The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) () is a Dutch and English-speaking

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

located in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

.The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is one of the five universities officially recognised by the

Flemish government The Flemish Government ( nl, Vlaamse regering ) is the executive branch of the Flemish Community and the Flemish Region of Belgium. It consists of a government cabinet, headed by the Minister-President and accountable to the Flemish Parliament, ...

.
list
of all official institutes of higher education in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

is maintained by the Flemish government. It has four campuses: Brussels Humanities, Science and Engineering Campus (in

Elsene (French, ) or (Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located to the south-east of Brussels' city centre, it is geographically bisected by the City of Brussels. It is also bordered by the munici ...

), Brussels Health Campus (in

Jette Jette (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Ganshoren, Koekelberg, and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, as well as the Flemi ...

), Brussels Technology Campus (in Anderlecht) and Brussels Photonics Campus (in

Gooik Gooik () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Gooik proper, Kester, Leerbeek, Strijland and Oetingen. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, 2018 Gooik h ...

). The Vrije Universiteit Brussel was formed in 1970 by the splitting of the

Free University of Brussels University of Brussels may refer to several institutions in Brussels, Belgium: Current institutions * Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), a French-speaking university established as a separate entity in 1970 *Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), a D ...

, which was founded in 1834 by the Flemish-Brussels lawyer Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen. The founder aimed to establish a university

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

from state and church, where

academic freedom Academic freedom is a moral and legal concept expressing the conviction that the freedom of inquiry by faculty members is essential to the mission of the academy as well as the principles of academia, and that scholars should have freedom to teac ...

would be prevalent. This is today still reflected in the university's

motto A motto (derived from the Latin , 'mutter', by way of Italian , 'word' or 'sentence') is a sentence or phrase expressing a belief or purpose, or the general motivation or intention of an individual, family, social group, or organisation. Mot ...

''Scientia vincere tenebras'', or ''Conquering darkness by science'', and in its more recent slogan ''Redelijk eigenzinnig'' , or ''Reasonably opinionated''. Accordingly, the university is pluralistic – it is open to all students on the basis of equality regardless of their ideological, political, cultural or social background – and it is managed using democratic structures, which means that all members – from students to faculty – participate in the decision-making processes.According to the statutes of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel: VUB is a strongly research-oriented institute, which is positioned among the world's Top 200 universities according to the 2021 QS World University Ranking. Its research articles are on average more cited than articles by any other Flemish university. The university is organised into 8 faculties that accomplish the three central missions of the university: education, research, and service to the community. The faculties cover a broad range of fields of knowledge including the natural sciences, classics, life sciences,

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

, and engineering. The university provides bachelor, master, and doctoral education to about 8,000 undergraduate and 1,000 graduate students.Figures from the ''2011–2012 Yearly Report'' of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel:

History

Establishment of a university in Brussels

The history of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is closely linked with that of

itself. At the time of the declaration of independence of Belgium in 1830, two state universities existed in the cities of

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

and Liège. In Brussels, the capital of the newly established country, a university was lacking. A group of leading

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and reflection about the reality of society, and who proposes solutions for the normative problems of society. Coming from the world of culture, either as a creator or a ...

s in the fields of arts, science, and education – amongst whom Auguste Baron and the astronomer and mathematician

Adolphe Quetelet Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet FRSF or FRSE (; 22 February 1796 – 17 February 1874) was a Belgian astronomer, mathematician, statistician and sociologist who founded and directed the Brussels Observatory and was influential in intro ...

— pointed out the advantages of a university to the new capital and country. Initially, they sought for the establishment of a state university, but the Belgian government showed little enthusiasm due to the onerous financial burden of yet another state university. In 1834, the Belgian

episcopate A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

decided to establish a Catholic university in Mechelen with the aim of regaining the influence of the Catholic Church on the academic scene in Belgium, and the Belgian government had the intent to close the university at Leuven and donate the buildings to the Catholic institution. The liberals in Belgium 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 the

freemasonic Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

lodge "Les Amis Philantropes", as had a large number of other intellectuals with enlightened ideas. Baron was able to convince Pierre-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. After sufficient funding was collected among advocates, the Université libre de Bruxelles was inaugurated on 20 November 1834, in the Gothic room of the city hall of Brussels. After its establishment, the Université libre de Bruxelles faced difficult times, since it did receive no

subsidies A subsidy or government incentive is a form of financial aid or support extended to an economic sector (business, or individual) generally with the aim of promoting economic and social policy. Although commonly extended from the government, the ter ...

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 summarized in a speech to

King Leopold I * nl, Leopold Joris Christiaan Frederik * en, Leopold George Christian Frederick , image = NICAISE Leopold ANV.jpg , caption = Portrait by Nicaise de Keyser, 1856 , reign = 21 July 1831 – , predecessor = Erasme Lou ...

: the principle of ''free inquiry'' and academic freedom uninfluenced by any political or religious authority.

Splitting of the university

In the nineteenth century, courses at the Université libre de Bruxelles were taught exclusively in French, the language of the upper class in Belgium at that time. However, with the Dutch-speaking population asking for more rights in Belgium, some courses were already taught in Dutch at the Faculty of Law as early as 1935. Nevertheless, it was not until 1963 that all faculties offered their courses in Dutch. On 1 October 1969, the university was finally split in two sister institutions: the French-speaking Université libre de Bruxelles and the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel. This splitting became official by the law of 28 May 1970, of the Belgian parliament, by which the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and the Université libre de Bruxelles became two separate

legal entities In law, a legal person is any person or 'thing' (less ambiguously, any legal entity) that can do the things a human person is usually able to do in law – such as enter into contracts, sue and be sued, own property, and so on. The reason for ...

Organisation

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is an independent institution. The members of all its governing entities are elected by the entire academic community – including faculty staff, researchers, personnel, and students. This system guarantees the democratic process of decision-making and the independence from state and outside organisations. Nevertheless, the university receives significant funding from the Flemish government, although less than other Flemish universities. Other important funding sources are grants for research projects (mostly from

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

and European funding agencies), scholarships of academic members, revenues from cooperation with industry, and

tuition fees Tuition payments, usually known as tuition in American English and as tuition fees in Commonwealth English, are fees charged by education institutions for instruction or other services. Besides public spending (by governments and other public bo ...

to a lesser extent. The main organisational structure of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is its division into faculties:See the *Faculty of Law and Criminology *Faculty of Social Sciences & Solvay Business School *Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences *Faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences *Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy *Faculty of Arts and Philosophy *Faculty of Engineering *Faculty of Physical Education and Physiotherapy These faculties benefit a wide autonomy over how they structure their educational programmes and research efforts, although their decisions need to comply with the university's statutes and must be approved by the central administration. The

central administration Central administration is the leading or presiding body or group of people, and the highest administrative department which oversees all lower departments of an organization. Education In most cases, a school or school district will have a leadi ...

is formed by the Governing Board, which is currently presided by Eddy Van Gelder. It decides the university's long-term vision and must approve all decisions made by the faculties. The Governing Board is supported by three advising bodies: the Research Council, the Education Council, and the Senate. These bodies provide advice to the Governing Board on all issues regarding research, education, and the academic excellence of faculty staff, and may also propose changes to the university's strategy. The daily management of the university is the responsibility of the

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

and three Vice-Rectors. As of 2022 the rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel is Prof. Dr. Jan Danckaert, who succeeded Caroline Pauwels (1964-2022), who resigned in 2022 due to health reasons.See the

Education

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel offers courses in a large variety of modern disciplines: law, economics,

, management,

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries between ...

physical sciences Physical science is a branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". Definition Phy ...

, life sciences,

medical sciences Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

pharmaceutical sciences Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links healt ...

, engineering,

physical education Physical education, often abbreviated to Phys Ed. or P.E., is a subject taught in schools around the world. It is usually taught during primary and secondary education, and encourages psychomotor learning by using a play and movement explorat ...

. About 12,000 students follow one of its 128 educational programmes.According to the All programmes are taught in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, but 59 are also taught in English. In agreement with the Bologna process, the university has implemented the so-called bachelor-master system. It therefore issues four types of degrees: bachelor's, master's, master after master's, and doctoral degrees.

Admission Admission may refer to: Arts and media * "Admissions" (''CSI: NY''), an episode of ''CSI: NY'' * ''Admissions'' (film), a 2011 short film starring James Cromwell * ''Admission'' (film), a 2013 comedy film * ''Admission'', a 2019 album by Florida s ...

to the programmes is generally not restricted; anyone can subscribe to the programme of his/her choice. However, prerequisite degrees may be mandatory for advanced programmes, e.g., a bachelor's degree is required to subscribe to a master's programme, and a master's degree is required to subscribe to a master after master's or doctoral programme. An exception to this is the admission exam to the bachelor in medicine, which is required following ruling of the Flemish government. Tuition fees are low, and even decreased or eliminated for some students with less financial means. The academic year is divided into two semesters, each spanning thirteen course weeks: the first semester lasts from October to January, the second semester from February to June. Students take

exams An examination (exam or evaluation) or test is an educational assessment intended to measure a test-taker's knowledge, skill, aptitude, physical fitness, or classification in many other topics (e.g., beliefs). A test may be administered verb ...

in January and June. Apart from the Christmas and Easter holidays (both lasting two weeks) that are normally used to prepare for the exams, students are free the week between both semesters and during the summer vacations from July to September. The university has implemented several quality control schemes in order to preserve the high quality of its educational programmes. Each semester, all students evaluate the courses they have followed. All programmes are also regularly assessed by internal panels and by external international visitation committees. Furthermore, all programmes are accredited by the Nederlands-Vlaamse Accreditatie Organisatie, an independent accreditation organisation charged with the

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

of higher education programmes in both

and the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

.Accreditation details can be consulted at

Research

Notable faculty: *

Diederik Aerts Diederik Aerts (born April 17, 1953) is a Belgian theoretical physicist, professor at Brussels Free University (Vrije Universiteit Brussel - VUB) and founding director of the Center Leo Apostel for Interdisciplinary Studies (CLEA). He is best know ...

* Kris Deschouwer *

Paul Devroey Paul Devroey is a prominent Belgian researcher and professor specialized in human fertility. He worked more than 30 years in the university hospital of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, where he directed the Center for Reproductive Medicine. Togeth ...

* Mark Elchardus *

Francis Heylighen Francis Paul Heylighen (born 27 September 1960) is a Belgian cyberneticist investigating the emergence and evolution of intelligent organization. He presently works as a research professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (the Dutch-speaking Fr ...

* Jonathan Holslag * Dave Sinardet * Hugo Soly * Luc Steels * Jean-Paul Van Bendegem * Willy van Ryckeghem * Andre Van Steirteghem * Irina Veretennicoff * Els Witte * Lode Wyns

Basic principles

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel considers itself an open-minded and tolerant university. Its central principles are the

Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, ...

and in particular the principle of ''free inquiry'' for the progress of humanity. The latter includes the dismissal of any argument of authority and the right of free opinion. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is the only Flemish university that has incorporated such principle in its statutes. The principle of free inquiry is often described by a quotation of the French

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

and philosopher Henri Poincaré: This principle is also reflected in the university's

''Scientia vincere tenebras'', or ''Conquering darkness by science'', and in its seal. The seal of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel displays a beggar's wallet and joined hands on the orange-white-blue (the colours of the

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

) escutcheon in the

emblem An emblem is an abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a king or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and '' symbol'' are often us ...

, referring to the struggle of the Protestant Geuzen and the

against the oppressive Spanish rule and the

Inquisition The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy, conducting trials of suspected heretics. Studies of the records have found that the overwhelming majority of sentences consisted of penances, ...

in the sixteenth century. Another basic principle of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel – also incorporated in the university's statutes – is that the institution must be managed according to the model of democracy. Practically, this means that all members of the academic community — faculty staff, researchers, personnel, and students – are represented in all governing bodies. In this way, the university ensures that everyone has a voice in its decision-making processes and participates in its management. This principle must also guarantee the independence of the university and the academic freedom.

Campus and facilities

''Brussels Humanities, Sciences & Engineering Campus''
Most of the faculties are located on the

Etterbeek Etterbeek (French: ; Dutch: ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the municipalities of Auderghem, the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Schaerbeek, Wolu ...

campus (which is actually located on the territory of the neighbouring borough of

). It is the livelier of the two campuses and consists almost entirely of concrete structures, most built in the 1970s. Some are decaying rapidly but at least one, the Rectoraat designed by

Renaat Braem Renaat Braem (29 August 1910 – 31 January 2001) was a leading Belgian architect and urban planner in the latter half of the twentieth century. Biography Renaat Braem was born in Antwerp in 1910. He graduated as an architect from the Royal ...

, is heritage-listed. Activities take place in numerous auditoriums and labs. In addition, there is a modern sports centre, a football pitch encircled by a running track, and a swimming pool. For eating out, there is a restaurant with subsidies for students and staff, and the bars/cafes 't Complex, Opinio, and KultuurKaffee. The was a full-fledged concert venue during the evening/night, offering the university a cultural scene and organising free concerts and events. It was demolished to make space for the new XY construction project in 2015. Renaat Braem Rectoraat VUB

''Brussels Health Campus''
The campus in

is also a fully-fledged campus. The University Hospital () is in the vicinity. All courses and research in the life sciences (medicine, pharmacy, dentistry, the biomedical and paramedical sciences) are located here. ''Brussels Technology Campus''
The campus Kaai in Anderlecht was established in 2013 and shared with the

Erasmushogeschool Brussel The Erasmus Brussels University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Dutch: ''Erasmushogeschool Brussel'') is an institute of higher education based in Brussels, Belgium. Like the EU student exchange programme ERASMUS, EhB is named after the humanistic ...

. It houses the Industrial Engineering section of the Faculty of Engineering. Among extensive industrial laboratory facilities, the Brussels fablab has grown to the centre of activity on the campus in recent years. ''Brussels Photonics Campus'' in

Faculties

*Languages and Humanities *Social Sciences and Solvay Business School *Engineering *Medicine and Pharmacy *Psychology and Educational Sciences *Sciences and Biomedical Sciences *Law and Criminology *Physical Education and Physiotherapy

Institutional cooperation

The Vrije Universiteit Brussel cooperates with several institutions of higher education. They are: * Brussels Chamber of Commerce *

(together with the Vrije Universiteit Brussel they make up the Brussels University Association) * UCLouvain Higher Institute for Re-adaptation Sciences *

Top Industrial Managers for Europe Top International Managers in Engineering (T.I.M.E.), formerly Top Industrial Managers for Europe, is a network of fifty-seven engineering schools, faculties and technical universities. The oldest European network of engineering schools in its f ...

* UCOS, the University Development Cooperation Centre * UNICA, the Institutional Network of the UNIversities from the CApitals of Europe * Université libre de Bruxelles *

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

(Brussels School of International Studies) * Vesalius College, an anglophone institution sharing the VUB campus * XIOS Hogeschool Limburg and Provinciale Hogeschool Limburg * Royal Military Academy * Worldwide, on the international level the Vrije Universiteit Brussel has concluded institutional collaboration agreements with 38 universities all over the world, and student exchange agreements with 160 universities.

Academic Profiles

The university is included in major world university rankings such as

Times Higher Education World University Rankings The ''Times Higher Education World University Rankings'' (often referred to as the THE Rankings) is an annual publication of university rankings by the ''Times Higher Education'' (THE) magazine. The publisher had collaborated with Quacquarelli ...

QS World University Rankings ''QS World University Rankings'' is an annual publication of university rankings by Quacquarelli Symonds (QS). The QS system comprises three parts: the global overall ranking, the subject rankings (which name the world's top universities for the ...

and Academic Ranking of World Universities.

Clinical Cardiac Electrophysiology

The Heart Rhythm Management Centre started its activities at the University Hospital UZ Brussel during spring 2007. The clinical activities soon rocketed to the #1 position in Belgium, and has been paralleled by important scientific production. Emerging fields of activity are multidisciplinary (clinical) and translational (research) programs in collaboration with the departments of Genetics, Pediatrics, Neonatology, Geriatrics, Neurology, as well as a fundamental research program in Physiology. This Postgraduate course in Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing – is offered within the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy – after a specialization in Cardiology, and is supported by the Institute for Postgraduate Training of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (iPAVUB). The core faculty for the Postgraduate program includes Prof. Dr. Pedro Brugada, who directs the EP fellowship training and the Cardiovascular Department, Prof. Dr. Carlo de Asmundis, Director of the Heart rhythm Management Centre, Prof. Dr. Gian Battista Chierchia, Director of Atrial Fibrillation Program, Prof. Dr. Marc La Meir and Prof. Dr. Francis Wellens, Director of Cardiac Surgery Service. Additional faculty who participate in the program includes: Prof. Dr. Bonduelle Mary-Louise and Prof. Dr. Ramon Brugada, who trains fellows in cardiac genetics, Prof. Dr. Joel Smets, University of Nijmegen, Nederland, who trains fellows in electrocardiography and basic electrophysiology.

Student life

The BSG is the umbrella organisation for all other student organizations and acts as the defender of the moral interests of the students. Together with their French-speaking counterparts ACE at the ULB, they organise the annual St V memorial. These are some of the student organizations at the VUB: *Studiekring vrij onderzoek: a collective of students from various faculties, promoting free inquiry through the organisation of debates, lectures and more *Letteren-en Wijsbegeertekring (LWK): for students studying at the Arts and Philosophy faculty *Perskring (Pers): for students studying Communication Sciences *Geneeskundige Kring (GK) and Farmaceutische Kring (FK): for students studying at the Medicine and Pharmacy faculty *Polytechnische Kring (PK) for students studying at the Engineering faculty *Psycho-Ped'Agogische Kring (PPK): for students studying at the Psychology and Educational Sciences faculty *Kring der Politieke Economische en Sociale Wetenschappen (KEPS) and Solvay ($); for students studying at the Economics and Political faculty *: for students studying at the faculty of Sciences and Bio-engineering Sciences *Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (Mesacosa or MC): for students studying at the Physical Education and Physiotherapy faculty *Vlaams Rechtsgenootschap (VRG): for students studying at the Law and Criminology faculty *Vrije Universiteit Brussel Model United Nations (VUBMUN): for all students of the VUB. Members of these organizations ''(except VUBMUN)'' wear a ''

klak KLAK (97.5 FM) is a radio station licensed to Tom Bean, Texas, serving the Texoma region and the northeast portions of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The station broadcasts an adult contemporary format, with current-day music and re-curren ...

'' (Dutch) or ''penne'' (French). Furthermore, the VUB has student organizations for students with a specific regional background. They are: Antverpia ( Antwerp), Westland ( Westhoek), WUK (

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

), KBS (

and Flemish Brabant), Campina ( Campine), Kinneke Baba (

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

), Limburgia (

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

), VSKM ( Mechelen) and Hesbania (

Haspengouw The Hesbaye (French, ), or Haspengouw (Dutch and Limburgish, ) is a traditional cultural and geophysical region in eastern Belgium. It is a loamy plateau region which forms a watershed between the Meuse and Scheldt drainage basins. It has been o ...

). VUB students also make up for the largest part of the secretive student club Boves Luci based in Jette. There are also several organizations for specific majors within a faculty, such as Infogroep (computer science), Biotecho (bio-engineering), bru:tecture (previously Pantheon) (architecture) and Promeco, Inisol and Business Club (economics). Last but not least there are organizations centered around a common interest, such as the Society of Weird And Mad People (SWAMP, for all kinds of games), BierKultuur (based on the rich beer culture in Belgium) and ZWK (on emancipation of women), Liberaal Vlaams Studentenverbond (LVSV, students interested in classic liberalism).

Notable alumni

Scientists and academics

* Antoon Van den Braembussche (1946-). *

Patrick Baert Patrick Baert (born 23 January 1961, in Brussels) is a Belgian sociologist and social theorist, based in Britain. He is a Professor of Social Theory at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Selwyn College, Cambridge. Baert studied at the Vri ...

(1961–) * Willy Gepts (1922–1991) *

Leo Apostel Leo Apostel (Antwerp, 4 September 1925 – Ghent, 10 August 1995) was a Belgian philosopher and professor at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and Ghent University. Apostel was an advocate of interdisciplinary research and the bridging of the gap b ...

(1925–1995) * Clement Hiel (1952–) *

Christine Van Den Wyngaert Christine, Baroness Van den Wyngaert (born 2 April 1952) is a Belgian jurist and judge. She served as international and comparative criminal law expert from 2009 to 2018 as a judge on the International Criminal Court. She served in the Trial Div ...

(1952–), former Judge of

the International Criminal Court The International Criminal Court (ICC or ICCt) is an intergovernmental organization and international tribunal seated in The Hague, Netherlands. It is the first and only permanent international court with jurisdiction to prosecute individuals ...

. *

Jean Bourgain Jean, Baron Bourgain (; – ) was a Belgian mathematician. He was awarded the Fields Medal in 1994 in recognition of his work on several core topics of mathematical analysis such as the geometry of Banach spaces, harmonic analysis, ergodic the ...

(1954–2018) *

Ingrid Daubechies Baroness Ingrid Daubechies ( ; ; born 17 August 1954) is a Belgian physicist and mathematician. She is best known for her work with wavelets in image compression. Daubechies is recognized for her study of the mathematical methods that enhance ...

(1954–), Belgian physicist and mathematician and Professor at Duke University. * Peter Rousseeuw (1956-), Belgian statistician and professor at

KU Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, ...

. * Sophie de Schaepdrijver (1961–) *

Pattie Maes Pattie Maes (born 1961) is a professor in MIT's program in Media Arts and Sciences. She founded and directed the MIT Media Lab's Fluid Interfaces Group. Previously, she founded and ran the Software Agents group. She served for several years as ...

(1961-), Professor of Media Technology at Media Lab

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...

Sathyabhama Das Biju Sathyabhama Das Biju (born May, 1963) is an Indian amphibian biologist, wildlife conservationist and heads the Systematics Lab at the University of Delhi, Department of Environmental Studies. He is dubbed as the "Frogman of India" by media for ...

(1963-), Indian amphibian biologist and wildlife conservationist. * Frank Pattyn (1966-), Belgian glaciologist and professor at the Université libre de Bruxelles. *

Bob Coecke Bob Coecke (born 23 July 1968) is a Belgian theoretical physicist and logician who was professor of Quantum Foundations, Logics and Structures at Oxford University until 2020, when he became Chief Scientist of Cambridge Quantum Computing, and ...

(1968-), Belgian theoretical physicist and logician and professor of Quantum Foundations, Logics and Structures at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

. * Kris Deschouwer * Raymond Hamers, Discoverer of 'single-chain antibodies' or nanobodies. * Steven Laureys * Wim Leemans * Helena Van Swygenhoven * Els Witte * Guido Geerts * Johan Schoukens * Ram Lakhan Ray (1968-) *

Kieran Moore Kieran Michael Moore is a Canadian physician and public servant who serves as the current chief medical officer of health of Ontario. Prior to his appointment, he served as the medical officer of health for Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and Add ...

Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario The Chief Medical Officer of Health of Ontario is an independent officer of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who is supposed to be responsible for the public health of Ontario residents. The office has existed since prior to 1990. List of Incumb ...

Canada.

Artists

André Delvaux André Albert Auguste Delvaux (; 21 March 1926 – 4 October 2002) was a Belgian film director. He co-founded the film school INSAS in 1962 and is regarded as the founder of the Belgian national cinema. Adapting works by writers such as Joha ...

(1926–2002), Belgian film director. *

Jef Geeraerts Jozef Adriaan Anna Geeraerts (23 February 1930 – 11 May 2015), better known as Jef Geeraerts, was a Belgian writer. Geeraerts was born in Antwerp. After his studies in political and administrative sciences at the Colonial University of Belgiu ...

(1930–), Belgian writer. * Claude Coppens (1936-), Belgian pianist and composer. * Erik Pevernagie (1939), Belgian painter and writer. *

Marcel Vanthilt Marcel Céline Gerard Edgard Vanthilt (; born 24 August 1957) is a Belgian singer and television presenter.Heerema,Y.Marcel Vanthilt – Presentator Marcel Vanthilit NCRV-gids 1, 5 till 11 January 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2011. Early life Mar ...

(1957-), Belgian singer and television presenter. * Fabienne Demal ( Axelle Red) (1968–), Belgian singer and songwriter. * Stéphane Ginsburgh (1969-), Belgian pianist.

Businesspeople

* Pieter De Leenheer * Tony Mary (1950–) *Felix Van de Maele

Politicians

* Marco Formentini (1930-2021), Italian Politician & former mayor of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

. *

Willy Claes Willem Werner Hubert "Willy" Claes (; born 24 November 1938) is a Belgian politician who served as the eighth Secretary General of NATO, from 1994 to 1995. Claes was forced to resign from his NATO position after he was found guilty of corruptio ...

(1938–), former Minister of Foreign Affair and former Secretary General of

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

. * Louis Tobback (1938–), former mayor of Leuven and former Minister of the Interior - Belgium. * Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck (1944-) * Norbert De Batselier (1947–), * Marc Verwilghen (1952-), former Minister of Justice - Belgium. * Karel De Gucht (1954–), former Minister of Foreign Affair - Belgium. * Christian Leysen (1954–) * Patrick Dewael (1955–), former Minister of the interior - Belgium. *

Frank Vanhecke Frank Arthur Hyppolite Vanhecke (born 30 May 1959) is a Belgian politician. Vanhecke started his career in Belgian politics as a student by joining the Jong Studentenverbond and later the Nationalistische Studentenvereniging. He gave up his m ...

(1959–) * Bert Anciaux (1959–) * Gunther Sleeuwagen (1958–) *

Jan Jambon Jan Jambon (born 26 April 1960 in Genk) is a Belgian politician of the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA) who has been serving as Minister-President of Flanders since 2019. He replaced Kris Peeters as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives ...

(1960–) *

Maggie De Block Maggie Celine Louise De Block (, born 28 April 1962) is a Belgian politician of the who has been chairing her party's group in the Chamber of Representatives since 2020. De Block served as Minister of Social Affairs and Health in the governm ...

(1962–), former Minister of Health - Belgium. *

Hans Bonte Hans Bonte (born 20 January 1962 in Kortrijk) is a Belgian politician and has been a federal representative since 1995 (for the constituency of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde). He is a member of Vooruit (formerly SP.A), the Flemish social-democratic p ...

(1962-) *

Florika Fink-Hooijer Florika Fink-Hooijer is a European civil servant at the European Commission. She leads the Directorate General for the Environment, which holds large responsibilities under the European Green Deal. She joined the European Commission in 1990 a ...

(1962-) *

Zoran Milanović Zoran Milanović (; born 30 October 1966) is a Croatian politician serving as President of Croatia since 19 February 2020. Prior to assuming the presidency, he was prime minister from 2011 to 2016 and president of the Social Democratic Party f ...

(1966–),

President of Croatia The president of Croatia, officially the President of the Republic of Croatia ( hr, Predsjednik Republike Hrvatske), is the head of state, commander-in-chief of the military and chief representative of the Republic of Croatia both within the ...

. * Bruno Tobback (1969-) * Wouter Beke (1974-) *

Alexander De Croo Alexander De Croo (born 3 November 1975) is a Belgian politician and businessman who has served as the prime minister of Belgium since October 2020. De Croo was born in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, and studied business engineering at the Vrij ...

(1975–), Prime Minister of Belgium * Tinne Van der Straeten (1978-), Minister of Energy - Belgium. * Zuhal Demir (1980-) * Nadia Sminate (1981-) * Sammy Mahdi (1988-)

Athletes

* Sébastien Godefroid (1971–), Olympic sailor. *

Emma Meesseman Emma Meesseman (born 13 May 1993) is a Belgian professional basketball player for Fenerbahçe of the EuroLeague Women and the Chicago Sky of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). After playing basketball in Belgium, Meesseman was ...

, Belgian professional basketball player. *

Dirk Van Tichelt Dirk Van Tichelt (born 10 June 1984) is a Belgian judoka. His biggest achievement was his European title in Lisbon. In the same year, at the Beijing Olympics he came fifth after losing in the first round to gold-medallist Elnur Mammadli and l ...

, Olympic judoka. *

Jürgen Roelandts Jürgen Roelandts (born 2 July 1985) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2020, for the , and squads. He now works as a directeur sportif for his final professional team, . Career In 20 ...

, Belgian professional road bicycle racer. * Kathleen Smet, Olympic triathlon.

Journalists

* Yves Desmet * Jean Mentens * Danira Boukhriss, Flemish television presenter and newscaster. * Tim Trachet, Belgian writer, publicist and journalist.

Honorary doctorates

Notable recipients of honorary doctorates (doctor ''honoris causa'') at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel include: * Nelson Mandela *

Václav Havel Václav Havel (; 5 October 193618 December 2011) was a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright, and former dissident. Havel served as the last president of Czechoslovakia from 1989 until the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992 and then ...

* Jacques Cousteau *

Hans Blix Hans Martin Blix (; born 28 June 1928) is a Swedish diplomat and politician for the Liberal People's Party. He was Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs (1978–1979) and later became the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. As suc ...

* Julia Gillard *

Noam Chomsky Avram Noam Chomsky (born December 7, 1928) is an American public intellectual: a linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist. Sometimes called "the father of modern linguistics", Chomsky i ...

Dario Fo Dario Luigi Angelo Fo (; 24 March 1926 – 13 October 2016) was an Italian playwright, actor, theatre director, stage designer, songwriter, political campaigner for the Italian left wing and the recipient of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Literature. ...

, Sonia Gandhi * Natan Ramet *

Richard Stallman Richard Matthew Stallman (; born March 16, 1953), also known by his initials, rms, is an American free software movement activist and programmer. He campaigns for software to be distributed in such a manner that its users have the freedom to ...

Johann Olav Koss Johann Olav Koss, (born 29 October 1968) is a former speed skater from Norway. He won four Olympic gold medals, including three at the 1994 Winter Olympics in his home country. Biography Johann Olav Koss was born in Drammen, Buskerud County, N ...

* Herman van Veen * Richard Dawkins *

Kim Clijsters Kim Antonie Lode Clijsters (; born 8 June 1983) is a Belgian former professional tennis player. Clijsters reached the world No. 1 ranking in both singles and doubles, having held both rankings simultaneously in 2003. She won six major titles, ...

Rom Harré Horace Romano "Rom" Harré (; 18 December 1927 – 17 October 2019), was a New Zealand-British philosopher and psychologist. Biography Harré was born in Āpiti, in northern Manawatu, near Palmerston North, New Zealand, but held British citi ...

* Daniel Barenboim

Notes and references

External links

Official website
of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel *
Official website
of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel

Find an officially recognised programme of this institution in the Higher Education Register

V.Ir.Br. – VUB Engineering Alumni Association

{{Coord, 50.82242, N, 4.39573, E, source:placeopedia, display=title Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Research institutes in Belgium Education in Brussels Educational institutions established in 1970 Business schools in Belgium Engineering universities and colleges in Belgium English as a global language Information schools 1970 establishments in Belgium