University of Gent

Ghent University

Universiteit Gent
Seal of Ghent University
Latin: Academia Gandavensis
Former names	State University of Ghent
Motto	"Inter Utrumque"
Motto in English	"In Between Both"
Type	Public
Established	1817
Rector	Rik Van de Walle
Administrative staff	9,000
Students	+41,000
Location	Ghent, Belgium
Campus	University town
Affiliations	CESAER Erasmus Student Network European University Association Santander Network
Website	www.ugent.be

Ghent University (Dutch: Universiteit Gent, abbreviated as UGent) is a public research university located in Ghent, Belgium. It was established in 1817 by King William I of the Netherlands. After the Belgian revolution of 1830, the newly formed Belgian state began to administer the university. In 1930, it became the first Dutch-speaking university in Belgium, whereas French had previously been the standard academic language. In 1991, the university was granted major autonomy and changed its name accordingly from State University of Ghent (Dutch: Rijksuniversiteit Gent, abbreviated as RUG) to its current designation. The University supports the University Library and the University Hospital, which is one of the largest hospitals in Belgium.

UGent is one of the largest Flemish universities, consisting of 41,000 students and 9,000 staff members. In contrast to the Catholic University of Leuven or the Free University of Brussels, it considers itself a pluralist university in a special sense, i.e. not connected to any particular religion or ideology. For this reason, its motto Inter Utrumque ('In Between Both Extremes') means the acquisition of knowledge and wisdom can only happen in a country in peace and when the institution is fully supported by the government.

Ghent University consistently rates among the top universities not only in Belgium but also throughout the world.

The university in Ghent was opened on October 9, 1817, with JC van Rotterdam serving as the first rector. In the first year, it had 190 students and 16 professors. The original four faculties consisted of Humanities (Letters), Law, Medicine and Science, and the language of instruction was Latin. The university was founded by King William I as part of a policy to stem the intellectual and academic lag in the southern part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, later to become Belgium.