Address: Den Dolech 2, 5612 AZ Eindhoven, Noord-Brabant, Netherlands
Data Science, Automotive Technology, Photonics
Founded in 1956, TU/e is a research university specializing in engineering science & technology. It’s known for its strong industry collaborations, particularly within the Brainport Eindhoven region.
Eindhoven University of Technology, TU/e, was founded in 1956 as the second technical university in the Netherlands, in a city shaped by the electronics company Philips. It has about 14,000 students and 3,900 staff, and around one student in five comes from abroad. The compact campus lies next to the central station, and it is connected to the city by bicycle paths. The site includes the main building Auditorium, the Atlas building and a growing number of laboratories.
The university is organised in departments of mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, applied physics, chemical engineering and chemistry, mathematics and computer science, industrial engineering and innovation sciences, the built environment, biomedical engineering and the Industrial Design school. A relatively small size and close collaboration with industry give the university a practical character, and the motto, where innovation starts, reflects it.
Eindhoven is the heart of Brainport, the region where companies such as ASML, Philips, NXP, DAF and VDL develop semiconductors, medical devices, automotive technology and high-tech systems. TU/e researchers work with these firms on lithography, photonics, mechatronics and smart mobility. Student teams are part of the culture, including Solar Team Eindhoven, which has won the World Solar Challenge with its solar cars. The nearby High Tech Campus hosts more than a hundred companies and institutes.
EU students pay the statutory Dutch tuition fee, which is around two and a half thousand euros a year, while students from outside the EU pay a higher institutional fee set by each programme. Check the current tariff. Applications go through Studielink, and several programmes use selection or limited places. Bachelor’s programmes are taught in Dutch or English, and nearly all master’s degrees are in English.
Eindhoven is a modern industrial city, with affordable rents compared to Amsterdam, though student rooms are still scarce. Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam are all within a two-hour train ride.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Industrial Design, Manufacturing, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Nanotechnologies, Optics, Physics, Process Control, Project Management, Robotics, Software Engineering, Structural Engineering, Telecommunications, Thermodynamics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
EuroTech Universities Alliance, CESAER, 4TU.Federation. Strong ties with high-tech companies in Brainport region.
Research:
Artificial intelligence, Health technology, Smart mobility, Renewable energy, High-tech systems, Data science.
Famous Alumnis:
Sjoerd Soeters, Gerard Kleisterlee
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
3900
Current students***:
14000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
55000
Pros
Excellent industry connections, strong focus on innovation and entrepreneurship, modern campus.
Cons
Smaller than TU Delft, some programs may have limited English availability at Bachelor level, can be very specialized.
Best For
High-tech engineering, innovation, and industry collaboration.
Another national school that puts bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics at the centre is Technische Universiteit Delft, and it covers marine science and aerospace as well, and is larger, enrolling about 27,500 students against roughly 14,000 here.
Also strong in bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics, Universiteit Twente makes a sensible second look at home; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers geotechnics as well.
Among national alternatives, Universiteit van Amsterdam stands out for its focus on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Anyone who wants a second school in the same country with a similar spread of bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics can consider Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, and it is larger, enrolling about 37,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
A good alternative in the same country is Radboud Universiteit, which likewise covers bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers microbiology and genetics and statistics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Beyond national borders, Vrije Universiteit Brussel stands out as a comparable school for bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics; it is slightly larger, at about 20,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
In Italy, Politecnico di Torino teaches much the same core subjects, nanotechnologies, fluid dynamics and industrial design, and it is larger, enrolling about 38,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
EPFL in Switzerland is the nearest foreign match on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and fluid dynamics; it is slightly smaller, at about 12,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Abroad, Rheinisch-Westfälische Technische Hochschule Aachen (Germany) covers bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics in a comparable way, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers logistics and aerospace as well.
Technische Universität München, based in Germany, is built around bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics much like this university, and it is far larger, with about 48,000 students against roughly 14,000 here, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is TU/e?
At Den Dolech 2 in Eindhoven, in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands, next to the central station.
The region around Eindhoven where companies such as ASML, Philips and NXP develop high-tech systems.
What is Solar Team Eindhoven?
A student team that builds solar cars and has won the World Solar Challenge.
What does it cost?
EU students pay the statutory Dutch tuition fee, around two and a half thousand euros a year. Students from outside the EU pay a higher institutional fee. Check the current tariff.
How do you apply?
Through Studielink, and several programmes use selection or limited places.
In which language are courses taught?
Bachelor's programmes in Dutch or English, and nearly all master's degrees in English.
Is Eindhoven cheaper than Amsterdam?
Rents are more affordable, though student rooms are still scarce.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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