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featured programs

Study Abroad with CIEE in Australia Study in Australia
wollongong—arts + sciences

Study Abroad with CIEE in Botswana Study in Botswana
gaborone—arts + sciences

Study Abroad with CIEE in Botswana Study in Botswana
gaborone—summer community public health

Study Abroad with CIEE in the Dominican Republic Study in the DR
santiago—service learning

Study Abroad with CIEE in Ghana Study in Ghana
accra—international business + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in India Study in India
mumbai—international business + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy Study in Italy
ferrara—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Italy Study in Italy
ferrara—liberal arts

Study Abroad with CIEE in Morocco Study in Morocco
rabat—language + culture

Study Abroad with CIEE in Senegal Study in Senegal
dakar—summer senegalese studies

Study Abroad with CIEE in the United Arab Emirates Study in the UAE
sharjah—business, engineering, arts + sciences

Student Experience

Check back soon to learn more about the student experience in Brussels. To learn more about the student experience at other CIEE program locations, visit our Student Experience section.

Photos


Student Stories

I have been in Brussels for nine weeks now—and have nine to go. The life of a study abroad student is anything but slow. In just one week I  managed day trips to Tournai and the Hague, a kayaking and cave-exploring weekend in the Ardennes,  study, my internship at the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, and brushed up on my language skills watching a French movie.

Brussels is a splendid place to study. The ever-changing city offers a wealth of activities, exhibitions, festivals, and cultural events—something many American cities lack.

My knowledge of Belgium was very limited before I decided to spend a semester here. The study abroad experience has unique qualities as everything is done at such a fast pace. You must seize every opportunity to travel, visit a museum, and explore—in a very short time.

Fortunately, Brussels is easy to adapt to. Its international flair makes foreigners feel welcome while the public transport system enables easy access across the city. The locals have been patient and helpful as I struggle with French. Study abroad students are constantly juggling their time—traveling, making friends, keeping up with classes, and documenting everything.

In the U.S., I attend the University of Rhode Island in a sleepy New England town with farmland on one side and the ocean on the other. Although my Brussels lifestyle is completely different, academic life feels much the same. The ‘study’ part of the program is similar to the American curriculum with midterm and final exams and written assignments. The only real difference is the diversity of student nationalities and classes are placed in a more European context.

Brussels exudes culture and class. It never stops entertaining. Some of my best moments have been wandering around the city with friends and stumbling across the perfect little café, or participating in local events, such as Anderlecht football matches or visiting Sunday markets at Gare du Midi. I know Brussels will keep surprising me and I am looking forward to the next nine weeks.

— Jacqueline Richardson, University of Rhode Island

Housing & Meals

Housing is included in the program fee. There are a limited number of homestays available with families from a variety of linguistic backgrounds. The non-homestay option is a combination of individual rooms with or without other students and sharing common spaces with landlords. Housing is mainly located in the southeast of central Brussels. An excellent public transportation system makes it easy to commute. All housing placements are made on site at the beginning of the semester.

Meals are not included in the program fee and are the responsibility of the student. Students who opt for a homestay usually share breakfast and evening meals on weekdays with their hosts. Students will be billed approximately four to six weeks after the program start date for the host family meal fee. Students in non-homestay housing have access to cooking facilities in order to prepare their own meals and may take meals in university cafeterias and restaurants in the area.

Internet

Students have access to a small computer lab with limited computers and hours at Vesalius College. At ULB, students have access to a computer lab and computers in the ULB library. Students with laptop computers are strongly encouraged to bring them and may hook their laptops up to the Internet at Vesalius College and the wireless network at VUB. Students are expected to open an email account upon receipt of their VUB student card. Wireless connections in the home are as common in Brussels as in many parts of the U.S. All participants can expect to have internet connections at their housing, however, the availability of bandwidth may be more restricted than at Internet connections in the U.S. Participants should expect to use the computer labs or one of the numerous cyber cafés in Brussels.

Updates from Abroad

This program doesn’t currently have any Updates from Abroad. Please check back soon.

Orientation

Online Pre-Departure and On-Site Orientations
Students begin their study abroad experience in Brussels before even leaving home—by participating in a CIEE Online Pre-Departure Orientation. Meeting with students online, the Resident Director shares information about the program and site, highlighting issues that alumni have said are important, and giving students time to ask any questions before leaving home. The online orientation allows students to connect with others in the group, reflect on what they want to get out of the program, and learn what others in the group would like to accomplish. The CIEE goal for the pre-departure orientation is simple: to help students understand more about the program and site, as well as their goals for the program, so that they arrive to the program well-informed and return home having made significant progress toward their goals.

Prior to the start of each semester, there is a mandatory three-day orientation organized and conducted by CIEE at a hostel in downtown Brussels. The orientation introduces students to Belgium and Brussels; provides practical information about the host country, daily life, the academic program, housing, cultural and educational differences; and enables participants and staff to get to know one another while participating in structured and informal activities that can include visits to museums, a bus tour, walking tours, and group meals. “Survival French” prepares the participants to live in a primarily Frenchspeaking environment. Some “Survival Dutch” is introduced as well. Vesalius also offers a three-day program of academic orientation and social activities prior to the start of semester courses. CIEE students participate in both orientation programs. Ongoing support is provided on an individual and group basis throughout the program.

Alumni

Students from the following institutions have participated in this program:

Agnes Scott College
Albertson College
Arizona State University, Tempe
Assumption College
Azusa Pacific University
Beloit College
Birmingham Southern College
Boston University
Bowdoin College
Brandeis University
Brown University
Bryant University
Bucknell University
California Lutheran University
Central Michigan University
Colby College
Colgate University
College of Saint Catherine
College of William & Mary
Colorado College
Colorado State University
Cornell University
Dickinson College
Doane College
Drake University
Eckerd College
Endicott College
Fairfield University
Fordham University
George Washington University
Georgetown University
Grinnell College
Gustavus Adolphus College
Harvard University
Hope College
Howard University
Indiana University
Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis
Ithaca College
Johns Hopkins University
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Kenyon College
Lewis & Clark University
Loyola University of Chicago
Macalester College
Marist College
Mills College
Moravian College
Mount Holyoke College
Muhlenberg College
Northern Illinois University
Oberlin College
Occidental College
Ohio Wesleyan University
Oklahoma City University
Old Dominion University
Oregon State University
Portland State University
Providence College
Purdue University
Rhodes College
Rice University
Santa Ana College
Santa Clara University
Seattle University
Seton Hall University
Siena College
Skidmore College
Smith College
St. Catherine University
St. Edward's University
St. John Fisher College
St. Olaf College
Swarthmore College
Texas Christian University
Texas Tech University
The Mount Saint Mary's University
The Pennsylvania State University
The University of Texas at Austin
Towson University
Trinity College CT
Trinity University
Tufts University
University of California, Berkeley
University of California, San Diego
University of Colorado at Boulder
University of Connecticut
University of Dayton
University of Denver
University of Florida
University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Iowa
University Of Kansas
University of Kentucky
University of Maine
University of Maryland
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Massachusetts Amherst
University of Michigan
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities
University of Mississippi
University of Missouri-Columbia
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of Oregon
University of Pittsburgh
University of Rhode Island
University of Richmond
University of San Francisco
University of the Pacific
University of the South
University of Tulsa
University of Vermont
University of Virginia
University of Washington
University of Wisconsin-Madison
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
University of Wyoming
Ursinus College
Vanderbilt University
Vassar College
Vesalius College
Villanova University
Wabash College
Wake Forest University
Washington State University
Washington University
Wellesley College
Western Washington University
William Woods University
Williams College
Wofford College

Evaluations

ACB Evaluation2004 ACB Evaluation
Following the principles and process set by the ACB, the evaluation report is made available once it is approved by the ACB. Program Evaluations happen about once every five years.
Annual Study Center Review2010 Annual Study Center Review2009 Annual Study Center Review2007 Annual Study Center Review2008 Annual Study Center Review
New in summer 2004, the Annual Study Center Review replaces the end of session reports written by the resident director. The Program Director solicits feedback from staff throughout the organization (including resident staff) as well as from the ACB and other Consortium member institutions in the drafting of these documents.
Student Evaluations 2010 Spring Student Evaluations2009 Fall Student Evaluations2009 Spring Student Evaluation2008 Fall Student Evaluation2007 Fall Student Evaluation2007 Spring Student Evaluation2008 Spring Student Evaluation
CIEE began on-line student evaluations in spring 2003.