music. Please note that this program is only available for the full academic year; students will not be accepted to this program for a shorter term.

Requirements: Students must submit a portfolio with their applications. All candidates will be interviewed via Skype after their portfolio has been submitted. 

 

Extracurriculars: Belgian schools typically do not offer extracurricular activities, but you may participate in sports and other activities through private or community clubs.

 

Cultural Activities: In the past, students on the year program have had the opportunity to travel to Paris for a four-day cultural excursion. The cost of the trip to Paris is usually included in the cost of tuition, but students are usually responsible for the cost of their own meals while in Paris.

 

SUMMER CLASSROOM EXCURSION PROGRAM: EUROPEAN HISTORY AND INSTITUTIONS

School groups and individual students are invited to join YFU students from around the world on a new and exciting program in Belgium this summer! Focused on European history since the Great War, students will have the opportunity to visit museums, memorials, battlefields and historic sites, as well as modern European institutions.  Students will learn more about the European Union through guided tours and educational simulations and activities. The program is primarily based in Antwerp, Brussels, Ypres, and Bruges, Belgium as well as day trip to Luxembourg City, Luxembourg. Students stay in youth hotels or hotels and spend a weekend with Belgian host families in the Flanders region. The program tuition includes lodging, a local program leader, several Dutch lessons, breakfast and lunch, entry tickets, and transportation. 

 

Proposed Itinerary, subject to change:  

 

Day 1: Departure from U.S.
Day 2: Arrival in Brussels, Belgium, train to Antwerp, settle in at youth hostel/hotel in Antwerp.
Day 3: AM: Breakfast, Dutch class, PM: Lunch, Guided visit of Antwerp and group dinner. Stay in Antwerp.
Day 4: AM: Breakfast, Dutch class, PM: Lunch, train to Mechelen, visit Kazerne Dossin - Memorial, Museum and Documentation Centre on Holocaust and Human Rights, group dinner in Mechelen. Stay in Antwerp. 
Day 5: AM: Breakfast, Dutch class and Introduction Belgian Culture, PM: Visit to Antwerp’s cathedral and city hall, free time in shopping district. Stay in Antwerp.
Day 6: AM: Breakfast, Train/bus to Luxembourg, PM: Lunch, visit the EU institutions based in Luxembourg City, such as the European Court of Justice, the European Commission, General Secretariat, and others. Group dinner in Luxembourg. Return to and stay in Antwerp.
Day 7: AM: Breakfast, free time and host family introductions/pick up, PM: Travel to host family home. Stay with host families.
Day 8: Weekend activities and stay with host families.
Day 9: Weekend activities and stay with host families.
Day 10: AM: Depart host families for Brussels, settle in at youth hostel, PM: Lunch, visit Parlamentarium (European Parliament visitor center), dinner at youth hostel.  Explore Brussels by night. Stay in Brussels.
Day 11: AM: Breakfast, bus tour of Brussels, PM: Lunch, visit Mini Europe park, group dinner in the city. Stay in Brussels.
Day 12: AM: Visit European Parliament, guided Parliament simulation games and educational activities, PM: Lunch and free time in Brussels. Stay in Brussels.
Day 13: AM: Breakfast, train to Ypres, visit the In Flanders’ Fields Museum and learn about the Great War, PM: Lunch, visit Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing and other memorials in Ypres. Stay in youth hostel in Ypres.
Day 14: AM: Breakfast, and train to Bruges, walking tour of Bruges, PM: Lunch, boat cruise, and dinner. Return to and stay at youth hostel in Ypres.
Day 15: AM: Breakfast and free time at the local market, PM: Lunch, guided tour of Ypres and local WWI battlefields, dinner and stay at youth hostel in Ypres.
Day 16: AM: Breakfast and free time in Ypres, train to Brussels. Departure to U.S.

 

TUITION INCLUDES

-Placement with a host family
-Enrollment in a local Belgian high school
-Airport transfers
-Domestic and international travel
-All pre-departure and post-arrival orientations
-Pre-program support by trained YFU staff
-Support from a YFU Belgium Area Representative while on program 
-Comprehensive insurance

 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Visa Information: Information regarding visas and other immigration processes will be provided upon enrollment.

 

Additional Costs: Program tuition does not include personal spending money or school-related costs such as books and school trips.  

 

Programs Code Departure Return Full Tuition
Year
Fall Year
Fall Year Specialized

0020 *
1081 *

mid August
mid August

mid July
mid July

$11,995
$13,495
Semester
Fall Semester
Fall Semester Specialized
Spring Semester

0633 *
1193 *
0714 *

mid August
mid August
early January

early February
early February
early July

$10,995
$12,495
$10,995
Summer
Belgium Summer Classroom Excursion

1589  

mid July

late July

TBD

* Programs also available to graduates