In a world shaped by rapid urbanisation, both cities and rural areas are vital for a sustainable future. The joint Bachelor in Urban Sustainability Studies, designed by the Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE) Alliance, offers an innovative, interdisciplinary education to tackle real-life challenges head-on. Customise your learning path, explore diverse landscapes, and lead the way in urban sustainability across Europe with YUFE!
Over three dynamic years, you will shape your learning journey to match your strengths and interests. The first year covers essential skills at your starting university. In the second and third years, you personalise your studies through YUFE minors and study at two to three different universities across Europe. The programme culminates in a dissertation to showcase your expertise. You finish the Bachelor with a degree awarded by seven European Universities.
Throughout your bachelor’s programme, you work internationally with students, teachers, and businesses to address real-world issues in a creative, international and interactive setting.
With input from 10 European universities, each a YUFE partner (seven Degree Awarding Partners and three Mobility Partners), the programme offers a diverse curriculum that explores sustainability issues in urban and rural settings.
Shape the world you want to live in!
Brochure
In your first year with YUFE, you’ll begin your bachelor’s studies at the University of Antwerp (or another chosen university) to build a common foundation in urban sustainability through a mix of on-site and online courses.
As you continue your studies, you have the freedom to personalise your curriculum by choosing from 20 different minors. With this flexibility, you can select three minors, with at least two of them to be taken at other partner universities. This allows you to travel and study at a minimum of
three universities, creating a unique and diverse learning experience. The travel is made possible with Erasmus Funding, which provides financial support to help cover the costs of studying abroad, ensuring accessibility to this international academic opportunity.
You’'ll round off your academic profile with a bachelor’s thesis project and your choice of elective courses at your starting university.
In brief:
- 180 ECTS credits in 6 semesters (= 3 years for the model path)
- Full programme taught in English
- University of Antwerp as your starting university
- 2 Minors (one semester each) at one of our YUFE partners
- 10 universities, 1 degree!
More detailed information about the study programme is published on here.
Further studies
The YUFE Bachelor in Urban Sustainability Studies offers you the opportunity to explore insights from a wide range of fields, including social sciences (e.g. economics, business, urbanism, and sociology), natural sciences (e.g. environmental engineering, biology, and ecology), technical sciences (e.g. civil engineering, mechanical engineering, and artificial intelligence), and the humanities.
With this degree, you can pursue various master’s programmes, with even more options available depending on your chosen minors. You’ll find opportunities at the University of Antwerp, our YUFE partners, and other universities worldwide.
Unlock job opportunities in urban sustainability!
Job opportunities
The YUFE Bachelor in Urban Sustainability Studies is a brand new programme, starting in the academic year 2025-2026. This means you will be among the first ones to graduate from this international, multidisciplinary programme.
Our programme’s Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs) equip you with the skills and knowledge needed for careers in urban sustainability. Covering economics, business, urbanism, engineering, environmental sciences, and the humanities, our interdisciplinary approach bridges professional fields and fosters a global perspective.
With a strong focus on critical thinking, adaptability, and lifelong learning, you’'ll enjoy diverse options and flexibility in your learning journey, ensuring you are well-prepared for various roles in making cities sustainable and resilient.
Enhance your employability and become a leader in urban sustainability!
An international outlook, with strong language proficiency in other languages, for example English, further strengthen your position. As the programme sets a leading example in international joint education, it also prepares you to grow in international collaboration. As a graduate of the Bachelor in Urban Sustainability Studies, you’'ll have already built an international network with students, teachers, and businesses across Europe.
To enrol in an academic Bachelor’s programme at the University of Antwerp, you need to have (at least) a secondary education degree that entitles you to enrol in a comparable programme in a university of the country in which the degree was conferred. For Belgian students this is a secondary educa tion diploma of the Flemish-speaking, French-speaking or German-speaking
communities in Belgium.
If your degree has already been recognised by NARIC as equivalent to a Flem ish diploma that gives direct access to the programme, then you also meet the diploma requirements.
Since the programme is taught in English, applicants with a prior degree issued outside Belgium, the Netherlands or Luxembourg are required to demonstrate their proficiency in English.
- Applicants can do so by submitting a language certificate showing their TOEFL, IELTS, ITACE or Cambridge English results (the level required can be checked on www.uantwerpen.be/admission).
- Applicants who have previously obtained a diploma in an English-taught programme in Australia, English-speaking Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and/or the United States of America are exempt from providing an additional language test certificate.
- Applicants with a diploma of a European School or an International Baccalaureate, and English as Language 1 or Level A, should contact the Registrar’s Office to have their documents checked for equivalence to the required proficiency in English.
Please note that the Board of Admission may still ask for additional proof of proficiency in English.
Application procedure
1. Start application at Virtual Campus
You start your application procedure by applying at YUFE Virtual Campus where you can specify your preferred starting university, e.g. the University of Antwerp. You will be asked to demonstrate you meet the entry requirements and will be contacted by a YUFE admission officer to guide you through the application process.
Application deadlines vary according to the starting university. Please check
the YUFE Virtual Campus on virtualcampus.yufe.eu
2. Continue your admission and enrolment at your chosen starting university
To start at UAntwerp, Belgian students with a secondary education degree from the Flemish-speaking, French-speaking or German-speaking community, and candidates with a degree mentioned on www.uantwerpen.be/admission can enrol directly as of early July 2025.
If the degree of secondary education is not mentioned or if you need to apply for a visa, you will need to follow an additional procedure through the online application tool Mobility Online to determine if your degree can be accepted for enrolment and/or to obtain a letter of acceptance required for a visa. Ap plications for academic year 2025-2026 can be submitted in Mobility Online from early november onwards.
Application deadlines to submit an application through Mobility Online:
- For non-EEA nationals and for students who need to apply for a visa: before 1 March 2025
- For EEA nationals: before 1 June 2025
Why choose UAntwerp
Our university is located in the city of Antwerp, in the heart of Belgium and Europe.
The port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world. Antwerp is not just an ancient medieval and baroque city, full of history. It is also a bustling metropolis with a vibrant social scene, impressive architecture and cultural contrasts. This cosmopolitan vibe is also reflected at the University of Antwerp. English is widely spoken in Antwerp, though if you learn Dutch
during your stay here you will become a local in no time.
First-rate research and education make the University of Antwerp a wonderful place to study and to work. We foster the nexus between research and education. Internationalisation is key to our mission. It is no coincidence that the University of Antwerp is a partner in a highly promising
European university network, the Young Universities for the Future of Europe www.YUFE.eu.
As home away from home to over 23,000 students, the University of Antwerp prides itself on operating on a human scale. Our faculty and staff will welcome you into top-notch infrastructure on one of our four campuses. While you’re here you are also invited to enjoy our vibrant
cultural programme, sports facilities and many student services.
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