Address: Place du 20-Août 7, 4000 Liège, Liège, Belgium
Aerospace Engineering, Materials Science, Life Sciences
Founded in 1817, the University of Liège is a major public university in the French Community of Belgium. It offers a comprehensive range of courses, with notable strengths in sciences, engineering, and space sciences.
The University of Liège has about 26,000 students and 5,500 staff, and it is the public university of the Liège region in the French-speaking part of Belgium. About one student in five is from abroad. Its main buildings stand in the city centre around Place du 20-Août, while most science and engineering work moved to the Sart-Tilman campus, a large green site in the hills south of the city.
Sart-Tilman hosts the Faculty of Applied Sciences, the sciences, the university hospital and several research centres, and since 2009 the former Gembloux agricultural faculty has been part of ULiège as Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech. Space is the standout subject. The Liège Space Centre builds optical instruments for European Space Agency missions, and astrophysicists from the university led the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, announced in 2016 and 2017.
Research also focuses on materials science and engineering, aerospace, biosciences and health, and environment and sustainable development. The EUNICE European University alliance and the Worldwide Universities Network give students and researchers a framework for exchange. Regional industry, from metalworking to pharmaceuticals and microelectronics, provides partners for projects and doctoral research.
Courses are mostly in French, with a growing offer of master’s programmes in English. Tuition in the French Community is low for EU students and reduced for students from low-income households, and students from outside the EU pay higher fees. Engineering applicants must pass an entrance exam in mathematics and sciences, so preparation in the final secondary years is advisable.
Liège is a mid-sized industrial city on the Meuse with a lively student quarter and rents lower than in Brussels. Brussels and Cologne are both about an hour away by train. Around 150,000 people have graduated from ULiège since its creation in 1817.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, 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, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
EUNICE European University, WUN (Worldwide Universities Network). Numerous international collaborations and regional partnerships.
Research:
Space sciences and astrophysics, Materials science and engineering, Biosciences and health, Environment and sustainable development.
Famous Alumnis:
André Grety, Zénobe Gramme, Marcel Dubuisson, Didier Reynders
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5500
Current students***:
26000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
150000
Pros
Strong regional anchor, diverse programs including unique ones like space sciences, good research infrastructure, particularly at Sart Tilman campus.
Cons
Administrative processes can be complex, some city-center facilities are older, while the main campus is outside the city.
Best For
Engineering, space sciences, and life sciences in a French-speaking environment with strong regional links.
Université de Mons overlaps with this institution on nanotechnologies, microbiology and genetics and fluid dynamics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is smaller, enrolling about 10,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of aerospace, food science and bioinformatics can consider Universiteit Gent, and it covers marine science and agriculture as well, and is larger, enrolling about 49,000 students against roughly 26,000 here.
Université catholique de Louvain takes a similar route through food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics, and it also offers graduate certificate programmes and covers industrial design as well.
Both schools build their programmes around bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, and Universiteit Antwerpen is the one to compare first within the country, since it is slightly smaller, at about 22,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Where this university leans on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics, Université libre de Bruxelles does the same, and it is slightly larger, at about 34,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and is private, whereas this university is public.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
UTokyo in Japan shares the aerospace, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this institution, and it has almost the same size, at about 28,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Université Paris-Saclay offers an international parallel to this institution, with aerospace, food science and bioinformatics as common ground; it is larger, enrolling about 48,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Abroad, Università degli Studi di Padova (Italy) covers aerospace, food science and bioinformatics in a comparable way, and it covers astroscience and agriculture as well, and is larger, enrolling about 65,000 students against roughly 26,000 here.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on food science, bioinformatics and geotechnics is Université de Strasbourg in France, and it is larger, enrolling about 57,000 students against roughly 26,000 here, and is also a public institution.
For aerospace, bioinformatics and geotechnics outside the home country, Warsaw University of Technology in Poland is a natural reference; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
*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 the University of Liège?
The central address is Place du 20-Août 7 in Liège. Most science and engineering work is on the Sart-Tilman campus south of the city.
How large is ULiège?
About 26,000 students and 5,500 staff.
Is it a public university?
Yes. It is a public university of the French Community of Belgium.
What languages are used?
Mainly French. A growing number of master's programmes are taught in English.
How much does tuition cost?
Fees are regulated and low for EU students, with reductions for low-income households. Non-EU students pay higher fees.
What is ULiège known for in space research?
The Liège Space Centre builds optical instruments for ESA missions, and ULiège astrophysicists led the discovery of the TRAPPIST-1 system.
Which faculties teach engineering?
The Faculty of Applied Sciences, on the Sart-Tilman campus, teaches civil, mechanical, electrical, aerospace and other engineering degrees.
Does ULiège include an agricultural faculty?
Yes. Gembloux Agro-Bio Tech joined the university in 2009.
Which European alliances is it part of?
The EUNICE European University alliance and the Worldwide Universities Network.
Is there an entrance exam for engineering?
Yes. Engineering applicants take an entrance exam in mathematics and sciences.
Aerospace, Astrophysics, Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Space Exploration, Sustainable Development
*: 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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