Two Flemish universities reach the top 200 of the best in the world

Three Belgian universities rank in the top 200 best universities in the world, according to Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) reknown list. KU Leuven remains the best university in Belgium and ranks 76th. The University of Ghent is the second one, in 143rd position, followed by UCLouvain, the best French-speaking university, in 195th.

In the top 500, there are four Belgian universities: the ULB (210th), the VUB (251st), the University of Antwerp (280th) and the University of Hasselt (449th place). Only the University of Hasselt went up on the list, from position 471 to 449.

“Despite the significant, even dramatic regressions, the latest edition of the QS World University Rankings highlights the enduring strength of the Belgian higher education sector. Most of its ranked institutions remain unequivocally among the top 300 in the world,” said Ben Sowter, senior vice president of QS, to the Belgian newspaper La Libre. 

 “Its universities are still held in high esteem by employers; they continue to attract and nurture talent from around the world. However, a sharp drop in research impact could have damaged its reputation among academics. A recalibration of the way the sector allocates resources and sets its research priorities could be considered to address these minor shortcomings," added Sowter.

La Libre highlights that KU Leuven obtained its first national place thanks to its excellent reputation internationally and with employers and has also distinguished itself in terms of research.

QS analyses academic reputation, reputation with employers, research impact, faculty/student ratio, international faculty ratio and foreign students to come up with the ranking. This year, the ranking took into account two additional elements: student employability and international research collaboration.

(VIV)

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© BELGA PHOTO (HATIM KAGHAT) Ceremony for the award of Healthcare Heroes program for students of KU Leuven and UCLouvain at the Federal Parliament in Brussels, 7 March 2022