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The International University Ranking, published by Times Higher Education, is an annual list of the best higher education institutions in the world. It shows which universities have achieved high results in teaching and research activities, and helps students decide which university to choose to study abroad.
If you are considering education abroad, but do not know which universities to choose for applications, then we suggest that you look through the list of the best universities in Europe this year according to the authoritative Times Higher Education rating.
Times Higher Education compiles rankings based on a complex formula that reflects the success of higher education institutions. A variety of criteria are taken into account, indicating the effectiveness of universities: the level of research activities, the impact on the development of science, the percentage of foreign teachers and students, the ratio of one teacher to the number of students, the amount of funding, student reviews and many others.
Best universities in Europe 2026 - Times Higher Education
| Europe Rank 2026 | World University Rank 2026 | World University Rank 2025 | University | Country/region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 | University of Oxford | United Kingdom |
| 2 | 3 | 5 | University of Cambridge | United Kingdom |
| 3 | 8 | 9 | Imperial College London | United Kingdom |
| 4 | 11 | ETH Zurich | Switzerland | |
| 5 | 22 | UCL | United Kingdom | |
| 6 | 27 | 26 | Technical University of Munich | Germany |
| 7 | 29 | 29 | University of Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
| 8 | 34 | 38 | LMU Munich | Germany |
| 9 | 35 | 32 | 脡cole Polytechnique F茅d茅rale de Lausanne | Switzerland |
| 10 | 38 | =36 | King鈥檚 College London | United Kingdom |
| 11 | 46 | KU Leuven | Belgium | |
| 12 | 48 | Paris Sciences et Lettres 鈥� PSL Research University Paris | France | |
| 13 | 49 | Universit盲t Heidelberg | Germany | |
| 14 | 52 | London School of Economics and Political Science | United Kingdom | |
| 15 | 53 | Karolinska Institute | Sweden | |
| 16 | 56 | University of Manchester | United Kingdom | |
| 17 | 57 | Delft University of Technology | Netherlands | |
| 18 | 62 | University of Amsterdam | Netherlands | |
| 19 | 66 | Wageningen University & Research | Netherlands | |
| 20 | 68 | Institut Polytechnique de Paris | France | |
| 21 | 68 | Universit茅 Paris-Saclay | France | |
| 22 | 70 | Leiden University | Netherlands | |
| 23 | 76 | Sorbonne University | France | |
| 24 | 80 | University of Bristol | United Kingdom | |
| 25 | 82 | University of Groningen | Netherlands | |
| 26 | 84 | University of Glasgow | United Kingdom | |
| 27 | 89 | Humboldt University of Berlin | Germany | |
| 28 | 90 | University of Copenhagen | Denmark | |
| 29 | 91 | Charit茅 - Universit盲tsmedizin Berlin | Germany | |
| 30 | 92 | RWTH Aachen University | Germany | |
| 31 | 92 | University of Bonn | Germany | |
| 32 | 95 | Lund University | Sweden | |
| 33 | 95 | University of Vienna | Austria | |
| 34 | 98 | KTH Royal Institute of Technology | Sweden | |
| 35 | 98 | University of Birmingham | United Kingdom | |
| 36 | 98 | University of T眉bingen | Germany | |
| 37 | 101 | Aarhus University | Denmark | |
| 38 | 105 | University of Helsinki | Finland | |
| 39 | 107 | Erasmus University Rotterdam | Netherlands | |
| 40 | 108 | University of Bern | Switzerland | |
| 41 | 108 | University of Sheffield | United Kingdom | |
| 42 | 113 | Free University of Berlin | Germany | |
| 43 | 113 | University of Oslo | Norway | |
| 44 | 115 | Ghent University | Belgium | |
| 45 | 118 | University of Leeds | United Kingdom | |
| 46 | 120 | University of Basel | Switzerland | |
| 47 | 121 | Technical University of Denmark | Denmark | |
| 48 | 122 | University of G枚ttingen | Germany | |
| 49 | 122 | University of Warwick | United Kingdom | |
| 50 | 125 | University of Hamburg | Germany |
