Address: Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 50, 1050 Bruxelles, Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium
Physics, Engineering, Computer Science
Founded in 1834, ULB is a major French-speaking private research university in Brussels. It is known for its principle of ‘free inquiry’ and strong research output across many disciplines.
ULB is a major French-speaking research university in Brussels, with about 34,000 students, 6,800 staff and one of the highest foreign student shares among Belgian universities, around 30 percent. Its formal status is private, but it is publicly funded and follows the principle of free inquiry written into its founding charter in 1834: no dogma, no authority over scientific method. Students come from more than a hundred countries.
The main Solbosch campus on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt hosts engineering, sciences, law and economics, and the Erasme campus around the university hospital handles medicine. The Brussels School of Engineering is run together with the Dutch-speaking VUB under the Bruface programme. Nobel laureates are counted among its graduates and staff over more than a century, among them Jules Bordet for immunology, Ilya Prigogine for chemistry and François Englert for physics, awarded for the Higgs mechanism.
Physics has deep roots here. The Solvay Institutes for physics and chemistry, created with funding from the industrialist Ernest Solvay, grew out of the conferences that brought Einstein, Curie and Bohr to Brussels from 1911. Current work includes fundamental physics, political science, health sciences, artificial intelligence and quantum computing. ULB is part of the CIVIS European university alliance, which links it with partners in Rome, Madrid, Athens, Stockholm and elsewhere.
Teaching is mainly in French, and the French Community tuition regulations keep fees low for EU students, with reductions for low-income applicants. Non-EU students pay higher fees. Engineering applicants take an entrance exam in mathematics and sciences before starting, and the university publishes sample papers so candidates can prepare.
Living in Brussels brings both advantages and costs. The city hosts the European institutions, embassies and many research bodies, which create internships in policy and science. Rents are higher than in Wallonia or Flanders, so students often share flats in Ixelles or Etterbeek near the Solbosch campus. About 180,000 people have graduated from ULB.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Robotics, Software Engineering, Statistics, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Private
Partnerships:
CIVIS (A European Civic University Alliance). Active in numerous international networks and strong historical research collaborations.
Research:
Fundamental physics (e.g., Solvay Institutes), Political science, Health sciences, Artificial intelligence, Quantum computing, Materials science.
Famous Alumnis:
Jules Bordet, Ilya Prigogine, André Delvaux, Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (attended), Paul Magnette, Pedro Sanchez (Erasmus)
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6800
Current students***:
34000
Foreign students***:
30%
Cumulative former students***:
180000
Pros
Prime location in Brussels, strong international dimension, high research activity and reputation, large alumni network.
Cons
Very large university, finding suitable accommodation in Brussels can be difficult and expensive, some campuses are spread out.
Best For
Strong research tradition and comprehensive education in the heart of Europe.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel overlaps with this institution on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics, so the two are easy to compare, and it is public, whereas this institution is private, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
On content, Université catholique de Louvain and this university are close, as both teach bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics; it covers food science and geotechnics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 37,000 students.
Katholieke Universiteit Leuven sits close to this institution on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics; it also offers graduate certificate and graduate diploma programmes and covers aerospace and food science as well.
Université de Liège sits close to this institution on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics; it is slightly smaller, at about 26,000 students against roughly 34,000 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
The comparison with Université de Mons is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on nanotechnologies, fluid dynamics and civil engineering, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers microbiology and genetics and process control as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Students considering a move abroad can look at Peking University in China, where bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics also form the core, and it is public, whereas this institution is private, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
On content, Université PSL in France and this institution are close, as both teach bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics; it is smaller, enrolling about 17,000 students against roughly 34,000 here, and is public, whereas this institution is private.
Université Paris-Saclay, based in France, is built around bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics much like this institution, and it is public, whereas this institution is private, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
USTC in China pursues a similar profile in bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics, and it covers astroscience and aerospace as well, and is slightly smaller, at about 25,000 students against roughly 34,000 here.
In Japan, Tokyo University of Science teaches much the same core subjects, bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics, and it is smaller, enrolling about 20,000 students against roughly 34,000 here, and is also a private institution.
*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 ULB?
Its main campus, Solbosch, is at Avenue Franklin Roosevelt 50 in Brussels. The medical campus Erasme is in Anderlecht.
How large is ULB?
About 34,000 students and 6,800 staff, with roughly 30 percent of students from abroad.
What does free inquiry mean at ULB?
It is the founding principle of 1834: knowledge is pursued without religious or political authority dictating the results.
Is ULB public or private?
Formally it is a private university, but it is funded by the French Community of Belgium and operates as a public-interest institution.
What language are courses taught in?
Mainly French. Some master's programmes and the Bruface joint engineering programme are offered in English.
How much does it cost to study there?
Fees in the French Community are regulated and low for EU students, with reductions for those on low income. Non-EU students pay higher fees.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to ULB?
Jules Bordet, Albert Claude, Ilya Prigogine and François Englert are among the laureates who studied or worked at ULB.
What are the Solvay Institutes?
They are research institutes for physics and chemistry founded with the support of Ernest Solvay, linked to the Solvay conferences that started in Brussels in 1911.
Which alliance is ULB part of?
The CIVIS European civic university alliance, which links it with several universities in Europe and Africa.
Is there an entrance exam for engineering?
Yes. Applicants to the engineering bachelor take an entrance exam in mathematics and sciences before enrolling.
*: 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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