For many aspiring students and legal professionals, studying law in Belgium can be both challenging and rewarding. Belgium’s regional structure and Brussels’s role as a hub for European and international institutions give law students proximity to public bodies, EU institutions, NATO, and other international organizations.
Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. At the law schools below, law programs are mainly taught in Dutch, French, and English, depending on the university and degree level. Many Belgian law faculties accept international students, especially for master’s, advanced master’s, exchange, and doctoral programs. Students should also review the cost of studying and living in Belgium and the language test requirements in Belgium before applying.
Listed below are the notable law schools in Belgium. This guide gives students and legal professionals a concise overview of each institution and its law-related study options.
Top Law Schools in Belgium
1. KU Leuven
KU Leuven’s Faculty of Law and Criminology is one of Belgium’s most internationally visible law faculties. Its international law and criminology programs include English-taught advanced master’s programs, graduate programs, and preparatory options, while Dutch-taught law programs are also available.
The faculty offers options for students who already hold a law degree or want to continue at the master’s level. Its English-taught international programs include the Master of Laws in International and European Law, the Master of Intellectual Property and ICT Law, the Master of European Social Security, the Master of Criminology, and the Master of Law Double Degree with the University of Zurich. KU Leuven also offers an exchange program with an LL.M. degree with Waseda University in Japan.
KU Leuven is also a strong research university in law and criminology. Current ranking sources place it among the world’s highly ranked law institutions, making it a strong option for students seeking an internationally oriented legal education.
2. UC Louvain
Another major law school in Belgium is the Faculty of Law and Criminology of Université catholique de Louvain, commonly known as UCLouvain. Students can pursue law studies from the bachelor’s level through doctoral study. The university’s law programs are mainly in French, with bilingual or multilingual options and selected courses in English and Dutch, depending on the program.
UCLouvain offers several routes for aspiring law students. The French-English Bachelor in Law at UCLouvain Saint-Louis Bruxelles is a three-year, 180-credit first-cycle program, and the French-Dutch-English Bachelor of Laws is a joint program with KU Leuven. Students who complete a bachelor’s degree in law may continue to a 120-credit master’s degree in law, which includes core legal courses, options, practical work, a dissertation, and the possibility of an internship or exchange.
Holders of a second-cycle degree may also pursue doctoral study. UCLouvain offers Ph.D. pathways in legal studies and criminology, and most Ph.D. work can be pursued in French or English.
3. Université Libre de Bruxelles
Situated in Belgium’s capital, Université Libre de Bruxelles offers students proximity to European institutions, NATO, international organizations, major public institutions, and private-sector legal work. Brussels is especially relevant for students interested in EU, international, and comparative law.
ULB’s Faculty of Law and Criminology offers law programs at bachelor’s, master’s, advanced master’s, and doctoral levels. Its Bachelor in Law and main Master in Law are taught in French, while specialized advanced master’s programs such as International Law and European Law are taught in English and French.
ULB also collaborates with Université de Mons (UMONS). The UMONS-ULB collaboration began in 2004 to establish a Bachelor in Law program in Mons, and ULB’s Bachelor in Law is organized by the Faculty of Law and Criminology and Université de Mons at Solbosch/UMons.
Because Brussels is a center for EU and international institutions, ULB’s location can be an advantage for students seeking exposure to legal practice, public affairs, and international policy. Employment outcomes still depend on each student’s qualifications, language skills, and career path.
4. Ghent University
Ghent University was founded by King William I in 1816 and inaugurated on October 9, 1817. In 1817, students were registered in four faculties: Arts, Law, Medicine, and Sciences. The Faculty of Law and Criminology is one of the university’s founding faculties.
The Faculty of Law and Criminology is structured into three departments: the Department of Interdisciplinary Study of Law, Private Law and Business Law; the Department of European, Public and International Law; and the Department of Criminology, Penal Law and Social Law. These departments support the faculty’s education and research activities.
The faculty offers law education from bachelor’s to doctoral level. The Bachelor of Laws is a three-year, 180-credit program taught in Dutch. For international students, Ghent offers English-taught LL.M. options in International and European Law. Doctoral options include the Doctor of Law, which the university lists in Dutch and English.
5. Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Vrije Universiteit Brussel grew out of Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), which was founded in 1834. VUB officially separated from the French-speaking ULB in 1970, and the two institutions continue to collaborate as sister universities.
The Faculty of Law and Criminology provides education and research in law and criminology at the VUB Main Campus. It offers Dutch- and English-taught bachelor’s and master’s programs, as well as advanced master’s programs. Its LL.M. in International and European Law is an English-taught, 60-ECTS advanced master’s program that can be completed over one or two years.
VUB also supports doctoral research in law and criminology. The faculty states that its alumni work in international and regional organizations, Belgian politics, the judiciary, the legal profession, public service, police, business, and civil society.
Law is a demanding field of study, so the university you choose should be considered carefully. For students looking for law programs in Belgium, the five universities in this article can serve as useful starting points for comparing language requirements, degree levels, study structure, and international opportunities.
We hope this article on the Best Law Universities in Belgium was helpful. Make sure to also check out the Study in Belgium and Available Programs for International Students pages for more insightful articles.
