Catholic University of Leuven: Rankings

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The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st in Belgium, 67th in the global 2024 rating, and scored in the TOP 100 across 217 research topics. The Catholic University of Leuven ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EduRank's index has 232,886 academic publications and 6,449,769 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of 155 notable alumni.

Ranking Category
#67 of 14,131 In the World
#9 of 2,785 In Europe
#1 of 63 In Belgium
#1 of 2 In Leuven
#11 of 1,129 For Biochemical Engineering
#11 of 1,054 For Intellectual Property and Patent Law
#13 of 1,008 For Technical Drawing
#419 of 7,738 For Alumni Impact
#92 of 14,131 For Non-academic Prominence
Top100 For 214 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 131,990 publications made and 4,659,403 citations received. Main research topics: Genetics, Biochemistry, Paleontology, Immunology, Neuroscience.

Biology ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#8 of 1,445 In Europe
#47 of 6,770 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Biology Publications & Citations

Year Biology publications Biology citations
1991 846 7827
1992 911 8971
1993 965 9486
1994 1103 10849
1995 1162 11897
1996 1372 14275
1997 1496 16770
1998 1629 19973
1999 1691 23071
2000 1704 26695
2001 1944 30311
2002 2146 35933
2003 2392 42623
2004 2448 48292
2005 2743 56765
2006 3037 67965
2007 3220 77689
2008 3628 86848
2009 3841 100227
2010 4241 114703
2011 4568 130247
2012 4892 150544
2013 5303 169179
2014 5525 189213
2015 5837 205963
2016 5869 221276
2017 6194 240361
2018 6806 270546
2019 6918 306250
2020 7677 372980
2021 8016 438657
2022 7500 453020
2023 7342 453985

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 4 22
Biotechnology 1 7 30
Entomology 1 6 34
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 1 9 37
Virology 1 8 40
Agricultural Science 2 4 42
Microbiology 2 10 47
Paleontology 2 11 48
Botany 2 9 49
Horticulture 2 5 50
Immunology 1 12 52
Bioinformatics and Computational biology 1 10 53
Biochemistry 1 9 53
Genetics 1 10 53
Oncology and Cancer research 1 9 59
Forestry 3 14 59
Pharmacology 1 10 59
Toxicology 2 16 64
Neuroscience 1 14 66
Molecular Biology 1 13 67
Evolutionary Biology 1 13 69
Wildlife and Fisheries Management & Conservation 2 15 69
Animal Science 3 17 70
Biophysics 1 17 77
Nanotechnology 1 10 86
Astrobiology 2 27 93
Zoology 2 40 128

Chemistry rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Chemistry in Belgium and 46th in the World with 107,169 publications made and 3,722,768 citations received. Main research topics: Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Materials Science, Nanotechnology, Chemical Engineering.

Chemistry ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#7 of 1,401 In Europe
#46 of 6,447 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Chemistry Publications & Citations

Year Chemistry publications Chemistry citations
1991 852 7355
1992 915 8508
1993 964 9194
1994 1077 10255
1995 1146 11332
1996 1358 13677
1997 1425 15633
1998 1608 18851
1999 1638 21330
2000 1641 24861
2001 1900 27607
2002 2204 33754
2003 2235 38620
2004 2213 43299
2005 2450 50222
2006 2664 59252
2007 2849 65973
2008 3068 72978
2009 3165 83215
2010 3419 93987
2011 3716 107376
2012 3811 121885
2013 4242 137821
2014 4270 152447
2015 4577 164959
2016 4495 176245
2017 4579 190349
2018 5026 211944
2019 4994 238979
2020 5427 283298
2021 5557 329365
2022 5247 339433
2023 5296 340539

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

Medicine rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Medicine in Belgium and 47th in the World with 103,861 publications made and 3,654,003 citations received. Main research topics: Pathology, Surgery, Psychiatry, Immunology, Radiology and Nuclear medicine.

Medicine ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#9 of 1,417 In Europe
#47 of 6,680 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Medicine Publications & Citations

Year Medicine publications Medicine citations
1991 691 6145
1992 735 6867
1993 720 7137
1994 844 8067
1995 908 9078
1996 981 10695
1997 1031 12268
1998 1123 14784
1999 1135 16781
2000 1213 19811
2001 1342 22602
2002 1337 25860
2003 1643 31096
2004 1651 35422
2005 1864 41475
2006 2063 49526
2007 2319 58417
2008 2571 65785
2009 2832 76592
2010 3090 88516
2011 3466 100221
2012 3752 115285
2013 4239 130844
2014 4407 147498
2015 4633 162419
2016 4723 174043
2017 5201 191479
2018 5685 217020
2019 5868 246587
2020 6624 307953
2021 6939 368182
2022 6529 383257
2023 6343 385750

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

Engineering rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Engineering in Belgium and 51st in the World with 101,389 publications made and 2,821,587 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 1,453 In Europe
#51 of 6,684 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Engineering Publications & Citations

Year Engineering publications Engineering citations
1991 620 3936
1992 668 4565
1993 723 5239
1994 838 5931
1995 892 6724
1996 1050 8306
1997 1089 9237
1998 1258 11115
1999 1346 12619
2000 1316 14615
2001 1586 16914
2002 2252 23134
2003 2101 25396
2004 2068 29294
2005 2385 35367
2006 2677 42892
2007 2742 48326
2008 3067 55539
2009 3212 63899
2010 3611 73341
2011 3711 85231
2012 3931 97440
2013 4105 111324
2014 4265 123364
2015 4514 134903
2016 4517 144192
2017 4473 153149
2018 4979 172653
2019 5088 194503
2020 5312 226909
2021 5369 261217
2022 5100 265600
2023 5231 268082

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 55th in the World with 95,113 publications made and 2,613,558 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 1,446 In Europe
#55 of 6,603 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Physics Publications & Citations

Year Physics publications Physics citations
1991 642 4103
1992 677 4855
1993 733 5283
1994 860 6065
1995 890 6674
1996 1055 8482
1997 1107 9382
1998 1233 11217
1999 1325 12621
2000 1322 14682
2001 1570 17140
2002 2112 22408
2003 2043 24661
2004 2016 28401
2005 2229 33851
2006 2510 40316
2007 2582 44626
2008 2771 51294
2009 2973 58942
2010 3287 67257
2011 3453 78058
2012 3608 89006
2013 3819 101575
2014 3970 112306
2015 4107 123255
2016 4148 131548
2017 4151 139499
2018 4630 156854
2019 4592 176349
2020 4889 203302
2021 4922 233201
2022 4641 236077
2023 4698 239742

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 32nd in the World with 94,489 publications made and 2,179,528 citations received. Main research topics: Philosophy, Political Science, Law, Sociology, History.

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences ranking Location
#1 of 18 In Belgium
#4 of 1,492 In Europe
#32 of 7,020 In the World

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

Year Liberal Arts & Social Sciences publications Liberal Arts & Social Sciences citations
1991 345 1817
1992 373 2279
1993 435 2513
1994 495 2914
1995 525 3069
1996 572 3994
1997 650 4474
1998 802 5515
1999 824 6408
2000 797 7703
2001 1036 9267
2002 1410 12195
2003 1458 14628
2004 1595 17268
2005 1851 20679
2006 2179 26145
2007 2228 31103
2008 2736 37082
2009 3061 44659
2010 3302 51298
2011 3571 60096
2012 3934 70444
2013 4212 81423
2014 4419 92380
2015 4673 102562
2016 4821 107359
2017 4954 115997
2018 5659 133972
2019 6126 156743
2020 5879 191236
2021 5728 226111
2022 5344 230154
2023 5239 233056

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 38th in the World with 92,373 publications made and 2,629,297 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 1,459 In Europe
#38 of 6,752 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Computer Science Publications & Citations

Year Computer Science publications Computer Science citations
1991 407 2502
1992 451 3030
1993 505 3512
1994 573 3978
1995 586 4287
1996 661 5316
1997 759 6076
1998 895 7775
1999 930 8939
2000 919 10285
2001 1077 12184
2002 1799 18136
2003 1581 19562
2004 1634 22860
2005 1951 27418
2006 2240 34039
2007 2308 39192
2008 2655 45153
2009 2943 53964
2010 3249 62197
2011 3425 71658
2012 3778 84715
2013 3954 97155
2014 4118 109767
2015 4320 120785
2016 4416 128618
2017 4507 139412
2018 5176 160381
2019 5282 185699
2020 5532 223412
2021 5690 262893
2022 5258 266968
2023 5453 270515

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 44th in the World with 77,448 publications made and 2,211,809 citations received. Main research topics: Geology, Geography and Cartography, Ecology, Paleontology, Meteorology and Atmospheric Science.

Environmental Science ranking Location
#1 of 18 In Belgium
#6 of 1,458 In Europe
#44 of 6,798 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Environmental Science Publications & Citations

Year Environmental Science publications Environmental Science citations
1991 364 2297
1992 416 2825
1993 470 3299
1994 509 3626
1995 582 3971
1996 713 5062
1997 756 6142
1998 850 7139
1999 917 8244
2000 909 9898
2001 1110 11273
2002 1392 14774
2003 1399 17115
2004 1491 19790
2005 1745 23868
2006 2003 29456
2007 2122 34028
2008 2256 39994
2009 2404 46875
2010 2610 54320
2011 2807 62188
2012 3053 72984
2013 3252 84141
2014 3305 93793
2015 3537 103482
2016 3564 110562
2017 3664 119249
2018 4063 135610
2019 4214 157238
2020 4464 189122
2021 4597 219779
2022 4331 225737
2023 4347 226895

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 45th in the World with 55,601 publications made and 1,790,250 citations received. Main research topics: Psychiatry, Neuroscience, Social Psychology, Cognitive Science, Child Psychology.

Psychology ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#7 of 1,414 In Europe
#45 of 6,528 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Psychology Publications & Citations

Year Psychology publications Psychology citations
1991 275 2446
1992 318 2888
1993 330 3018
1994 384 3379
1995 413 3782
1996 387 4281
1997 463 4765
1998 498 5793
1999 505 6794
2000 519 7674
2001 591 9036
2002 690 10853
2003 740 12618
2004 805 14544
2005 903 17583
2006 1080 21100
2007 1148 25046
2008 1401 29165
2009 1541 34709
2010 1730 40138
2011 1957 46878
2012 2140 55349
2013 2370 64084
2014 2444 72379
2015 2646 80518
2016 2815 88065
2017 2950 96164
2018 3300 111116
2019 3404 127288
2020 3641 157095
2021 3750 185805
2022 3544 190199
2023 3581 192602

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
Occupational Therapy 1 4 25
Cognitive Science 1 4 27
Special Education 1 8 30
Organizational / Business / IO Psychology 1 7 48
Social Psychology 1 9 53
Psychiatry 1 9 53
Child Psychology 1 10 57
Negotiation and Conflict Resolution 1 15 57
Education Majors 1 8 57
Neuroscience 1 14 66
Clinical Psychology 1 12 69
Sexology 1 27 154
Social Work 2 95 298

Mathematics rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Mathematics in Belgium and 39th in the World with 45,992 publications made and 1,362,524 citations received. Main research topics: Statistics, Econometrics and Mathematical Economics, Blockchain and Cryptography, Applied Mathematics, Math Teachers.

Mathematics ranking Location
#1 of 16 In Belgium
#5 of 1,388 In Europe
#39 of 6,305 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Mathematics Publications & Citations

Year Mathematics publications Mathematics citations
1991 163 781
1992 188 1023
1993 233 1202
1994 257 1374
1995 256 1532
1996 288 1865
1997 353 2142
1998 358 2726
1999 418 3152
2000 374 3619
2001 508 4288
2002 833 6669
2003 789 7214
2004 863 8943
2005 1005 11386
2006 1178 13775
2007 1290 16366
2008 1299 19606
2009 1459 23626
2010 1584 27253
2011 1710 31887
2012 1927 37216
2013 1979 43561
2014 2040 49371
2015 2132 55433
2016 2154 57802
2017 2341 62158
2018 2476 73059
2019 2623 85995
2020 2876 102208
2021 2945 122356
2022 2804 126853
2023 2843 128972

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 6 21
Operations Research 1 2 21
Actuarial Science 1 3 24
Blockchain and Cryptography 1 3 27
Statistics 1 5 44
Econometrics and Mathematical Economics 1 10 49
Math Teachers 1 6 52

Business rankings

The Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1st for Business in Belgium and 40th in the World with 32,663 publications made and 730,606 citations received. Main research topics: Management, Finance, Marketing, International Business, International Trade.

Business ranking Location
#1 of 17 In Belgium
#5 of 1,414 In Europe
#40 of 6,187 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Business Publications & Citations

Year Business publications Business citations
1991 120 489
1992 129 562
1993 147 668
1994 144 831
1995 181 930
1996 191 1179
1997 243 1335
1998 268 1605
1999 294 2016
2000 277 2304
2001 353 2827
2002 573 4426
2003 566 4848
2004 609 5979
2005 735 7004
2006 835 9062
2007 908 10502
2008 990 12975
2009 1099 14940
2010 1211 17552
2011 1229 20102
2012 1368 24007
2013 1483 28189
2014 1529 31812
2015 1626 34497
2016 1648 35978
2017 1672 38989
2018 1855 44104
2019 1918 51829
2020 1969 61404
2021 1903 72671
2022 1817 71772
2023 1906 72429

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 51st in the World with 24,182 publications made and 514,490 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 1,366 In Europe
#51 of 5,995 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Economics Publications & Citations

Year Economics publications Economics citations
1991 95 332
1992 77 360
1993 90 427
1994 91 518
1995 113 563
1996 131 674
1997 170 827
1998 175 989
1999 196 1217
2000 190 1502
2001 267 1811
2002 347 2517
2003 400 3098
2004 428 4080
2005 509 4699
2006 599 5883
2007 677 6772
2008 701 8489
2009 789 10011
2010 891 11845
2011 911 13494
2012 1016 16221
2013 1115 19153
2014 1171 21866
2015 1219 23705
2016 1175 24438
2017 1308 26630
2018 1421 30494
2019 1452 36048
2020 1518 44505
2021 1461 52799
2022 1438 52895
2023 1406 53926

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 15,902 publications made and 288,462 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 1,349 In Europe
#40 of 5,720 In the World

Catholic University of Leuven
Art & Design Publications & Citations

Year Art & Design publications Art & Design citations
1991 49 257
1992 65 332
1993 74 371
1994 80 487
1995 113 526
1996 124 641
1997 107 725
1998 137 817
1999 166 1008
2000 142 1204
2001 185 1387
2002 278 2066
2003 284 2405
2004 289 2711
2005 312 3256
2006 377 4239
2007 362 4659
2008 452 5313
2009 505 6554
2010 557 7442
2011 615 8937
2012 730 10354
2013 667 11864
2014 739 13192
2015 771 14503
2016 788 15113
2017 873 15969
2018 962 17955
2019 952 20505
2020 956 24114
2021 873 27783
2022 891 27641
2023 897 28469

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 8 19
Fashion Design 1 4 29
Interior Design 2 14 35
Landscape Architecture 2 19 40
Aesthetics 1 9 45
Literature 1 11 48
Photography 2 14 50
Computer Graphics 1 11 57
Graphic Design 1 13 58
Illustration and Concept Art 4 33 62
Performing arts 1 23 64
Multimedia 1 14 64
Creative Writing 1 23 68
Music 2 22 70
Animation 1 16 73
Painting and Drawing 4 43 75
Sculpture 4 43 75
Art History 1 26 79
Entertainment Industry Business 2 24 101
UX/UI Desgin 2 40 101
Cinematography 2 43 105
Game Design and Development 1 39 122
Singing and Vocal Performance 3 57 148