KU Leuven. Inspiring the outstanding.
Founded in 1425, KU Leuven has been a centre of learning for almost six centuries. Today, it is Belgium’s largest and highest-ranked university as well as one of the oldest and most renowned universities in Europe.
As a leading European research university and co-founder of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), KU Leuven offers a wide variety of programmes in English supported by high-quality interdisciplinary research carried out at both the university and its internationally acclaimed hospitals. Boasting an outstanding central location in the heart of Europe, KU Leuven offers a truly international experience, high-quality education, world-class research, and cutting-edge innovation.
KU Leuven consistently performs well in the international rankings. It is currently ranked 47th in the Times Higher Education World Rankings (2017-2018) and 71st in the QS World University Rankings (2017-2018). It was named Europe’s most innovative university by Reuters (2016 and 2017).
Find out more about the programmes offered at KU Leuven:
- Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
- Faculty of Economics and Business
- Faculty of Engineering Science
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Studies
- Faculty of Science
International orientation
KU Leuven is home to a vibrant community of international students and staff members spread out over its various campuses. 16% of the university’s 56,000 students are international, representing over 150 countries. KU Leuven’s Doctoral Schools provide internationally oriented PhD tracks for more than 5,000 doctoral students. KU Leuven works with a select number of top-level partner institutions worldwide and stimulates purposeful international mobility and intensive research cooperation. It continually strives to integrate the local and international student and research communities on all its campuses through a variety of programmes and activities.
www.kuleuven.be/internationalprogrammes
High-quality education
Excellence in education and excellence in research go hand in hand. KU Leuven’s study programmes are research-based, which ensures that students acquire academic competencies while also developing a critical and research-oriented attitude. Flexibility and state-of-the-art technology are integral to each study programme. A KU Leuven degree offers a significant competitive advantage and is highly valued around the world. The ECTS quality label guarantees that all credits obtained at KU Leuven are transparent and fully transferable.
World-class research
KU Leuven boasts a strong international reputation for research excellence. As a comprehensive university, it pursues curiosity-driven and strategic frontier research as well as targeted and demand-driven research, all in an interdisciplinary environment. KU Leuven is a founding member of the League of European Research Universities(LERU), a select group of distinguished research-intensive universities that sets the tone for research in Europe.
KU Leuven has a strong record of securing funding from the most competitive research funds, including the prestigious ERC Grants awarded by the European Research Council. KU Leuven ranks sixth in total projects under the EU Seventh Framework Programme after Cambridge, Oxford, Imperial College, ETH Zurich, and University College London. Its total research output consistently ranks among the European top.
Cutting-edge innovation and R&D
KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD) is the technology transfer office of KU Leuven. Established in 1972 as one of the first technology transfer offices in Europe, LRD has a long tradition of collaborating with industry, patenting, licensing, and creating spin-off companies. LRD is dedicated to valorising research, building bridges between science and industry, and transferring knowledge and technologies to the marketplace.