KU Leuven: Class Profile & Alumni

KU Leuven Alumni

International Students

20.43

% of international students in the university

12808

Total International Students in the university

KU Leuven is Belgium’s largest and most renowned university, with a rich legacy dating back to 1425. Known for academic excellence and innovation, its alumni include Nobel laureates, European leaders, scientists, and cultural icons.

Alumni Name	Notable Achievement / Famous For	Degree	Graduating Year
Georges Lemaître	Father of the Big Bang theory; Catholic priest and physicist	PhD (Physics)	1920
Herman Van Rompuy	First full-time President of the European Council; former Belgian PM	MA (Philosophy & Economics)	1965
Kris Peeters	Former Deputy PM of Belgium, MEP	MA (Law)	1986
Koen Lenaerts	President of the European Court of Justice	LLM	1970s
Johan Van Overtveldt	Belgian MEP, former Minister of Finance	MA (Economics)	1970s
André Berger	Renowned climatologist; Milankovitch cycles researcher	PhD (Climatology)	1968
Paul Bulcke	Chairman and former CEO of Nestlé	MA (Business Engineering)	1977
Mark Eyskens	Former Belgian Prime Minister and academic	PhD (Law & Economics)	1950s
Jan Callewaert	Founder of Option NV; tech entrepreneur	MA (Commercial Sciences)	1979
Joke Schauvliege	Flemish Minister for Environment, Nature and Culture	MA (Law)	1990s
Tom Vandenkendelaere	Member of the European Parliament (CD&V)	MA (International Politics)	2008
Herman De Croo	Longest-serving Belgian MP	PhD (Law)	1961
Louis Tobback	Former Mayor of Leuven; Belgian Interior Minister	MA (History)	1960s
Bart De Wever	Mayor of Antwerp; prominent Flemish nationalist politician	MA (History)	1993
Rudi Vervoort	Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region	MA (Law)	1990s
Peter Piot	Co-discoverer of the Ebola virus; UNAIDS executive director	MD, PhD (Microbiology)	1974
Bart Somers	Mayor of Mechelen, former Minister-President of Flanders	MA (Law)	1990s
Frank Vandenbroucke	Belgian Minister of Health; academic on social security	PhD (Economics)	1980s
Marleen Temmerman	WHO Director for Reproductive Health; former Belgian senator	MD	1970s
Koenraad Debackere	Innovation & entrepreneurship expert; General Manager of KU Leuven Research	PhD (Management)	1990s
Hilde Crevits	Flemish Minister of Education	MA (Law)	1990s
Eric De Keuleneer	Economist, former CEO of Credibe	MA (Law & Economics)	1980s
Sabine Laruelle	Former Federal Minister for SMEs and Agriculture	MA (Agricultural Engineering)	1980s
Luc Van den hove	President & CEO of imec (nanoelectronics research center)	PhD (Electrical Engineering)	1980s
Johan Swinnen	International diplomat; special envoy for food security	MA (Political Science)	1980s
Bart De Smet	CEO of Ageas Insurance Company	MSc (Actuarial Sciences)	1980s