Catholic University of Leuven: Rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 in Belgium, 62 in the global 2026 rating, and scored in the TOP 1-3 across multiple research topics. The ranking is based on 3 factors: research output (EliteDegrees's index has 271,914 academic publications and 9,393,026 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of notable alumni.
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 62 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 1 of 63 | In Belgium |
| # 10 of 2,786 | In Europe |
| # 34 of 6,568 | For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences |
| # 36 of 6,057 | For Computer Science |
| # 38 of 5,432 | For Mathematics |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Jump to topical rankings below
Biology rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Biology in Belgium and 47 in the World with 151,900 publications made and 6,563,943 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Biology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biotechnology | #1 | #7 | #31 |
| Entomology | #1 | #7 | #35 |
| Ethics | #1 | #9 | #39 |
| Microbiology | #2 | #9 | #44 |
| Paleontology | #1 | #8 | #45 |
| Botany | #2 | #8 | #46 |
| Biochemistry | #1 | #8 | #51 |
| Horticulture | #2 | #5 | #52 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #1 | #11 | #53 |
| Immunology | #1 | #12 | #53 |
| Genetics | #1 | #10 | #54 |
| Virology | #1 | #11 | #57 |
| Neuroscience | #1 | #12 | #59 |
| Oncology | #1 | #9 | #61 |
| Pharmacology | #1 | #10 | #63 |
| Toxicology | #2 | #18 | #67 |
| Evolutionary | #1 | #13 | #67 |
| Forestry | #3 | #16 | #70 |
| Animal Science | #3 | #16 | #71 |
| Biophysics | #1 | #16 | #72 |
| Molecular | #1 | #13 | #73 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #2 | #19 | #74 |
| Astrobiology | #2 | #19 | #76 |
| Nanotechnology | #1 | #9 | #83 |
| Zoology | #2 | #31 | #106 |
| Nutrition and Food Science | #2 | #3 | #23 |
| Agricultural Science | #2 | #6 | #45 |
Medicine rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Medicine in Belgium and 44 in the World with 121,856 publications made and 5,308,338 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Medicine Subfield Rankings
Chemistry rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Chemistry in Belgium and 45 in the World with 121,506 publications made and 5,062,766 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Chemistry Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biochemical Engineering | #2 | #9 | #12 |
| Organic chemistry | #1 | #7 | #48 |
| Biochemistry | #1 | #8 | #51 |
| Radiochemistry | #1 | #3 | #64 |
| Nanotechnology | #1 | #9 | #83 |
| Pharmacy | #1 | #41 | #86 |
| Physical | #1 | #12 | #87 |
| Computational | #1 | #34 | #97 |
| Environmental Chemistry | #2 | #22 | #87 |
| Polymer science and Plastics engineering | #3 | #19 | #53 |
| Materials Science | #1 | #8 | #56 |
| Inorganic Chemistry | #1 | #10 | #64 |
| Chemical Engineering | #1 | #10 | #84 |
Engineering rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Engineering in Belgium and 51 in the World with 116,227 publications made and 3,936,175 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Engineering Subfield Rankings
Physics rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Physics in Belgium and 53 in the World with 109,565 publications made and 3,694,898 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Physics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Physics | #1 | #7 | #53 |
| Optics | #1 | #9 | #54 |
| Biophysics | #1 | #16 | #72 |
| Astrobiology | #2 | #19 | #76 |
| Theoretical | #2 | #29 | #79 |
| Condensed Matter | #1 | #19 | #82 |
| Nanotechnology | #1 | #9 | #83 |
| Molecular | #1 | #31 | #90 |
| Quantum and Particle physics | #1 | #11 | #56 |
| Astrophysics and Astronomy | #1 | #15 | #58 |
| Atomic and Molecular physics | #1 | #31 | #90 |
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Belgium and 34 in the World with 107,960 publications made and 3,310,173 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education | #1 | #7 | #22 |
| Philosophy | #1 | #5 | #34 |
| Political Science | #1 | #7 | #35 |
| Archaeology | #1 | #4 | #35 |
| Aesthetics | #1 | #7 | #36 |
| Linguistics | #1 | #7 | #36 |
| History | #1 | #7 | #42 |
| Law | #1 | #9 | #52 |
| International Law | #1 | #27 | #59 |
| Education | #1 | #8 | #61 |
| Sociology | #1 | #15 | #64 |
| Broadcast Journalism | #2 | #14 | #65 |
| Anthropology | #1 | #18 | #69 |
| Demography | #1 | #19 | #74 |
| Publishing | #1 | #23 | #99 |
| Genealogy | #1 | #34 | #106 |
| Forensic Science | #2 | #37 | #114 |
| Gender Studies | #1 | #28 | #121 |
| Media Studies | #1 | #50 | #142 |
| Social Work | #2 | #77 | #228 |
| Early Childhood Education | #1 | #12 | #78 |
| Human Rights Law | #1 | #24 | #54 |
| Communications and Public Relations | #1 | #16 | #57 |
| Intellectual Property and Patent Law | #1 | #2 | #12 |
| Classics and Ancient History | #1 | #24 | #65 |
| Negotiation and Conflict Resolution | #1 | #15 | #56 |
| Radio and Television broadcasting | #2 | #9 | #40 |
| Theology / Divinity / Religious studies | #1 | #7 | #26 |
| Sports / Exercise science | #1 | #8 | #33 |
| Journalism and Digital Media | #1 | #8 | #68 |
| Law Enforcement | #1 | #7 | #48 |
Computer Science rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Computer Science in Belgium and 36 in the World with 106,439 publications made and 3,884,076 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Computer Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #1 | #3 | #24 |
| Software Engineering | #1 | #9 | #27 |
| Computer Engineering | #1 | #4 | #29 |
| Cognitive Science | #1 | #5 | #29 |
| Machine Learning | #1 | #4 | #33 |
| Computer Vision | #1 | #7 | #34 |
| Data Science | #1 | #8 | #42 |
| Computational Linguistics | #1 | #8 | #42 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #1 | #11 | #53 |
| Telecommunications | #1 | #10 | #59 |
| Neuroscience | #1 | #12 | #59 |
| Multimedia | #1 | #13 | #64 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #1 | #22 | #68 |
| Animation | #1 | #14 | #73 |
| Robotics | #1 | #23 | #87 |
| Information Technology | #2 | #74 | #296 |
| Web Design and Development | #1 | #13 | #55 |
| Library and Information science | #1 | #13 | #61 |
| Human-Computer Interaction | #1 | #21 | #73 |
| Database Administration | #1 | #8 | #44 |
| Cyber Security | #1 | #4 | #30 |
| Computer Networking | #1 | #5 | #44 |
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) | #1 | #6 | #39 |
Environmental Science rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Environmental Science in Belgium and 47 in the World with 88,605 publications made and 3,124,294 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Environmental Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Engineering | #2 | #8 | #43 |
| Paleontology | #1 | #8 | #45 |
| Ecology | #1 | #8 | #47 |
| Geology | #1 | #9 | #49 |
| Forestry | #3 | #16 | #70 |
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #2 | #19 | #74 |
| Earth science and Geoscience | #1 | #18 | #75 |
| Environmental Management | #2 | #17 | #76 |
| Oceanography | #2 | #27 | #94 |
| Hydrology and Water resources | #2 | #33 | #126 |
| Meteorology and Atmospheric Science | #1 | #15 | #68 |
| Geography and Cartography | #1 | #8 | #47 |
| Urban and Regional planning | #1 | #21 | #43 |
Psychology rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Psychology in Belgium and 44 in the World with 63,916 publications made and 2,631,093 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Psychology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Special Education | #1 | #7 | #22 |
| Occupational Therapy | #1 | #4 | #25 |
| Cognitive Science | #1 | #5 | #29 |
| Psychiatry | #1 | #9 | #50 |
| Neuroscience | #1 | #12 | #59 |
| Education | #1 | #8 | #61 |
| Clinical Psychology | #1 | #13 | #68 |
| Human Sexuality | #1 | #22 | #126 |
| Social Work | #2 | #77 | #228 |
| Organizational / Business / IO Psychology | #1 | #6 | #42 |
| Child Psychology | #1 | #8 | #51 |
| Social Psychology | #1 | #8 | #53 |
Mathematics rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Mathematics in Belgium and 38 in the World with 50,838 publications made and 1,938,005 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Mathematics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Mathematics | #1 | #7 | #22 |
| Operations Research | #1 | #2 | #22 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #1 | #3 | #24 |
| Actuarial Science | #1 | #4 | #29 |
| Statistics | #1 | #5 | #38 |
| Econometrics | #1 | #8 | #44 |
| Mathematics Education | #1 | #7 | #58 |
Business rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Business in Belgium and 44 in the World with 36,413 publications made and 1,107,094 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Business Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Trade | #1 | #3 | #4 |
| Operations Research | #1 | #2 | #22 |
| Actuarial Science | #1 | #4 | #29 |
| Real Estate | #1 | #7 | #31 |
| Construction Management | #1 | #13 | #38 |
| Management | #1 | #6 | #41 |
| Project Management | #1 | #17 | #42 |
| Advertising | #1 | #6 | #43 |
| Finance | #1 | #8 | #44 |
| Marketing | #1 | #5 | #44 |
| Entrepreneurship | #1 | #27 | #56 |
| Accounting | #1 | #8 | #59 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #1 | #22 | #68 |
| Risk Management | #1 | #21 | #73 |
| Engineering Management | #1 | #27 | #102 |
| Supply Chain Management | #1 | #21 | #82 |
| Investment Banking and Stock trading | #1 | #23 | #84 |
| Public Policy / Administration | #1 | #13 | #44 |
| International Business | #1 | #3 | #7 |
| Hospitality and Hotel Management | #1 | #29 | #86 |
| Human Resource Management | #1 | #6 | #41 |
| Tax Law | #1 | #21 | #92 |
Economics rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Economics in Belgium and 48 in the World with 27,085 publications made and 807,734 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Economics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Trade | #1 | #3 | #4 |
| Actuarial Science | #1 | #4 | #29 |
| Finance | #1 | #8 | #44 |
| Econometrics | #1 | #8 | #44 |
| Agricultural Economics | #1 | #5 | #34 |
| Development Studies | #1 | #13 | #67 |
| Political Economy | #1 | #33 | #75 |
Art & Design rankings
Catholic University of Leuven ranked 1 for Art & Design in Belgium and 40 in the World with 18,597 publications made and 457,915 citations received.
Catholic University of Leuven
Art & Design Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Architecture | #1 | #7 | #18 |
| Aesthetics | #1 | #7 | #36 |
| Interior Design | #2 | #19 | #46 |
| Landscape Architecture | #2 | #21 | #47 |
| Graphic Design | #1 | #7 | #47 |
| Literature | #1 | #12 | #48 |
| Photography | #2 | #20 | #63 |
| Multimedia | #1 | #13 | #64 |
| Sculpture | #4 | #33 | #64 |
| Acting and Drama | #1 | #26 | #68 |
| Creative Writing | #1 | #22 | #69 |
| Animation | #1 | #14 | #73 |
| Music | #2 | #24 | #77 |
| Cinematography | #3 | #49 | #115 |
| Computer Graphics | #1 | #12 | #59 |
| Illustration and Concept Art | #3 | #26 | #52 |
| Fashion Design | #1 | #4 | #29 |
| Painting and Drawing | #4 | #33 | #64 |
| Entertainment Industry Business | #2 | #23 | #98 |
| UX/UI Desgin | #2 | #29 | #86 |
