KULeuven

KU Leuven

Latin: Universitas Lovaniensis
Motto	Sedes Sapientiae (Latin)
Motto in English	Seat of Wisdom or Seat of Knowledge
Type	Independent/Free catholic university
Established	1425, 1834, 1970
Endowment	€ 950 million
Chairman	Herman baron Daems
Chancellor	Mgr. André-Joseph Léonard
Rector	Luc Sels
Administrative staff	11,534
Students	55,484 (2014-15)
Doctoral students	4,272
Location	Leuven,  Belgium 50°52′41″N 4°42′00″E / 50.878°N 4.700°E / 50.878; 4.700Coordinates: 50°52′41″N 4°42′00″E / 50.878°N 4.700°E / 50.878; 4.700
Campus	Main (urban/university town) campus in Leuven and satellite campuses in Aalst, Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Diepenbeek, Geel, Ghent, Kortrijk, Ostend and Sint-Katelijne-Waver
Colors	Blue and white
Affiliations	CLUSTER Coimbra Group EUA, LERU CESAER EQUIS EASN VIU
Mascot	Fons Sapientiae
Website	www.kuleuven.be
Data as of 2014[update]

The Katholieke Universiteit Leuven ("Catholic University of Leuven"), abbreviated KU Leuven and also known as the University of Leuven, is a research university in the Dutch-speaking city of Leuven in Flanders, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in the sciences, engineering, humanities, medicine, law, and social sciences.

In addition to its main campus in Leuven, it has satellite campuses in Kortrijk, Antwerp, Ghent, Bruges, Ostend, Geel, Diepenbeek, Aalst, Sint-Katelijne-Waver, and in Belgium's capital Brussels. KU Leuven is the largest university in Belgium and the Low Countries. (In 2014-15, more than 55,000 students were enrolled.) Its primary language of instruction is Dutch, although several programs are taught in English, particularly postgraduate degrees.

KU Leuven consistently ranks among the top 100 universities in the world. As of 2016-2017, It ranks 40th globally according to Times Higher Education, 79th according to QS World University Rankings, and 93rd according to the Academic Ranking of World Universities. According to Thomson Reuters, in 2016 and 2017, KU Leuven researchers have filed more patents than any other university in Europe; its patents are also the most cited by external academics. As such, KU Leuven was ranked first in the publication's annual list of Europe's most innovative universities for both years. A number of its programs rank within the top 100 in the world according to QS World University Rankings by Subject. It is the highest-ranked university from the Low Countries.

The old University of Leuven was founded at the center of the historic town of Leuven in 1425, making it Belgium's first university. After being closed in 1797 during the Napoleonic period, the Catholic University of Leuven was "re-founded" in 1834, and is frequently, but controversially, identified as a continuation of the older institution. In 1968, the Catholic University of Leuven split into the Dutch-language Katholieke Universiteit Leuven and the French-language Université catholique de Louvain, which moved to Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia. Historically, KU Leuven has been a major contributor to the development of Catholic theology. It is considered the oldest extant Catholic university. Although Catholic in heritage, it operates independently from the Church. KU Leuven is open to students from different faiths.