Admission requirements for the Winter and Summer School are identical: it is recommended to be in the final year of a Bachelor degree. Candidates from partner countries neighbouring the EU are especially encouraged to apply. All candidates must demonstrate a high level of motivation and interest in their letter of intent. A good level of English is necessary.

The winter school on EU policy-making will take place on the online learning platform Canvas, where you will have access to all learning material and participate in video conferences. As minimum technology requirements, you need to have a stable Internet connection and a computer/tablet with speakers, microphone and camera.

Click here for more information on the minimum requirements for using Canvas LMS.

Yes. For the Summer School you will find contact details of alumni on the Contact page of this website. Feel free to reach out to them to get their honest, first-hand feedback to your questions! For the Winter School we do not have alumni feedback yet, as in 2021 we are organising the first edition.

The tuition fee for the online Winter School is 1400 EUR. This fee includes: course material, access to online platform, and exclusive insight sessions with high-level practitioners.

Please note that because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the July 2021 edition of this Summer School will be organised online, with a reduced tuition fee of 1400 EUR. The information below only applies when the Summer School is organised in a physical format.

The tuition fee for the on-campus taught Summer School is 1900 EUR. This fee includes: course material, access to online platform, daily breakfast in Brussels, daily lunch in Brussels and Vienna, flight from Brussels to Vienna on the Sunday at the end of the first week of the Summer School, and study visits. The Summer School’s tuition fee does not include: accommodation, daily breakfast in Vienna, evening meals, flights to Brussels and from Vienna.

Both for the Winter School and Summer School, the Institute for European Studies will grant one full tuition fee waiver to one student of the each of these two programmes. This waiver will be attributed on the basis of merit and motivation, and will in general, but not exclusively, be granted to a student from a partner country neighbouring the EU. If you think you may be eligible for the waiver, you will need to provide the following supporting documents as part of your application to the programme:

• a motivation letter
• a transcript of your academic records.

The deadline for applying for the tuition fee waiver is the same as the early-bird deadline:

• 15 November for the Winter School – please note that the waiver for the 2021 edition of the Winter School has already been granted.
• 15 March for the Summer School

Candidates receive notification of their acceptance to the programme within two weeks of their application, and where relevant, a subsequent notification of the waiver decision shortly after 15 November/15 March. Note that in the case of the Summer School, the tuition fee waiver does not cover accommodation, daily breakfast in Vienna, evening meals, and flights to Brussels and from Vienna.

Both the Winter School and the Summer School on EU Policy Making have received official accreditation from the VUB. Thus, both these programmes correspond to 5 credits (equivalent to 5 ECTS).

The following cancellation policy applies to both the Winter and Summer School:
More than 45 days before arrival: no cancellation charges
Between 45 and 30 days before arrival: 50% cancellation charges
Between 30 and 15 days before arrival: 75% cancellation charges
Less than 15 days before arrival: 100% cancellation charges