The 10 Most Outstanding Universities in Europe

Studying in Europe is of great value to international students for many reasons including the fact that they gain the skills, knowledge and experience that employers seek and value when recruiting. What’s more, European universities emphasize creativity, innovation, and support, the goal is to help students reach their true potential. If you have a flair for languages, you’ll be happy to know that there are programmes taught in other leading global business languages such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic and more. Now that we have your rapt attention, let’s delve into the meat of the matter by looking at the Most Outstanding Universities in Europe according to the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019.

1. University of Oxford, UK

Ranking as the numero uno of the most outstanding universities in Europe is the University of Oxford which is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the world’s second oldest surviving university. There is evidence that teaching took place as far back as 1096. Located in and around Oxford’s medieval city centre, the university comprises 44 colleges and halls, and over 100 libraries, making it the largest library system in the UK. Students number around 22,000 in total, just over half of whom are undergraduates while over 40 percent are international, representing 140 countries between them.

Oxford has an alumni network of over 250,000 individuals, including more than 120 Olympic medallists, 26 Nobel Prize winners, 7 poets laureate, and over 30 modern world leaders (Bill Clinton, Aung San Suu Kyi, Indira Ghandi and 26 UK Prime Ministers, among them). As a modern, research-driven university, Oxford has numerous strengths but cites particular prowess in the sciences, having recently ranked number one in the world for medicine (if its Medical Sciences division was a university in its own right, it would be the fourth largest in the UK) and among the top ten universities globally for life sciences, physical sciences, social sciences, and the arts and humanities.

2. University of Cambridge, UK

Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is a collegiate public research institution. Its 800-year history makes it the fourth-oldest surviving university in the world and the second-oldest university in the English-speaking world. Cambridge serves more than 18,000 students from all cultures and corners of the world. Nearly 4,000 of its students are international and hail from over 120 different countries. In addition, the university’s International Summer Schools offer 150 courses to students from more than 50 countries. The university is split into 31 autonomous colleges where students receive small group teaching sessions known as college supervisions.

The university is number 2 of the most outstanding universities in Europe and is home to over 100 libraries, which, between them, holds more than 15 million books in total. In the main Cambridge University library alone, which is a legal depository, there are eight million holdings. In total, 92 affiliates of the university have been awarded Nobel Prizes, covering every category.

3. Imperial College London, UK

Imperial College London, a science-based institution based in the centre of the capital, is regarded as one of UK’s leading institutions. The college has around 15,000 students and 8,000 staff, with a focus on four main areas: science, engineering, medicine and business. The institution has its roots in the vision of Prince Albert to make London’s South Kensington a centre for education, with colleges going alongside the nearby Natural History Museum, Victoria and Albert Museum and Science Museum. Imperial was granted its charter in 1907, merging the Royal College of Science, the Royal School of Mines and the City & Guilds College.

The institution boasts 14 Nobel Prize winners, including Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of penicillin. Famous alumni include science fiction author H.G. Wells, Queen guitarist Brian May, former prime minister of India Rajiv Gandhi, former UK chief medical officer Sir Liam Donaldson, and former chief executive of Singapore Airlines Chew Choon Seng. The college’s motto is Scientia imperii decus et tutamen, which translates as “Scientific knowledge, the crowning glory and the safeguard of the empire”. Imperial’s most notable landmark is the Queen’s Tower, a remainder of the Imperial Institute, built to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee in 1887.

4. ETH Zurich, Switzerland

Established in 1855 commonly known as Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or Poly for short, it has produced over 20 Nobel Prize Laureates, including the father of modern physics and the inventor of the general theory of relativity, Albert Einstein. It has based its success on Swiss traditions of cherishing fundamental principles of freedom, individual responsibility, entrepreneurial spirit and open-minded approach to education. It remains a European research pioneer, which tries to offer practical solutions, which address worldwide challenges.

ETH Zurich heavily relies on its strong ties with researchers, foreign partners and key stakeholders who also support its cutting-edge research. Located in Zurich, Switzerland’s largest city, the institute is largely based on a modern main campus built in the outskirts of the town, with a significant endowment. The university makes a notable contribution to the global science and technology industry.

5. UCL, UK

Coming in 5th of the most outstanding universities in Europe is UCL which was founded in 1826 to bring higher education to those who were typically excluded from it. In 1878, it became the first university in England to admit women on equal terms as men. Located in the heart of London, UCL is a constituent college of the University of London and a member of the Russell Group, with approximately 850 professors and over 6,000 academic and research staff. Students hail from approximately 150 countries worldwide making up more than one-third of the university’s entire student population.

UCL comprises 11 faculties: Arts and Humanities, Built Environment, Brain Sciences, Engineering, the Institute of Education, Laws, Life Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, Medical Sciences, Population Health Sciences, and Social and Historical Sciences. It has been the birthplace of numerous significant scientific discoveries, with 29 Nobel Prize awardees including William Ramsay, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904 for his discovery of the noble gases. Others include 53 Fellows of the Royal Society, 51 Fellows of the British Academy, 15 Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering, and 117 Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

6. London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) is one of the foremost social science universities in the world, specialising in a wide range of social science disciplines, including economics, politics, sociology, law and anthropology. It was founded in the late 1800s by Fabian Society members Beatrice and Sidney Webb, Graham Wallas and George Bernard Shaw for the purpose of bettering society, ‘by studying poverty issues and analysing inequalities.

The LSE is world-renowned and boasts associations with 16 Nobel Prize winners and counts 37 past or present world leaders among its alumni. Bertrand Russell received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1950, recognising his writing on ‘humanitarian ideals and freedom of thought’, while Mick Jagger attended as an undergraduate in 1961, dropping out after a year to form the Rolling Stones. It is home to 9,600 full-time students from 140 countries, it maintains international partnerships with Columbia University in New York, Sciences Po in Paris, Peking University in Beijing, the National University of Singapore and the University of Cape Town.

7. University of Edinburgh, UK

Founded in 1583, the University of Edinburgh (UoE) is the sixth oldest university in the English-speaking world and one of Britain and Ireland’s seven ancient universities. It is number 7 of the most outstanding universities in Europe. It is made up of three colleges: Humanities and Social Science, Science and Engineering, and Medicine and Veterinary Medicine. Within these three colleges, there are 20 academic schools. In total, the university attracts around 35,000 students, the majority of which study within the College of Humanities and Social Science, the largest of its colleges.

UoE is an internationally-focused university and welcomes students from all corners of the globe, with the majority coming from China and the United States. Its students can also take advance of the Go Abroad Fund, which provides grants for 250 or students to have a short-term international experience each year.

8. LMU Munich, Germany

The Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München LMU is in the heart of Munich. LMU is recognized as one of Europe’s premier academic and research institutions. Since founding in 1472, LMU has attracted inspired scholars and talented students from all over the world, keeping the University at the nexus of ideas that challenge and change our complex world. As one of Europe’s leading research universities, it is known for excellence in teaching and research and embraces a wide diversity of fields—from the humanities and cultural studies through law, economics and social sciences to medicine and natural sciences.

Munich is one of Germany’s major centres for technology and the media. The vast resources of the city include renowned research facilities such as the Max Planck Society, global enterprises and promising start-ups, prestigious libraries and museums as well as leading editorial houses and newspapers.

9. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland

Ranking in the 9th position of the most outstanding universities in Europe is École Polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), or the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne. It is a public research university in Lausanne, Switzerland. Unusually for a Swiss university, it is controlled by the federal government. The EPFL campus in Écublens is located beside Lake Geneva and is powered entirely by electricity produced from hydropower. EPFL has several satellite campuses and facilities in Switzerland. The main campus hosts regular music festivals and has two museums: the Musée Bolo and Archizoom.

EPFL is highly regarded for its research and teaching in engineering. More recently, the university has branched out into the life sciences. It acquired the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research in 2008. EPFL has coordinated ambitious international research projects, including the Blue Brain Project and the Human Brain Project, attempting to reconstruct mammalian and human brains digitally. The institute is home to a nuclear reactor, a fusion reactor and a Blue Gene/Q supercomputer. Alumni of EPFL include Jacques Dubochet, winner of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, and chess grandmaster Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.

10. King’s College London, UK

King’s is a leading university providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. It is ranked sixth in the UK for the quality and quantity of research activity (Research Excellence Framework 2014). It also ranks 10th amongst the most outstanding universities in Europe. King’s has played a major role in many of the advances that shape modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. King’s continues to lead the way in research and pioneers new ideas to make the world a better place.

King’s is London’s most central university, with five campuses linked through the heart of the capital, enabling it to build partnerships with key London institutions and form international conversations. It collaborates on research projects, shares teaching resources and creates internship opportunities to enhance its students’ experience. It has a diverse and active student community, with almost 30,000 students from about 150 countries worldwide.

The list is amazing isn’t it? Now that you know the 10 most outstanding universities in Europe, you have an interesting variety to choose from as an international student so do not delay.