Catholic University of Leuven: Rankings

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The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st in Belgium, 62nd in the global 2026 rating, and scored in the TOP 100 across 218 research topics. The Catholic University of Leuven ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EduRank's index has 271,914 academic publications and 9,393,026 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of 187 notable alumni.

Ranking Category
#62 of 14,131 In the World
#10 of 2,785 In Europe
#1 of 63 In Belgium
#1 of 2 In Leuven
#12 of 1,395 For Biochemical Engineering
#12 of 1,041 For Intellectual Property and Patent Law
#13 of 2,796 For Sports Medicine
#396 of 8,074 For Alumni Impact
#87 of 14,131 For Non-academic Prominence
Top100 For 215 other topics

Jump to topical rankings below

Acceptance rate and other statistics

Biology rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Biology in Belgium and 47th in the World with 151,900 publications made and 6,563,943 citations received. Main research topics: Genetics, Biochemistry, Paleontology, Immunology, Neuroscience.

Biology ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#7 of 1,449 In Europe
#47 of 6,841 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Biology Publications & Citations

Year Biology publications Biology citations
1993 1075 11867
1994 1200 13519
1995 1290 14720
1996 1508 17828
1997 1639 20896
1998 1873 24719
1999 1848 28780
2000 1897 33882
2001 2155 38594
2002 2408 46255
2003 2717 55126
2004 2761 61480
2005 3022 71746
2006 3380 85094
2007 3474 95040
2008 4156 108321
2009 4254 123539
2010 4594 140739
2011 5053 161558
2012 5312 185774
2013 5735 206776
2014 5979 233166
2015 6133 250726
2016 6083 268075
2017 6424 293500
2018 6843 324296
2019 7090 365680
2020 8068 455457
2021 8342 527626
2022 7992 521250
2023 7996 534300
2024 6163 499595
2025 5056 444532

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Biology.

Biology subfield Belgium ranking Europe ranking World rank
Nutrition and Food Science 2 3 23
Biotechnology 1 7 31
Entomology 1 7 35
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 1 9 39
Microbiology 2 9 44
Agricultural Science 2 6 45
Paleontology 1 8 45
Botany 2 8 46
Biochemistry 1 8 51
Horticulture 2 5 52
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 1 11 53
Immunology 1 12 53
Genetics 1 10 54
Virology 1 11 57
Neuroscience 1 12 59
Oncology and Cancer research 1 9 61
Pharmacology 1 10 63
Toxicology 2 18 67
Evolutionary Biology 1 13 67
Forestry 3 16 70
Animal Science 3 16 71
Biophysics 1 16 72
Molecular Biology 1 13 73
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 2 19 74
Astrobiology 2 19 76
Nanotechnology 1 9 83
Zoology 2 31 106

Medicine rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Medicine in Belgium and 44th in the World with 121,856 publications made and 5,308,338 citations received. Main research topics: Pathology, Surgery, Psychiatry, Immunology, Radiology and Nuclear medicine.

Medicine ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#7 of 1,437 In Europe
#44 of 6,793 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Medicine Publications & Citations

Year Medicine publications Medicine citations
1993 806 9023
1994 919 10132
1995 1006 11323
1996 1100 13599
1997 1138 15646
1998 1299 18737
1999 1272 21452
2000 1357 25898
2001 1493 29700
2002 1499 34166
2003 1887 41744
2004 1868 46524
2005 2098 53881
2006 2303 63950
2007 2501 72883
2008 3179 84427
2009 3111 96616
2010 3378 110974
2011 3858 126820
2012 4105 145412
2013 4611 163745
2014 4735 185989
2015 4960 202614
2016 4916 215461
2017 5438 239059
2018 5745 264426
2019 6058 299583
2020 6923 383032
2021 7244 448992
2022 6900 446831
2023 6896 460101
2024 5892 436164
2025 5124 393839

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Medicine.

Chemistry rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Chemistry in Belgium and 45th in the World with 121,506 publications made and 5,062,766 citations received. Main research topics: Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Chemical Engineering.

Chemistry ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#6 of 1,417 In Europe
#45 of 6,561 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Chemistry Publications & Citations

Year Chemistry publications Chemistry citations
1993 1065 11269
1994 1155 12419
1995 1264 13638
1996 1491 16631
1997 1550 19016
1998 1836 22566
1999 1769 26008
2000 1805 30643
2001 2088 34153
2002 2429 42424
2003 2535 49265
2004 2449 53713
2005 2689 62079
2006 2981 72445
2007 3045 78767
2008 3430 88309
2009 3495 99655
2010 3688 112369
2011 4063 128909
2012 4150 146822
2013 4512 163470
2014 4565 182384
2015 4710 194165
2016 4695 207578
2017 4723 225503
2018 5049 247014
2019 5104 276727
2020 5737 335173
2021 5738 382936
2022 5542 379967
2023 5717 388098
2024 4355 366472
2025 3253 321223

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Chemistry.

Engineering rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Engineering in Belgium and 51st in the World with 116,227 publications made and 3,936,175 citations received. Main research topics: Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering.

Engineering ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#9 of 1,466 In Europe
#51 of 6,795 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Engineering Publications & Citations

Year Engineering publications Engineering citations
1993 809 6789
1994 924 7598
1995 991 8448
1996 1166 10477
1997 1195 11631
1998 1415 13826
1999 1474 15650
2000 1465 18524
2001 1727 21364
2002 2468 29990
2003 2350 33133
2004 2320 37204
2005 2624 44891
2006 2993 54042
2007 3019 59822
2008 3416 68444
2009 3553 79025
2010 3978 90945
2011 4065 106197
2012 4338 120966
2013 4395 135397
2014 4669 150857
2015 4768 163656
2016 4693 173748
2017 4698 187363
2018 5113 207851
2019 5319 233621
2020 5641 276346
2021 5774 314594
2022 5459 307118
2023 5823 318572
2024 4345 299112
2025 2962 260503

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Engineering.

Physics rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Physics in Belgium and 53rd in the World with 109,565 publications made and 3,694,898 citations received. Main research topics: Quantum and Particle physics, Materials Science, Optical Engineering, Astrophysics and Astronomy, Nanotechnology.

Physics ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#9 of 1,460 In Europe
#53 of 6,729 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Physics Publications & Citations

Year Physics publications Physics citations
1993 819 6645
1994 932 7612
1995 975 8291
1996 1196 10575
1997 1205 11600
1998 1385 13719
1999 1443 15540
2000 1472 18266
2001 1714 21324
2002 2320 28473
2003 2282 31782
2004 2259 35962
2005 2497 42743
2006 2799 50387
2007 2877 55548
2008 3111 63360
2009 3337 73154
2010 3652 83787
2011 3785 97553
2012 3949 110797
2013 4134 123443
2014 4326 137382
2015 4375 149800
2016 4324 159453
2017 4410 171517
2018 4767 190304
2019 4919 212943
2020 5239 249366
2021 5244 280768
2022 5039 273949
2023 5320 285202
2024 4025 271369
2025 2687 235433

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Physics.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Belgium and 34th in the World with 107,960 publications made and 3,310,173 citations received. Main research topics: Philosophy, Political Science, Law, Sociology, History.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ranking Location
#1 of 18 In Belgium
#6 of 1,502 In Europe
#34 of 7,088 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Publications & Citations

Year Liberal Arts & Social Sciences publications Liberal Arts & Social Sciences citations
1993 474 3500
1994 553 4101
1995 572 4239
1996 624 5457
1997 698 6069
1998 866 7433
1999 925 8550
2000 883 10692
2001 1144 12635
2002 1544 16894
2003 1630 20114
2004 1747 23239
2005 2033 27994
2006 2343 35118
2007 2456 41299
2008 3030 49518
2009 3327 58382
2010 3596 67268
2011 3924 79240
2012 4259 92640
2013 4476 104728
2014 4809 120368
2015 4993 131597
2016 5040 138779
2017 5220 152870
2018 5845 174155
2019 6324 201176
2020 6161 249877
2021 6067 291325
2022 5739 286232
2023 5795 300426
2024 4188 262161
2025 3209 226728

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences.

Computer Science rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Computer Science in Belgium and 36th in the World with 106,439 publications made and 3,884,076 citations received. Main research topics: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Neuroscience, Machine Learning, Computer Vision, Telecommunications.

Computer Science ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#5 of 1,470 In Europe
#36 of 6,855 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Computer Science Publications & Citations

Year Computer Science publications Computer Science citations
1993 566 4661
1994 622 5391
1995 649 5700
1996 749 7175
1997 824 8006
1998 983 9990
1999 1024 11595
2000 993 13593
2001 1205 16244
2002 1946 24279
2003 1785 26322
2004 1866 30282
2005 2123 36237
2006 2445 44545
2007 2550 51061
2008 2996 58900
2009 3283 70466
2010 3571 80639
2011 3744 93796
2012 4088 109036
2013 4224 123109
2014 4515 139857
2015 4648 153039
2016 4578 161445
2017 4742 177335
2018 5253 201363
2019 5487 230963
2020 5827 280758
2021 6062 325412
2022 5619 316117
2023 6036 331769
2024 4377 298399
2025 3440 257622

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Computer Science.

Environmental Science rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Environmental Science in Belgium and 47th in the World with 88,605 publications made and 3,124,294 citations received. Main research topics: Geology, Geography and Cartography, Ecology, Paleontology, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science.

Environmental Science ranking Location
#1 of 18 In Belgium
#7 of 1,464 In Europe
#47 of 6,888 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Environmental Science Publications & Citations

Year Environmental Science publications Environmental Science citations
1993 515 4341
1994 562 4734
1995 645 5202
1996 794 6546
1997 842 7881
1998 952 8989
1999 1000 10449
2000 1007 12686
2001 1202 14365
2002 1537 19502
2003 1564 21960
2004 1680 25457
2005 1890 30597
2006 2199 37839
2007 2276 43070
2008 2554 50173
2009 2590 58455
2010 2836 67436
2011 3095 77946
2012 3309 91124
2013 3473 103035
2014 3642 116406
2015 3724 126570
2016 3696 135717
2017 3859 147620
2018 4171 166539
2019 4423 190709
2020 4758 234448
2021 4973 271010
2022 4625 265404
2023 4767 274743
2024 3407 248304
2025 2257 215130

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Environmental Science.

Psychology rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Psychology in Belgium and 44th in the World with 63,916 publications made and 2,631,093 citations received. Main research topics: Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Cognitive Science, Child Psychology.

Psychology ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#7 of 1,424 In Europe
#44 of 6,663 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Psychology Publications & Citations

Year Psychology publications Psychology citations
1993 362 3943
1994 398 4342
1995 464 4827
1996 443 5758
1997 505 6247
1998 561 7671
1999 562 8858
2000 591 10538
2001 658 12352
2002 745 14847
2003 858 17418
2004 939 19749
2005 1014 23497
2006 1213 28051
2007 1253 32468
2008 1573 38572
2009 1716 45411
2010 1897 52377
2011 2156 61291
2012 2307 71422
2013 2533 81145
2014 2600 92334
2015 2828 101872
2016 2831 108917
2017 3046 121788
2018 3269 137138
2019 3500 156887
2020 3711 196396
2021 3906 228145
2022 3712 225595
2023 3753 235482
2024 2901 214644
2025 2598 194278

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Psychology.

Psychology subfield Belgium ranking Europe ranking World rank
Special Education 1 7 22
Occupational Therapy 1 4 25
Cognitive Science 1 5 29
Organizational / Business / IO Psychology 1 6 42
Psychiatry 1 9 50
Child Psychology 1 8 51
Social Psychology 1 8 53
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 1 15 56
Neuroscience 1 12 59
Education Majors 1 8 61
Clinical Psychology 1 13 68
Sexology 1 22 126
Social Work 2 77 228

Mathematics rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Mathematics in Belgium and 38th in the World with 50,838 publications made and 1,938,005 citations received. Main research topics: Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, Applied Mathematics, Blockchain and Cryptography, Math Teachers.

Mathematics ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#5 of 1,406 In Europe
#38 of 6,434 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Mathematics Publications & Citations

Year Mathematics publications Mathematics citations
1993 244 1633
1994 274 1893
1995 269 2108
1996 311 2520
1997 365 2929
1998 388 3631
1999 457 4170
2000 403 4855
2001 552 5888
2002 894 9389
2003 867 10254
2004 943 12298
2005 1071 15375
2006 1249 18398
2007 1342 21638
2008 1404 25850
2009 1551 30745
2010 1701 35428
2011 1832 40882
2012 2054 47768
2013 2074 54707
2014 2185 62535
2015 2251 69426
2016 2178 71560
2017 2415 78960
2018 2435 90172
2019 2625 104735
2020 2963 126817
2021 2989 148833
2022 2818 146047
2023 2958 151896
2024 1915 116081
2025 1381 96620

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Mathematics.

Mathematics subfield Belgium ranking Europe ranking World rank
Applied Mathematics 1 7 22
Operations Research 1 2 22
Blockchain and Cryptography 1 3 24
Actuarial Science 1 4 29
Statistics 1 5 38
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics 1 8 44
Math Teachers 1 7 58

Business rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Business in Belgium and 44th in the World with 36,413 publications made and 1,107,094 citations received. Main research topics: Management, Finance, Marketing, International Business, International Trade.

Business ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#5 of 1,436 In Europe
#44 of 6,366 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Business Publications & Citations

Year Business publications Business citations
1993 148 961
1994 155 1147
1995 198 1308
1996 204 1683
1997 249 1805
1998 280 2207
1999 317 2690
2000 306 3169
2001 384 3867
2002 631 6114
2003 626 6746
2004 653 8090
2005 775 9621
2006 870 12020
2007 1003 14345
2008 1055 17248
2009 1154 19627
2010 1310 23205
2011 1328 26720
2012 1447 31689
2013 1523 35926
2014 1631 41074
2015 1717 44469
2016 1665 46568
2017 1769 51213
2018 1861 57008
2019 1962 66211
2020 2049 79764
2021 2063 92011
2022 1898 87972
2023 2064 92475
2024 1257 74175
2025 887 61441

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Business.

Economics rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Economics in Belgium and 48th in the World with 27,085 publications made and 807,734 citations received. Main research topics: Finance, Development Studies, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, International Trade, International Economics.

Economics ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#7 of 1,391 In Europe
#48 of 6,188 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Economics Publications & Citations

Year Economics publications Economics citations
1993 94 633
1994 100 699
1995 119 814
1996 134 1002
1997 174 1171
1998 180 1406
1999 208 1670
2000 208 2080
2001 284 2483
2002 377 3522
2003 427 4376
2004 460 5610
2005 548 6576
2006 623 7990
2007 728 9289
2008 758 11570
2009 821 13594
2010 909 15697
2011 1012 18034
2012 1098 21884
2013 1126 24626
2014 1258 28599
2015 1257 30677
2016 1257 31891
2017 1370 35001
2018 1448 39554
2019 1489 46741
2020 1593 58420
2021 1547 67386
2022 1511 65846
2023 1528 69449
2024 1015 56912
2025 746 48076

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Economics.

Art & Design rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Art & Design in Belgium and 40th in the World with 18,597 publications made and 457,915 citations received. Main research topics: Fashion Design, Literature, Aesthetics, Computer Graphics, Art History.

Please note that our approach to subject rankings is based on scientific outputs and heavily biased on art-related topics towards institutions with computer science research profiles.

Art & Design ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#7 of 1,385 In Europe
#40 of 6,010 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Art & Design Publications & Citations

Year Art & Design publications Art & Design citations
1993 84 522
1994 87 645
1995 121 719
1996 135 859
1997 117 985
1998 153 1100
1999 188 1353
2000 156 1638
2001 203 1846
2002 308 2909
2003 306 3329
2004 310 3687
2005 357 4574
2006 438 5774
2007 403 6309
2008 517 7201
2009 562 8847
2010 643 9946
2011 706 11833
2012 807 14017
2013 724 15586
2014 809 17337
2015 879 19451
2016 838 19870
2017 938 21649
2018 969 24534
2019 1037 27907
2020 996 33022
2021 974 37743
2022 984 36590
2023 1046 39426
2024 686 36623
2025 551 32725

The following table provides academic rankings for The Catholic University of Leuven in various areas of Art & Design.

Art & Design subfield Belgium ranking Europe ranking World rank
Architecture 1 7 18
Fashion Design 1 4 29
Aesthetics 1 7 36
Interior Design 2 19 46
Landscape Architecture 2 21 47
Graphic Design 1 7 47
Literature 1 12 48
Illustration and Concept Art 3 26 52
Computer Graphics 1 12 59
Photography 2 20 63
Multimedia 1 13 64
Painting and Drawing 4 33 64
Sculpture 4 33 64
Performing arts 1 26 68
Creative Writing 1 22 69
Animation 1 14 73
Music 2 24 77
UX/UI Desgin 2 29 86
Art History 1 32 88
Entertainment Industry Business 2 23 98
Game Design and Development 1 35 105
Cinematography 3 49 115
Singing and Vocal Performance 3 62 162