Drug Discovery & Development, Environmental Sciences, Materials Science
Established in its current form in 2003 through a merger, the University of Antwerp is a major Belgian university offering a wide range of programs with a strong research focus.
The University of Antwerp is a mid-sized public university with about 22,000 students and 6,000 staff, and roughly one student in five comes from abroad. Its present form dates from 2003, when three older institutions merged. That origin explains the layout: the city campus in the historic centre handles humanities, law and social sciences, while sciences, engineering and medicine work from the Drie Eiken campus in Wilrijk and the Groenenborger and Middelheim campuses.
The university is best known for medical and materials research. The Vaccine and Infectious Disease Institute works on vaccines and global health, the drug discovery groups collaborate with pharmaceutical companies in the region, and the electron microscopy group EMAT is a leader in characterising materials at atomic scale. Christine Van Broeckhoven, a neurogeneticist known for work on the genes behind Alzheimer’s disease, is one of the university’s best-known researchers.
Environmental technology and sustainable chemistry complete the research profile. The port of Antwerp, one of the largest chemical clusters in Europe, gives chemistry, engineering and logistics students many local partners, and the Antwerp Management School adds business training. The university belongs to the YUFE alliance of young European universities, which supports exchange and joint teaching.
Bachelor programmes are largely in Dutch, with many master’s programmes in English. EU students pay the regulated Flemish fee, which is modest in European terms, and students from outside the EU pay higher fees. Admission is open to students with a secondary school diploma for most degrees, and medicine and dentistry use a Flanders-wide entrance exam.
Antwerp is a port city with fashion, diamonds and a busy cultural life, and rents are lower than in Brussels. Trains reach Brussels in about 40 minutes and Amsterdam in under two hours. About 70,000 people have graduated from the current university and its predecessors.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Life Sciences, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Process Control, Software Engineering, Statistics, Telecommunications
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Young Universities for the Future of Europe (YUFE). Active in global networks and strong regional industrial partnerships.
Research:
Infectious diseases and vaccine development, Drug discovery, Materials characterization and nanotechnology, Environmental technology and sustainable chemistry, Neurosciences.
Famous Alumnis:
Christine Van Broeckhoven, Peter Piot (lecturer), Patrick Janssens
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6000
Current students***:
22000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
70000
Pros
Dynamic and growing university, strong links with the Port of Antwerp and chemical industry, good research in specific domains.
Cons
Relatively young as a unified entity, some faculties are dispersed across the city, competition for housing.
Best For
Applied and fundamental research, particularly in life sciences, chemistry, and environmental studies, connected to Antwerp’s economic strengths.
Among national alternatives, Vrije Universiteit Brussel stands out for its focus on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers optics and fluid dynamics as well.
Université de Liège takes a similar route through bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, and it covers aerospace and food science as well, and is slightly larger, at about 26,000 students against roughly 22,000 here.
Another national school that puts bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics at the centre is Universiteit Gent, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
In terms of fields, Universiteit Hasselt is the nearest neighbour, with bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering again at the core; it is far smaller, with about 7,000 students against roughly 22,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Université de Mons offers a comparable education in nanotechnologies, microbiology and genetics and process control: it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, takes a similar route through bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly larger, at about 32,000 students against roughly 22,000 here.
The closest overseas parallel on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics is Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, located in Italy; it is larger, enrolling about 35,000 students against roughly 22,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Peking University (China) works on the same fields as this institution, chiefly bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers astroscience and geotechnics as well.
Universiteit Utrecht (the Netherlands) works on the same fields as this university, chiefly bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Beyond national borders, Université de Strasbourg stands out as a comparable school for bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers astroscience and food science as well.
*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 Antwerp?
The central address is Prinsstraat 13 in Antwerp. Further campuses are in Wilrijk, Groenenborger and Middelheim.
How large is the university?
About 22,000 students and 6,000 staff.
When was it created?
Its present form dates from 2003, when three older institutions merged.
Is it public?
Yes. It is a public university funded by the Flemish government.
What languages are used for teaching?
Most bachelor programmes are in Dutch. Many master's programmes are offered in English.
How much does it cost?
EU students pay the regulated Flemish tuition fee, which is modest in European terms. Non-EU students pay higher fees.
Which research areas stand out?
Infectious diseases and vaccines, drug discovery, materials characterisation, nanotechnology and environmental technology.
What is EMAT?
EMAT is the electron microscopy group for materials science, known for atomic-scale imaging of materials.
Which alliance does it belong to?
It is a member of YUFE, the Young Universities for the Future of Europe.
Why study in Antwerp?
The city has a large port and chemical cluster, so chemistry, engineering and logistics students find many local partners for projects and internships.
Biomedical Sensors, Environmental Technologies, Materials Science, Neuroscience Technology, Quality Management, Research and Development, Sustainable Development, Sustainable Practices
*: 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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