The University of Antwerp offers two English-taught bachelor’s degrees that examine society from different angles. Social-Economic Sciences centres on the links among social structures, economic decisions and policy. Urban Sustainability Studies asks how cities can respond to sustainability challenges, using an international joint programme with mobility across partner universities. The better choice depends on whether you want to analyse institutions and economies or work across urban sustainability questions.
Social-Economic Sciences
This is a three-year, 180-ECTS degree. Its 2026–27 plan includes sociological theory, microeconomics, macroeconomics and quantitative reasoning. In later years, students choose a major in economics, sociology, business or socio-economics. It offers a relatively broad route toward policy, research and business-related postgraduate study. Applicants should check the admissions and foreign-qualification requirements and use the exact programme fee page.
Urban Sustainability Studies
The YUFE bachelor begins with a common foundation in urban sustainability. The 2026–27 study plan describes a mix of on-site and online study; students personalise the later curriculum through three minors, at least two of which are taken at partner universities. A bachelor thesis and electives at the starting university complete the programme. That mobility is a distinctive feature, but it also requires planning around travel, housing and the partner institutions’ academic calendars. The programme is not simply an urban-planning degree; review the actual minors and course descriptions.
Costs, mobility and fit
Antwerp’s 2026–27 standard bachelor fee for non-EEA students is €4,300 per 60 credits, while the Study in Flanders general guidance gives a broader non-EEA range of €5,300–€12,000 per 60 ECTS. Urban Sustainability Studies has specific YUFE admission and fee rules: its page says tuition is indexed annually and varies by credits, so check the exact fee and mobility cost for your cohort. Do not assume a semester abroad carries no extra living or travel expense.
Choose Social-Economic Sciences if you want a discipline-spanning foundation and a major oriented toward economics, sociology or business. Choose Urban Sustainability Studies if cities and sustainability are your core questions and you welcome a multi-campus experience. Ask both programme teams about language, fieldwork, thesis supervision, mobility support and graduate pathways.
The central difference is the question each degree asks
Social-Economic Sciences is a disciplinary blend: it asks how social conditions, economic behaviour and institutions relate, then lets students develop a focus through a major. Its model path includes sociology, economic theory and quantitative work. Urban Sustainability Studies begins with a shared foundation about urban challenges and then lets students shape a profile through three minors, at least two at YUFE partner universities. The first route offers a more stable home-campus sequence; the second makes mobility and cross-campus coordination part of the academic design.
Try comparing the programmes with a concrete question rather than a broad label. If you are interested in housing affordability, Social-Economic Sciences could lead you to examine household costs, labour markets, policy and inequality through its social and economic lenses. Urban Sustainability Studies could frame the same issue through land use, ecology, governance, infrastructure and urban change. Those are examples of how a student might approach a topic; exact courses and projects depend on the selected curriculum and available supervision.
Test your fit against actual study tasks
Read one compulsory course description from each programme and note the kind of work involved. In Social-Economic Sciences, check whether you are comfortable with quantitative reasoning alongside social theory. In Urban Sustainability Studies, look at the first-year interdisciplinary courses and the learning formats used across on-site and online teaching. Then inspect one minor you might choose. The YUFE plan for 2026–27 includes partner mobility, and the list of partner minors shows that a “sustainability” label may lead into different emphases such as governance, urban ecology, cities or resource use.
The travel component deserves a realistic review. Students starting in Antwerp choose three minors; at least two are taken at partner universities, and the partner guidance says travel must be planned across different academic years for Erasmus+ funding eligibility. That can broaden networks and expose students to different local contexts, while also adding administrative tasks: partner calendars, accommodation, travel, course registration and mobility funding. Ask the programme whether the current partner list and minor availability match your interests, how placement decisions are made, and what happens if a preferred minor is full.
Check progression and cost beyond tuition
Social-Economic Sciences offers a conventional route to further study, but each master’s programme sets its own admission conditions. Urban Sustainability Studies also opens several possible master’s directions, yet the university explicitly cautions that not every programme is directly accessible. If a particular postgraduate degree matters to you, compare its prerequisites now and ask an academic adviser whether you would need extra credits or a bridging route.
For cost, compare each programme’s precise fee, not general country ranges. Antwerp’s 2026–27 standard non-EEA bachelor rate is one example for a specific fee category; YUFE says the Urban Sustainability fee is indexed and depends on credits and starting university. Neither figure captures the total cost of moving between partner cities. Prepare a mobility budget with travel, short-term accommodation, local transport and the possibility of overlapping housing obligations. Ask which costs are eligible for support and when a decision is made; do not treat potential funding as guaranteed until awarded.
Who should choose which route?
Social-Economic Sciences may fit students who want sociology, economics and policy questions combined in a home-campus curriculum. Urban Sustainability Studies may suit students focused on city challenges and interdisciplinary study across YUFE partners. Compare mobility, course content, progression and costs; students needing one fixed location should verify whether partner study is workable.
For both courses, verify the entry requirements, language evidence, annual schedule, assessment style and actual tuition with the admissions team. A good comparison ends with the details that affect your day-to-day study: what you will learn, where you will study, how much mobility is required, and which next qualifications remain open.
Questions students often ask
Will I study at more than one university in Urban Sustainability Studies? The programme plan requires minors at partner universities; confirm the specific destinations and schedule for your entry year.
Are both English-taught? Antwerp lists Social-Economic Sciences in English and the YUFE programme publishes an English 2026–27 plan; verify language requirements and any course exceptions.
Primary sources
Editorial note
Requirements can change and may differ by institution, programme and applicant. Recheck current university and government guidance before paying or travelling.
For comparisons, we assess the stated student brief, current route availability, discovery breadth, application ownership, progress visibility, support, costs and duplicate-application risk. Univs publishes this page and may have commercial relationships with institutions; those relationships do not determine admission decisions. Read our editorial standards.
