KU Leuven

(KUL)

🇧🇪 Belgium / Flanders / Leuven

Public Est. 1425 Updated: 2026-03-30

Official Website www.kuleuven.be Wikipedia

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 #48 (2027)

Ranked in 129 subject rankings

QS World University Rankings

# 59

80.5

2027

Times Higher Education World University Rankings

# 46

76.8

2026

Academic Ranking of World Universities

# 87

28.3

2026

U.S. News Best Global Universities Rankings

# 48

75.0

2027

Key Facts

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

Historical Trend

Longitudinal View

THE

ARWU

US News

Score:

Top Subjects

Best-performing areas

Theology, Divinity & Religious Studies

Top 10

QS 8

Infectious Diseases

Top 50

US News 13

Microbiology

Top 50

US News 13

Oncology

Top 50

US News 13

Surgery

Top 50

US News 14

Law & Legal Studies

Top 50

THE 14 QS 46 ARWU 51-75

Endocrinology and Metabolism

Top 50

US News 15

Dentistry

Top 50

ARWU 15 QS 23

Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Top 50

US News 16

Psychology

Top 50

THE 18 QS 24 ARWU 34

Arts & Humanities

Top 50

THE 20 QS =47

Public Administration

Top 50

ARWU 21

Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging

Top 50

US News 22

Communication & Media Studies

Top 50

ARWU 26 QS 51-100

=26

Social Policy & Administration

Top 50

QS =26

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

48 subjects

Subject	Rank	Score	Year
Infectious Diseases	13	80.3	2027
Microbiology	13	66.1	2027
Oncology	13	76.6	2027
Surgery	14	74.9	2027
Endocrinology and Metabolism	15	70.6	2027
Gastroenterology and Hepatology	16	76.6	2027
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging	22	75.6	2027
Clinical Medicine	27	77.3	2027
Arts and Humanities	27	73.8	2027
Psychiatry/Psychology	29	72.0	2027
Molecular Biology and Genetics	35	64.1	2027
Immunology	37	57.2	2027
Cell Biology	42	58.0	2027
Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems	=45	66.2	2027
Education and Educational Research	=55	44.6	2027
Space Science	=56	61.4	2027
Neuroscience and Behavior	61	56.0	2027
Pharmacology and Toxicology	=63	65.1	2027
Social Sciences and Public Health	75	66.0	2027
Mechanical Engineering	=75	57.3	2027
Agricultural Sciences	=80	54.7	2027
Engineering	=84	67.8	2027
Computer Science	=85	61.0	2027
Green and Sustainable Science and Technology	=85	58.8	2027
Artificial Intelligence	86	56.5	2027
Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology	91	46.3	2027
Economics & Econometrics	94	57.5	2027
Plant and Animal Science	103	62.2	2027
Polymer Science	=103	43.4	2027
Ecology	=103	58.3	2027
Chemistry	105	64.9	2027
Materials Science	=108	59.4	2027
Mathematics	110	61.3	2027
Chemical Engineering	111	62.3	2027
Civil Engineering	=115	41.7	2027
Food Science and Technology	115	39.0	2027
Water Resources	130	34.8	2027
Biology and Biochemistry	=135	45.9	2027
Energy and Fuels	150	57.6	2027
Environmental Engineering	151	42.5	2027
Public, Environmental and Occupational Health	=162	58.7	2027
Environment/Ecology	=163	56.0	2027
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology	163	47.0	2027
Condensed Matter Physics	=178	42.5	2027
Geosciences	=181	47.0	2027
Electrical and Electronic Engineering	=195	54.0	2027
Physical Chemistry	196	57.7	2027
Physics & Astronomy	296	49.4	2027

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 59, THE Rank 46, ARWU Rank 87, US News Rank 48.

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, Infectious Diseases, Microbiology, Oncology, Surgery.

Where is KU Leuven located?

KU Leuven is located in Leuven, Belgium.