The Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Systems is a two-year, 120-ECTS programme organised by Ghent University and supported through a VLIR-UOS ICP Connect scholarship. It examines human nutrition and diets through the full food-system chain, from production and processing to markets and consumer behaviour.
Students study in Ghent, Belgium, and build skills to identify nutrition problems, evaluate evidence, and design sustainable food-system interventions. The 2026 intake is closed; the programme normally accepts applications for the next academic year from early October.
Benefits & funding
- The full scholarship covers tuition fees for the complete two-year programme.
- It also covers travel, insurance, and living expenses for board and lodging.
- VLIR-UOS awards support only for the full programme duration, not a partial period or extension.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be nationals of one eligible country and reside in any eligible country when applying: Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cuba, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Palestine, Peru, Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, or Zimbabwe.
- Applicants must be no older than 35 on 1 January of the intake year.
- A university bachelor’s degree of at least three years or a recognised equivalent is required.
- Transcripts must show at least 5 credits in statistics or epidemiology, 5 credits in organic or food chemistry, and 3 ECTS in biochemistry.
- Applicants must meet the published English standard, such as TOEFL iBT 86, TOEFL paper-based 570, IELTS 6.5 with at least 6.0 in every component, or Cambridge B2 First, unless an exemption applies.
- Candidates 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.
- Candidates must not previously have received a Belgian-government scholarship for a study programme or have enrolled at a Belgian higher-education institution before 1 January of the intake year.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
Benin · Bolivia · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cambodia · Cameroon · Cuba · DR Congo · Ecuador · Ethiopia · Guinea · Haiti
+ 17 more
Indonesia · Kenya · Madagascar · Mali · Morocco · Mozambique · Nicaragua · Niger · Palestine · Peru · Philippines · Senegal · South Africa · Tanzania · Uganda · Vietnam · Zimbabwe
Residence required
Benin · Bolivia · Burkina Faso · Burundi · Cambodia · Cameroon · Cuba · DR Congo · Ecuador · Ethiopia · Guinea · Haiti
+ 17 more
Indonesia · Kenya · Madagascar · Mali · Morocco · Mozambique · Nicaragua · Niger · Palestine · Peru · Philippines · Senegal · South Africa · Tanzania · Uganda · Vietnam · Zimbabwe
Education required
Bachelor
Age requirement
≤ 35 yrs
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Application process
- 1Confirm both the VLIR-UOS country, residence, age, and scholarship rules and Ghent University’s academic and English requirements.
- 2Start Ghent University’s online application for the Master of Science in Nutrition and Food Systems when the next cycle opens.
- 3Upload the required academic and language documents and indicate in the programme application that you are also applying for the VLIR-UOS scholarship.
- 4Submit by the scholarship deadline; do not apply to more than one ICP Connect programme in the same year.
Program timeline
Applications opened for the September 2026 intake.
Oct 1, 2025
Scholarship application deadline.
Feb 28, 2026
Selected and wait-listed candidates notified by VLIR-UOS.
By mid-May 2026
Programme starts.
Sep 1, 2026
Two-year programme expected to conclude.
September 2028