Université Catholique de Louvain

Overview

The Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), also known for its official English name University of Louvain, is Belgium’s largest French-speaking university. As a comprehensive university, it primarily caters to the French Community of Belgium. It is a public, state-funded institution with a main campus in Louvain-la-Neuve and other campuses in different parts of the country. The university officially started using the branding UCLouvain in September 2018, replacing the acronym UCL.

UCLouvain’s history goes way back to 1425, when the Old University of Leuven was established. It was the product of the papal bull issued by Pope Martin V as a response to the formal request of the civil administration of Leuven for a university. The old university provided instructions in Latin until its closure in 1797. In 1834, the Catholic University of Belgium was founded. From 1835 to 1930, it exclusively provided instruction in French before adding programs in Dutch. In 1968, the Dutch-language section was separated and became the independent Katholieke Universiteit Leuven. It remained at Leuven, while the French-speaking Université catholique de Louvain began its transfer to Louvain-la-Neuve in 1971, which was completed in 1979.

In 2011, Université catholique de Louvain merged with the Catholic University of Mons (FUCam). In September 2018, Université catholique de Louvain, Saint-Louis University, and Brussels de facto merged, giving birth to UCLouvain.

With 14 faculties and 23 doctorate schools, the university offers degree programs and research opportunities to over 30,000 students annually. UCLouvain offers more than 40 bachelor’s degrees and almost 200 master’s degrees, 26 of which are taught in English to date.

UCLouvain’s faculties are divided into three sectors. The Sector of Human Sciences is composed of the Faculty of Law and Criminology; the Faculty of Philosophy, Arts and Literature; the Faculty of Economic, Social and Political Sciences and Communication; the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences; the Faculty of Theology; and the Louvain School of Management.

Meanwhile, the Sector of Health Sciences manages the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry; the Faculty of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences; the Faculty of Public Health; and the Faculty of Motor Sciences. Lastly, the Sector of Science and Technology comprises the Louvain School of Engineering; the Faculty of Architecture, Architectural Engineering and Urban Planning; the Faculty of Bioengineering; and the Faculty of Science.

Today, besides its faculties, UCLouvain has two university hospitals, three science parks, 23 research institutes, and 39 technology platforms. It also has two incubators and hosts almost 300 companies and 100 startups and spinoffs.

UCLouvain maintains an open and diverse community. About 20% of its student population represents more than a hundred nationalities and more than 30% of its professors are women.