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KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic
research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are "the key sites of Knowledge production modes, knowledge production", along with "intergenerational ...
in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
. In addition to its main campus in Leuven, it has
satellite campus A satellite campus, branch campus or regional campus is a campus of a university or college that is physically at a distance from the original university or college area. This branch campus may be located in a different city, state, or country, ...
es in
Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...
,
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
,
Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
,
Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...
,
Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...
,
Geel Geel () is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, which acquired city status in the 1980s. It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns: Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum. Furthe ...
, Diepenbeek,
Genk Genk () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg near Hasselt. The municipality comprises only the town of Genk itself. It ...
, Aalst, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, and in Belgium's capital
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
. KU Leuven is the largest university in Belgium and the
Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...
and the largest Dutch-language university in the world. In 2021–22, more than 65,000 students were enrolled, with 21% being international students. Its primary language of instruction is Dutch, although several programs are taught in English, particularly graduate and postgraduate degrees. KU Leuven previously only accepted baptized Catholics, but is now open to students from different faiths or life-stances. While nowadays only the acronymic name KU Leuven is used, the university's legal name is ''Katholieke Universiteit Leuven'', officially ''Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven'', which translates in English as Catholic University of Leuven. However, the acronymic name is not translated in official communications, like its similarly named French-language sister university
Université catholique de Louvain UCLouvain (or Université catholique de Louvain , French for Catholic University of Louvain, officially in English the University of Louvain) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university and one of the oldest in Europe (originally establishe ...
(UCLouvain).


The universities in Leuven

The town of Leuven has been the seat of four universities, with the first one established in 1425. Since then, the organisation was abolished and founded again multiple times.


Old University of Leuven

The Old University of Leuven (or Studium Generale Lovaniense) was founded in 1425 by Duke John IV of Brabant, the civil authorities of Brabant, as well as the municipal administration of the city of Leuven, despite the initial opposition of the chapter of Sint-Pieter. For centuries, the university flourished due to the presence of famous scholars and professors, such as Adriaan Florenszoon Boeyens (
Pope Adrian VI Pope Adrian VI (; ; ; ), born Adriaan Florensz Boeyens (2 March 1459 – 14 September 1523), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 9 January 1522 until his death on 14 September 1523. The only Dutch people, Du ...
),
Desiderius Erasmus Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus ( ; ; 28 October c. 1466 – 12 July 1536), commonly known in English as Erasmus of Rotterdam or simply Erasmus, was a Dutch Christian humanist, Catholic priest and Catholic theology, theologian, educationalist ...
, Johannes Molanus, Juan Luís Vives,
Andreas Vesalius Andries van Wezel (31 December 1514 – 15 October 1564), latinized as Andreas Vesalius (), was an anatomist and physician who wrote '' De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem'' (''On the fabric of the human body'' ''in seven books''), which is ...
and
Gerardus Mercator Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a Flemish people, Flemish geographer, cosmographer and Cartography, cartographer. He is most renowned for creating the Mercator 1569 world map, 1569 world map based on a new Mercator pr ...
. After the French Revolution, the university was formally integrated into the French Republic when the Holy Roman Emperor, Francis I, ceded then
Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The period began with the acquisition by the Austrian Habsburg monarchy of the former Spanish Netherlands under the Treaty of Ras ...
to France by the
Treaty of Campo Formio The Treaty of Campo Formio (today Campoformido) was signed on 17 October 1797 (26 Vendémiaire VI) by Napoleon Bonaparte and Count Philipp von Cobenzl as representatives of the French Republic and the Austrian monarchy, respectively. The trea ...
signed on 17 October 1797. A law dating to 1793, which mandated that all universities in France be closed, came into effect. The old University of Leuven was abolished by decree of the Département of the Dyle on October 25, 1797.


State university of Leuven

A few years after French rule came to an end, when Belgium was part of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed from 1815 to 1839. The United Netherlands was created in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars through the fusion of territories t ...
, king
William I of the Netherlands William I (Willem Frederik; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was King of the Netherlands and List of monarchs of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1815 until his abdication in 1840. Born as the son of William V, Prince of Orange, ...
in 1817 founded a secular university in Leuven, the
State university of Leuven The State University of Leuven () was a university founded in 1817 in Leuven in Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was distinct from the Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) and from the Catholic University of L ...
, where many professors of the old University of Leuven taught. This university was abolished in 1835.


Catholic university

The
Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...
was founded in 1834 in
Mechelen Mechelen (; ; historically known as ''Mechlin'' in EnglishMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical context. T ...
by the bishops of Belgium, after an official
Papal Brief A papal brief or breve (from the Latin "''breve'', meaning "short") is a formal document emanating from the pope. History The introduction of briefs, which occurred at the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Eugene IV (3 March 1431 – 23 Februa ...
of
Pope Gregory XVI Pope Gregory XVI (; ; born Bartolomeo Alberto Cappellari; 18 September 1765 – 1 June 1846) was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 2 February 1831 to his death in June 1846. He had adopted the name Mauro upon enteri ...
. This new Catholic university stayed only briefly in Mechelen, as the bishops already moved the university headquarters to
Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...
on 1 December 1835, where it took the name Catholic University of Leuven. This occurred after the closure of the
State university of Leuven The State University of Leuven () was a university founded in 1817 in Leuven in Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was distinct from the Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) and from the Catholic University of L ...
in 1835, where many professors of the old University of Leuven had taught. KU Leuven is generally (but controversially) identified as a continuation of the older institution; controversy lays in the fact that this link to the old University cannot be maintained from a purely juridical perspectiveRuling of the Cour de Cassation of Belgium of 26 November 1846: "''The Catholic University of Leuven can not be regarded as continuing the old University of Leuven''", in, ''Table générale alphabétique et chronologique de la Pasicrisie Belge contenant la jurisprudence du Royaume de 1814 à 1850'', Brussels, 1855, p. 585, column 1, alinea 2. See also: ''Bulletin Usuel des Lois et Arrêtés'', 1861, p. 166. as the old University was suppressed under French rule. In its statutes, KU Leuven officially declares against the rulings of the Court of Cassation and the Cour d'Appel, to be the continuation of the Studium Generale Lovaniense established in 1425, and together with UCLouvain it sets out to celebrate its 600th anniversary in 2025. The original establishment during medieval times and subsequent re-foundation at a later period represents a fate shared by the University of Leuven (KU Leuven) with several other well-known European universities that experienced the upheavals of revolutionary times. In 1920, the Catholic University of Leuven for the first time admitted female students, lagging some 40 years behind the Belgian universities of Brussels, Liège and Ghent.


Present-day university

In 1968, tensions between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities led to the
splitting Splitting may refer to: * Splitting (psychology) * Lumpers and splitters, in classification or taxonomy * Wood splitting * Tongue splitting * Splitting (raylway), Splitting, railway operation Mathematics * Heegaard splitting * Splitting field * S ...
of the bilingual
Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...
into two "sister" universities, with the Dutch-language university becoming a fully functioning independent institution in Leuven in 1970, and the
Université catholique de Louvain UCLouvain (or Université catholique de Louvain , French for Catholic University of Louvain, officially in English the University of Louvain) is Belgium's largest French-speaking university and one of the oldest in Europe (originally establishe ...
departing to a newly built greenfield campus site in the French-speaking part of Belgium. KU Leuven's first rector after the split was Pieter De Somer. In 1972, the university set up a separate entity, Leuven Research & Development (LRD), to support industrial and commercial applications of university research. It has led to numerous spin-offs, such as the technology company Metris, and manages tens of millions of euros in investments and venture capital. The university's electronic learning environment, TOLEDO, which started in September 2001, was gradually developed into the central electronic learning environment at the KUL. The word is an acronym for ''TOetsen en LEren Doeltreffend Ondersteunen'' (English: "effectively supporting testing and learning"). It is the collective name for a number of commercial software programs and tools, such as
Blackboard A blackboard or a chalkboard is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulphate or calcium carbonate, better known as chalk. Blackboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or da ...
. The project offers the Question Mark Perception assignment software to all institution members and has implemented the Ariadne KPS to reuse digital learning objects inside the Blackboard environment. On 11 July 2002, the KU Leuven became the dominant institution in the "KU Leuven Association" (see below). KU Leuven is a member of the
Coimbra Group The Coimbra Group (CG) is an international association of 40 universities in Europe. It was established in 1985. It works for the benefit of its members by promoting "internationalization, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and rese ...
(a network of leading European universities) as well as of the LERU Group (League of European Research Universities). Since November 2014, KU Leuven's Faculty of Economics and Business is accredited by
European Quality Improvement System The EFMD Quality Improvement System (EQUIS) is a business school accreditation managed by Brussels based EFMD. It provides accreditation for higher education institutions of management and business administration and is run by the European Fo ...
, which is a leading accreditation system specializing in higher education institutions of management and business administration. As of academic year of 2012–2013, the university held Erasmus contracts with 434 European establishments. It also had 22 central bilateral agreements in 8 countries: the United States, China, South Africa, Japan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Vietnam, Poland, and the Netherlands. The vast majority of international EU students came from the Netherlands, while most non-EU ones come from China. Even though the university is financially independent from the Catholic Church, representatives from the Catholic Archdiocese of Mechelen–Brussels sit on the Board of Trustees, and are yielded chairmanship powers and veto powers in certain decisions. In December 2011, the university changed its official name to KU Leuven in all official communications and branding. While its legal name remains to be Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, the university uses its short name or acronym, KU Leuven, in all communications, including academic research publications. The long name is only used in legally binding documents such as contracts and only on the first instance, according to university's communication guidelines. According to its then rector, the change is intended as a way to emphasize its history of freedom of academic inquiry and its independence from the Church, without erasure of its Catholic heritage. Since August 2017, the university has been led by Luc Sels who replaced former rector Rik Torfs. The Belgian
archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...
, Luc Terlinden is the current ''Grand Chancellor'' and a member of the university board. KU Leuven hosts the world's largest
banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
genebank, the
Bioversity International Bioversity International is a global research-for-development organization that delivers scientific evidence, management practices and policy options to use and safeguard agricultural biodiversity to attain global food security, food- and nutritio ...
''Musa'' Germplasm Transit Centre, that celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2017 and was visited by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Development Cooperation,
Alexander De Croo Alexander De Croo (; born 3 November 1975) is a Belgian politician and businessman who served as Prime Minister of Belgium from 2020 to 2025. Previously from 2012 to 2020, De Croo served as deputy prime minister in the governments of Elio Di Rup ...
. In 2018, a student of African origin, Sanda Dia, died during a cruel hazing ritual to enter the Reuzegom fraternity. The perpetrators, whose parents mostly belong to the upper class, are being prosecuted, but were so far only lightly sanctioned by the university authorities. As a consequence of these events, which attracted international media coverage, the institution received criticism as to how it handled the matter. In 2023 18 students were fined 400 Euros and community service for their involvement in the death and the degrading treatment. Historically, the
Catholic University of Leuven University of Leuven or University of Louvain (; ) may refer to: * Old University of Leuven (1425–1797) * State University of Leuven (1817–1835) * Catholic University of Leuven (1834–1968) * Katholieke Universiteit Leuven or KU Leuven (1968 ...
has been a major contributor to the development of Catholic theology. The university is dedicated to
Mary, the mother of Jesus Mary was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Saint Joseph, Joseph and the mother of Jesus. She is an important figure of Christianity, venerated under titles of Mary, mother of Jesus, various titles such as Perpetual virginity ...
, under her traditional attribute as "
Seat of Wisdom Seat of Wisdom or Throne of Wisdom (Latin: ''sedes sapientiae'') is one of many titles of Mary, devotional titles for Mary, mother of Jesus, Mary in Roman Catholic tradition. In Seat of Wisdom icons and sculptures, Mary is seated on a throne wit ...
", and organizes an annual celebration on 2 February in her honour. On that day, the university also awards its
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...
s. The neo-Gothic seal created in 1909 and used by the university shows the medieval statue Our Lady of Leuven in a vesica piscis shape. The version used by KU Leuven dates from the 1990s and features the date 1425 in
Times New Roman Times New Roman is a serif typeface commissioned for use by the British newspaper ''The Times'' in 1931. It has become one of the most popular typefaces of all time and is installed on most personal computers. The typeface was conceived by Stanl ...
.


Campus

KU Leuven's main campus is in
Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...
where school faculties, libraries, institutes, residence halls, the university hospital UZ Leuven, and other facilities are interspersed throughout the city proper, as well as just outside its ring road in Heverlee borough. Its intercultural meeting center Pangaea is located in the city center. The University Sports Centre is located in Heverlee, including Univ-Fit gym. In addition, the
UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
Groot Begijnhof, a historic
beguinage A beguinage, from the French language, French term , is an architectural complex which was created to house beguines: lay religious women who lived in community without taking vows or retiring from the world. Originally the beguine institution w ...
in the south of city, is owned by the university and functions as one of its many residence halls. Public transport within the city is primarily served by the De Lijn bus system. Leuven is a main hub in Belgium's and nearby country's train network. Leuven station is located in the northeast edge of the city. KU Leuven has campuses in
Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...
,
Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
,
Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...
,
Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...
,
Ostend Ostend ( ; ; ; ) is a coastal city and municipality in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerke, Raversijde, Stene and Zandvoorde, and the city of Ostend proper – the la ...
,
Geel Geel () is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, which acquired city status in the 1980s. It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns: Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum. Furthe ...
, Diepenbeek, Aalst, Sint-Katelijne-Waver,
Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
.


Organization and academics

Academics at KU Leuven is organized into three groups, each with its own faculties, departments, and schools offering programs up to doctoral level. While most courses are taught in Dutch, many are offered in English, particularly the graduate programs. Notable divisions of the university include the Institute of Philosophy and the Rega Institute for Medical Research. The students of the university are gathered together in the student's council Studentenraad KU Leuven.


Libraries

KU Leuven has 24 libraries and learning centers across its 12 campuses, containing millions of books and other media. Its theology library alone hold 1.3 million volumes, including works dating from the 15th century. The following libraries are found at its Leuven campus: * 2Bergen — Biomedical Library * 2Bergen — Campuslibrary Arenberg (exact sciences, engineering sciences, industrial engineering sciences, bio—engineering sciences, architecture and kinesiology and rehabilitation sciences) * Artes — Ladeuze & Erasmushuis (Humanities & Social Sciences Group and the Faculty of Arts) * Library of Psychology and Educational Sciences * Law Library * Library of Social Sciences * Library of the Institute of Philosophy * AGORA Learning Centre * EBIB Learning Centre * MATRIX (music and audio recordings library) * Maurits Sabbe Library (Library of the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies)


University hospital

Universitair ziekenhuis Leuven (UZ Leuven) is the teaching hospital associated with the KU Leuven. Its most well known and largest campus is Gasthuisberg, which also houses the faculty of pharmaceutical sciences and most of the faculty of medicine.


Breakthrough and notable research

KU Leuven scientists have managed to produce a
solar hydrogen panel A solar hydrogen panel is a device for artificial photosynthesis that produces photohydrogen from sunlight and water. The panel uses electrochemical water splitting, where energy captured from Solar panel, solar panels powers Electrolysis of wat ...
, which is able to directly convert no less than 15 per cent of sunlight into
hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...
gas, which according to them is a world record. In the solar hydrogen panel the hydrogen and
oxygen Oxygen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group (periodic table), group in the periodic table, a highly reactivity (chemistry), reactive nonmetal (chemistry), non ...
evolution reactions are performed in the
gas phase In the physical sciences, a phase is a region of material that is chemically uniform, physically distinct, and (often) mechanically separable. In a system consisting of ice and water in a glass jar, the ice cubes are one phase, the water is a ...
in
cathode A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device such as a lead-acid battery. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. Conventional curren ...
and
anode An anode usually is an electrode of a polarized electrical device through which conventional current enters the device. This contrasts with a cathode, which is usually an electrode of the device through which conventional current leaves the devic ...
compartments separated by a
membrane A membrane is a selective barrier; it allows some things to pass through but stops others. Such things may be molecules, ions, or other small particles. Membranes can be generally classified into synthetic membranes and biological membranes. Bi ...
. Anion exchange membranes provide an
alkaline In chemistry, an alkali (; from the Arabic word , ) is a basic salt of an alkali metal or an alkaline earth metal. An alkali can also be defined as a base that dissolves in water. A solution of a soluble base has a pH greater than 7.0. The ...
environment enabling the use of earth abundant materials as electrocatalysts. According to
IEEE Spectrum ''IEEE Spectrum'' is a magazine edited and published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The first issue of ''IEEE Spectrum'' was published in January 1964 as a successor to ''Electrical Engineering''. In 2010, ''IEEE Spe ...
in 2019 this is a giant leap from 0.1% efficiency 10 years earlier. This technology bypasses the conversion losses of the classical solar–hydrogen energy cycle where
solar power Solar power, also known as solar electricity, is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Solar panels use the photovoltaic effect to c ...
is first harvested via a
solar panel A solar panel is a device that converts sunlight into electricity by using photovoltaic (PV) cells. PV cells are made of materials that produce excited electrons when exposed to light. These electrons flow through a circuit and produce direct ...
and only then to converted to hydrogen with
electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses Direct current, direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of c ...
plants.


Affiliations

Since July 2002, thirteen higher education institutes have formed the KU Leuven Association. Members include:Members KU Leuven Association
Retrieved June 24, 2018.
* KU Leuven *
LUCA School of Arts Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel (the "LUCA School of Arts") is an independent Flemish Community, Flemish art school based in the Schaerbeek municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is a predominantly Dutch language, Dutch-speaking institution located o ...
* Odisee * Thomas More * UC Leuven Limburg * Vives KU Leuven is a member of a number of international university affiliations including the
League of European Research Universities The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is a consortium of European research universities. History and overview The League of European Research Universities (LERU) is an association of research-intensive universities. Founded in 20 ...
,
Coimbra Group The Coimbra Group (CG) is an international association of 40 universities in Europe. It was established in 1985. It works for the benefit of its members by promoting "internationalization, academic collaboration, excellence in learning and rese ...
,
Una Europa Una Europa is an international network of European research-intensive universities. Launched in early 2019, the alliance is headquartered in Brussels, Belgium and connects eleven universities, nine of which are in the European Union. Taken toget ...
,
Universitas 21 Universitas 21 (U21) is an international network of research-intensive universities. Founded in Melbourne, Australia in 1997 with 11 members, it has grown to include twenty-nine member universities in nineteen countries and territories. The uni ...
, and Venice International University, among others. The university is a member of the Flanders Interuniversity Institute of Biotechnology. The
Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC; officially stylised as imec) is an international Research and development, research & development organization, active in the fields of nanoelectronics and Digital electronics, digital technologies ...
is a spin-off company of the university.


Journal

KU Leuven publishes ''Jura Falconis'', a student-edited law review of the Faculty of Law. It was founded by a group of students from the Law Faculty of the who, in 1964, conceived the idea of producing their own law journal grafted on the famous American law reviews. Every year, ''Jura Falconis'' organizes the ''Jura Falconis '', an award for the best legal dissertation. Students at Flemish faculties of law submit their dissertations, which are judged by a panel of professors of law, including a judge of the Belgian Court of Cassation.


Rankings

As of 2024, KU Leuven ranks high in the major international rankings, i.e. 63rd in the
QS World University Rankings The ''QS World University Rankings'' is a portfolio of comparative college and university rankings compiled by Quacquarelli Symonds, a higher education analytics firm. Its first and earliest edition was published in collaboration with '' Times ...
, 43rd in the
Times Higher Education ''Times Higher Education'' (''THE''), formerly ''The Times Higher Education Supplement'' (''The THES''), is a British magazine reporting specifically on news and issues related to higher education. Ownership TPG Capital acquired TSL Education ...
rankings, and 78th according to the Shanghai
Academic Ranking of World Universities The ''Academic Ranking of World Universities'' (''ARWU''), also known as the Shanghai Ranking, is one of the annual publications of world university rankings. The league table was originally compiled and issued by Shanghai Jiao Tong Universi ...
. And as stated by other prominent global rankings in 2024, the university is ranked 48th in the U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking, 61st in the CWTS Leiden Ranking and 103rd in the
Center for World University Rankings College and university rankings order higher education institutions based on various criteria, with factors differing depending on the specific ranking system. These rankings can be conducted at the national or international level, assessing inst ...
. Furthermore, in their 2019 rankings of the World's Most Innovative Universities, Thomson Reuters placed KU Leuven 7th in the world and best university in Europe (1st), four times in a row since its founding in 2016. According to QS World University Rankings by Subject in 2019, KU Leuven ranked within the world's top 50 universities in the following fields: Sports-related Subjects (11), Theology (14), Dentistry (17), Classics and Ancient History (22), Library and Information Management (23), Psychology (24), Statistics and Operational Research (26), Mechanical Engineering (30), Philosophy (31), Geography (34), Pharmacy & Pharmacology (35), Education and Training (36), Law (37), Social Policy and Administration (39), Development Studies (43), Materials sciences (45), Chemical Engineering (46), Politics (49), Sociology (50), Life Sciences and Medicine (56), Social Sciences and Management (60), Arts and Humanities (61), Engineering and Technology (61). Also according to QS, many other KU Leuven programs rank within the top 100 in the world, including Linguistics, English Language and Literature, History, Anatomy and Physiology, Architecture, Anthropology, Computer Science and Information System, Biological Sciences, Civil and Structural Engineering, Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Business and Management Studies, Mathematics, Economics and Econometrics, Chemistry, Accounting and Finance .


Rectors

On 20 May 2025, Severine Vermeire was elected as the first female rector of KU Leuven in the university's history, winning with 51.9 % of the votes in the university's electoral college. Her election marked a historic milestone for the institution, which was previously only been led by male rectors.


Notable alumni

* Leon Bekaert (b. 1958), economics, businessman * Paul Bulcke (b. 1954), economics, businessman, CEO of
Nestlé Nestlé S.A. ( ) is a Swiss multinational food and drink processing conglomerate corporation headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. It has been the largest publicly held food company in the world, measured by revenue and other metrics, since 20 ...
* Jan Callewaert, economics, founder of Option N.V. * Peter Carmeliet, physician and medical scientist * Gerbrand Ceder, Daniel M. Tellep Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at
University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
* Mathew Chandrankunnel (b. 1958), professor of philosophy of science at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram * Mathias Cormann (b. 1970), Belgian-born Australian senator and Minister for Finance * Jo Cornu, engineer, previous CEO of the
National Railway Company of Belgium The National Railway Company of Belgium (, NMBS; , SNCB; ) is the national railway company of Belgium. The company formally styles itself using the Dutch and French abbreviations NMBS/SNCB. The corporate logo designed in 1936 by Henry van de Ve ...
*
Joan Daemen Joan Daemen (; born 1965) is a Belgians, Belgian cryptographer who is currently professor of digital security (symmetric encryption) at Radboud University. He co-designed with Vincent Rijmen the Rijndael cipher, which was selected as the Advance ...
(b. 1965),
cryptographer Cryptography, or cryptology (from "hidden, secret"; and ''graphein'', "to write", or '' -logia'', "study", respectively), is the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of adversarial behavior. More gen ...
, one of the designers of
Advanced Encryption Standard The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), also known by its original name Rijndael (), is a specification for the encryption of electronic data established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2001. AES is a variant ...
(AES). * Frans C. De Schryver (b. 1939), chemist * Julien De Wilde (b. 1967), civil engineer, businessman * Noël Devisch (b. 1943), agriculture * Shelton Fabre (b. 1963), American Roman Catholic bishop * Gabriel Fehervari (b. 1970) law, businessman *
Koen Geens Koen Geens (born 22 January 1958) is a Belgian jurist and politician of the Christian Democratic and Flemish (CD&V) who served as the Minister of Justice and as Deputy Prime Minister in the governments of Prime Ministers Charles Michel and So ...
, law, jurist and politician, former Minister of Justice * Willy Geysen, law, head of the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights (CIR) * Thomas Hertog (b. 1975) physics, cosmologist * Jozef IJsewijn, prominent as a key founder of
Neo-Latin studies Neo-Latin studies is the study of Latin and its literature from the Italian Renaissance to the present day. Neo-Latin Neo-LatinSidwell, Keith ''Classical Latin-Medieval Latin-Neo Latin'' in ; others, throughout. (also known as New Latin and M ...
* Suriya Evans-Pritchard Jayanti, American diplomat, U.S. Department of State *
Abdul Qadeer Khan Abdul Qadeer Khan (1 April 1936 – 10 October 2021) was a Pakistani Nuclear physics, nuclear physicist and metallurgist, metallurgical engineer. He is colloquially known as the "father of Pakistan and weapons of mass destruction, Pakistan's ...
(b. 1936), founder of Pakistan's Nuclear Program * Koen Lamberts (b. 1964), President and Vice-Chancellor, University of Sheffield (United Kingdom) * Koen Lenaerts, law, president of the
European Court of Justice The European Court of Justice (ECJ), officially the Court of Justice (), is the supreme court of the European Union in matters of European Union law. As a part of the Court of Justice of the European Union, it is tasked with interpreting ...
* Georges Meekers (b. 1965), Belgian-born wine writer and educator * Simon Mignolet (b. 1988), goalkeeper * Gerald Misinzo, molecular biology, Tanzanian veterinary virologist and professor * Martin Moors, philosopher *
Rudi Pauwels Rudi Pauwels (born 1960) is a Belgian Pharmacology, pharmacologist and Biotechnology, biotech entrepreneur. He was one of the first researchers in the field of HIV, and he played a key role in the fight against the HIV/AIDS, AIDS pandemic by ...
(b. 1960), pharmacologist, co-founder of Tibotec and Virco *
Vincent Rijmen Vincent Rijmen (; born 16 October 1970) is a Belgium, Belgian cryptographer and one of the two designers of the Rijndael, the Advanced Encryption Standard. Rijmen is also the co-designer of the WHIRLPOOL cryptographic hash function, and the block ...
(b. 1970), cryptographer, one of the designers of
Advanced Encryption Standard The Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), also known by its original name Rijndael (), is a specification for the encryption of electronic data established by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2001. AES is a variant ...
(AES). * Willy Sansen (b. 1943), electrical engineer, academic, and author. * Guðmundur Steingrímsson (b. 1972), Icelandic politician * Francine Swiggers, economics, businesswoman * Wu Rong-i, economics, former Vice Premier of Taiwan, Taiwanese politician * Andreas Utermann, finance, former CEO of
Allianz Global Investors Allianz Global Investors (commonly called AllianzGI or AGI), is a global investment management firm with offices in over 20 locations worldwide. It is owned by the global financial services group Allianz. Employing nearly 3,000, it manages over ...
*
Jef Valkeniers Jozef Maria Zacharias "Jef" Valkeniers (born 29 December 1932) is a physician-neuropsychiatrist and a Flemish politician. Biography Jef Valkeniers was born on 29 December 1932 as the seventh child in a large brewer family. He grew up in Schepdaa ...
, doctor and politician * Astrid van Oyen, archaeologist and professor * Marc Van Ranst (b. 1965), physician, virologist * Herman Van Rompuy (b. 1947), Belgian statesman, appointed
President of the European Council The president of the European Council is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council on the world stage. This Institutions of the European Union, institution comprises the college of heads of state or governme ...
in November 2009 * Frans Vanistendael, law * Catherine Verfaillie (b. 1957) physician,
stem cell In multicellular organisms, stem cells are undifferentiated or partially differentiated cells that can change into various types of cells and proliferate indefinitely to produce more of the same stem cell. They are the earliest type of cell ...
scientist * Koen Vervaeke (b. 1959), history, diplomat * Isaac Wardell (b. 1979), musician, composer


Honorary doctorates

Notable recipients of honorary doctorates at the KU Leuven include: * Albert II of Belgium (1961), King of the Belgians * James P. Allison (2017), Immunologist,
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine () is awarded yearly by the Nobel Assembly at the Karolinska Institute for outstanding discoveries in physiology or medicine. The Nobel Prize is not a single prize, but five separate prizes that, acco ...
2018 * Timothy Garton Ash (2011), British historian and Professor of European Studies,
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
* Michelle Bachelet (2015), President of
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
*
Abhijit Banerjee Abhijit Vinayak Banerjee (; born 21 February 1961) is an Indian American economist who is currently the Ford Foundation International Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is co-founder and co-director of the ...
(2014), Indian economist,
Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...
*
Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople Bartholomew (born Dimitrios Archontonis, 29 February 1940) is the current Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople since 1991. In accordance with his title, he is regarded as the ''primus inter pares'' (first among equals) in the Eastern Orthodox ...
(1996) * Baudouin of Belgium (1951), King of the Belgians * Roberto Benigni (2007), Italian actor, comedian, screenwriter and director of film, theatre and television. * John Braithwaite (2008), Australian criminologist (application of the idea of restorative justice to business regulation and peacebuilding) * Manuel Castells (2004), Professor of
Sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...
,
Open University of Catalonia The Open University of Catalonia (; ) is a private Open supported learning, open university based in Barcelona, Spain. The UOC offers graduate and postgraduate programs in Catalan language, Catalan, Spanish language, Spanish and English languag ...
,
University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...
* Leon O. Chua (2013), professor in the electrical engineering and computer sciences department at the University of California, Berkeley * Carla Del Ponte (2002), former Chief
prosecutor A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in Civil law (legal system), civil law. The prosecution is the ...
of two
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is the Earth, global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the Charter of the United Nations, UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and internationa ...
international criminal law International criminal law (ICL) is a body of public international law designed to prohibit certain categories of conduct commonly viewed as serious atrocities and to make perpetrators of such conduct criminally accountable for their perpetrat ...
tribunals *
Jared Diamond Jared Mason Diamond (born September 10, 1937) is an American scientist, historian, and author. In 1985 he received a MacArthur Genius Grant, and he has written hundreds of scientific and popular articles and books. His best known is '' Guns, G ...
(2008), professor of
Geography Geography (from Ancient Greek ; combining 'Earth' and 'write', literally 'Earth writing') is the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, and phenomena of Earth. Geography is an all-encompassing discipline that seeks an understanding o ...
and
Physiology Physiology (; ) is the science, scientific study of function (biology), functions and mechanism (biology), mechanisms in a life, living system. As a branches of science, subdiscipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ syst ...
,
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
*
Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida;Peeters (2013), pp. 12–13. See also 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was a French Algerian philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, ...
(1989), French philosopher *
John Kenneth Galbraith John Kenneth Galbraith (October 15, 1908 – April 29, 2006), also known as Ken Galbraith, was a Canadian-American economist, diplomat, public official, and intellectual. His books on economic topics were bestsellers from the 1950s through the ...
(1972), Canadian economist *
Nadine Gordimer Nadine Gordimer (20 November 192313 July 2014) was a South African writer and political activist. She received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1991, recognised as a writer "who through her magnificent epic writing has ... been of very great ben ...
(1980), South African author, Booker Prize 1974, Nobel Prize in Literature 1991 *
Alan Greenspan Alan Greenspan (born March 6, 1926) is an American economist who served as the 13th chairman of the Federal Reserve from 1987 to 2006. He worked as a private adviser and provided consulting for firms through his company, Greenspan Associates L ...
(1997), economist, former chairman of the Board of Governors of the US Federal Reserve *
Eugène Ionesco Eugène Ionesco (; ; born Eugen Ionescu, ; 26 November 1909 – 28 March 1994) was a Romanian-French playwright who wrote mostly in French, and was one of the foremost figures of the French avant-garde theatre#Avant-garde, French avant-garde th ...
(1977), Romanian and French playwright *
Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...
(2015), Secretary-General of the United Nations *
Helmut Kohl Helmut Josef Michael Kohl (; 3 April 1930 – 16 June 2017) was a German politician who served as chancellor of Germany and governed the ''Federal Republic'' from 1982 to 1998. He was leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) from 1973 to ...
(1996), former Chancellor of Germany * Christine Lagarde (2012), Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) *
Mario Vargas Llosa Jorge Mario Pedro Vargas Llosa, 1st Marquess of Vargas Llosa (28 March 1936 – 13 April 2025) was a Peruvian novelist, journalist, essayist and politician. Vargas Llosa was one of the most significant Latin American novelists and essayists a ...
(2003), Peruvian writer * Angela Merkel (2017), German politician,
Chancellor of Germany The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal Cabinet of Germany, government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Government of Germany, ...
* Michael Marmot (2014), British epidemiologist,
University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...
*
Martha Nussbaum Martha Nussbaum (; Craven; born May 6, 1947) is an American philosopher and the current Ernst Freund Distinguished Service Professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the law school and the philos ...
(1997), American philosopher,
University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...
* Dirk Obbink, Lecturer in Papyrology and Greek Literature at
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
and the head of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri Project. *
Roger Penrose Sir Roger Penrose (born 8 August 1931) is an English mathematician, mathematical physicist, Philosophy of science, philosopher of science and Nobel Prize in Physics, Nobel Laureate in Physics. He is Emeritus Rouse Ball Professor of Mathematics i ...
(2005), professor in Mathematical Physics,
University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...
* Navi Pillay (2012), United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights * Thomas S. Popkewitz (2004), professor of curriculum theory, University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education *
Mary Robinson Mary Therese Winifred Robinson (; ; born 21 May 1944) is an Irish politician who served as the president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997. She was the country's first female president. Robinson had previously served as a senato ...
(2000), former
President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...
* Jacques Rogge (2012), President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) * Oscar Arnulfo Romero (1980), archbishop of San Salvador (El Salvador), human rights activist * Helmut Schmidt (1983), former Chancellor of Germany *
Nate Silver Nathaniel Read Silver (born January 13, 1978) is an American statistician, political analyst, author, sports gambler, and poker player who Sabermetrics, analyzes baseball, basketball and Psephology, elections. He is the founder of ''FiveThirty ...
(2013), American author and statistician * Fiona Stanley (2014), Australian epidemiologist *
Rowan Williams Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet, who served as the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury from 2002 to 2012. Previously the Bishop of Monmouth and Archbishop of W ...
(2011), Archbishop of Canterbury


Bibliography

* 1860 : ''Souvenir du XXVe anniversaire de la fondation de l'Université catholique: Novembre 1859, Louvain, typographie Vanlinthout et Cie, 1860
Souvenir du XXVe anniversaire de la fondation de l'Université catholique: Novembre 1859


See also

*
Academic libraries in Leuven An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, th ...
* Arenberg Research-Park * Haasrode Research-Park * Interdisciplinary Centre for Law and ICT *
Science and technology in Flanders Science and technology in Flanders, being the Flemish Community and more specifically the northern region of Belgium (Europe), is well developed with the presence of several universities and research institutes. These are strongly spread over all ...
*
University Foundation The Belgian University Foundation (French: ''Fondation Universitaire''; Dutch: ''Universitaire Stichting'') was founded in 1920. The goal of the Foundation, as was put forward by Émile Francqui, Emile Francqui, is to promote scientific activity a ...
*
List of oldest universities in continuous operation This is a list of the oldest existing universities in continuous operation in the world. Inclusion in this list is determined by the date at which the educational institute first met the traditional definition of a university used by academi ...
* List of split up universities *
List of universities in Belgium This is a list of universities in Belgium. In Belgium, which is a Federalism, federal state, the constitution attributes legislative power over higher education to the Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, Communities. The dutch lang ...


Footnotes


References


External links

* * * KU Leuven
History of KU Leuven




{{Authority control Catholic University of Leuven Buildings and structures in Leuven Education in Leuven Catholic universities and colleges in Belgium Pontifical universities 1970 establishments in Belgium Universities and colleges established in 1834 id:Universitas Katolik Leuven