In the latest Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings, 8 of the 12 Dutch universities listed moved down. TU Delft remains the highest-ranked Dutch institution and keeps the national lead, even though its exact global position dipped slightly.
This year’s Dutch top tier includes TU Delft and the University of Amsterdam in the global top 100, with Wageningen and Leiden close behind. Further down the list, Erasmus University Rotterdam sits at 107th, Maastricht around the low 130s, VU Amsterdam in the 170s, Radboud in the 150s, and Twente and Eindhoven near the 190s. Tilburg falls in the 300–350 band. (Exact places vary by list version, but the direction of travel is clear: more Dutch universities moved down than up.)
Why the slide
THE points to shifting global performance and methodology pressure: universities are judged on teaching, research output and quality, industry links, and international outlook. Dutch institutions still do well on internationalisation, but budget constraints and research capacity are weighing on year-to-year scores. The Netherlands is also feeling the global rebalancing toward Asia seen across the ranking.
Photo Credits: Anant Chandra/Unsplash
Important context
The national picture is mixed: four Dutch universities rose while eight fell, so the overall system remains competitive.
Separate rankings (like QS) also put TU Delft at the top nationally, underlining a consistent lead for engineering and tech, but these lists use different methods, so positions won’t match exactly.
Utrecht University no longer takes part in THE, which is why it doesn’t appear in this table, even though it remains highly placed in other rankings.
What to watch next
University leaders warn that further funding uncertainty could keep pressure on research and teaching indicators. For applicants, the main takeaway is stability at the top (TU Delft still #1 in the Netherlands) and small shifts elsewhere, use rankings as one input, but check programme strength, fit, and subject-level results before deciding.
