[1] Its establishment in 1995 is the outcome of two successful mergers that involved sixteen Belgian institutions of higher education.

Furthermore, University College Ghent also offers a wide variety of follow-up programmes.

[citation needed] The School of Arts at University College Ghent encompasses the former Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent), founded in 1741 and merged into the university in 1995, and the Royal Conservatory.

[citation needed] The Royal Conservatory ("Koninklijk Conservatorium") was one of the sixteen cultural institution merged into the university in 1995, with a history and heritage in its own right.

The founding director was Martin-Joseph Mengal, in 1835. Notable students and faculty at the conservatory have included François-Auguste Gevaert, who studied directly under Mengal in 1841, Paul-Henri-Joseph Lebrun, who studied here and became a professor, and Edouard Potjes, who served as professor of piano for 22 years.