Best universities in the Netherlands 2024

Top 5 universities in the Netherlands 2024

Scroll down for the full list of the best universities in the Netherlands

Studying in the Netherlands is becoming more and more popular among international students, partly because of the ample array of world-leading Dutch universities that teach in English.

Develop the skills top employers want while you study and get a digital certificate to boost your CV!

Learn more

In Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings 2024, the 12 universities in the Netherlands all feature among the top 300.

The best colleges and schools in the Netherlands are found in 11 cities.

Best universities in Europe
Best universities in Spain
Best universities in Poland
Best universities in the UK
Best universities in Germany
Best universities in France
Best universities in the United States
Best universities in the world

As more and more international students choose to study at a top Dutch university, the number of degree courses taught in English has grown.

All Dutch universities in the ranking teach more than 40 different undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in English, and some – such as Leiden University – teach well over 100 degrees in English.

Graduate employability: top universities in the Netherlands ranked by employers
The cost of studying at a university in the Netherlands
Everything you need to know about studying in the Netherlands
Scholarships to study in the Netherlands for international students

Top five universities in the Netherlands

5. University of Groningen

The University of Groningen was founded in 1614 and offers 180 English-taught bachelor’s and master’s degrees. These courses are spread across 11 faculties and and nine graduate schools.

The university is located in the city of Groningen in the Netherlands.

More than 120 nationalities are represented on the university’s campuses.

The university offers a wide range of sporting activities and student societies. Almost each sport has its own association, and offers the use of its facilities at discount rates for students.

4. Leiden University

Leiden University, established in 1575, holds the distinction of being the Netherlands' oldest institution of higher education.

With campuses in Leiden and The Hague, the university boasts a rich heritage of notable alumni, including Dutch royalty and world leaders such as Winston Churchill.

Leiden's research prowess is underscored by its association with 16 Nobel Prize winners and 23 Spinoza Prize recipients. Collaborating closely with the Leiden Bio Science Park, the institution remains at the forefront of scientific discovery.

Leiden emphasises personalised learning, small-group interactions, and holistic development. It offers a wide array of programmes, including both English and Dutch-taught bachelor's and master's degrees, diverse PhD tracks, and interdisciplinary minors. 

3. Wageningen University & Research

Wageningen University & Research has a specialist focus on agricultural and environmental science.

Most of the undergraduate BSc programmes are taught in a mixture of Dutch and English, but about 40 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are taught solely in English.

The university attracts a significant number of international students for this reason – about 27 per cent of all students come from abroad.

In total, the university offers 20 different undergraduate programmes, including courses in business, international development and health sciences. There are 37 programmes at master’s level, all of which are taught in English. All courses take two years to complete.

The town of Wageningen is in the centre of the country, but it is not very far from Amsterdam or the German border.

2. University of Amsterdam

Established in 1632, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the third-oldest university in the country.

It has about 24,000 students, making it the largest in the Netherlands by enrolment.

As well as featuring in the top 100 of the World University Rankings, UvA ranks particularly highly for arts and humanities and social sciences.

The university offers about 150 degrees taught in English, attracting more than 3,000 international students from more than 100 countries.

The main campus is in central Amsterdam, with university buildings scattered around the city, allowing for good integration between students and locals.

UvA is one of Europe’s largest research universities, based on the number of scientific publications and the amount of research funding.

The central library contains more than 4 million books and thousands of manuscripts, letters, maps and rare works. The university also has five museums.

1. Delft University of Technology

Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) is the largest and oldest public technical university in the Netherlands.

It was founded as a royal academy for civil engineers, partly to educate civil servants who would work for the Dutch East India Company.

The number of students at TU Delft increased dramatically after the Second World War, prompting the tradition, still practised, of having a “reception week” for new students, which is similar to freshers’ weeks in the UK and the US.

Although the original university buildings were in the city centre, now they are all based in Mekelpark, the university neighbourhood designed for that purpose.

Of particular note is TU Delft Library, which has a roof covered with grass for natural insulation.

There about 18,000 students at the university, and a quarter of them are international.

Top universities in the Netherlands 2024

Click each institution to view its full World University Rankings 2024 results