Established in 1842, TU Delft is the oldest and largest Dutch public technological university. It is consistently ranked among the top universities for engineering and technology worldwide.
Delft University of Technology, TU Delft, is the oldest and largest Dutch technical university. It was founded in 1842 as the Royal Academy to train civil engineers and colonial officials, became a polytechnic school in 1864 and received university status in 1905. It has about 27,500 students and 6,800 staff, and roughly 30 percent of students come from abroad. The campus lies on the south side of Delft, between the old town and The Hague, with a library whose grass-covered cone roof by the architects of Mecanoo has become a landmark.
Delft is known for civil engineering and water management, a field that matters in a country where a large share of the land lies below sea level. Today it also teaches aerospace engineering, architecture, applied sciences, electrical engineering, mathematics and computer science, industrial design, mechanical and maritime engineering, and technology policy. The faculty of aerospace engineering is among the best in Europe, and its research aircraft and wind tunnels are used in teaching.
Student teams are a distinctive part of the culture. The Nuna solar car teams have won the World Solar Challenge several times, and Delft students have built hyperloop prototypes and racing cars. Research is strong in quantum technology, with QuTech, a centre formed with the research organisation TNO, and in energy transition, robotics and sustainable building. The university works with the nearby research centre Deltares on water and soil.
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 some programmes have a selection procedure or a limited number of places. Most bachelor’s programmes are taught in Dutch or English, and all master’s degrees are in English.
Housing in Delft is tight, so students should start looking before arriving. Bicycle is the main way to travel, and Amsterdam and Rotterdam are both within an hour.
Domains taught:
Aerospace, AI and Machine Learning, Automation, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Civil Engineering, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Electrical and Electronics, Engineering, Fluid Dynamics, Geotechnics, Industrial Design, Manufacturing, Marine Science, 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:
IDEA League, CESAER, UNITECH, 4TU.Federation, LERU. Extensive industry collaborations globally.
On content, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven and this institution are close, as both teach bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is smaller, enrolling about 14,000 students against roughly 27,500 here.
The comparison with Universiteit van Amsterdam is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers astroscience and microbiology and genetics as well.
The comparison with Rijksuniversiteit Groningen is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on marine science, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it covers astroscience and microbiology and genetics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 37,000 students against roughly 27,500 here.
Where this institution leans on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and bioengineering, Radboud Universiteit does the same, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
The comparison with Universiteit Twente is straightforward on subjects, since both focus on bioinformatics, geotechnics and nanotechnologies, and it is smaller, enrolling about 13,000 students against roughly 27,500 here, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Technische Universität München, based in Germany, is built around aerospace, bioinformatics and geotechnics much like this institution, and it covers food science and transportations as well, and is larger, enrolling about 48,000 students against roughly 27,500 here.
UTokyo brings a Japan setting to the same core fields, marine science, aerospace and bioinformatics, and it covers astroscience and transportations as well, and has almost the same size, at about 28,000 students.
Vrije Universiteit Brussel in Belgium shares the bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and optics orientation of this institution, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Warsaw University of Technology, based in Poland, is built around aerospace, bioinformatics and geotechnics much like this university, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers metrology and transportations as well.
Looking internationally, Politecnico di Milano in Italy is where aerospace, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies get a comparable treatment; it also offers graduate certificate programmes, and is larger, enrolling about 47,000 students against roughly 27,500 here.
*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 Delft?
At Mekelweg 5 in Delft, in the province of South Holland, Netherlands, between Rotterdam and The Hague.
When was it founded?
In 1842, as the Royal Academy. It received university status in 1905.
How large is it?
About 27,500 students and 6,800 staff, with around 30 percent of students from abroad.
What is TU Delft best known for?
Civil engineering, water management, aerospace engineering, architecture and quantum technology.
What is QuTech?
A quantum technology research centre formed by TU Delft and the research organisation TNO.
What are the Nuna teams?
Student teams that build solar cars and have won the World Solar Challenge several times.
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 some programmes have a selection procedure or a limited number of places.
In which language are courses taught?
Bachelor's programmes in Dutch or English, and all master's degrees in English.
Is housing easy to find?
No. Student housing in Delft is tight, so start looking before arriving.
*: 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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