Two Belgian Universities Secure Spots in Top 100 Worldwide, Shanghai Ranking Shows
Brussels, The Gulf Observer: Two Belgian universities—KU Leuven and Ghent University (UGent)—have made it into the top 100 of the latest Shanghai Ranking (Academic Ranking of World Universities), which evaluates over 2,500 institutions globally.
KU Leuven, Belgium’s largest university, has climbed two places since last year to secure the 76th position. It stood out particularly in Dentistry & Oral Sciences (17th globally), Communication (17th), Public Administration (19th), and Medical Technology (33rd).
Ghent University also maintained a strong showing, ranking 91st—just one place lower than last year. Notably, it achieved top-tier global rankings in Veterinary Sciences (6th) and Biotechnology (21st).
Despite this national success, the ranking’s top 10 remains fully occupied by American and British institutions, with Harvard, Stanford, and MIT holding the first three positions, and Cambridge and Oxford remaining in fourth and sixth place respectively.
The Shanghai Ranking methodology primarily focuses on research excellence, weighing criteria such as Nobel laureates, highly cited researchers, and publications in top-tier journals like Science and Nature, which has led to some criticism for under-emphasizing educational quality.
