Postgraduate Students

Tuition & Finances Postgraduates

Tuition fees 2024/25

EEA candidates: € 3,500
non-EEA candidates with a valid Belgian residence permit based on studies: € 5,500

Additional costs like production costs for the development of your portfolio for the Creative Belgium Exhibition, Bootcamp (€ 300).

This programme is only available for EEA candidates and non EEA candidates who already reside in Belgium with a valid Belgian residence permit.

No scholarships are available for this programme.

EEA candidates with scholarship*: € 2,190
EEA candidates without scholarship € 2,990

*If you are a Belgian student interested in the Space & Service Design Programme but are not sure if you'll receive a Thomas More scholarship, reach out to Nansi Van Geetsom (nansi.vangeetsom@thomasmore.be) ASAP to confirm your tuition fee. EEA nationals are also strongly encouraged to reach out regarding scholarship opportunities.
Non-EEA candidates without scholarship*: € 3,990

*The Interior, Design & Architecture department offers an ID&A assistant job of 20 days (8 hours)/year to two postgraduate students in Space & Service Design. Only students who are residents of a VLIRUOS-country are eligible for this offer. Apply with a convincing motivation letter to guy.foulon@thomasmore.be.

Throughout the year, postgraduates in Space & Service design visit clients and design agencies in Flanders in the light of the Master Classes or real-life projects. We aim at travelling in a sustainable and cost-efficient way. Furthermore, design students usually purchase materials for making models, print posters, .... We stimulate sustainable purchasing.

Paying the tuition fee 2024/25

After your registration is processed, you will receive an invoice for the total tuition fee. The payment of the tuition fee can’t be cancelled after the start of the academic year.*

*For the postgraduates Creative Belgium School and E-sports Manager the full tuition fee is to be paid in advance (before registration)

After your application has been approved you will pay the total tuition fee in advance. Should you not be able to join us for any reason after approval and payment (and before official enrolment), you will be refunded € 1,000.

Important!

Only transfer the tuition fee to the account number stated on the invoice
Always state the structured communication (e.g. +++000/0000/00000+++)

Living costs 2024/25

These estimates are based on research of the study and living costs by centre of expertise Budget and Financial Well-being, a research group linked to the Bachelor programme in social work of Thomas More. This information is provided to ensure that you are fully aware of the likely costs of your study. Therefore we advise you to consider them very carefully.

These are the likely living costs (accommodation, food, personal items, social activities, study cost without tuition fees and transport) for a single, full-time degree student:

for 1 month: between € 850 and € 1,150
for 7 months: between € 5,990 and € 8,000
for a whole academic year: between €10,260 and € 13,590

Accommodation averages per month

Sint-Katelijne-Waver: € 367 - € 516
Geel: € 290 - € 430
Mechelen: € 386 - € 545
Antwerp: € 445 - € 503

The amounts mentioned above are the average rental prices of a standard student room with common kitchen and sanitary facilities. If you seek for a room which include kitchen and bathroom for yourself, you will have to pay more each month. The sooner you start your search for a room (we recommend at the end of April), the more options you have in finding what you want. Bear in mind that the cheapest rooms are taken very quickly. Allow an average € 30 - € 60 per month for utilities, depending on the type of student home.

You can read more information about renting a student room on this page.

The overview gives you the average rental prices at the private rental market. Take into account increased rent, due to rising energy costs and possible extra index adjustments.

Blocked account 2024/25

Blocked accounts

Thomas More requires a blocked account procedure to prove your financial solvency when applying for (the extension of) a student visa (sufficient means of subsistence). You make an advance payment of your monthly living expenses (13 months for FALL semester) into a blocked account managed by Thomas More. When you arrive in Belgium you open a Belgian bank account in your name into which you receive monthly payments during your studies. You will receive a double payment (€ 1,700) the first month to cover all extra costs such as rent deposit etc.. At the end of the academic year you are fully reimbursed, apart from € 250 administrative fee. The minimum amount to cover your living expenses is € 850 per month and is set by the Belgian government.

Blocked account Fall 24/25: € 850 x 13 months + € 250 administrative fee = € 11,300

You will receive detailed information on the procedure as soon as your application has been approved. Be aware that the monthly amount is set by the Belgian Government and is subject to change at any given time. If any changes should occur we will notify our students.

Should your visa be refused, the blocked account will be fully refunded (-€ 250 administrative fee 24/25) onto the account where the money originally was transferred from.

Sponsorship (annexe 32) is only allowed if the sponsor is a first degree relative (proven by birth certificate).

Additional study costs

Books and study material
These are not included in the tuition fee and will need to be purchased seperately upon arrival.

Laptops and software
A laptop is essential for your studies. You will need to access the digital learning environment, follow online lessons, prepare exercises… This is why we advise you to have a good laptop and software before the start of your new academic year.
Once you are enrolled, you will get access to the software platform of Academic Software. Here you will not only find all kinds of useful software tools you can use for your degree programme, but you will also get technical phone support during the installation and usage of the software. All students get access to this platform and the platform costs € 30.

Other
You may need to make additional provision for costs such as a student visa, international travel to and from your study location and internships. Please contact your postgraduate programme manager for more information.