University of Antwerp

University of Antwerp is a major public research university located in Antwerp, Belgium.

The history of the University of Antwerp can be traced back to 1852, when the Sint-Ignatius Handelshogeschool (Saint-Ignatius School for Higher Education in Commerce) was founded by the Jesuits (Society of Jesus) in Antwerp. This was one of the first European business schools to offer formal university degrees.

In the early 20th century, the school was renamed the Universitaire Faculteiten Sint-Ignatius Antwerpen (UFSIA). In the 1960s, the Belgian government granted UFSIA university status.

In the early 1970s, UFSIA joined into a confederation with "Rijksuniversitair Centrum Antwerpen" (RUCA) and "Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen" (UIA), public institutions. These three institutions offered complementary programs, with UFSIA focused on business and economics, RUCA focused on law and social sciences, and UIA focused on medicine and science.

In 2003, the three institutions merged to form the University of Antwerp. The new university was created to strengthen the quality of higher education in Antwerp and to make it more competitive internationally.

The University of Antwerp is a major research university. It is home to a number of research centers and institutes, and its faculty members are actively involved in research projects in a variety of fields. The university's research is funded by a variety of sources, including the Belgian government, the European Union, and private industry.

Based on the QS World University Rankings of 2025, University of Antwerp is positioned as the #267 top university in the world, which makes it the #5 top university in Belgium. The university's global rank decreased by 19 points from last year.