Belgian universities have slipped in the QS World University Rankings 2024, a ranking of the best universities worldwide.
KU Leuven, the only Belgian institution in the top 100, has dropped two places to 63rd. It recorded its highest result to date last year, leaping up by 15 places when it was ranked 61st. Despite the backward step, KU Leuven's chancellor Luc Sels remains optimistic. "Despite the slight drop, this recognition encourages us to continue our path," he told Belga News Agency.
The University of Ghent (UGent) is Belgium's second-highest-ranking institution at 169th, dropping by ten places since last year. In French-speaking universities, UCLouvain was placed 203rd (falling from 180th), followed closely by the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) which dropped considerably from 189th to 230th.
The University of Antwerp (UAntwerpen) and Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) have each fallen by about 20 places to 267th and 278th, respectively.
Not all Belgian universities suffered heavy losses. The University of Liège (ULiège) moved up to 396th place from 421st last year while Hasselt University (UHasselt) came 554th, down slightly from 551st.
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The QS World University Rankings, published annually since 2004, are based on nine criteria, the most significant being academic reputation, average number of citations per faculty and employer reputation.
The global top ten according to the rankings are as follows: Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Imperial College London, University of Oxford, Harvard University, University of Cambridge, Stanford University, ETH Zurich, National University of Singapore, University College London and California Institute of Technology.
