Katholieke Universiteit Leuven

The Katholieke Universiteit LeuvenA (in English: Catholic University of Leuven),B abbreviated KU Leuven, is a research university in the Dutch-speaking town 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 2017-18, more than 58,000 students were enrolled. Its primary language of instruction is Dutch, although several programs are taught in English, particularly graduate 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, 2017 and 2018, 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 those three 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. The University of Leuven closed during the Napoleonic period in 1797. The Catholic University of Leuven was 're-founded' in 1834, and is frequently (but controversially) identified as a continuation of the older institution.C In 1968, the Catholic University of Leuven split into the Dutch-language Katholieke Universiteit te Leuven and the French-language Université catholique de Louvain (UCLouvain), which moved to Louvain-la-Neuve in Wallonia. Historically, the Catholic University of Leuven has been a major contributor to the development of Catholic theology. It is considered the oldest existent Catholic university. Although Catholic in heritage, it operates independently from the Church. KU Leuven is open to students from different faiths.