What are the higher education options in Luxembourg?
The University of Luxembourg has 62 master's and 35 bachelor's degrees, but you can also opt for several other higher education establishments we've listed
The University of Luxembourg was founded in 2003, making higher education in-country a fairly recent phenomenon. Before that, students typically moved abroad to neighbouring countries or within the EU to pursue their degrees.
Luxembourg has come a long way in twenty years with several relatively new private institutions offering MBAs and business programmes, although the University of Luxembourg is still the only public one in the country.
A little bit about Luxembourg University first
The University of Luxembourg (Uni.lu) has positioned itself as a multilingual and internationally focused research university at the heart of the European Union.
In just the past few years it has increased its programmes from 17 to 35 bachelor and from 46 to 62 master degrees in a variety of faculties, namely Science, Technology and Medicine; Law, Economics and Finance; and lastly Humanities, Education and Social Sciences.
The school also offers PhD studies within all faculties, specialised medical diplomas, and continued education in subjects such as finance.
Many of the programmes are either bi- or trilingual (French-English or French-German), with some recent additions taught entirely in English. Promoting mobility and encouraging multicultural exchange, some courses are also bi- or tri-national, meaning students are required to spend one or more semesters abroad at partnering schools. Uni.lu has more than 350 exchange agreements and research co-operations with institutions all over the world.
A small university, it attracts some 7,000 students and 100 doctoral candidates, but they come from 129 different countries with academic staff representing 94 different nationalities. It ranked 4thworldwide for its international outlook in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2023.
Tuition fees are also quite low, with the average bachelor or master degree costing €400 per semester.
Legal changes on university status and accredited qualifications - July 2023
The Higher Education Act of 21 July 2023 means that as of 15 March 2024, higher education instutitions in Luxembourg with the exception of the University of Luxembourg are no longer allowed to use the title ‘University’ and that only accredited higher education programmes can bear the title BTS, Bachelor, Master, Doctorate (PhD) and ‘specialised medical studies’.
You can find a list of programmes currently accredited by the Ministry of Research and Higher Education here.
It is important to note that qualifications not on the accredited list are not eligible for state financial aid, and people with qualifications from non-recognised courses are not eligible to apply for state and local government jobs.
So, for example, programmes from the L22 School of Business and Brookins Business Institute are not accredited or recognised by the Ministry of Research and Higher Education.
Luxembourg School of Business
Luxembourg School of Business (LSB) is an international graduate business school that was created in 2014. Focused on delivering management education in English, the school offers a two-year master’s degree in management, the Luxembourg Global Executive MBA programme which can be done whilst working full-time, as well as bespoke courses for individuals or companies.
Students can specialise in the fields of Financial Management, Data Analytics, Strategic Talent Management or Digital Business and Finance.
Its flagship offer is the weekend MBA, a flexible two-year master's programme giving working professionals the possibility to combine a full-time job with studying two weekends per month.
As an Erasmus accredited school, the LSB co-operates with universities around the world allowing students to participate in exchange initiatives.
The LSB campus will move to a new campus on the former Villeroy & Boch site, the Château de Septfontaines, for the academic year 2026-7. For now they remain at their premises at 46 Côte d’Eich in the capital.
Tuition fees are around €11,000 -12,000 per year for full-time programmes and €35,000 for the two-year Weekend MBA. LSB also has a section on financial support both in terms of tax deductions and state support.
HEC Liege Luxembourg
Partnering with the Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce to offer an International MBA, and business courses including the recently launched private equity certificate, HEC is a good option if you are a working professional who wants a customised two-year programme of MBA evening classes with a guaranteed internship in line with the local job market.
HEC has both European (EQUIS) and American (AACSB) creditation too, which only 1% of business schools worldwide can boast. A non-profit organisation, it holds a number of networking events to compliment its education programme.
Classes take place in the Chamber of Commerce building, face-to-face, and in English. In addition to practical learning and leadership skills they also aim to boost your network. An MBA without internship costs €29,000, whilst with an internship you'll pay €39,000 although both have a limited number of scholarships.
Other courses include a business skills booster, and leading disruptive innovation. HEC also run a number of month-long courses such as marketing, digital transformation, and change management. You can find out more here.
LUNEX University
Founded in 2016 and based in Differdange, which was named European Sports City in 2018, Lunex University is a private institution for higher education in the field of sports and health. The recently renovated campus is well-equipped with state-of-the-art facilities and provides bachelor and master degrees.
The three programmes offered as both a bachelor and a master degree are Physiotherapy, Sport and Exercise Science, and International Sport Management.
You can undertake one of five bachelor degrees in physiotherapy, sport and exercise science, international sport management, nutrition fitness and health, and corporate health management and wellbeing.
LUNEX also offer a blended masters in sport management and digitisation, and they also run a pre-bachelor foundation programme.
All are taught in English by an international academic team and about 600 students are currently enrolled. Lunex is also part of Erasmus, with a couple of partner institutions in Europe.
Tuition fees are around €27,000 in total for a bachelor degree, and €18,000 in total for a master degree. The website also lists national and international scholarships and state funding.
L22 School of Business
With courses specifically designed to plug the talent shortage in Luxembourg, this private school on rue du Plébiscite and avenue de la Liberté, welcomed its first students in October 2022.
It offers qualifications in finance with an emphasis on asset management and investment funds, talent management and human resources. One day a week is spent in the classroom, the other four days with a company, with each class open to up to 16 students.
Institut Supérieur de l’économie
The Institut Supérieur de l’Économie (ISEC) was founded in 2016 by the Chambre de Commerce and the Chambre des Métiers and is officially recognised by the Luxembourg Ministry of Higher Education and Research.
Targeting full-time professionals in Luxembourg and the Greater Region, ISEC has internationally recognised masters - one in quality management, the other in project management, and a masters in international asset management (the latter is in English).
The masters in project and quality or management cost €8,500.
Chambre des Salariés
The Lifelong Learning Centre (LLLC), founded by the Chambre des Salariés, has several higher education programmes for working professionals. All programmes are taught in collaboration with different universities in and around Luxembourg, such as uni.lu, the University of Lorraine, the University of Rennes or the University of Lille.
LLLC provides two bachelors - in Applied Information Technology and Social Worker and Hotel Management. Masters include programmes health and social sector organisations, two in banking and finance, HR, business administration, marketing and communications, ICT, and a new masters on business law and compliance.
Most programmes are taught either in French, English, or both, and are mostly part-time with evening/weekend classes. Some programmes require students to attend classes at the partnering institution. The diplomas awarded are equivalent to those obtained from the respective universities without a specific mention of the training location.
Cost are around €6,500-€8,000.
Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center
Miami University John E. Dolibois European Center (MUDEC) is an overseas campus of Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. The centre enables American students to come to Luxembourg for a semester and seeks to strengthen Luxembourg-American ties. Students are accommodated by Luxembourgish host families, and are encouraged to engage with the local community as well as travel within Europe.
UDEC also offers scholarships to Luxembourg-based students to study at Miami University in Ohio.
The MUDEC campus is based at Differdange and is named after Luxembourg native John E. Dolibois, who emigrated to the United States in 1931 and went on to study at Miami University. He served in the US army in WWII as an interrogator of Nazi war criminals, and later became the United States ambassador to the Grand Duchy.
The Dolibois European Center houses roughly 100-120 students per semester and has over 11,000 alumni.
Château de Wiltz
A further three private institutions with higher education within business and hospitality are located at the Château de Wiltz.
Brookins Business Institute
Brookins Business Institute (BBI) is a private institution, for higher education in international hospitality and tourism management. With them main location in Brussels, BBI opened a campus at the Château de Wiltz in 2011.
The school offers qualifications in International Hospitality Management, all taught in English.
BBI also has a number of insitutional partnerships with further education establishments across the world. You can take a look at these here.
Tuition fees depend on the type of programme and nationality of the student, EU-citizens pay a lower tuition fee compared to non-EU citizens.
European Business University
The European Business University (EBU) is a business research institute located at the Château de Wiltz. Research is accredited by the Ministry of Economy.
EBU offers a 4-year Bachelor in Business Administration and several masters’ in Data Science and Artificial Intelligence; Finance; and Business Administration, as well as a Doctor of Business Administration programme. In addition, EBU offers a Weekend MBA and a Professional Mentorship programme.
Although based on online-teaching, students are invited to participate in campus weeks where they attend seminars and sit end-of-term exams.
Tuition fees are the same for EU and Non-EU citizens and range from €11,498 (bachelor) to €21,500 (master). An application fee of €75 must be paid. There is a scholarship programme.
United Business Institutes
Since 2013, the Brussels-based United Business Institute (UBI) has a branch at the Château de Wiltz. An additional campus is located in Shanghai. Through a partnership with Middlesex University London, the school provides British Business programmes. In Luxembourg, students can pursue a bachelor of business/science, with a choice of specialisation in Business, International Business Management, Management of Technology, or Management of AI & Machine Learning. Upon completion, students are awarded with a degree in Bachelor of Science from Middlesex University London.
The school also offers masters in Management of Technology, Management of AI and Machine Learning, and in Business Administration.
Through campuses in Europe and Asia, UBI teaches internationally oriented courses with a global perspective on the business world.
Tuition fees are around €7,560 per academic year for the bachelor programmes and a total of €11,900 for the master's degrees for EEA citizens (€17,000 for non-EEA citizens) and the MBA costs €19,950 for EEA citizens (€28,500 for non-EEA citizens). Scholarships are available.
Digital Learning Hub - Belval
Launched in 2021, this hub is designed to increase the number of IT developers on the job market in Luxembourg. Across all sectors, general IT skills are also a big bonus when applying for a position.
The Digital Learning Hub is based at Belval and has 150 computers available 24/7. Run by the Ministry of Educaction, it offers 130 IT-related courses such as cybersecurity, IT administration, block chain, and coding. The 42 programme has no teachers, no requirement to know maths or coding, and works on peer-to-peer support.
Anyone aged 18 years or more can study and there are no qualifications requirements. You can register online and classes are free if you are a student, a civil servant, or registered with ADEM. Some courses are free to all, others have a price but are heavily subsidised.
