Address: Domplein 29, 3512 JE Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
Earth Sciences, Life Sciences, Chemistry
Founded in 1636, Utrecht University is one of Europe’s leading research universities, offering a broad range of disciplines including strong science faculties.
Utrecht University was founded in 1636 and is the largest research university in the Netherlands by research output. It has about 37,000 students and 7,500 staff, and around one student in ten comes from abroad. The ceremonial building, the Academiegebouw on the Domplein, stands in the old town next to the Dom Tower and the cathedral, while most modern teaching takes place at Utrecht Science Park, known as De Uithof, east of the centre.
The university is organised in seven faculties covering humanities, social and behavioural sciences, law, economics and governance, geosciences, science, medicine and veterinary medicine. It is the only university in the Netherlands with a faculty of veterinary medicine, and it has the strongest geosciences in the country. Its Science Park holds the university medical centre, the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital and the Hubrecht Institute for developmental biology.
The physicist Gerard ‘t Hooft, who received the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physics for work on the quantum structure of electroweak interactions, worked at Utrecht, and Christophorus Buys Ballot, who formulated an early law of wind direction, taught in the city. Utrecht is known for sustainable development research, pharmacy, life sciences, history and the study of law and governance. It is a member of the Coimbra Group and the Una Europa alliance.
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 selection or limited places. Many bachelor’s programmes are taught in English, and most master’s degrees are in English.
Utrecht is a canal city in the middle of the Netherlands and the national railway hub, so students can reach Amsterdam in 25 minutes. Housing is tight, and rooms are often found through the Utrecht student housing associations.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Geotechnics, Marine Science, Materials, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Software Engineering, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
LERU, Utrecht Network. Extensive international collaborations and exchange programs.
Research:
Sustainability, Life sciences, Institutions for open societies, Dynamics of youth. Strong fundamental and applied research in sciences.
Famous Alumnis:
Christiaan Huygens, Gerard ‘t Hooft, Johanna Westerdijk
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
7500
Current students***:
37000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
200000
Pros
Highly ranked comprehensive university, vibrant student city, strong research in specific science areas.
Cons
Large institution, can be competitive, housing is a major challenge in Utrecht.
Best For
Broad-based research and education, with strengths in life and earth sciences.
On content, Universiteit Leiden and this university are close, as both teach astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
On content, Universiteit van Amsterdam and this institution are close, as both teach astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Radboud Universiteit sits close to this institution on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it is slightly smaller, at about 25,000 students against roughly 37,000 here, and is also a public institution.
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam follows much the same lines as this institution, with bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics as common ground, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
Rijksuniversiteit Groningen takes a similar route through astroscience, marine science and bioinformatics, and it has almost the same size, at about 37,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Beyond national borders, Peking University stands out as a comparable school for astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics; it is slightly larger, at about 45,000 students against roughly 37,000 here, and is also a public institution.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics is Universiteit Antwerpen in Belgium, and it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
Université Paris-Saclay in France shares the astroscience, bioinformatics and geotechnics orientation of this institution, and it is slightly larger, at about 48,000 students against roughly 37,000 here, and is also a public institution.
A foreign alternative with a similar emphasis on astroscience, marine science and bioinformatics is Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München in Germany, and it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers optics and signal processing as well.
On content, Universiteit Gent in Belgium and this university are close, as both teach marine science, bioinformatics and geotechnics; it covers aerospace and agriculture as well, and is slightly larger, at about 49,000 students against roughly 37,000 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 Utrecht University?
The Academiegebouw is at Domplein 29 in Utrecht, Netherlands. Most teaching takes place at Utrecht Science Park.
When was it founded?
In 1636.
How large is it?
About 37,000 students and 7,500 staff.
What does it teach?
Humanities, social sciences, law, economics, geosciences, sciences, medicine and veterinary medicine.
What is unique about it?
It is the only university in the Netherlands with a faculty of veterinary medicine.
Which Nobel laureate is linked to it?
Gerard 't Hooft, who received the 1999 Nobel Prize in Physics.
What is De Uithof?
The Utrecht Science Park, east of the centre, which houses most modern teaching and the university medical centre.
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 selection or limited places.
*: 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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