Address: Heyendaalseweg 135, 6525 AJ Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands
Neuroscience, Artificial Intelligence, Chemistry
Established in 1923, Radboud University is a student-focused research university located in Nijmegen, with strong programs in sciences and AI.
Radboud University in Nijmegen was founded in 1923 as the Catholic University of Nijmegen, and it received its present name in 2004 after Saint Radboud, a bishop of Utrecht in the early tenth century. It has about 25,000 students and 5,500 staff, and around one student in ten comes from abroad. The green campus lies on the Heyendaalseweg, south of the city centre, with a hospital, laboratories and student housing within cycling distance.
Nijmegen is one of the oldest cities in the Netherlands, a Roman settlement on the Waal river close to the German border. The university has a reputation for being student-oriented, with small groups, close contact with teachers and a collaborative atmosphere. It covers arts, law, economics, social sciences, philosophy, theology, natural sciences and medicine, with the Radboud University Medical Center as a major teaching hospital.
The Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour is one of the leading centres in Europe for neuroscience, with a strong group in cognitive science. The High Field Magnet Laboratory has hosted experiments with some of the strongest magnets in the world. Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for graphene, did parts of their work at Nijmegen, and Novoselov completed his doctorate at Radboud.
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. Many bachelor’s programmes are taught in Dutch, with a growing number in English, and master’s degrees are mostly in English.
Nijmegen is smaller and cheaper than Amsterdam, with a lively student scene and a large annual walking event, the Four Days Marches. Arnhem and Utrecht are within about an hour.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Software Engineering, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
The Guild. Active in international research networks.
Research:
Brain and cognition, Sustainable future, Health and medical sciences, Society and culture.
Famous Alumnis:
Dries van Agt, Agnes Kant
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
5500
Current students***:
25000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
100000
Pros
Green campus, strong research in specific fields like neuroscience and AI, personal approach to education.
Cons
Nijmegen is smaller than Randstad cities, some international students might find it less bustling.
Best For
Research-intensive education with a focus on brain, AI, and sustainability.
Both schools build their programmes around bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is the one to compare first within the country, since it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Another national school that puts bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics at the centre is Universiteit van Amsterdam, and it is larger, enrolling about 42,000 students against roughly 25,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Where this university leans on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, Universiteit Leiden does the same, and it is slightly larger, at about 34,000 students against roughly 25,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Universiteit Utrecht overlaps with this university on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, so the two are easy to compare, and it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers astroscience and marine science as well.
Technische Universiteit Delft follows much the same lines as this institution, with bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering as common ground, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers marine science and aerospace as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Fudan, in China, takes a similar route through bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers astroscience and optics as well.
In Belgium, Vrije Universiteit Brussel teaches much the same core subjects, bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Universiteit Antwerpen in Belgium shares the bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics orientation of this university, and it is slightly smaller, at about 22,000 students against roughly 25,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Shaanxi Normal University brings a China setting to the same core fields, bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, and it covers optics and telecommunications as well, and has almost the same size, at about 27,000 students.
University of Wrocław in Poland pursues a similar profile in bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, and it covers astroscience and optics as well, and has almost the same size, at about 25,000 students.
*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 Radboud University?
At Heyendaalseweg 135 in Nijmegen, Gelderland, Netherlands.
When was it founded?
In 1923, as the Catholic University of Nijmegen. It took its present name in 2004.
Who is the university named after?
Saint Radboud, a bishop of Utrecht in the early tenth century.
How large is it?
About 25,000 students and 5,500 staff.
What is it best known for?
Neuroscience, cognitive science, medicine, law, social sciences and physics.
What is the Donders Institute?
A leading European centre for brain, cognition and behaviour research.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for graphene, did parts of their work at Nijmegen.
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 mostly in Dutch with a growing number in English, and master's degrees mostly in English.
*: 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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