Disclaimer: I spent two and a half years doing a Master’s at the VUB (English translation: the Free University of Brussels). My program, Master’s in Applied Computer Science, is English-taught. Therefore, my experience could be quite different from those who attended Dutch-taught programs (the majority at the VUB) or people who majored in other fields.
Teaching: Professors and TAs are knowledgeable about what they teach. However, only a few of them are actually good at the teaching part. Most professors do not seem to be very enthusiastic about what they say (although I understand that after a few years of doing the same thing, it can be quite hard to keep the energy). Additionally, being a non-native speaker certainly makes it difficult for some to be influential and inspirational. It is important to know that the Belgian style of teaching often means you sit and listen. Belgian students are taught to think very carefully before speaking out, and my observation is that students rarely express their opinions or ask any questions during class.
Grades: There are no mid-terms, sometimes a course composes of only theory classes and one final constituting of 100% mark. Exams are tough, mostly because of the high expectations from professors, but also since most students wait until the end of the semester to study. Hence, grades are lower than those in other countries. One big plus is that nobody cares if you show up in class or not.
Curriculum: Overall, I can’t speak for other majors but I am happy with the course content of Computer Science. Note that I did not study CS during my Bachelor, but rather Electrical Engineering. My program, Applied Computer Science, offers a lot of fundamental courses for this transition (Algorithms and Data Structures, Networking, Advanced Programming, etc). If you have a B.S in CS, there is another program, namely Master’s in Computer Science, in which you do not have to take those fundamentals again. There are also plenty of optional courses to choose from. During my second year, I selected mostly high-level ones relating to Software Engineering and AI. On the other hand, one downside is the number of credits for electives you can have is quite limited, and you might end up with some not-very-interesting mandatory courses. Doing an internship is possible, although it is not encouraged by the university (and FYI, internships in Belgium are usually unpaid).
Campus housing: Clean and affordable, especially when you live in an relatively expensive city like Brussels. The regulations (deposit, house rules, contracts) are also a lot less hassling than many places off campus. If you don’t mind sharing the kitchen and bathroom with other students or you don’t speak the local language (French/Dutch), I strongly recommend you to take a look.
Brussels: Two main campuses, Etterbeek and Jette, are situated in nice parts of the city, although are not very close to the city center. Overall, Brussels is a nice city, with tasty chocolates, waffles and fries. Most of the locals speak French but the univeristy itself is a Dutch-speaking one. There are a fair amount of international folks, and English is widely known, but if you’d like to have a long and meaningful conversations in English, you should go somewhere else. There are plenty of things to do outside of work and study, but coming from an Southest Asian city with more than 7 million people, Brussels still seems a bit quiet and boring to me sometimes.
Friends: My friends here are mostly international students. A lot of Belgian fellows I know tend to be nice and polite, though a bit distant and socially-akward at times. More importantly, they tend to stick to their established circles of friends and do not have the need to make new ones. Having said that, please keep in mind that I am also a shy and awkward person, so I suspect you might have different experience on socializing.
Compared to other Belgian universities: In Belgium, all universities are kept at a very high level. As far as I know, because there is no entrance exam, they do not differ much in terms of quality. That being said, in many international rankings, KU Leuven, Ghent university, ULB (the French-speaking sister university of the VUB) and UCL are doing better than the VUB. When I ask my Flemish friends about universities in Belgium, most of them still regard KU Leuven as the most difficult one to obtain a degree from (this may vary with your major). The VUB, however, has a smaller class size, so approaching professors is easier and it is easier to conduct an oral exam at the end of a course (which I vastly prefer over a written one).
Overall, I had mixed feelings about the university. I sure have learned a lot, and living in a foreign country for a long time has changed my perspectives on plenty of topics. I came to study at the VUB with a scholarship (tuition waiver and living stipend), so if I had to choose again, I would make the same decision. If you are looking to study abroad, I highly recommend Belgium and the VUB as the tuition fee is relatively cheap (about <1000 EUR/year for EU students and 3000 for non-EU ones), and the level of education is generally high. However, if money is not a problem for you (or if you are exceptionally good), then you might also want to look at other options.
