If there’s one word to define earning a degree from Leuven, it’s accessible. As in, we make a world-class degree accessible to students from all countries and all financial circumstances. As the oldest university in Belgium, and the world’s oldest Catholic university, we have spent centuries serving humanity by making the world’s knowledge accessible to scholars from around the world. Now, it’s your turn.
Rankings matter to students and employers, so let’s start with some hard numbers. KU Leuven is among the top 50 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines in our 15 academic faculties proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as most innovative university in Europe in each of their rankings since 2016. And unlike other world-class universities, Leuven doesn’t discriminate by making acceptance impossible. We grant access to students from all academic backgrounds, so long as they have a suitable prerequisite degree. Once you start attending classes though you’ll soon realise that whilst getting in is easy, earning your degree is a challenge. We expect our students to study hard and pass rigorous exams. Which means that whilst studying at Leuven is accessible, graduating with a degree from Leuven is quite a feat.
So with KU Leuven, you’re looking at one of the best, most challenging, most comprehensive universities in the world. Should be expensive, right? Nope. KU Leuven keeps tuition fees low thanks to strong governmental support for higher education, which gives you a price/quality ratio that’s one of the best in the world (and one very few top-100 universities can match). Check out the tuition cost for your preferred programme and we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
There’s more to a university than studies alone, however; let’s talk about life in Belgium. There is the Belgium you know from the eponymous chocolate, waffles and beer, the Belgium of the gourmand. But you’re looking for more than just a full mind and stomach. You can also easily fill up on culture, as Belgium is home to some the great European classics of art, architecture and music. You can fill up on travel, as Belgium is strategically situated amongst popular Western European travel destinations, just two hours by train to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Cologne. And don’t forget that Brussels is only 15 minutes away, another world centre of government and culture. And where else can you so easily fill up on languages? Leuven is located in the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders. But multi-lingual Brussels and French-speaking Wallonia are right next door. The best part is you can enjoy that richness of language without feeling lost, as practically all Belgian speak remarkably good English (and are happy to do so!). Which means you might study in English-language classes, hear a Dutch song a club, go to a French-speaking restaurant with friends, and chat with your fellow international students with ease. Living in Leuven truly makes living the European ideal – you guessed it – accessible.
And speaking of the everyday experience, Leuven itself is a student city par excellence. With around 50,000 students in a city of 100,000 people, Leuven puts the student experience first. Study in our gorgeous libraries, wander the charming avenues of the town, or enjoy life at an outdoor café. As your home-away-from-home, we also invest heavily in student mental health, ensuring our international students can rest easy with access to students buddies, psychologists, and student services that will help you handle all the practical issues that arise when studying abroad. Our highly ranked university medical centre has been helping to actively manage our coronavirus response to ensure our students are least as safe in Belgium as they would be in their home countries.
So take a look at KU Leuven, and you’ll see how we make the outstanding accessible in every respect.
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