Established in 1425 in Leuven and refounded in Louvain-la-Neuve in 1968, UCLouvain is a major French-speaking university in Belgium offering comprehensive education and research, with strong science and engineering faculties.
UCLouvain is the largest French-speaking university in Belgium, with about 37,000 students, 6,000 staff and roughly one student in five from abroad. Its main seat is Louvain-la-Neuve, a town in Walloon Brabant that was built from scratch after 1968 for the university, with a car-free centre where lecture halls, shops and student housing sit within a short walk of each other. Additional sites serve medicine in Brussels and teaching in Mons, Tournai and Charleroi.
The university traces its origin to the 1425 foundation of Leuven and became independent when the French-speaking section left the Dutch-speaking city. Engineering is taught at the Louvain School of Engineering, and the Faculty of Sciences has a long tradition in physics, chemistry and mathematics. The Nobel laureate Christian de Duve, who identified lysosomes and peroxisomes, studied and worked in the Louvain tradition, and Georges Lemaître also taught here.
Research priorities include sustainable development, health and biomedical sciences, materials science and the digital society. A science park next to the campus houses spin-off companies and corporate research units, notably in biotechnology and software. The university belongs to The Guild, the Coimbra Group and the Circle U alliance, and it runs numerous bilateral agreements across Europe and beyond.
Teaching is in French, although an increasing number of master’s programmes run in English. Tuition in the French Community is regulated and kept low for EU students, with reduced rates for students from low-income families, while non-EU students pay higher fees. Admission to engineering is subject to an entrance exam that tests mathematics and sciences, so applicants should prepare for it well before enrolment.
Student life is concentrated in the university town itself. Trains reach Brussels in about 30 minutes, and the town hosts a large calendar of student events, sports and cultural activities. About 200,000 people have graduated from the university, which makes its alumni network strong in Belgian industry and public administration.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Food Science, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Graduate Certificate, Master
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, Coimbra Group, Circle U. Numerous international partnerships and industry links.
Research:
Sustainable development, Health and biomedical sciences, Materials science, Digital society, European studies. Wide research spectrum.
Famous Alumnis:
Georges Lemaître (historic), Christian de Duve, Vera Dua
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6000
Current students***:
37000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
200000
Pros
Strong research focus, international environment, purpose-built green campus in Louvain-la-Neuve, good quality of life.
Cons
Some faculties are spread across different sites (e.g. Brussels Woluwe for health sciences), finding accommodation can be competitive.
Best For
Multidisciplinary research and high-quality French-language technical and scientific education.
Both schools build their programmes around food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics, and Katholieke Universiteit Leuven is the one to compare first within the country, since it is larger, enrolling about 62,000 students against roughly 37,000 here, and is also a private institution.
Think of Universiteit Gent when food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics is the priority: it is slightly larger, at about 49,000 students against roughly 37,000 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Université de Liège is the closest domestic counterpart for food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics; it does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here and covers aerospace and optics as well.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics can consider Université libre de Bruxelles, and it covers optics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 34,000 students.
Université de Mons follows much the same lines as this university, with nanotechnologies, microbiology and genetics and fluid dynamics as common ground, and it is public, whereas this university is private, and does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Université de Lille in France pursues a similar profile in food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics, and it covers astroscience and aerospace as well, and is larger, enrolling about 74,000 students against roughly 37,000 here.
Students considering a move abroad can look at Aix-Marseille Université in France, where food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics also form the core, and it does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here and covers sound engineering and astroscience as well.
Tokyo University of Science in Japan shares the food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this institution, and it does not run the graduate certificate programmes found here and covers astroscience and aerospace as well.
If this institution is on your list for bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the Netherlands deserves a comparison, because it covers astroscience and marine science as well, and has almost the same size, at about 37,000 students.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on bioinformatics, geotechnics and nanotechnologies is Waseda University in Japan, and it covers astroscience and aerospace as well, and is slightly larger, at about 50,000 students against roughly 37,000 here.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is UCLouvain?
The main campus is in Louvain-la-Neuve, Walloon Brabant, at Place de l'Université 1, about 30 km south-east of Brussels.
How large is UCLouvain?
About 37,000 students and 6,000 staff, with about 20 percent of students coming from abroad.
What is the history of the university?
It traces its roots to the University of Leuven founded in 1425 and moved its French-speaking section to Louvain-la-Neuve in 1968.
What language are courses taught in?
Mainly French. Some master's programmes are offered in English.
How much is tuition?
Fees in the French Community of Belgium are regulated and low for EU students, with reductions for low-income students. Non-EU students pay higher fees.
Is there an entrance exam?
Yes, engineering applicants take an entrance exam covering mathematics and sciences. Check the current rules on the university's admissions pages.
Which fields is it strong in?
Engineering, biomedical sciences, computer science, materials science and sustainable development.
What international alliances does it belong to?
The Guild of European Research-Intensive Universities, the Coimbra Group and the Circle U alliance.
Who are notable people linked to the university?
Georges Lemaître, who proposed the expanding universe, and Nobel laureate Christian de Duve are among the best known.
How far is Louvain-la-Neuve from Brussels?
Trains connect the town to Brussels in about 30 minutes.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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