 Seal of the ULB | |
| Latin:Universitas Bruxellensis[a] | |
| Motto | Scientia vincere tenebras (Latin) |
|---|---|
Motto in English | Conquering darkness through science |
| Type | Independent (partly state-funded) |
| Established | 28 May 1970; 55 years ago (1970-05-28) |
| President | Pierre Gurdjian |
| Rector | Annemie Schaus |
Administrative staff | 4,400 |
| Students | 37,489 (2023–24)[1] |
| Location | , Belgium |
| Campus | Solbosch/Solbos,La Plaine/Het Plein,Erasme/Erasmus, Gosselies |
| Follows | Free University of Brussels |
| Affiliations | |
| Website | www.ulb.be |
 | |
 | |
TheUniversité libre de Bruxelles (French,pronounced[ynivɛʁsitelibʁdəbʁysɛl]; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviatedULB) is a French-speakingresearch university inBrussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: theSolbosch/Solbos campus (in theCity of Brussels andIxelles), theLa Plaine/Het Plein campus (in Ixelles) and theErasme/Erasmus campus (inAnderlecht).
The Université libre de Bruxelles was formed in 1969 by the splitting of theFree University of Brussels,[b] which was founded in 1834 by the lawyer andliberal politicianPierre-Théodore Verhaegen. The founder aimed to establish a university independent from state and church, whereacademic freedom would prevail.[2] This is still reflected in the university'smottoScientia vincere tenebras, or "Conquering darkness through science".
The ULB now has about 24,200 students, 33% of whom come from abroad, and an equally cosmopolitan staff.[3]
Brussels has two universities whose names meanFree University of Brussels in English: the French-speakingUniversité libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Dutch-speakingVrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB). Neither uses the English translation, since it is ambiguous.
The history of theUniversité libre de Bruxelles is closely linked with that of Belgium itself. When theBelgian State was formed in 1830 by nine breakaway provinces from theKingdom of the Netherlands, three state universities existed in the cities ofGhent,Leuven andLiège, but none in the new capital, Brussels. Since the government was reluctant to fund another state university, a group of leadingintellectuals in the fields of arts, science, and education — amongst whom the study prefect of the Royal Athenaeum of Brussels,Auguste Baron, as well as the astronomer and mathematicianAdolphe Quetelet — planned to create aprivate university, which was permitted under theBelgian Constitution.[4][2]
In 1834, the Belgianepiscopate decided to establish aCatholic university inMechelen with the aim of regaining the influence of the Catholic Church on the academic scene in Belgium, and the government had the intent to close theuniversity at Leuven and donate the buildings to the Catholic institution.[5] The country'sliberals strongly opposed to this decision, and furthered their ideas for a university in Brussels as a counterbalance to the Catholic institution. At the same time, Auguste Baron had just become a member of thefreemasonic lodgeLes Amis Philantropes. Baron was able to convincePierre-Théodore Verhaegen, the president of the lodge, to support the idea for a new university. On 24 June 1834, Verhaegen presented his plan to establish a free university.[2]
After sufficient funding was collected among advocates, theUniversité libre de Belgique ("Free University of Belgium") was inaugurated on 20 November 1834, in the Gothic Room ofBrussels Town Hall. The date of its establishment is still commemorated annually, by students of its successor institutions, as a holiday calledSaint Verhaegen (often shortened toSt V) for Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen.[6] In 1836, the university was renamed theUniversité libre de Bruxelles ("Free University of Brussels").[4]
After its establishment, the Free University faced difficult times, since it received nosubsidies or grants from the government; yearly fundraising events and tuition fees provided the only financial means. Verhaegen, who became a professor and later head of the new university, gave it a mission statement which he summarised in a speech to KingLeopold I: "the principle offree inquiry and academic freedom uninfluenced by any political or religious authority."[2] In 1858, the Catholic Church established theSaint-Louis Institute in the city, which subsequently expanded into a university in its own right.
The Free University grew significantly over the following decades. In 1842, it moved to theGranvelle Palace, which it occupied until 1928. It expanded the number of subjects taught and, in 1880, became one of the first institutions in Belgium to allow female students to study in some faculties. In 1893, it received large grants fromErnest andAlfred Solvay as well asRaoul Warocqué to open new faculties in Brussels. A disagreement over an invitation to theanarchist geographerÉlisée Reclus to speak at the university in 1893 from the rectorHector Denis led to some of the liberal and socialist faculty splitting away from the Free University to form theNew University of Brussels (Université nouvelle de Bruxelles) in 1894. However, the institution failed to displace the Free University and closed definitively in 1919.[7]
In1900, the Free University'sfootball team won the bronze medal at theSummer Olympics. AfterRacing Club de Bruxelles declined to participate, a student selection with players from the university was sent by the Federation.[8][9] The team was enforced with a few non-students.[10] The Institute of Sociology was founded in 1902, then in 1904 the Solvay School of Commerce, which would later become theSolvay Brussels School of Economics and Management (part of ULB) and VUB Solvay Business School (part of VUB). In 1911, the university obtained itslegal personality under the nameUniversité libre de Bruxelles - Vrije Hogeschool te Brussel.[11]
TheGerman occupation duringWorld War I led to the suspension of classes for four years in 1914–1918. In the aftermath of the war, the Free University moved its principal activities to theSolbosch/Solbos in the southern municipality ofIxelles, and a purpose-built university campus was created, funded by theBelgian American Educational Foundation.
DuringWorld War II, the university was again closed by the German authorities on 25 November 1941 during thesecond occupation. Students from the university were involved in theBelgian Resistance, notably establishing the sabotage-orientated networkGroupe G.
Courses at the Free University were taught exclusively in French until the early 20th century. After Belgian independence, French was widely accepted as the language of thebourgeoisie andupper classes and was the only medium in law andacademia. As theFlemish Movement gained prominence among the Dutch-speaking majority in Flanders over the late 19th century, the lack of provision for Dutch speakers in higher education became a major source of political contention. Ghent University became the first institution in 1930 to teach exclusively in Dutch.
Some courses at the Free University's Faculty of Law began being taught in both French and Dutch as early as 1935. Nevertheless, it was not until 1963 that all faculties offered their courses in both languages.[12] Tensions between French- and Dutch-speaking students in the country came to a head in 1968 when theCatholic University of Leuvensplit along linguistic lines, becoming the first of several national institutions to do so.[13]
On 1 October 1969, the French and Dutch entities of the Free University separated into two distinct sister universities. This splitting became official with the act of 28 May 1970, of theBelgian Parliament, by which the French-speakingUniversité libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Dutch-speakingVrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) officially became two separate legal, administrative and scientific entities.[14][15]
The ULB comprises three maincampuses: theSolbosch/Solbos campus, on the territories of theCity of Brussels andIxelles municipalities in theBrussels-Capital Region, theLa Plaine/Het Plein campus in Ixelles, and theErasme/Erasmus campus inAnderlecht, beside theErasmus Hospital.
The main and largest campus of the university is the Solbosch, which hosts the administration and general services of the university. It also includes most of the faculties of the humanities, theÉcole polytechnique, the large library of social sciences, and among the museums of the ULB, the Museum of Zoology and Anthropology,[16] theAllende exhibition room and the Michel de Ghelderode Museum-Library.
The La Plaine campus hosts the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Pharmacy. There are also the Experimentariums of physics and chemistry, the Museum of Medicinal Plants and Pharmacy[17] and student housing. This site is served byDelta station.
The Erasmus campus houses the Erasmus Hospital and thePôle Santé, the Faculty of Medicine, the School of Public Health and the Faculty of Motor Sciences. There is also the School of Nursing (with the Haute école libre de Bruxelles – Ilya Prigogine), the Museum of Medicine[18] and the Museum of Human Anatomy and Embryology.[19] This site is served byErasme/Erasmus metro station.
The university also has buildings and activities in the Brussels municipality ofAuderghem, and outside of Brussels, inCharleroi on theAéropole Science Park andNivelles.
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University of California, Berkeley,University of Oxford,University of Cambridge,Université de Montréal,Waseda University,Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris VI,BeiHang University,Universidade de São Paulo,Université de Lausanne,Université de Genève,University Ouaga I Pr. Joseph Ki-Zerbo,University of Lubumbashi[21]
| Faculty or Institute | Bachelor's degrees | Master's degrees | Complementary master's degrees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Faculty of Architecture | Architecture | Architecture | |
| Faculty of Philosophy and Letters |
|
| African Languages and Cultures |
| Pedagogy in Higher Education | |||
| Language Sciences | |||
| Art History and Archaeology | Art History and Archaeology (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Art History and Archaeology: Musicology | Art History and Archaeology: Musicology (1 or 2 years) | ||
| French and Roman Languages and Literature | Cultural Management | ||
| History | Ethics | ||
| Information and Communication | French and Roman Languages and Literature (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Modern Languages and Literature | French and Roman Languages and Literature: French Foreign Language | ||
| History (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Philosophy | Information and Communication (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Religious and Secular Studies | Information and Communication Sciences and Technologies | ||
| Linguistics | |||
| Modern Languages and Literature (1 or 2 years) | |||
| |||
| Multilingual Communication | |||
| Performing Arts | |||
| Philosophy (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Religious and Secular Studies | |||
| Faculty of Law and Criminological Science | Law | Criminology | Economic Law |
| Law | International Law | ||
| Notaries | |||
| Public and Administrative Law | |||
| Social Law | |||
| Tax Law | |||
| Faculty of Psychological Science, and of Education | Psychology and Educational Sciences | Educational Sciences | Pedagogy in Higher Education |
| Psychology and Educational Sciences: Speech Therapy | Psychology | Psychoanalytic Theories | |
| Speech Therapy | Risk Management and Well-being at Work | ||
| Biology | Actuarial Science | Nanotechnology |
| Chemistry | Biochemistry and Molecular and Cellular Biology | ||
| Computer Sciences | Bioengineering: Agricultural Sciences | ||
| Engineering: Bioengineering | Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries | ||
| Geography | Bioengineering: Environmental Sciences and Technologies | ||
| Geology | Bioinformatics and Modeling | ||
| Mathematics | Biology (1 year) | ||
| Physics | Chemistry (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Sciences (Polyvalent first year) | Computer Sciences (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Environmental Sciences and Management (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Geography (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Geology (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Mathematics (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Organismal Biology and Ecology | |||
| Physics (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Statistics | |||
| Tourism Sciences and Management (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Faculty of Applied Sciences/Polytechnic School | Engineering: Bioengineering | Bioengineering: Agricultural Sciences | Conservation and Restoration of Immovable Cultural Heritage |
| Engineering: Civil | Bioengineering: Chemistry and Bio-industries | Nanotechnology | |
| Engineering: Civil Architect | Bioengineering: Environmental Sciences and Technologies | Nuclear Engineering | |
| Civil Engineering: Architectural | Transportation Management | ||
| Civil Engineering: Biomedical | Urban and Regional Planning | ||
| Civil Engineering: Chemistry and Material Science | |||
| Civil Engineering: Computer | |||
| Civil Engineering: Constructions | |||
| Civil Engineering: Electrical | |||
| Civil Engineering: Electro-mechanical | |||
| Civil Engineering: Mechanical | |||
| Civil Engineering: Physicist | |||
| Faculty of Medicine | Biomedical Sciences | Biomedical Sciences | |
| Dentistry | Dentistry | ||
| Medicine | Medicine | ||
| Veterinary Medicine | |||
| Institute of Pharmacy | Pharmaceutical Sciences | Biomedical Sciences | Clinical Biology (for pharmacists) |
| Pharmaceutical Sciences | Hospital Pharmacy | ||
| Industrial Pharmacy | |||
| Faculty of Social and Political Sciences | Human and Social Science | Anthropology | |
| Political Science | Human Resources Management | ||
| Sociology and Anthropology | Political Science (1 or 2 years) | ||
| Political Science: International Relations | |||
| Population and Development | |||
| Public Administration | |||
| Sociology | |||
| Sociology and Anthropology (1 year) | |||
| Work Science (1 or 2 years) | |||
| Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management | Business Engineering | Business Engineering | Industrial Management and Technology |
| Economics | Economics (1 or 2 years) | Microfinance | |
| Institute of European Studies | European Studies | European Law | |
| Interdisciplinary Analysis of European Construction |
At the heart of the Free University of Brussels there are at least 2000 PhD students and around 3600 researchers and lecturers who work around different scientific fields and produce cutting-edge research.
The projects of these scientists span thematics that concern exact, applied and human sciences and researchers at the heart of the ULB have been awarded numerous international awards and recognitions.
The research carried out at the ULB is financed by different bodies such as the European Research Council, the Walloon Region, the Brussels Capital Region, the National Fund for Scientific Research, or one of the foundations that are dedicated to research at the ULB; the ULB Foundation or the Erasme Funds.
Since the early 2000s, theMAPP project has started studyingpolitical party membership evolution through the time.
| University rankings | |
|---|---|
| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World[22] | 101–150 (2023) |
| CWUR World[23] | 211 (2020–21) |
| CWTS World[24] | 359 (2020) |
| QS World[25] | =227 (2026) |
| THE World[26] | 201–250 (2024) |
| USNWR Global[27] | =222 (2023) |
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For pre-1970 notable faculty and alumni, seeFree University of Brussels:
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Inspired by theUS protests on university campuses,[28] on 7 May 2024, around a hundred students occupied a building of the university, which they named in honour ofWalid Daqqa, a member of thePopular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, while demanding the release of the leader of theLebanese Revolutionary Armed Faction,Georges Abdallah, from a prison in France.[29] During the events, Jewish students reportedantisemitic andanti-Zionist insults, vandalism of posters against anti-Semitism and cases of students being violently attacked. A passer-by who allegedly declared herself a Zionist was also the victim of an attack. TheSimon Wiesenthal Center sees this as a trend towards antisemitism in Belgian academic circles.[30]
90 of them were subsequently arrested.[31] Some right-wing commentators have explained the events as a result of extremist groups influence on students,[32] as a result of "propaganda",[33] as a result of "incitement to terrorism",[34] as a result of "Muslim communitarianism"[35] or as a result of "complicity with Islamist anti-Semitism".[36] However, theCoordinating Body for Threat Analysis did not find any "structural or hierarchical link" with extremist groups.[37] This led the Jonathas Institute, a center for studies and action against antisemitism in Belgium, to file a complaint against the student group, for a declaration allegedly inciting against "Zionists".[38]
In 2025, the Faculty of Law decided to honor the French politicianRima Hassan as a symbolic gesture. The Belgian League Against Antisemitism criticized the decision citing her controversial comments on the "legitimacy" of the anti-Semitic massacre,[39] while 50 French intellectuals criticized the decision, as Hassan is facing charges forincitement to terrorism in France.[40] TheMinister-President of the French CommunityÉlisabeth Degryse also expressed her opposition.[41]
In front of theEuropean Parliament,Céline Imart of the French political partyThe Republicans has requested theEuropean Commission to suspend aid for the university: "Ask the Commission to immediately suspend the funds allocated to this university, until the safety of Jewish students is guaranteed and the values of the Union are once again respected".[42]
In September 2025, facing renewed criticism,[43] the rector denied allegations of antisemitism against the university.[44] In contrast, professors of the university have described antisemitism has "rapidly taking hold on ULB campuses since7 October 2023".[45] Jewish students have voiced their fear of being targeted for theirZionism[46] and have described the hostility on campuses as "significant".[47] At the Working Group Against Antisemitism of the European Parliament, the Jonathas Institute warned of "an environment in which antisemitism goes largely unchallenged".[48]
In October 2025,Florida placed the university on its blacklist for its "boycott" of Israel.[49] Instead of ties withIsraeli universities, the university established ties with the PalestinianBirzeit University, despite its support forHamas in student elections.[50]
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Media related toUniversité libre de Bruxelles at Wikimedia Commons
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