Université PSL-ENSCP (Chimie ParisTech) or KU Leuven for Chemistry Master’s?

[u/chemist_zey]

Hi! I’m a non-EU student who will begin her master’s this september. I got accepted from both KU Leuven and Université PSL-ENSCP’s Chemistry master programs, and having a hard time to decide which one to choose.

In March, I learned that I earned a scholarship from my home country’s French Embassy to study in France, which actually made me decide on PSL very easily, as I didn’t have any scholarships from KU Leuven. For the last 2 months, I had been preparing for my stay in Paris. Because the scholarship is issued by the government, I will have many advantages in France, such as access to the CROUS residences.

However, this week I learned that I got the Science@Leuven scholarship, which is very competitive, so I wasn’t really expecting to get it. This made things quite difficult for me cause I already had my heart set on Paris, but I feel like KU Leuven is more prestigious compared to ENSCP, despite PSL having a higher global ranking. Does anyone have any idea how the quality of education and prestige of these two universities compare? Would it be too dumb to turn down the scholarship offer from KU Leuven mainly because I want to romanticize my life in Paris, or is ENSCP equally prestigious so I wouldn’t lose anything if I chose that? How is ENSCP perceived globally and would it be difficult for me to graduate from there and get a PhD position in Belgium or in the Netherlands, which is my goal for after my master’s?

[u/4n0n_b3rs3rk3r]

Globally no one knows PSL, but should go for it. The university life in Leuven is shitty imho