KU Leuven

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 highest-ranked university, home to a tradition of academic excellence and ethical integrity that serves as the backbone for everything we do. KU Leuven offers a wide variety of programmes in English supported by high-quality interdisciplinary research at both the university and its acclaimed hospitals. Given its history, high-quality education, world-class research and cutting-edge innovation, KU Leuven is rightly known as one of the world’s great universities.

Discover KU Leuven

High-quality Education

As a comprehensive university, KU Leuven offers a wide selection of academic programmes taught in English, all of which are within the top 100 of the world rankings for their respective fields, half of which are in the top 50. Education and in research go hand in hand at KU Leuven, where study programmes are based on the latest research performed in our labs and libraries. This approach instils academic competences in our students whilst developing critical thinking skills and a research-oriented attitude. Flexibility and state-of-the-art technology are integral to each study programme.

Discover our English-taught programmes

A Global University

With its outstanding central location in the heart of Europe, KU Leuven offers a truly international experience. Of KU Leuven’s approximately 60,000 students, more than 20% come from abroad; together, they represent over 140 countries. As a result, KU Leuven is home to a vibrant community of international students and staff members. Studying in Belgium offers easy access to the best of European culture, with Paris, London and Cologne all accessible by a two-hour train ride. The university also works with a select number of top-level partner institutions worldwide, stimulating purposeful international mobility and intensive research cooperation. And as our international students soon learn when they graduate, a KU Leuven degree offers a significant competitive advantage and is highly valued around the world.

World-class Research

As a comprehensive university, KU Leuven pursues pure research at the frontier of each its academic fields, as well as targeted and demand-driven research in an interdisciplinary environment. KU Leuven has a strong record of securing funding from the most competitive research funds and is the sixth-ranked university in Europe in securing projects under the EU Horizon 2020 Programme. Heavy investment in modern facilities such as our Biosafety Level 3 lab ensures KU Leuven’s research output will continue to inspire our academic programmes and society at large.

Cutting-edge innovation and R&D

KU Leuven is a leading institution when it comes to the valorisation of research and innovation. The KU Leuven Research & Development (LRD) technology transfer office was one of the first in Europe. LRD has a long and productive tradition of patenting, licencing, collaborating with industry, and creating spin-off companies. The university’s research output consistently ranks among Europe’s best and has earned KU Leuven recognition as Europe’s most innovative university in numerous rankings.

Good to know:

• A KU Leuven degree is highly valued around the world. We consistently perform well in international rankings (top 100 university worldwide)and were declared Europe’s most innovative university for the 3rd year in a row by Reuters;
• Come study at our campus in Leuven, a modern, bustling and safe student town, where centuries-rich history meets cutting-edge science. Why not take a virtual tour before you arrive?
• Prefer studying in the European capital? We also offer degree programmes in 9 other Belgian cities, including Brussels; the beating heart of Europe.
• The Flemish government’s generous co-financing system ensures that tuition fees remain relatively low, not only for EU students, but also for students from other parts of the world. Find more about our fees and funding opportunities.
• KU Leuven is home to a vibrant community of international students and staff, with over 150 nationalities represented. Don’t miss out on our international welcome activities!
• From Science, Engineering and Technology to the Humanities and Social Sciences,  KU Leuven has 15 faculties and offers international degree programmes in virtually every academic discipline – take your pick!

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 competences 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 worlds. The ECTS Quality Label guarantees that all credits obtained at KU Leuven are transparent and fully transferable.

KU Leuven is home to a vibrant community of international students and staff members spread out over its various campuses. 18% of the university’s students are international, representing 160 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.

Learn more about studying at KU Leuven: https://www.kuleuven.be/prospective-students/

Our university has 14 campuses in ten Belgian cities, including Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp.

KU Leuven boast 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. Its total research output consistently ranks among the European top.

Read more about KU Leuven’s research: https://www.kuleuven.be/english/research/

Also visit our website for PhD opportunities: https://www.kuleuven.be/english/research/phd

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.

Visit KU Leuven LRD’s website for more information about our tech-transfer office: https://lrd.kuleuven.be/en