Two applications, not one, and the order matters
This is not a scholarship you can apply to on its own. KU Leuven’s process runs in a fixed sequence: first apply for the master’s programme itself through the university’s application tool, wait for the confirmation email that your programme application was submitted, then apply separately for the Science@Leuven Scholarship and attach that confirmation email to it. Registration for the scholarship is only complete once a second, separate confirmation email arrives. You do not have to wait for a decision on the master’s application before applying for the scholarship, but KU Leuven is explicit that a scholarship application “will not be considered if it is clear that you will not be accepted for the Master’s programme,” so the two tracks are linked in outcome even though they are separate forms.
The money is real, but the tuition break isn’t equal for everyone
The €12,000 annual allowance goes to every scholarship holder regardless of nationality. What differs is the tuition side: non-EEA students also get a partial fee waiver, paying a flat €3,252.72 in 2026-2027 no matter which of the ten eligible master’s programmes they choose, while EEA students receive the allowance only, with nothing extra taken off their tuition. KU Leuven is upfront that the non-EEA figure is specific to 2026-2027 and that next year’s amount isn’t set yet, so an EEA and a non-EEA applicant comparing this scholarship’s real value need different sums.
Ten programmes, one extra nudge toward Geography
Eligibility is limited to ten named Faculty of Science master’s programmes, and two of them, Geography and Geology, only count if KU Leuven is your home institution rather than a partner institution in a joint programme. Within that list, KU Leuven singles out one specific incentive: a scholarship reserved for a Master of Geography student, awarded only if that applicant meets the same high bar as everyone else. If your target programme is Geography, that reserved slot is worth knowing about, though it does not lower the academic standard required to win it.
The application list is longer than the two forms
Beyond the master’s application and the scholarship registration form, the required document set includes a full transcript of records with credit sizes and grading scale explained, a half-to-one-page account of which prior courses prepared you for the specific master’s you’re targeting, two reference letters specifically from internationally renowned professors, and a letter of motivation. Selection then runs through several stages: a ranking by the programme director, a ranking by committee, interviews (KU Leuven notes usually around eight are conducted online), and a final award decision by the Board of the Science@Leuven Fund. For the 2026-2027 cycle the university listed interviews in April, admission decisions needed by the start of April, and notification from the start of May, a sequence worth mapping onto whatever year’s calendar you’re actually applying under.