This year, as with last year, four Dutch universities have made it into the top 100 of the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) a.k.a the Shanghai Ranking. However, there is one Dutch university that has managed to hold on to its top spot amongst other Dutch institutions since the inception of the ARWU in 2003, and this year is no exception.
The ARWU, more commonly known as the Shanghai Ranking, has been about since 2003 and reviews 1.800 universities annually to publish the top 1.000. Six objective indicators are used to assess the universities, and these are as follows:
Utrecht University has yet again managed to keep the title of best university in the Netherlands, according to the ARWU. This year, the university climbs a few places in the world ranking to claim 49th place; last year it came in 51st. Another three Dutch universities have also taken spots in the top 100 of the ARWU.
The other Dutch universities in the top 100 are the same as last year but in a different order; they are the University of Groningen, Erasmus University Rotterdam and Leiden University. These occupy global places 65, 68 and 82 respectively. In the 2019 ranking, the University of Groningen moves up one place compared to last year and the Erasmus University Rotterdam climbs a whopping 11 places. Leiden University, whilst still in the top 100, unfortunately drops eight places.
Take a look at the Dutch universities that achieved a place in the top 1.000.
| World rank | Institution | National rank |
|---|---|---|
| 49 | Utrecht University | 1 |
| 65 | University of Groningen | 2 |
| 68 | Erasmus University Rotterdam | 3 |
| 82 | Leiden University | 4 |
| 101 - 150 | Radboud University Nijmegen | 5 - 7 |
| 101 - 150 | University of Amsterdam | 5 - 7 |
| 101 - 150 | VU University Amsterdam | 5 - 7 |
| 151 - 200 | Delft University of Technology | 8 - 9 |
| 151 - 200 | University of Wageningen | 8 - 9 |
| 201 - 300 | Maastricht University | 10 |
| 301 - 400 | Eindhoven University of Technology | 11 |
| 401 - 500 | University of Twente | 12 |
| 501 - 600 | Tilburg University | 13 |
As with previous years, American universities head the list, with the British universities of Cambridge and Oxford also making it into the top 10. The top 10 is as follows:
| World rank | Country | Institution |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | Harvard University |
| 2 | USA | Stanford University |
| 3 | UK | University of Cambridge |
| 4 | USA | Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) |
| 5 | USA | University of California, Berkeley |
| 6 | USA | Princeton University |
| 7 | UK | University of Oxford |
| 8 | USA | Columbia University |
| 9 | USA | California Institute of Technology |
| 10 | USA | University of Chicago |
For more information, please see the ARWU website.