On Tuesday 27 January 2026, the University of Luxembourg (Uni.lu) published an official response to recent media articles which raised allegations concerning the working environment, internal processes regarding promotion and work climate at the university, in particular within the Faculty of Law, Economics and Finance.
In the statement, issued by the University’s Central Administration and Rectorate, the university emphasised that it “considered these allegations very seriously, even where they have been made anonymously”. It added: “As a young, international and rapidly growing institution, the University of Luxembourg operates in a highly competitive academic environment. The university is determined to being a learning organisation that is open to criticism, that ensures responsible governance and is dedicated to continuous improvement. We hereby wish to provide information and context about the current situation.”
According to the university, on Tuesday, 27 January, the Parliamentary Commission for Higher Education, Research and Digitalisation invited Stéphanie Obertin, Minister of Research and Higher Education - accompanied by the Rector and Vice-Rector for Research of the University - to answer questions regarding this matter.
In November 2025, the university launched an internal review overseen by its University Council, which is composed of elected student and staff representatives. The results from which are expected in March 2026.
Additionally, the university said it is launching a public tender for an independent, comprehensive external audit of its human resources processes and internal organisational structures. The objective is to identify further areas for improvement and to strengthen existing procedures.
The University of Luxembourg employs around 2,700 staff members, approximately 1,600 of whom are academic staff. The 2018 law on the organisation of the university governs academic promotion procedures, which are competitive and assessed by independent external experts. These procedures apply equally for all faculties and research centres.
Since the law was passed in 2018, the university has processed approximately 190 applications for academic promotion. Sixty people were promoted. Of the 130 people who were not promoted, four challenged the procedure before the administrative court. In a state governed by the rule of law, these ongoing proceedings impose a duty of discretion on the university.
The university highlighted that in light of the competitive nature of academic careers in January 2025 it created the Office for professorial affairs, which it said supports candidates and professors in their career development.
The university said: “As an education and research institution, the university values the well-being and career development of its staff. Policies and paths for career development are regularly communicated, as well as paths to declare misconduct. Between 2020 and 2025, the HR Department of the university received 27 complaints relating to inappropriate behaviour, plagiarism, harassment or discrimination, three of which may be legally qualified as harassment and all have led to appropriate measures that have been taken.”
It added: “The Ombuds office provides independent and confidential support to students and staff through dialogue, coaching and mediation. In 2025, the team expanded, strengthening capacity and awareness of informal conflict resolution options. Regular staff surveys demonstrate a consistently high level of overall satisfaction, with a score of 3.88 out of 5 in the most recent survey conducted in 2023; the next survey is scheduled for 2026 to assess progress over time. Staff turnover over the past five years ranged between 3% and 4% (excluding retirements and deaths) and the doctoral dropout rate stands at 10-15%, well below international averages.”
The university emphasised that its governance system is anchored in the amended Law of 27 June 2018, which clearly allocates responsibilities among several bodies – the Board of Governors, the Rector and the University Council – as well as between the Faculties and Interdisciplinary Centres (ICs), each endowed with its own missions and budget. The Faculties and ICs have their own internal checks and balances such as faculty or advisory councils. All academic leadership positions are based on 5-year mandates, elected by colleagues.
In closing, the university stated: “These elements are provided to contextualise recent allegations and to avoid generalisation. The University of Luxembourg will communicate the conclusions of the internal review and the external audit. The university remains firmly committed to a respectful, fair and supportive working environment and to continuous improvement, in the service of its community and of the country.”
