QS World University Rankings 2021 - Top Universities in Netherlands
Rank | University |
1 | University of Amsterdam |
2 | Leiden University |
3 | University of Groningen |
4 | Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) |
5 | Erasmus University Rotterdam |
6 | Tilburg University |
7 | Wageningen University and Research |
8 | Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam |
9 | Radboud University |
10 | Maastricht University |
1.University of Amsterdam (UvA)
This university was established in 1632 by the government authorities and it is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. This university is the fourth oldest university still in operation in the Netherlands. UvA is one the two large publicly funded research universities in the Netherlands and it is also one of the largest research universities in Europe. The university logo consists of black square with three white Saint Andrew’s crosses and a white U where the U represents the university.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
- Professional development courses
2. Leiden University (LEI)
LEI is a public research university in Leiden, Netherlands and it was founded as a protestant university founded by William in 1575. This university is the oldest educational institution in the Netherlands. The university came to prominence after the Dutch republic was formed making it attracted by the scholars to come and study in this university. The motto of the university is “Bastion of Freedom” and this university main campus is located in Leiden and the secondary campus is located in The Hague.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
3. University of Groningen (UG)
UG is a public research university located in the city of Groningen, Netherlands and was founded in 1614. It is the most prestigious and traditional university in the Netherlands and it is the second largest university in the Netherlands. In the initial days this university offered courses only in Theology, Law, Medicine, and Philosophy and this university offers more than 175 degree programmes. In 2015 the university established a campus in chineses city Yantai and this is the first dutch university to open a campus in china.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
4. Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
TU Delft is a public technical university located in Delft, Netherlands and was established in 1842 by William II with the motto of “Challenge the Future”. This university is the oldest and largest Dutch university in the Netherlands, it has been ranked in the top 10 engineering and technology universities in the world. This university got 2nd in the world for civil engineering and 3rd for mechanical, aerospace, and architecture. The primary purpose for the formation of the institution in 1842 was providing training for civil servants and over time it became a polytechnic school in 1864. In 1986, the university changed the name to Delft University of Technology.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
5. Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR)
EUR is a public research university located in Rotterdam, Netherlands and was established in 1913. This university is the largest and one of the first academic medical centers and trauma centers in the Netherlands. The formation of the university was to provide support to the business communities in Rotterdam and in 1937 the school was recognized as a higher education institution with university status providing education in commerce and economics as major. The university got the current name in 1973 after the merging of two institutions, therefore this university is the first university in the Netherlands named after a person.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
6. Tilburg University
This university is a public research university located in Tilburg in the southern part of the Netherlands and was established in 1927. The motto of the university is “Understanding Society” and the university specializes in the fields of social and behavioral sciences, economics, law, business sciences, theology and humanities. According to the Elsevier magazine this university was ranked no 1 in the Netherlands.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
- Life long development programs
7. Wageningen University and Research (WUR)
This university is also known as Wageningen UR and it is a public research university located in Wageningen, Netherlands established in 1876 as an agricultural college. This university was converted to a public university in 1918 and the university specialized courses in life sciences and majored in agriculture, technical and engineering subjects. The motto of the university is “To explore the potential of nature to improve the quality of life”, from the motto itself it’s clear that this university mainly focused on the field of life sciences and natural resources.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
- Engineering Doctorate
- Education for professionals
8. Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU)
This university is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands established in 1880 with a motto of “Our help is in the name of the Lord”. This university is one of the largest publicly funded research universities in the Netherlands. The university’s seal entitled “The Virgin in the Garden” refers to the Protestant Reformation that took place in the Netherlands during the 16th and 17th centuries by showing a virgin living in freedom in a garden and pointing to God.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
- Minor programmes
- Education for professionals
9. Radboud University
This university is a public research university located in Nijmegen, Netherlands established in 1923. The name of the university was from the Dutch bishop, Saint Radboud who lived in the 9th century and he was known for his intellectual works. From 1923 to 2004 the name of the university was Catholic University of Nijmegen and later in 2004 the university name was changed to the current name. In the University’s coat of Arms, the lower part represents the Catholic Church in the Netherlands and in the upper part, Dove represents holy spirit and the entire shield is surmounted by the Imperial Crown of the Holy Roman Empire. A special version of the coat of arms was designed for its 100th year anniversary.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- Research programs
- Pre-masters and hbo minors programmes
- Education for professionals
10. Maastricht University
This university is a public research university established in 1976 in Maastricht, Netherlands. It is the second youngest university in the 13 Dutch universities, and this university has always ranked as the top universities in Europe. The motto of the university is “Leading in Learning” and this university was the second university to be rewarded as the Distinctive Quality Feature for Internationalisation by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands. Most of the courses are delivered in English and only a few courses are delivered in Dutch.
Courses offered:
- Bachelors courses
- Masters courses
- PhD programs
