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As an internationally oriented university, K.U.Leuven is heir to a centuries-old tradition of hospitality to foreigners. Thanks to intense interuniversity collaboration and to the exchange of students and faculty members, its development and transfer of knowledge actively contribute to the enrichment of culture and science in Europe and throughout the world.
K.U.Leuven is an enthusiastic member of LERU (League of European Research Universities, founded in 2002), and alone represents Belgium in this body. Further, K.U.Leuven is very active in the Coïmbra Group, a network of European multidisciplinary universities of high international standard.
K.U.Leuven offers almost all academic disciplines. It’s bachelor and master programmes contribute to a broad participation of young people in a qualitatively outstanding university education, which takes place in an intellectually stimulating, socially supportive, and student-centred environment. In addition, K.U.Leuven pays special attention to the training of young researchers, mainly within the context of their doctoral studies. It also offers excellent postgraduate programmes in a number of specialised fields.
Research at the university is characterised by originality and innovation, successful applications, and the virtual disappearance of interdisciplinary boundaries. In a number of fields, the university aspires to a place among the centres of excellence in Europe and in the world. In the past few years in particular, the quality and quantity of the K.U.Leuven's efforts and output have considerably increased, thus positioning Leuven at the forefront of European universities. In 2005.K.U.Leuven delivered more than 40% of Flemish academic publications and almost half of the citations in the fields in which a bibliometric approach applies.
K.U.Leuven’s concern for public health is realised in the university hospitals: through a perseverant, modern management, a concentration of highly-qualified doctors,and the passionate contribution of a clinical and care staff, the University Hospitals belong to the highest level of European medicine.
Leuven is safely situated at the very heart of Europe, only 20 minutes from Brussels, it has around 90,000 inhabitants. Add to this 32.000 university and 11,000 high-school students and it should come as no surprise that the streets are filled with young, happy faces, a unique atmosphere!
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K.U.Leuven 
