Utrecht University can claim to be the best university in the Netherlands, according to the results of the prestigious annual ‘Academic Ranking of World Universities’ carried out by the University of Shanghai and published on its website this weekend. Ranked 11th in Europe and 52nd worldwide, Utrecht University has once again made its name as a leading research university.
Only one other Dutch university - Leiden University (joint 71st place) - scored in the top 100. In 52nd place, Utrecht University has dropped five places compared to its 2008 ranking.
Key criteria
Researchers in Shanghai evaluated more than 1000 universities, of which the best 500 names appear in the rankings. Key rating criteria include the number of times university staff are published in scientific journals such as Nature and Science and the number of distinctions, such as Nobel Prizes and Field Medals, received by university staff and graduates. Utrecht University scores particularly highly for appearances in 2008 citation indexes and the number of Nature and Science publications between 2004 and 2008.
Top of the league
Harvard University in the United States continues to occupy the top spot. Second and third place are also filled by American institutions, namely Stanford and Berkeley. Fourth place is taken by the first European institution on the list - the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom.
More information
See also the website of the Academic Ranking of World Universities.