University of Antwerp

The University of Antwerp (UA) is characterised by its high standards in education, internationally competitive research and entrepreneurial approach. It was founded in 2003 after the merger of the three universities that were previously known as RUCA, UFSIA and UIA, the university's roots go back to 1852. The University of Antwerp has approximately 11.000 students, which makes it the third largest university in Flanders. Over 1.000 of these students - exchange students not included - are from foreign countries, with a majority of EU countries.

History

It was founded in 2003 after the merger of the three universities that were previously known as RUCA (State University Centre Antwerp), UFSIA (University Faculties Saint Ignatius Antwerp) and UIA (University Institution Antwerp). Hence, the university's roots go back to 1852.

The University of Antwerp has approximately 15.000 students and 850 staff members, which makes it the third largest university in Flanders (= one of the 3 part of Belgium). Over 1.000 of these students (exchange students not included) are from foreign countries, with a majority of EU countries. In order to face the challenges posed by the internationalization of European education and research, the University is part of the Antwerp University Association (AUHA).

Academics

The quality of education in Flanders is outstanding. Antwerp has had the opportunity to keep abreast of new educational developments through its curriculum reform and educational innovation programme. Teaching and learning at the 7 faculties, 16 institutes and many different centres is student-centred and competency-based, with an individual approach in which students are stimulated to develop into independently minded people who are capable of thinking analytically.

Faculties

The University of Antwerp has 7 faculties

Faculty of Applied Economics: English / Dutch
Faculty of Arts: English / Dutch
Faculty of Law: English / Dutch
Faculty of Medicine: English / Dutch
Faculty of Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences: English / Dutch
Faculty of Political and Social Sciences: English / Dutch
Faculty of Science: English / Dutch

Institutes and Centres

Several excellent Institutes and Centres provide a wealth of internationally-oriented programmes.

Institute for Transport en Maritime Management (ITMMA)
Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB)
Universiteit Antwerpen Management School (UAMS)

The University of Antwerp has 7 faculties in Applied Economics , Arts and Philosophy , Law, Medicine , Pharmaceutical, Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences , Political and Social Sciences and Sciences. The Institute of Development Policy and Management (IOB), the University of Antwerp Management School (UAMS) and the Institute of Transport and Maritime Management Antwerp (ITMMA) have an autonomous, faculty-like UA status. Doctoral programmes are available in most faculties.

The 4 campuses are situated in the historic city centre and in the green belt to the south of the city.

Addresses:
Campus Middelheim (Rector and central administration): Middelheimlaan 1, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium, + 32 3 265 30 51
Campus Groenenborger: Groenenborgerlaan 171, 2020 Antwerpen, Belgium, + 32 3 265 32 11
City Campus: Prinsstraat 13, 2000 Antwerpen, Belgium, + 32 3 220 44 12
Campus Drie Eiken: Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium, + 32 3 820 21 03

University of Antwerp ranked:

187th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

195th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking

177th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking

179th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

197th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking

Université Libre de Bruxelles

The Université Libre de Bruxelles (or ULB) is a French-speaking university in Brussels, Belgium. It has about 20,000 students.

Université Libre de Bruxelles means in English: "Free University of Brussels" or written alternatively "Non-Denominational University of Brussels", but this translation is rarely used (university names are rarely used as translated) all the more since its Dutch-speaking counterpart, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, has the same meaning. Some facilities, shared by both universities, do use the name "Brussels Free Universities", abbreviated BFU. For example the Computing Center, BFUCC.

History

The history of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) is closely linked with that of Belgium itself. When the nine provinces that broke away from the Kingdom of the Netherlands formed the Belgian State in 1830, there were three state universities in the country: Ghent, Liege and Leuven. Even though Brussels had been promoted to the rank of capital, it still had no university.

For this reason, in 1831 a group of leading Brussels Masonic figures in the fields of the arts, science and education set themselves the objective of creating a university for the city. They had the choice between a state university and, failing that, a private institution, since the Belgian Constitution, the most liberal in Europe, allowed for this possibility.

Finding the financial burden of the three existing universities too onerous, the Belgian government showed little enthusiasm for yet another state university. However, when in 1834 the episcopate decided to found the Catholic University at Mechelen, things began to happen very quickly. The liberal professions and Freemasons, lead by Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen and Auguste Baron, who were promoting the Brussels university project, stepped up their efforts, with the result that the Free University of Belgium, as it was originally known, inaugurated its first academic year on 20 November 1834.

From 1836 it was to be called the Université Libre de Bruxelles, but although the geographical term may have changed, the adjective "free" remained. This was a key point.

The school's football (soccer) team won the bronze medal at the 1900 Summer Olympics.

Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, who helped make the university, is the symbol of the creation of the university. November 20th, called 'St V', is a holiday for students of both the Université Libre de Belgique and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel.

Since 1935 some courses have been taught in both French and Dutch, but it was only in 1963 that all faculties held courses in both languages. Shortly after the language dispute at the Catholic University of Leuven, in October 1969 the French and Dutch entities of the ULB separated into two distinct universities. With the act of 28 May 1970, the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université Libre de Bruxelles officially became two separate legal, administrative and scientific entities.

Academics

Faculties, schools and institutes
Faculty of Philosophy, and Letters
Faculty of Law, and Criminological Science
Faculty of Social and Political Sciences & Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management
Faculty of Psychological Science, and of Education
Faculty of Sciences (recently absorbed the Institute of Environment Gestion (IGEAT))
Interfacultary School of Bio-Engineering
Faculty of Medicine
School of Public Health
High institute of Physical Education, and Kinesitherapy
Institute of Pharmacy
Faculty of Applied Sciences/Polytechnic School
Institute of Work Sciences
Institute of European Studies
Institute of Statistics and Operational Research

Université Libre de Bruxelles ranked:

154th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

183rd in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking

191st in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking

196th in the 2011 QS World University Rankings

University of Ghent

Ghent University (in Dutch, Universiteit Gent, abbreviated UGent) is one of the three large Flemish universities. It is located in the historic town of Ghent in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking (northern) part of Belgium. It has 30,000 students and 6,400 Staff members.

Ghent University, abbreviated to UGent, is one of the major universities in the Dutch-speaking region. Over 130 faculty departments, divided over 11 faculties, offer high-quality courses in every one of their scientific disciplines, each inspired by innovative research.

Ghent University distinguishes itself as a socially committed and pluralistic university in a broad international perspective.


History

In comparison with other European universities, the Ghent Alma Mater is relatively young. The institution was inaugurated on October 9, 1817, after King William I in the preceding year had proclaimed the establishment of three universities in the Southern Netherlands. Lectures started on November 3rd.

Two events had a decisive influence on the University's history: the political separation from the Netherlands in 1830 and the introduction of Dutch as the official language in 1930. Both events represented at the same time a break with the past and a new beginning. They also coincided with changes in the University's language statut.

The language of instruction from its establishment by William I of Orange till the separation from the Netherlands was Latin, from 1830 till 1930 it was first French and then a bilingual system, and after 1930 it was Dutch.

The first professorial staff had sixteen members, including nine foreigners, mainly Northern Dutch and Germans. In 1817 a total of 190 students registered in the four faculties: Arts, Law, Medecine and Sciences.

The revolution of 1830 had disastrous consequences for education in Ghent as two faculties were abolished- Sciences and Arts. Although the Law on Higher Education of 1835 returned the two faculties to Ghent University and also added the Technical Schools, the recovery proceeded very slowly. Thirty-five years would pass before the student population level of 1830 was once again attained. Nevertheless, during this period Ghent University won the greatest number of prizes in the university competitions.
A systematic and thorough modernization of higher education in Ghent took place after the Laws of 1876 and 1890 were passed, which granted universities the power to award academic degrees and enabled the scientific development. Due to the relaxed entrance requirements for university studies, female students also gained access to higher education. The first woman came to study in Ghent in 1882. She opted to study Sciences. Laboratory exercices and laboratory research work got their start in this period and research assistants were also appointed.
Over the years the professorial staff has included a number of eminent figures: the jurists Jean-Jacques Haus, and François Laurent, the physicist Joseph Plateau, the mathematician Paul Mansion, the physiologist and psychiatrist Joseph Guislain, the historians Henri Pirenne and Paul Fredercq, the Germanic scholars Joseph Vercoullie and Henri Logeman, and the zoologist and botanist Julius Mac Leod, who was also the spiritual father of the Flemish-speaking Ghent University.

Dutch became the official language of Ghent University in 1930, the year Belgium celebrated its first centennial. This made it the first institution in the country to offer its educationnal programmes in Dutch. In 1938 Prof. Corneel Heymans of Ghent was the only Fleming to receive the Nobel Prize for his discoveries in the field of respiratory regulation. The pulling down of the language barrier in 1930 constituted an important step towards the democratization and scientific development of recent decades.
A university stands or falls on the basis of the scientific research it produces. In the past, the university's fame was in the hands of individual scholars who taught and carried on research. In the last decades, because of the explosion in the growth and range of scientific research, this is no longer feasible. Research is increasingly becoming a matter of teamwork and interdisciplinary collaboration.
As a consequence of the reform of the State, regional communities enjoyed wide powers of decision, for instance on education.

The decree of 1991, who assigned great autonomy to the University provided new challenges on education and research in an international perspective.
Today, after decades of uninterrupted growth, Ghent University is one of the leading institutions of higher education and research in the Low Countries. With 26,000 students and 5,450 staff members, Ghent University is an open, committed and pluralistic university with a broad international perspective.

Courses offered

• Philosophy and Moral Sciences
  
• Linguistics and Literature
  
• History
  
• Archaeology and Art Sciences
  
• Law, Notary's practice and Criminological Sciences
  
• Psychology and Educational Sciences
  
• Economics and Business Engineering
  
• Political and Social Sciences
  
• Social Health Science
  
• Physical Education, Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy
  
• Science
  
• Engineering Sciences
  
• Applied Biological Sciences
  
• Medicine
  
• Dentistry
  
• Veterinary Medicine
  
• Pharmaceutical Sciences
  
• Biomedical Sciences
  
• Combined Study Field
  

Faculties

• Faculty of Arts and Philosophy
  
• Faculty of Law
  
• Faculty of Science
  
• Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences
  
• Faculty of Engineering
  
• Faculty of Economics and Business Administration
  
• Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
  
• Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences
  
• Faculty of Bioscience Engineering
  
• Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
  
• Faculty of Political and Social Sciences
  

After more than twenty years of uninterrupted growth, Ghent University is now one of the most important institutions of higher education and research in the Low Countries.

Ghent University yearly attracts over 30,000 students, with a foreign student population of over 2,200 EU and non-EU citizens.

Ghent University offers a broad range of study programmes in all academic and scientific branches.

With a view to cooperation in research and community service, numerous research groups, centres and institutes have been founded over the

University of Ghent, Belgium ranked:

124th in the 2007 THES-QS World University Ranking

136th in the 2008 THES-QS World University Ranking
136th in the 2009 THES-QS World University Ranking
192nd in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

165th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (in short K.U.Leuven) is the Flemish successor institution to the oldest university in Belgium, founded in 1425 (see Catholic University of Leuven). Centrally located in the town of Leuven in Flanders, the K.U.Leuven is officially a Dutch-speaking institution. Worldwide, however, especially in the English speaking world, the university is often known by its anglicized French name 'Louvain'. 'Louvain' was for centuries a major contributor to the development of Catholic theology. With predecessor institutions dating back to 1425, the K.U.Leuven and its French-speaking counterpart, the Université catholique de Louvain, are regarded as the oldest existing Catholic universities in the world.

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven also has a campus at Kortrijk, formerly known as Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Afdeling Kortrijk (KULAK).

In 2006, more than 30,000 students were attending classes at the 14 faculties of the K.U.Leuven, about 4000 of whom were foreign students, many of whom were able to follow courses offered in English. Most courses, however, are taught in Dutch. The K.U.Leuven is a member of the Coimbra Group (a network of leading European universities) as well as of the LERU Group (League of European Research Universities). Since August 2005, the university has been led by Marc Vervenne who replaced former rector André Oosterlinck. The Belgian archbishop, Cardinal Godfried Danneels is the current Grand Chancellor and a member of the university board.

The K.U.Leuven is dedicated to Mary, the mother of Jesus, under her traditional attribute as 'Seat of Wisdom', and organizes an annual celebration on 2 February in her honour. On that day, the university also awards its honorary doctorates.

In polarized Flanders, the K.U.Leuven is nominally Catholic, whereas the University of Ghent and the University of Antwerp are officially neutral on issues of religious/philosophical orientation, and the Free University of Brussels is Freethinking.However, nowadays these polarized classifications are less relevant than they once were. In fact, the K.U.Leuven is not Catholic in any real sense, certainly not in the sense of adhering always to Church teachings. In this respect, K.U.Leuven is more often regarded as being 'progressive' in relation to other Catholic universities worldwide. Students and staff tend to choose a university rather for pragmatic reasons - such as the quality of education, the distance to the campus or even the offered opportunities - than purely for religious or philosophical reasons.

K.U.Leuven is a strongly research oriented university, and among its achievements is to have featured among the top European universities in terms of scientific output (although not yet impact). Rijndael, the cipher chosen as the Advanced Encryption Standard, was developed at K.U.Leuven.

History

In 1968 tensions between the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking communities led to the splitting of the bilingual Catholic University of Leuven into two "sister" universities, with the Dutch-language university becoming a fully-functioning independent institution in Leuven in 1970, and the Université Catholique de Louvain decamping to a greenfield campus site in the French-speaking part of Belgium. Pieter De Somer became the first rector of the K.U. Leuven.

In 1972 the K.U. Leuven set up a separate entity, "Leuven Research & Development" (LRD), to support industrial and commercial applications of university research. It has led to numerous spin-offs, such as the technology companies Option and Metris, and manages tens of millions of euros in investments and venture capital.

On 11 July 2002 the K.U.Leuven became the dominant institution in the "K.U.Leuven Association".

Facts and figures
General financial overview

In 2005, the total revenue of K.U.Leuven was EUR 506.8 million. 60.3% of this went to personnel costs, and 39.7% was spent on operations and equipment.

Students
Academic year 2005-2006
30,442 students
3,770 international students

Staff
K.U.Leuven employs 8,017 people.
The university hospitals employ 8,172 people.
Research 2005
Research expenditures: EUR 230 million
Research expenditures by percentage: exact sciences, 44%; biomedical sciences, 30%; humanities, 19%; interfacultary institutes 7%
4,447 researchers (1,227 senior and 3,220 junior researchers), measured in full-time equivalents
3,000 publications (in 2004) in international peer-reviewed academic and scientific journals
427 doctorates (117 by international doctoral students)
Fifty-eight spin-off companies
Member of the League of European Research Universities (LERU), a group of twenty European research-intensive universities committed to the values of high-quality teaching within an environment of internationally competitive research

Education
102 postgraduate academic programmes:
- Fifty supplementary programmes (fifteen of which are in English, and eight of which are interuniversity programmes)
- Fifty-two specialization programmes (twenty-one programmes taught in English, twenty-one interuniversity programmes)
One undergraduate campus in Kortrijk
Four academic programmes taught completely in English (Philosophy, Theology, Religious Studies, and Canon Law)
Participation in three Erasmus Mundus programmes: 572 students from K.U.Leuven went abroad, 591 international students came to K.U.Leuven
International Cooperation
Participation in three Tempus-CARDS programmes, three Tempus-Tacis programmes, and five Alfa programmes
Partner in twenty bilateral interuniversity collaboration agreements
Seventeen selective bilateral interuniversity agreements for PhD students
Development cooperation: twenty-two ongoing projects in Africa, fourteen in Asia, and fifteen in Central and South America (projects both under K.U.Leuven's own initiative, and in connection with University Institutional Cooperation)

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Ranked 61st in the 2007 THES - QS World University Ranking

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Ranked 72nd in the 2008 THES - QS World University Ranking

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Ranked 65th in the 2009 THES - QS World University Ranking

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Ranked 86th in the 2010 QS World University Ranking

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Ranked 68th in the 2011 QS World University Ranking