Rankings: The 13 best universities in the Netherlands for 2025/2026
The Netherlands (Holland) is one of Europe’s leading countries for international education. Holland offers a good mix of traditional and modern institutions, and many universities in the Netherlands enjoy an immaculate reputation around the world, such as Wageningen, Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), UvA University of Amsterdam or TU Delft. Thanks to the remarkable quality of research and higher education in the Netherlands, the country has repeatedly scored high in the Study.EU Country Ranking.
The impressive standing of the Netherlands in global university rankings is one effect of how the Dutch internationalised their university system. After the Bologna Process was initiated, during which Bachelors and Masters programmes became the norm throughout Europe, Holland was one of the first countries to make serious efforts at offering study programmes in English. Although much smaller than its neighbours Germany or France, the Netherlands offers many more English-language Bachelors and Masters degree programmes.
The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a universitys research is referenced elsewhere).
The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.
Summary: Top 10 universities
Study in the Netherlands
The Netherlands, also known as Holland, has long been a popular country for students seeking top-quality education. Universities in Holland offer more Bachelors and Masters in English than those in any other continental European country - so whatever subject you want to study, you will find it in the Netherlands! Tuition fees are modest for students from the EU/EEA, and on par with the UK for students from outside Europe.
Your nationality determines which tuition fees you have to pay, which application deadlines you have to meet, and which scholarships you are eligible for.
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