Master of Science in Marine and Lacustrine Science and Management

Benefits & funding

• The scholarship funds the full 24-month programme.
• The monthly scholarship allowance covers living expenses and tuition; depending on the institution, tuition, insurance and accommodation may be paid from the allowance or handled directly and deducted from it.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be nationals of one of these countries and reside in one of them when applying: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Morocco, Palestine, Bolivia, Cuba, Ecuador, Haiti, Nicaragua, Peru, Cambodia, Indonesia, Philippines or Vietnam. Nationality and residence need not be in the same eligible country.
• Applicants must be no older than 35 on 1 January 2026.
• Applicants need a university bachelor’s degree of at least three years with at least upper-second-class results or equivalent in biology, biochemistry and biotechnology, chemistry, geology, geography, geomatics, bio-engineer science or environmental sciences; other science, applied-science and life-science degrees are assessed for equivalence.
• English must meet VUB’s B2 standard, such as TOEFL 79 with at least 18 in each component, IELTS Academic 6.5 with at least 6.0 in each component, ITACE B2 in at least four of five components, or Cambridge B2 First with at least 170; qualifying prior English-medium education can also satisfy the requirement.
• A candidate may submit only one ICP Connect scholarship application per year and cannot hold another scholarship or grant for this or another programme at the same time.

Application process

1. 1
   Complete the Oceans & Lakes preregistration form when it is published in November.
2. 2
   If preregistration is accepted, wait for the Oceans & Lakes office to send the electronic application link, normally within two weeks.
3. 3
   Submit the complete electronic file by 1 February with proof of academic and English requirements and the requested recommendation letters.
4. 4
   If placed on the scholarship A-list or B-list, follow the Oceans & Lakes office’s instructions to complete the VUB admission process.

Program timeline

1. 1 November 2025

   Applications opened for the 2026 intake.

2. Scholarship application deadline.

   1 February 2026

3. Selected and wait-listed candidates notified.

   By mid-May 2026

4. Programme starts.

   September 2026

5. Programme ends.

   September 2028