Free University of Brussels – VUB: Rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 in Belgium, 428 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 78,396 academic publications and 1,905,363 citations attributed to the university), non-academic reputation, and the impact of notable alumni.
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 428 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 7 of 63 | In Belgium |
| # 185 of 2,786 | In Europe |
| # 302 of 6,568 | For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences |
| # 335 of 6,057 | For Computer Science |
| # 362 of 5,013 | For Economics |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Jump to topical rankings below
Biology rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Biology in Belgium and 420 in the World with 35,709 publications made and 1,233,973 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Biology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #4 | #44 | #156 |
| Biotechnology | #5 | #69 | #208 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #5 | #103 | #274 |
| Molecular | #6 | #106 | #308 |
| Immunology | #7 | #135 | #357 |
| Microbiology | #7 | #130 | #364 |
| Biophysics | #6 | #140 | #366 |
| Genetics | #7 | #132 | #370 |
| Neuroscience | #7 | #144 | #371 |
| Paleontology | #7 | #139 | #374 |
| Evolutionary | #7 | #145 | #378 |
| Astrobiology | #6 | #161 | #392 |
| Biochemistry | #7 | #151 | #411 |
| Oncology | #7 | #152 | #438 |
| Forestry | #7 | #147 | #439 |
| Ethics | #5 | #166 | #447 |
| Botany | #7 | #167 | #468 |
| Pharmacology | #7 | #159 | #470 |
| Virology | #8 | #161 | #476 |
| Toxicology | #6 | #151 | #496 |
| Zoology | #8 | #240 | #670 |
| Nanotechnology | #8 | #229 | #697 |
| Entomology | #9 | #293 | #930 |
| Animal Science | #8 | #289 | #1025 |
| Horticulture | #7 | #294 | #1030 |
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 5 for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in Belgium and 302 in the World with 33,896 publications made and 733,320 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Law | #3 | #64 | #133 |
| Broadcast Journalism | #4 | #42 | #149 |
| Political Science | #5 | #96 | #249 |
| Media Studies | #4 | #109 | #295 |
| Anthropology | #4 | #109 | #311 |
| Philosophy | #6 | #142 | #322 |
| Law | #6 | #117 | #333 |
| Demography | #7 | #120 | #344 |
| Social Work | #3 | #118 | #344 |
| Sociology | #6 | #123 | #345 |
| Gender Studies | #4 | #111 | #360 |
| Linguistics | #7 | #147 | #370 |
| History | #6 | #139 | #372 |
| Archaeology | #6 | #150 | #402 |
| Education | #3 | #119 | #416 |
| Aesthetics | #7 | #197 | #479 |
| Special Education | #5 | #178 | #487 |
| Genealogy | #6 | #217 | #589 |
| Forensic Science | #6 | #234 | #685 |
| Publishing | #7 | #271 | #695 |
Engineering rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Engineering in Belgium and 445 in the World with 31,392 publications made and 847,994 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Engineering Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Research | #4 | #54 | #176 |
| Robotics | #3 | #60 | #184 |
| Biotechnology | #5 | #69 | #208 |
| Architecture | #3 | #105 | #239 |
| Computer Engineering | #4 | #85 | #273 |
| Automation and Control | #4 | #81 | #276 |
| Landscape Architecture | #5 | #147 | #296 |
| Reliability and Quality | #4 | #95 | #319 |
| Remote Sensing | #5 | #110 | #324 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #5 | #139 | #327 |
| Systems | #6 | #136 | #349 |
| Renewable Energy | #4 | #116 | #363 |
| Applied Physics | #5 | #152 | #406 |
| Telecommunications | #4 | #136 | #409 |
| Aviation | #4 | #151 | #413 |
| Optics | #7 | #186 | #481 |
| Construction Management | #5 | #199 | #546 |
| Engineering Management | #3 | #204 | #592 |
| Metallurgy | #7 | #235 | #686 |
| Nanotechnology | #8 | #229 | #697 |
| Environmental Engineering | #7 | #252 | #762 |
Chemistry rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Chemistry in Belgium and 445 in the World with 30,475 publications made and 1,064,441 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Chemistry Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Computational | #5 | #115 | #266 |
| Biochemical Engineering | #5 | #139 | #327 |
| Biochemistry | #7 | #151 | #411 |
| Physical | #5 | #163 | #486 |
| Organic chemistry | #7 | #190 | #516 |
| Nanotechnology | #8 | #229 | #697 |
| Pharmacy | #8 | #286 | #781 |
| Radiochemistry | #7 | #220 | #873 |
Physics rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Physics in Belgium and 451 in the World with 30,020 publications made and 812,297 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Physics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Theoretical | #5 | #143 | #298 |
| Biophysics | #6 | #140 | #366 |
| Astrobiology | #6 | #161 | #392 |
| Applied Physics | #5 | #152 | #406 |
| Optics | #7 | #186 | #481 |
| Molecular | #9 | #248 | #566 |
| Nanotechnology | #8 | #229 | #697 |
| Condensed Matter | #10 | #349 | #1031 |
Computer Science rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 6 for Computer Science in Belgium and 335 in the World with 28,618 publications made and 794,318 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Computer Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineering | #2 | #41 | #111 |
| Robotics | #3 | #60 | #184 |
| Computer Engineering | #4 | #85 | #273 |
| Bioinformatics / Computational biology | #5 | #103 | #274 |
| Computer Vision | #5 | #92 | #279 |
| Computational Linguistics | #4 | #112 | #291 |
| Cognitive Science | #5 | #105 | #295 |
| Machine Learning | #6 | #100 | #327 |
| Data Science | #3 | #131 | #334 |
| Multimedia | #3 | #129 | #358 |
| Neuroscience | #7 | #144 | #371 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #4 | #153 | #379 |
| Telecommunications | #4 | #136 | #409 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #5 | #161 | #470 |
| Animation | #6 | #190 | #483 |
| Information Technology | #3 | #240 | #789 |
Medicine rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Medicine in Belgium and 393 in the World with 27,531 publications made and 908,820 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Medicine Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Urology | #2 | #27 | #111 |
| Sports | #3 | #52 | #157 |
| Occupational Therapy | #2 | #49 | #161 |
| Cosmetology | #4 | #64 | #181 |
| Physical Therapy | #4 | #65 | #190 |
| Obstetrics and Gynecology | #4 | #95 | #209 |
| Plastic Surgery | #3 | #74 | #252 |
| Gerontology | #3 | #82 | #289 |
| Nursing | #5 | #105 | #323 |
| Healthcare Administration | #6 | #109 | #341 |
| Social Work | #3 | #118 | #344 |
| Immunology | #7 | #135 | #357 |
| Health Science | #5 | #117 | #366 |
| Pediatrics | #6 | #135 | #366 |
| Paramedicine and Emergency | #6 | #115 | #373 |
| Radiology | #7 | #151 | #415 |
| Psychiatry | #7 | #155 | #419 |
| Anesthesiology | #7 | #151 | #423 |
| Pathology | #7 | #160 | #433 |
| Oncology | #7 | #152 | #438 |
| Audiology | #7 | #173 | #439 |
| Radiation Therapy | #5 | #156 | #444 |
| Ethics | #5 | #166 | #447 |
| Surgery | #7 | #159 | #447 |
| Orthodontics | #5 | #162 | #464 |
| Pharmacology | #7 | #159 | #470 |
| Epidemiology | #8 | #179 | #474 |
| Virology | #8 | #161 | #476 |
| Clinical Psychology | #6 | #170 | #482 |
| Cardiology | #7 | #190 | #487 |
| Toxicology | #6 | #151 | #496 |
| Dentistry | #6 | #178 | #508 |
| Dermatology | #7 | #190 | #522 |
| Neurosurgery | #7 | #216 | #639 |
| Forensic Science | #6 | #234 | #685 |
| Pharmacy | #8 | #286 | #781 |
| Ophthalmology | #7 | #295 | #873 |
| Veterinary | #9 | #301 | #1223 |
Environmental Science rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 6 for Environmental Science in Belgium and 370 in the World with 27,471 publications made and 809,514 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Environmental Science Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wildlife and Fisheries Management | #4 | #44 | #156 |
| Hydrology and Water resources | #4 | #46 | #191 |
| Paleontology | #7 | #139 | #374 |
| Oceanography | #7 | #135 | #380 |
| Geology | #7 | #144 | #391 |
| Earth science and Geoscience | #6 | #153 | #411 |
| Ecology | #7 | #161 | #432 |
| Environmental Management | #6 | #145 | #439 |
| Forestry | #7 | #147 | #439 |
| Environmental Engineering | #7 | #252 | #762 |
Psychology rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Psychology in Belgium and 402 in the World with 15,129 publications made and 423,069 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Psychology Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Occupational Therapy | #2 | #49 | #161 |
| Cognitive Science | #5 | #105 | #295 |
| Social Work | #3 | #118 | #344 |
| Neuroscience | #7 | #144 | #371 |
| Human Sexuality | #5 | #121 | #416 |
| Education | #3 | #119 | #416 |
| Psychiatry | #7 | #155 | #419 |
| Clinical Psychology | #6 | #170 | #482 |
| Special Education | #5 | #178 | #487 |
Mathematics rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 6 for Mathematics in Belgium and 373 in the World with 13,161 publications made and 367,559 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Mathematics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operations Research | #4 | #54 | #176 |
| Actuarial Science | #5 | #97 | #281 |
| Statistics | #6 | #130 | #356 |
| Applied Mathematics | #6 | #141 | #366 |
| Econometrics | #7 | #154 | #381 |
| Mathematics Education | #4 | #115 | #411 |
| Cryptography and Distributed computing | #5 | #161 | #470 |
Business rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Business in Belgium and 367 in the World with 10,778 publications made and 240,692 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Business Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Trade | #4 | #57 | #93 |
| Operations Research | #4 | #54 | #176 |
| Actuarial Science | #5 | #97 | #281 |
| Advertising | #4 | #88 | #297 |
| Project Management | #4 | #133 | #308 |
| Accounting | #6 | #120 | #373 |
| Management Information Systems (MIS) | #4 | #153 | #379 |
| Management | #7 | #125 | #382 |
| Finance | #7 | #161 | #420 |
| Risk Management | #7 | #189 | #445 |
| Marketing | #6 | #188 | #492 |
| Construction Management | #5 | #199 | #546 |
| Real Estate | #4 | #180 | #571 |
| Engineering Management | #3 | #204 | #592 |
| Entrepreneurship | #8 | #393 | #902 |
Economics rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Economics in Belgium and 362 in the World with 7,892 publications made and 174,090 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Economics Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| International Trade | #4 | #57 | #93 |
| Actuarial Science | #5 | #97 | #281 |
| Econometrics | #7 | #154 | #381 |
| Finance | #7 | #161 | #420 |
Art & Design rankings
Free University of Brussels – VUB ranked 7 for Art & Design in Belgium and 404 in the World with 5,011 publications made and 94,754 citations received.
Free University of Brussels – VUB
Art & Design Subfield Rankings
| Field | Nat. | Cont. | World |
|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic Design | #4 | #84 | #234 |
| Architecture | #3 | #105 | #239 |
| Landscape Architecture | #5 | #147 | #296 |
| Interior Design | #6 | #140 | #327 |
| Multimedia | #3 | #129 | #358 |
| Cinematography | #7 | #162 | #364 |
| Photography | #7 | #148 | #370 |
| Acting and Drama | #6 | #165 | #382 |
| Literature | #7 | #160 | #386 |
| Music | #5 | #157 | #409 |
| Sculpture | #8 | #195 | #422 |
| Aesthetics | #7 | #197 | #479 |
| Animation | #6 | #190 | #483 |
| Creative Writing | #6 | #200 | #496 |
