European schools in Brussels offer a multilingual and intercultural education, primarily intended for children of EU institution officials. However, some spots are available for other students depending on specific admission criteria.

Tuition fees vary according to three student categories, ranging from free schooling to costs that can reach several thousand euros per year.

Admission to European schools follows certain conditions that define categories corresponding to specific tuition fees for the academic year.

School fees in European schools are set by the Board of Governors of the European Schools and depend on the student’s admission category.

Who qualifies?

• Children of officials from EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU, etc.).
• Children of administrative staff of the European schools.

Cost: €0 (covered by the EU).

Who qualifies?

• Students whose parents work for a company that has a special agreement with the European schools.

Cost: €12,859.42

Who qualifies?

• Students whose parents do not belong to categories I or II, but who meet specific eligibility criteria.

For Category III students, the tuition fee depends on the level of education.

For the 2024–2025 school year in Brussels:

• €4,284.70 for nursery education
• €5,891.53 for primary education
• €8,033.89 for secondary education

To be accepted under Category III, families must meet specific criteria based on an admission priority order:

• Children of national officials assigned to embassies, consulates, or EU representations.
• Children of European diplomatic staff returning to a country with a European school, facing integration difficulties in the local system.
• Children of non-EU national officials working with EU institutions.
• Children of non-European diplomatic personnel based in Brussels or Luxembourg.
• Children of other international officials stationed abroad.
• Other children, with priority for those whose mother tongue is not taught in Belgian schools or differs from their previous language of instruction.

In all cases, admission priority is given to children in Category I, followed by Category II, and finally Category III.

Currently, there are four European schools in Brussels:

• European School Brussels I (Uccle)
• European School Brussels II (Woluwe)
• European School Brussels III (Ixelles)
• European School Brussels IV (Laeken)

A fifth European school will be built in Brussels by 2028. It will be located in the municipality of Neder-Over-Heembeek.

As explained above, access to European schools is based on specific admission conditions.

Parents who do not meet these criteria but want their children to follow a bilingual or multilingual curriculum with a focus on high-quality international education often choose international schools.

In addition to European schools, there are over twenty international schools in Brussels.

Each international school stands out by offering high-quality academic programs, mainly intended for the international community living in the EU capital.

For example, some offer a bilingual international program based on the International Baccalaureate curriculum.
> IB schools in Brussels

Others follow foreign national education systems (British, French, etc.), Montessori, or other pedagogies, often emphasizing language learning.
> Montessori schools in Brussels