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KU Leuven

(KUL)

🇧🇪 Belgium / Flanders / Leuven
Public Est. 1425

About

KU Leuven is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries.

Ranking Overview

Ranking Snapshot

Ranked Top 50 worldwide across 4 major ranking systems

THE #46 (2026)
US News #50 (2026)

Ranked in 128 subject rankings

QS QS World University Rankings
# 60
38
79.7
2026
THE Times Higher Education World University Rankings
# 46
3
76.8
2026
ARWU Academic Ranking of World Universities
# 76
2
28.6
2025
US News U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings
# 50
2
76.0
2026

Key Facts

Students
50,336
Student-Staff Ratio
37.1 : 1
Int'l Students
21%
Female : Male
52 : 48

Historical Trend

Longitudinal View
QS QS
THE THE
ARWU ARWU
US News US News
1 51 101 151 201 251 301 350 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Rank
:
Score:

Top Subjects

Best-performing areas
8
Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies
Top 10
=12
Gastroenterology and Hepatology
Top 50
12
Microbiology
Top 50
=12
Oncology
Top 50
14
Surgery
Top 50
14
Law & Legal Studies
Top 50
15
Dentistry
Top 50
18
Infectious Diseases
Top 50
18
Psychology
Top 50
20
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging
Top 50
20
Arts & Humanities
Top 50
21
Public Administration
Top 50
23
Psychiatry/Psychology
Top 50
24
Endocrinology and Metabolism
Top 50
26
Clinical Medicine
Top 50

Subject Rankings

Detailed breakdown

QS

52 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies 8 85.6 2026
Dentistry 23 80.5 2026
Psychology 24 80.7 2026
Social Policy & Administration =26 81.3 2026
Sports-Related Subjects 26 79.6 2026
Philosophy 29 75.8 2026
Life Sciences & Medicine 30 82.1 2026
Pharmacy & Pharmacology 30 77.9 2026
Geography =32 81.1 2026
Anatomy & Physiology =33 83.4 2026
Mechanical, Aeronautical & Manufacturing Engineering 34 78.8 2026
Agriculture & Forestry =34 71.2 2026
Medicine 35 77.1 2026
Linguistics 37 75.7 2026
Library & Information Management 37 66.1 2026
Materials Science =39 78.6 2026
Classics & Ancient History =41 74.3 2026
Chemistry =41 77.4 2026
Chemical Engineering =42 77.3 2026
Nursing =42 80.6 2026
Biological Sciences 45 77.6 2026
Education & Training =46 74.5 2026
Law & Legal Studies 46 75.9 2026
Arts & Humanities =47 79.4 2026
Architecture 47 70.8 2026
Electrical & Electronic Engineering =47 76.8 2026
History 51-100 - 2026
Civil & Structural Engineering 51-100 - 2026
Data Science 51-100 - 2026
Mineral & Mining Engineering 51-100 - 2026
Anthropology 51-100 - 2026
Communication & Media Studies 51-100 - 2026
Statistics & Operational Research 51-100 - 2026
Environmental Sciences =54 79.9 2026
Politics =59 70.2 2026
Engineering & Technology =60 78.4 2026
Modern Languages 61 76.3 2026
Economics & Econometrics =61 75.1 2026
Computer Science 63 71.0 2026
Social Sciences & Management =68 75.3 2026
Natural Sciences =73 78.0 2026
Physics & Astronomy 75 74.9 2026
Mathematics 76 71.7 2026
Accounting & Finance =87 69.3 2026
English Language & Literature 96 68.9 2026
Archaeology 101-150 - 2026
Geology 101-150 - 2026
Geophysics 101-150 - 2026
Development Studies 101-150 - 2026
Business & Management Studies 120 68.0 2026
Earth & Marine Sciences 151-200 - 2026
Art & Design 201-300 - 2026

US News

47 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Gastroenterology and Hepatology =12 76.0 2026
Microbiology 12 76.0 2026
Oncology =12 76.0 2026
Surgery 14 76.0 2026
Infectious Diseases 18 76.0 2026
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging 20 76.0 2026
Psychiatry/Psychology 23 76.0 2026
Endocrinology and Metabolism 24 76.0 2026
Clinical Medicine 26 76.0 2026
Arts and Humanities 34 76.0 2026
Immunology 39 76.0 2026
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems =41 76.0 2026
Molecular Biology and Genetics 42 76.0 2026
Education and Educational Research =42 76.0 2026
Cell Biology =44 76.0 2026
Pharmacology and Toxicology 54 76.0 2026
Mechanical Engineering 58 76.0 2026
Space Science 64 76.0 2026
Computer Science =67 76.0 2026
Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology 78 76.0 2026
Social Sciences and Public Health =80 76.0 2026
Economics & Econometrics 81 76.0 2026
Artificial Intelligence 82 76.0 2026
Agricultural Sciences =82 76.0 2026
Chemical Engineering 83 76.0 2026
Polymer Science =83 76.0 2026
Neuroscience and Behavior 84 76.0 2026
Engineering 93 76.0 2026
Biology and Biochemistry 94 76.0 2026
Chemistry 99 76.0 2026
Green and Sustainable Science and Technology =101 76.0 2026
Food Science and Technology =102 76.0 2026
Materials Science =108 76.0 2026
Plant and Animal Science =109 76.0 2026
Civil Engineering =109 76.0 2026
Mathematics 117 76.0 2026
Ecology 119 76.0 2026
Environmental Engineering 144 76.0 2026
Public, Environmental and Occupational Health =150 76.0 2026
Energy and Fuels 156 76.0 2026
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 160 76.0 2026
Environment/Ecology =164 76.0 2026
Condensed Matter Physics 176 76.0 2026
Geosciences =180 76.0 2026
Physical Chemistry =187 76.0 2026
Electrical and Electronic Engineering =205 76.0 2026
Physics & Astronomy =392 76.0 2026

THE

11 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Law & Legal Studies 14 78.4 2026
Psychology 18 79.0 2026
Arts & Humanities 20 76.7 2026
Clinical & Health =40 75.2 2026
Social Sciences 45 68.4 2026
Education & Training =47 64.1 2026
Computer Science 48 75.0 2026
Engineering & Technology 50 72.9 2026
Life Sciences 51 72.3 2026
Business & Economics =53 63.6 2026
Physical Sciences =72 66.2 2026

ARWU

52 subjects
Subject
Rank
Score
Year
Dentistry 15 228.9 2025
Public Administration 21 138.5 2025
Communication & Media Studies 26 148.3 2025
Psychology 34 176.9 2025
Library & Information Science 36 160.0 2022
Clinical Medicine 40 191.6 2025
Pharmacy & Pharmacology 46 156.8 2025
Chemical Engineering 48 164.7 2025
Biological Sciences 50 182.7 2025
Mathematics 51-75 - 2025
Geography 51-75 - 2025
Food Science & Technology 51-75 - 2025
Biotechnology 51-75 - 2025
Mining & Mineral Engineering 51-75 - 2023
Artificial Intelligence 51-75 - 2025
Human Biological Sciences 51-75 - 2025
Nursing 51-75 - 2025
Medical Technology 51-75 - 2025
Economics & Econometrics 51-75 - 2025
Statistics & Operational Research 51-75 - 2025
Law & Legal Studies 51-75 - 2025
Water Resources 76-100 - 2025
Business Administration 76-100 - 2025
Chemistry 101-150 - 2025
Ecology 101-150 - 2025
Mechanical Engineering 101-150 - 2025
Instruments Science & Technology 101-150 - 2025
Biomedical Engineering 101-150 - 2025
Computer Science 101-150 - 2025
Civil Engineering 101-150 - 2025
Environmental Sciences 101-150 - 2025
Metallurgical Engineering 101-150 - 2025
Public Health 101-150 - 2025
Politics 101-150 - 2025
Sociology 101-150 - 2025
Education & Training 101-150 - 2025
Finance 101-150 - 2025
Management 101-150 - 2025
Physics & Astronomy 151-200 - 2025
Oceanography 151-200 - 2025
Electrical & Electronic Engineering 151-200 - 2025
Automation & Control 151-200 - 2025
Materials Science 151-200 - 2025
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology 151-200 - 2025
Energy Science & Engineering 151-200 - 2025
Transportation Science & Technology 151-200 - 2022
Agricultural Sciences 151-200 - 2025
Hospitality & Tourism Management 151-200 - 2024
Atmospheric Science 201-300 - 2025
Telecommunication Engineering 201-300 - 2025
Veterinary Science 201-300 - 2025
Earth & Marine Sciences 301-400 - 2025
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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the ranking of KU Leuven?

KU Leuven's performance in the latest university rankings: QS Rank 60, THE Rank 46, ARWU Rank 76, US News Rank 50.

When was KU Leuven founded?

KU Leuven was founded in 1425.

What are the top subjects at KU Leuven?

Top subjects at KU Leuven include: Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Microbiology, Oncology, Surgery.

Where is KU Leuven located?

KU Leuven is located in Leuven, Belgium.