Top Universities for PhD Study in Belgium in 2025

Belgium is home to many multi-national organisations and is the administrative capital of Europe. The three official languages, the globally respected universities, and the strong links with the rest of Europe make Belgium a popular destination amongst international students. Belgium is well known for its art and literature, with specialised Art colleges where you could study a range of Art disciplines, including the work of the Flemish Masters. The high-quality research and teaching at Belgian research universities, also attracts students from science and technology.

If you're thinking about studying in Belgium, the university ranking tables are a good place to start your search. This page summarises the performance of Belgian institutions in three of the main world university league tables.

Top ranked Belgian universities for PhD study

The table below shows how Belgian universities perform, according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, QS World University Rankings and the Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Though there are only a small number of universities in Belgium, they are consistently well regarded for their outstanding teaching and research. The oldest university in Belgium, KU Leuven, ranks in the top 100 universities worldwide across all three league tables, with seven other Belgian universities ranking within the top 500.

The low tuition fees and the wide variety of funding sources available mean studying in Belgium is more affordable than many other countries.