Universite de Liege

Belgium is a small, highly developed and densely populated country at the cross-roads of Western Europe with three official languages: French, Dutch, and German. It has three relatively autonomous regions divided by language. Belgium's capital, Brussels, is also the capital of the European Union.

Belgium has retained its old-world charm in the preservation of its ancient buildings and historical traditions. The country is known for its art, architecture, beer, chocolate, waffles, and french fries. Its rich history has left impressive churches, town halls, castles and works of art spread throughout the country.

Liège is located in Belgium's French region and has a population of approximately 700,000. It is an old, industrial city with lots of character. Liège is only 30 km from the Netherlands and 45 km from Germany.

Liège is a rapidly changing city where old meets new. Take a walk through the old city center and discover the typical traffic-free alleys and shopping streets where terraces abound. Liège has a good night life, lots of parks to enjoy, and a big Sunday market selling everything from vegetables to toys, clothes, and live pigeons. It is the third-biggest river port in Europe, a conference centre, host to international fairs, and the economic capital of the Walloon region.

The University of Liège was founded in 1817 and has a reputation as a center of international studies and research. The student population of the university is approximately 25,000, with 18 percent of this being international students.

The university has four campuses: HEC (in downtown Liège), Sart Tilman (approximately a 20 minute bus ride outside the city), Gembloux, and Arlon. Students will likely take courses at both HEC and Sart Tilman.

Liège provides a two-day orientation session for new students, reviewing important details such as how to register for courses and ending with a barbeque. Throughout the semester, the International Office also organizes bike tours through the city and other social events or field trips in the local area. A buddy program matches exchange students with local students who are there to help.

Courses in English

Liège offers a number of management courses in English through the HEC business school. Courses can include finance, marketing, economics, supply chain management, and entrepreneurship. A few courses may require some assignments throughout the semester, but most courses have 100% of the course grade dedicated to either a final project or final exam.

The most updated course list is emailed to us each semester. Please email outgoing@uleth.ca for a current list.

Language Courses

• All U of L exchange students at Liège are required to complete at least one French-as-a-foreign-language course. Several French courses at various levels are offered throughout each regular semester. For more information about French courses click here.
• There is an optional two week pre-semester intensive French language course

Students from the U of L may currently only enroll in courses offered by the HEC Management School.

The European academic structure varies from the North American system. Courses completed at a European exchange partner will not be transferred back to the U of L on a course-for-course basis. Rather, students will be required to successfully complete a certain number of ECTS (European Transfer Credit System) credits to earn U of L credit equivalency. Typically, a full course load is 30 ECTS, and 6 ECTS = 3 U of L credits.

Courses at Solvay Business School are 5 ECTS. Therefore, U of L students must combine courses within the same stream to transfer equivalent credit.

You are eligible for this exchange if you are:

• A full-time Dhillon School of Business student
• In at least the 2nd year of your program
• In good academic standing, with a GPA of 2.5 or higher

Exchange students going to Belgium for an exchange must apply for Long Stay Type D visa for studies. There is an administrative fee of €236 (2025).

For more details on the visa application process click here. In most cases the application can be done through mail.

The visa application process may have changed since this page was updated. Please email outgoing@uleth.ca for the most up to date information.

For detailed information about vaccination recommendations when visiting Belgium, please visit the Government of Canada's website.

Campus Residence

• The Sart Tilman campus offers some rooms in residence to students staying for a maximum of one semester
• Cost: €14.30/day (approx. €430/month, 2025)

Private Housing

• The University of Liege provides many resources for students to find affordable private housing in the city

Youth Hostel

• For students who arrive in Liege with no accommodations, the University of Liege recommends staying the first few nights at the Youth Hostel

When living downtown, it is easy to walk to most places around Liège. For longer trips, Liège offers unlimited travel by train and bus within the city with the purchase of a City Pass. The cost is €15,30/month for individuals under the age of 25.

For exploring the country of Belgium, a Go-Pass covers ten one-way trips anywhere in Belgium for a cost of €59.

For those planning a lot of travel throughout Europe, it is recommended to buy a Eurail pass. The pass must be purchased before going to Belgium.

Students going on an exchange pay regular U of L tuition and fees. For up-to-date tuition information, visit the U of L's Financial Services website.

It is mandatory for all exchange students to have valid travel health insurance for their entire period of stay.

The ULSU Health & Dental plan includes travel insurance coverage, or contact your own insurance company to see if you have or can purchase travel coverage.

For more information about health insurance click here.

Based on comments from our previous exchange students to Liège, the costs for the exchange are approximately as follows: