Get to know UCLouvain

Founded in 1425, UCLouvain is one of the oldest universities in Europe. Erasmus, Mercator, Vesalius are some of the personalities who frequented it. Georges Lemaître formulated his theory of the Big Bang there and Christian de Duve won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1974.

The university welcomes nearly 40.000 students in eight locations in Brussels and Wallonia. Its main campus is in the pedestrianised city of Louvain-la-Neuve. Our university offers courses in all disciplines, from bachelor’s degree to doctoral degree level, as well as many lifelong learning programmes. It is also a pioneer in the creation of massive open online courses (MOOCs), and the first French-speaking university in Europe to offer online courses on the edX platform (43 courses available in 2023).

Education and research

With a Nobel Prize, 21 Prix Francqui (the ‘Belgian Nobel’) and many other honours, UCLouvain offers an education fuelled by solid research. The university’s drive to innovate is clear: nearly €300 million in annual research investment, 415 projects funded by European framework programmes (as of 2023) and close relationships with the commercial world, particularly with the 279 companies in the university’s two science parks. Meanwhile, UCLouvain’s research development efforts are currently responsible for 68 active spin-offs.

Open to the world

Since its creation, UCLouvain has not only been open to the world; it has reached out to the world and invited it in: 25% of its teaching staff and 40% of its scientific staff are international. Moreover, 20% of its student body is international. This openness is also reflected in its many exchange partnerships with universities worldwide, active participation in international networks and long-held tradition of cooperation with developing countries.

Top-ranked Belgian francophone university

Placing 170th in the 2023 Times Higher Education ranking of the world’s universities, UCLouvain is ranked first among Belgian francophone universities. It is also one of Europe’s most well established universities,