It may be the second-smallest continent on Earth, but Europe boasts many of the world’s best educational institutions. In the QS World University Rankings® 2014/15 a total of 336 European universities are featured within the world’s top 800 (roughly 42%). The UK boasts Europe’s highest number of internationally ranked universities with 70 entries, but is closely followed by Germany (42) and France (41). Meanwhile Switzerland has two universities ranked among the world’s top 20, leading a group of smaller European countries with very strong higher education systems.
With such a large selection of top universities in Europe to pick from, choosing where to study in Europe is not always easy. To help you get started, we’ve compiled a list of the top universities in Europe divided by country, based on the QS World University Rankings 2014/15.
Top universities in Austria
A landlocked country in central Europe, Austria shares borders with eight other European countries, including Germany to the north and Italy to the south. It has seven top European universities currently included in the QS World University Rankings; of these, the top universities in Austria are:
1. University of Vienna (156th in the world; 69= in Europe)
2. Vienna University of Technology (246th in the world; 115= in Europe)
4. Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz (411-420 in the world; 189= in Europe)
5. Johannes Kepler University Linz (551-600 in the world; 243= in Europe)
Top universities in Belgium
Known for its fine chocolate and fine beer, Belgium is also home to some fine educational establishments. Like Austria, it boasts seven of the top universities in Europe to be internationally ranked, all of these placed within the top 300 worldwide. The top universities in Belgium are:
4. Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB, 173rd in the world; 76= in Europe)