This is a list of universities in Belgium. In Belgium, which is a federal state, the constitution attributes legislative power over higher education to the Communities.[1] The Dutch-speaking Flemish Community, the French Community and the German Community thus determine which institutes of higher education they organise or recognise, and which diplomas may be legally issued by these institutes.
Below is a list of recognised institutes of higher education in Belgium sorted by the responsible Community.[2]
As a result of an international treaty between the Netherlands and Flanders, a co-operation between the Hasselt University (Flanders) and the Maastricht University (the Netherlands) is recognised as the
According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities[3] and the THES - QS World University Rankings,[4] four Flemish universities (University of Antwerp, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Ghent University and KU Leuven) are among the top 150 universities in Europe and top 300 universities worldwide.
University colleges
All recognised Flemish university colleges (hogescholen) are associated with a Flemish university. The following university colleges, which issue professional bachelor, academic bachelor's and master's degrees, are recognised by the Flemish government:
Limburg University and College Association: public university college associated with Hasselt University
Hogeschool PXL (Hasselt, Diepenbeek, Genk)
Registered institutes of higher education
Finally, the Flemish government has recognised a number of "registered" institutes of higher education, which mostly issue specialised degrees or provide education mainly in a foreign language:
Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School (Leuven, Ghent)
Institutes of higher education in the French Community
Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
The French Community distinguishes between universities, colleges (Hautes Écoles) and arts colleges (Écoles supérieures des Arts). A list of all recognised institutes is maintained in the Annuaire de l'enseignement supérieur.[5]
Faculté universitaire de Théologie Protestante (FUTP), Etterbeek (recognised by both communities, its diplomas are not delivered by the French community)
According to the Academic Ranking of World Universities, two of these universities (Université catholique de Louvain and Université libre de Bruxelles) are among the top 150 universities worldwide.
According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities,[6] two of these universities (Université catholique de Louvain and University of Liège) are among the top 150 universities in Europe and top 350 universities worldwide.
University colleges
Haute École Francisco Ferrer, Brussels
Haute École Bruxelles-Brabant, Brussels and Nivelles
Haute École Galilée, Brussels
Haute École Léonard de Vinci, Brussels
Haute École Lucia de Brouckère, Brussels
Haute École Groupe ICHEC - ISC Saint-Louis - ISFSC, Brussels
Haute École libre de Bruxelles - Ilya Prigogine, Brussels
The following institutes are not recognised by the Flemish or French speaking communities, but by a foreign country:
American University, Brussels Center for European Studies (headquarters: Washington, District of Columbia, United States)
University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies (headquarters: Canterbury, United Kingdom)
Business University, Brussels (headquarters: San Jose, Costa Rica)
Institutions with external validation
The following academic institutions offer accredited degree programmes which are externally validated by foreign institutions of higher education and learning:
Bhaktivedanta College, Durbuy (degrees externally validated by the University of Chester, UK)
International School of Protocol and Diplomacy, Brussels (degrees externally awarded by the Universidad Camilo José Cela, Spain)
United Business Institutes, Brussels (degrees externally validated by Middlesex University, UK)
International rankings
Below are shown the international rankings of the Dutch-speaking and French-speaking universities in Belgium, and the number of times they rank in the top 200 of one of the six prominent global rankings:
Notes:
N.A.: Not Applicable a Number of times the university is ranked within the top 200 of one of the six global rankings. b The university is ranked within the top 150 of all six global rankings. c The university is ranked within the top 100 of all six global rankings.