General description

The creation of Universities as an institution was one of the best things to come out of the Middle Ages. The institution’s commitment to extending the boundaries of human knowledge, transmitting this knowledge, and thereby increasing the humanity of the human race has kept it at the forefront of civilization in the 21st century. The Université catholique de Louvain  has played a part in this process with pride since 1425.

But above all, UCL’s mission to be a great European university is directed towards the future. It takes in teachers, researchers and students from far and wide and the need for strict quality control has never been higher. The internationalization of tertiary education brings new challenges. Inspired by a long history of welcoming others, the university campuses are developing into living communities.

UCL is a microcosm of the world it serves. It is a centre of knowledge and innovation, a place of cultural celebration and invention, of achievement and extending the limits of human accomplishment.

> Forum of excellence and exchange
> A great quality of life
> A decidedly international university
> Research anchored in its time

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UCL, a forum of excellence and exchange
Founded in 1425, the Catholic University of Louvain is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It was split in 1971 into two separate universities, one Dutch-speaking remaining in Leuven (K.U. Leuven), one French-speaking, established in Louvain-la-Neuve and Brussels. Among its former researchers and teachers, there are Erasmus, Mercator, Vesalius, Vives and Lemaître. Today, centers such as the Center for Operation Research and Econometrics (CORE), the Ludwig Institute and the ICP contribute to its international scope. UCL has 130,000 graduates throughout the world.

Apart from the classical university infrastructure for teaching and research (lecture halls and seminar rooms, laboratories, libraries, etc.), UCL houses ultramodern pedagogical tools (multimedia, visioconference) and offers quality housing adapted to all family conditions. Student life is animated, diversified and very creative.

Two original campuses, a great quality of life
Louvain-la-Neuve is no ordinary campus. In twenty-five years, it has established its reputation as a city in itself, with a population of almost 20 000 and a balance of student and non-student residents. This means you will benefit from a real urban environment, with all the facilities and opportunities provided by such a setting in terms of shops, contacts and culture. Theatre, cinema, music, lectures, shopping, evenings out, it's all here.

Louvain-la-Neuve is nevertheless just a few steps away from a lovely wood, the Bois de Lauzelle. Down the hill, a nice stretch of water makes an attractive setting for a walk or sports activity. Louvain-la-Neuve has a large sports complex, which adds new sporting activities to its programme every year. You can do your favourite sport there, at amateur or competition level, or you can simply relax in the thermal baths.

In Brussels, the same facilities for culture, leisure and relaxation exist, stimulated by the presence of the European Union, which gives the city with its thousand-year culture the richness and the variety of each of the member cultures. The Faculty of Medicine of UCL, (4,000 students) has chosen to establish itself in Brussels, on the territory of the commune of Woluwé-Saint-Lambert, close to UCL University hospital (Saint-Luc, 900 beds) and several prestigious research institutes (ICP, the Ludwig Institute, etc.). The sculpture Garden and the botanical Garden of UCL are beautiful green areas of the capital and the Woluwé sports complex offers a large variety of activities. Regular and fast underground links mean that the famous Grand-Place is only a stone's throw away.

A decidedly international university
Several options exist for students who wish to do part of their study program at a sister university. First of all in Europe, in the framework of the Erasmus program, but also in North America and Asia, in the framework of a number of agreements negotiated by UCL. Thus, every year, some 600 UCL students add an international dimension to their university education.

French, Spanish and English are widely spoken on campus. More than 100 nationalities meet here. You will always find somebody who will be able to speak your language, or help you to master French better.

Research anchored in its time
UCL takes an active part in the European Union's framework programmes for technological research and development (FP). From the third FP onwards, UCL has been amongst the leading European universities in terms of the total number of research contracts and the success rate of proposals. This creates a dynamic research base and international networking. Examples of this include the EUROFAN project on decoding the yeast genome, where some 50 teams were coordinated by UCL, and the recognition of the cyclotron research centre as a major research infrastructure at European level, hosting projects and researchers from various European institutions.

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The three science parks of UCL (Louvain-la-Neuve, Brussels, Seneffe) have as a mission to promote close collaboration between industry and the university, to contribute to regional development and to diversify the activities of the urban environment in which they have been implanted.

The park at Louvain-la-Neuve caters to around 100 companies that employ about 4,000 people. The most famous ones are: Carmeuse, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, American Home Products, Ajinomoto, McKinsey, etc.

Over the past couple of years, UCL has initiated about ten spin-off companies in the fields of computer sciences, bio-industry and other high-tech areas.