Northwood University

The global mission we now carry, delivered here in Brussels

Brussels College serves as an International Program Center of Northwood University (Midland, Michigan, USA) — Northwood's first in the European Union. Our Northwood-branded programs carry Northwood's own mission, vision, and values, straight from Northwood's official brand materials.

Mission

"We develop free-enterprise leaders who drive global economic and social progress."

Vision

"We inspire human potential through immersive learning to advance economic freedom, for everyone, everywhere."

Values

We believe in:

The advantages of an entrepreneurial, free society
Individual freedom and personal responsibility
Leading from a foundation of ethics and integrity
Embracing the global, multicultural nature of enterprise

How our HLC accreditation works

Our authorization to deliver Northwood University degrees comes from the U.S. Higher Learning Commission (HLC), the regional accreditor recognized by the U.S. Department of Education that accredits Northwood University. HLC approved Brussels College as an additional location of Northwood University under its Notification Program for Additional Locations, effective August 2026 — a streamlined institutional process, not a separate accreditation review. This means our HLC standing is institutional and derivative: it flows directly from Northwood University's own accreditation, and is not an independent accreditation held by Brussels College itself.

How the Two Fit Together

Two institutions, one coherent path

Northwood's mission for global free-enterprise leadership, delivered here in Brussels, is Brussels College's strongest accreditation credential today. Alongside it, Brussels College maintains its own, independent Belgian legal standing and holds long-term ambitions to build further Belgian accreditation for tomorrow.

U.S. Accreditation

Northwood University - Brussels

An HLC-accredited U.S. Bachelor's or MBA, taught full-time on our Brussels campus as an International Program Center of Northwood University.

Our Enduring Home Institution

Brussels College

A Belgian institution in its own right, operating under Belgian law as a Private Higher Education Institution in the Flemish Region — the standard legal basis for private higher-education providers, not a quality accreditation. Brussels College also holds long-term goals to pursue NVAO accreditation and to introduce EQF-aligned BKT qualifications in the future.

Our Core Mission

A business university built on a single idea, now teaching it in Brussels

Founded in Midland, Michigan in 1959 — now teaching in the EU capital.

Northwood University was built around a single conviction: that free-enterprise principles, taught with rigour, produce graduates who can lead anywhere. Nearly seven decades later, that same curriculum is now delivered full-time on our Brussels campus — English-taught, HLC-accredited, and built for students planning international careers.

We believe that access to a globally recognized qualification — delivered in the heart of Europe — should be the gateway to a fulfilling career, not a privilege reserved for a few. Every program is purposefully designed around the same free-enterprise curriculum Northwood teaches its students worldwide, adapted for a Brussels campus and a European student body.

Employer-Ready Outcomes

32% of Northwood graduates own all or part of their own business — a free-enterprise curriculum built for people who intend to lead, not just be employed.

WSE Registered

Explore courses

A Genuinely International Network

International students make up over 36% of Northwood's worldwide student body — you're joining a network, not just a classroom.

Global Reach

Our partners

A Track Record on Safety

Northwood's Midland campus is ranked the #1 Safest College in Michigan and #18 Safest College Campus in America (Niche.com).

Niche.com

Learn more

Career Services, Not Just Career Advice

Career Fairs, a Business Etiquette Dinner program, employer info sessions and on-campus interviews — Northwood's Career Services model, extended to Brussels.

Northwood Model

Student services

Our Vision

The EU capital's gateway to a Northwood University education

01

An HLC-Accredited U.S. Degree, Taught in Brussels

As an International Program Center of Northwood University, Brussels College delivers Northwood-awarded Bachelor's and MBA programs on our own campus. All programs are taught in English, with the same curriculum and standards as Northwood's Midland, Michigan campus.

02

WSE Kwaliteitsregistratie — Achieved

Brussels College (Scholaria BV) has been officially awarded Kwaliteitsregistratie by the Flemish policy domain Werk, Economie, Wetenschap, Innovatie en Sociale Economie — confirming our standing as a quality-registered provider of training, guidance and labor market services. Read more about this milestone.

03

Qfor WSE Certification — Achieved

Brussels College (Scholaria BV) holds the Qfor WSE certificate at conditional starter level, following an independent quality audit by CertUp. This certificate was the prerequisite that enabled us to submit our official registration application via the WSE-loket. Read more about this milestone.

1959 Year Northwood
University Was Founded

HLC U.S. Institutional
Accreditation

ACBSP Business Program
Accreditation

50+ Nationalities
on Campus

Belgian Quality Marks

Registered and Certified in Flanders

Alongside our Northwood affiliation, Brussels College (Scholaria BV) holds two independent Flemish quality marks — earned, not aspirational.

Achieved

Qfor WSE Certificate — Independently Audited

Brussels College (Scholaria BV) has obtained the Qfor WSE certificate at conditional starter level, following an independent quality audit by CertUp. This certificate is the recognized gateway that allowed us to submit our registration application via the WSE-loket. Learn more about this milestone →

Achieved

WSE Kwaliteitsregistratie — Officially Awarded

Brussels College (Scholaria BV) has been awarded official Kwaliteitsregistratie by the Flemish policy domain Werk, Economie, Wetenschap, Innovatie en Sociale Economie (WEWIS), recognizing us as a quality-registered provider of training, guidance, job placement and competence development services. Learn more about this milestone →

A Philosophy, Not Just a Curriculum

The Northwood Idea

Every Northwood-branded program we teach in Brussels is built on a set of founding principles Northwood calls "The Northwood Idea" — bringing the lessons of free-enterprise society into the classroom. A few of them:

"Competitive, productive effort can overcome obstacles, solve problems and achieve goals."

"It is the differences among us that make us interesting and useful to each other."

"Education is never something that one person can do to another. It is, rather, something two people do together."

Language & Employability

English Instruction with Local Language Integration

All Brussels College programs are delivered in English — the language of international business and academic exchange. To maximize regional employability, our students benefit from dedicated Dutch language support integrated throughout their studies, ensuring they can confidently navigate the Flemish labor market and communicate with local employers.

WSE Labor Market Compliance

Programs designed in full compliance with Flemish Werk en Sociale Economie (WSE) requirements for professional qualification trajectories.

A Central European Location

Based in Zaventem, minutes from Brussels — easy reach of EU institutions, multinational employers, and the rest of Europe by rail.

Career-First Curriculum Design

Every module, assessment and placement is designed with one goal: your successful entry or advancement in the Belgian and European job market.

On Northwood's home campus — Midland, Michigan

The Northwood Idea, in practice

A Northwood University professor teaching a full lecture hall on the Midland, Michigan campus

Northwood University students celebrating together on a study trip, part of the university's global outlook

A Question We Take Seriously

How does a U.S. degree relate to Belgian & EU frameworks?

A fair question, and one every international student researching Brussels deserves a straight answer to. Here is what we can tell you honestly today.

Your Northwood degree, explained

Your Bachelor's or MBA is awarded by Northwood University and sits within the U.S. system of regional accreditation (HLC), recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. This is a genuine, institutionally-accredited American degree — but it is evaluated against U.S., not Belgian or EU, accreditation standards.

Belgian & EU frameworks, explained

In Belgium and the wider EU, degree comparability is generally assessed through bodies like NARIC-Vlaanderen (equivalency assessments), the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS), and the European Qualifications Framework (EQF). These are distinct systems from U.S. accreditation, built to compare qualifications across European borders and, on a case-by-case basis, against non-EU degrees.

Our commitment: full transparency, no overpromising

We will not tell you your Northwood degree is "automatically recognized" in Belgium or the EU — a specific equivalency decision is exactly that: specific and individual, made by the relevant authority for your situation, not by us. Under our agreement with Northwood, decisions on how the Program conforms to Belgian and EU regulatory requirements are made in direct coordination with Northwood, at Northwood's discretion.

What we can commit to: working directly with Northwood and the relevant Belgian and Flemish authorities to provide clear, honest, individualised guidance — and giving every prospective student straight answers about what their specific degree, career plans, or further-study goals will require. If EU/Belgian recognition of your qualification matters to your plans — a regulated profession, further study, or civil-service employment — talk to our admissions team before enrolling, so we can walk through your situation directly.

Brussels College also has a long-term ambition to pursue its own Belgian (NVAO) accreditation in the future — a separate, early-stage goal, not a current credential, and not something we ask you to factor into your decision today.

Mission & Vision

Northwood University's mission for free-enterprise leadership — delivered full-time in Brussels.