University of Mons
Université de Mons
A French-speaking Belgian university of about 12,000 students, built around an engineering school founded in 1837.
- Students
- 12,000
- International
- 25%
- of students
- Tuition
- €1,194
- From · 2026-27
- Founded
- 2009
About UMONS
The University of Mons (UMONS) was created on 1 January 2009 by merging the University of Mons-Hainaut with the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, whose history goes back to the Hainaut School of Mines founded in 1837. It is a French-speaking university in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation, about 50 km from Brussels, with campuses in Mons and, since 1978, Charleroi.
UMONS has about 12,000 students by its incoming rector's August 2026 count (its older key-figures page says nearly 10,000) and is organised into 7 faculties (Architecture and Urban Planning; Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; Polytech engineering; Psychology and Education; Science; Translation and Interpretation; and the Warocqué Faculty of Economics and Management) and 3 schools (Law, Teacher Training, and Human and Social Sciences). Its key-figures page lists more than 150 programmes from bachelor's to doctorate, about 40% of those offered in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation.
The university calls itself 'à taille humaine' (human-scale), with tutoring and remedial support for first-year students, and about a quarter of its students come from abroad. Students can now complete a full medical degree in Mons through a Master in Medicine co-awarded with ULB (announced in 2023, with the first UMONS doctors graduating at the end of 2026), and first-year medical enrolment rose from 62 in 2022 to 227 in 2026/27. UMONS is also a member of the EUNICE European university alliance.
Why students choose UMONS
The Faculté Polytechnique, dating from 1837, trains civil engineers, with a special engineering entrance exam that opens the programme to motivated students.
Medicine can now be studied from bachelor's to master's in Mons: 227 students who passed the entrance exam started the medicine bachelor at UMONS in 2026/27, up from 62 in 2022 and 146 in 2024/25.
The Faculty of Translation and Interpretation grew out of the School of International Interpreters founded in 1962.
Belgian and EU students pay the regulated Wallonia-Brussels fee of 1,194 euros a year at most, with reduced rates of 835, 374 or 0 euros depending on income.
Admissions
Entry September 2027 (bachelor's degree, 'bachelier')
Selectivity
Most bachelor's programmes are open to anyone with a qualifying secondary diploma (the Belgian CESS or a recognised equivalent). Medicine is limited by the Wallonia-Brussels Federation's entrance competition, and the civil engineering bachelor's has a special entrance exam. Non-EU applicants are selected on file.
Typical entry requirements
| Belgian CESS | Gives direct access to bachelor's programmes, except medicine (entrance competition) and civil engineering (special entrance exam) |
|---|---|
| Foreign secondary diploma | An equivalence decision to the CESS from the Wallonia-Brussels Federation is required before applying; non-EU applicants to engineering also need 13/20 overall, 12/20 in the science subjects and maths making up at least a sixth of their course load |
| French language (non-EU applicants) | Proof of French through TCF, TEF, DELF or DALF at the level set by each faculty (B1 to C1) |
Deadlines
- Non-EU applicants living outside Belgium (need a student visa) Non-binding Next deadline · In ~6 months31 March 2027
UMONS states 31 March as its standing annual deadline for non-EU applicants who need a visa (the 2027/28 admission regulations are not yet published; the 2026/27 deadline was also 31 March). Accepted students must be in Belgium by 30 September to complete registration.
- Non-EU applicants already resident in Belgium Non-binding In ~11 months31 August 2027
Standing annual deadline for applicants already resident in Belgium (Belgian, EU or non-EU); 2027/28 regulations not yet published.
- Registration (Belgian and EU students) Non-binding In ~12 months21 June to 30 September 2027
Registration window as published for every year (all registrations must be finalised by 30 September); 2027 dates assume the same pattern. A 50 euro deposit on fees is due by 31 October.
- Medicine and dentistry entrance competition Non-bindingHeld between 16 and 31 August each year; the 2027 date is not yet known
Registration via mesetudes.be; the number of places is set by the government each year.
UMONS publishes its deadlines as fixed annual dates (31 March for non-EU applicants needing a visa, 31 August for applicants resident in Belgium, registration 21 June to 30 September); the 2027/28 admission regulations are not yet out, so check them before applying.
How to apply
Belgian and EU students register online between 21 June and 30 September after checking the admission rules for their diploma. Non-EU applicants first submit an online admission application themselves (applications made through intermediaries are refused), pay a 200 euro file fee (deducted from fees if admitted), upload their CESS equivalence, French test result, personal motivation letter and a financing plan, and receive a visa certificate if accepted. Medicine candidates must first register for the entrance competition on mesetudes.be; law applicants apply through ULB's admission system.
What admissions looks for
- A secondary diploma giving access to university, with a CESS equivalence decision for foreign diplomas.
- For non-EU applicants, solid grades (e.g. 13/20 overall for engineering) and a personal motivation letter showing how the programme fits your plans.
- A French language level matching the faculty's requirement.
- Proof of sufficient funding: at least 1,062 euros a month plus full fees for non-EU students.
Tips for applying to UMONS
- 1 Non-EU applicants who need a visa should get their CESS equivalence and French test done well before the 31 March deadline; incomplete or late files are refused and not reviewed.
- 2 Apply yourself: UMONS rejects any file handled by a paid intermediary.
- 3 Check whether your nationality appears in the ARES annexes; if it does, you pay 1,194 euros instead of 5,369 euros a year.
- 4 Aspiring engineers can take UMONS's special entrance exam for the Bachelor in engineering sciences.
- 5 Join the Welcome Week before classes start: 1,200 new students took part in September 2026.
Costs & financial aid
2026-27 · figures in EUR
Belgian and eligible EU students can obtain intermediate, modest-income or zero fees by applying to the Wallonia-Brussels Federation's student grants office (DAE) between July and 31 October. Non-EU students are exempt from the 4,175 euro supplement if they hold a Wallonie-Bruxelles International (WBI) grant, are assimilated to Belgian students, or come from a country listed in the ARES circular; ARES development-cooperation grants are also available.
- 200 euros (deducted from fees if admitted)
- Non-EU application file fee
- 4,175 euros a year
- Non-EU supplementary contribution (2026/27)
- 1,062 euros a month
- Minimum resources for a student visa
Academics
Academic calendar: Academic year starting in mid-September (classes began 14 September in 2026)
Civil engineering (Faculté Polytechnique)
The university's oldest faculty, founded as the Hainaut School of Mines in 1837, with its own special entrance exam.
Medicine
A full medical degree in Mons since the Master in Medicine co-awarded with ULB; 227 new first-year students in 2026/27.
Translation and Interpretation
Rooted in the School of International Interpreters founded in 1962.
Economics and Management (Warocqué)
Descended from the Institut Warocqué business school created in 1899.
Architecture and Urban Planning
Traces its roots to a 1780 school that became the Royal Academy of drawing, painting and architecture.
Master in Smart Cities and Smart Communities (SMACCS)
An Erasmus Mundus master's programme taught in English.
Research
- 10 thematic research institutes and more than 1,750 researchers, with over 600 doctoral students.
- Linked research centres include Materia Nova (materials), Multitel (ICT), CETIC (ICT) and the Belgian Ceramic Research Centre.
- More than 300 international partnerships in over 50 countries, and membership of the EUNICE European university alliance.
Schools & faculties
- Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning
- Faculty of Medicine, Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
- Faculté Polytechnique (engineering)
- Faculty of Psychology and Education Sciences
- Faculty of Science
- Faculty of Translation and Interpretation - School of International Interpreters
- Warocqué Faculty of Economics and Management
- School of Law
- School of Teacher Training
- School of Human and Social Sciences
Nearly 9 in 10 graduates of the 2015-16 class found a job within nine months (UMONS professional integration survey, 2017).
Student life
UMONS is spread across several sites in Mons, including the Joncquois site, with a smaller campus in Charleroi. Each year starts with a Welcome Week of faculty welcomes, digital-tools workshops, a visit to the MUMONS university museum and a student-run discovery day. Housing is expanding fast: five new residences opened in Mons in September 2026, including DO UPKOT with 331 residents. A new Campus Sud complex with four large lecture theatres of up to 1,000 seats is due to open for 2027/28.
- Welcome Week for new first-year students (1,200 took part in 2026) and Welcome Days in Charleroi.
- MUMONS, the university's museum of science, arts and curiosities.
- TandeMons language exchanges and welcome days for international students.
- Student representative bodies (ORE and the AGEs) organise the student-run side of campus life.
Housing. University residences in Mons were expanded by five new residences in September 2026, from small sites with about 20 residents to DO UPKOT with 331.
Location
Mons is a compact historic city in Hainaut province, in French-speaking Wallonia near the French border and about 50 km from Brussels. Much of the university sits in or near the old town, and the region's other academic centres are grouped in the Pôle hainuyer, which serves more than 30,000 students.
Nearest airport: Brussels South Charleroi Airport (CRL); Brussels Airport (BRU)
Notable alumni
- ER Elio Di RupoPrime Minister of Belgium 2011-2014; chemistry degree and PhD at Mons
- AD Adrien DolimontMinister-President of Wallonia since 2024; master's in mechanical engineering (2011) from the Faculté Polytechnique de Mons, then a doctoral researcher there
- MD Michel DaerdenBelgian politician and minister; applied economics and auditing degrees from Mons
- AT Anne TaorminaMathematical physicist; Head of the Department of Mathematics at King's College London since 2024 (previously Durham); studied at Mons
- KQ Kong QuanChinese ambassador to France 2008-2013; graduate of the University of Mons
- SF Soumia FahdMoroccan herpetologist; studied industrial engineering in Mons
Frequently asked questions
How much are tuition fees at the University of Mons?
For 2026/27, Belgian and EU students pay at most 1,194 euros a year. Non-EU students pay 1,194 euros if assimilated or from a country in the ARES annexes, otherwise 5,369 euros (1,194 euros plus a 4,175 euro supplementary contribution).
What is the UMONS application deadline for international students?
Non-EU applicants living abroad who need a visa must submit their admission file by 31 March (31 March 2027 for entry in September 2027), with a 200 euro file fee; those already living in Belgium have until 31 August.
Do you need to speak French to study at UMONS?
Yes for bachelor's programmes: non-EU applicants must prove French (TCF, TEF, DELF or DALF) at the level set by each faculty. Some master's programmes, such as the Erasmus Mundus SMACCS, are taught in English.
Is there an entrance exam for medicine at UMONS?
Yes. Medicine and dentistry students must pass the Wallonia-Brussels Federation's entrance competition, held once a year in the second half of August.
How much money do I need to study in Mons?
For a Belgian student visa you must show at least 1,062 euros a month (12,744 euros a year) plus full tuition fees for 2026/27; UMONS warns that this minimum does not cover all costs.
Sources & methodology
Figures on this page were checked against official university publications, national application services and ranking publishers in September 2026. Each number is shown with the year or admissions cycle it describes. Always confirm deadlines and fees on the university's own website before applying.
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