The APS Certificate

Who needs to take the APS procedure?

All mainland Chinese citizens who are not in possession of a non-Chinese degree, or have not completed any courses at a university in country other than China, need to go through the APS procedure.

Since the APS procedure is such a costly procedure, we recommend that applicants wait until they have received a positive outcome on their application at our university to start the APS procedure. We do not require the APS certificate at the time of application. 

Obtaining the APS certificate is only needed in order to apply for a student visa for Belgium. Please note that there can be a long waiting list for the APS interview, so it is recommended to apply for APS about 3 months before you intend to apply for a visa. 

The APS procedure consists of two parts:

• Verification of documents (by mail): diplomas, certificates, and reviews of exam results, language tests etc. are subjected to an authenticity test. For this reason, either the student's home institution will be contacted, or databases of graduates issued by the Chinese Ministry of Education will be consulted. 
• Academic interview (in Beijing, Shanghai, or before a travelling jury).

You can register for the APS procedure, and find all information regarding the procedure on the APS website.

The APS procedure

Who can be exempted from the APS procedure?

• Non-Chinese citizens who have obtained a degree in P.R.China
• Citizens of Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao

There are two types of exemptions for Mainland Chinese students:

• Complete exemption: 
  • Students admitted to our university in the framework of a bilateral agreement between their home university and KU Leuven.
  • Students who hold a CSC scholarship.
  • Students who will register for an Erasmus Mundus study programme and/or who hold an Erasmus+ scholarship.
  • Students who have obtained credits or a degree in Taiwan, Hong Kong, or Macao. 
  • Students who hold a non-Chinese degree, or who have obtained credits at a university in a country other than China (and can provide transcripts to prove this).
    • Please note that only credits that are obtained in the framework of an official Bachelor, Master or PhD programme are considered to be a sufficient basis for exemption.
    • Exemptions cannot be granted based on a certificate of completion for a Summer or Winter School. 
• Partial exemption (for the interview):
  • Students who are admitted to a PhD programme or predoctoral programme at KU Leuven, but only on the condition that the promotor at KU Leuven organizes a replacement interview.
  • Students who are already residing in Belgium (and hold a Belgian residence permit) at the time of admission to our university.