77 Best Universities in Europe, Campus List and Top Ranked Institution

Europe’s centuries-old universities continue to shape the world’s intellectual heritage in the academic frontier. Enlisted are the leading Universities in Europe, their portals, founding years, and contacts.

The list navigates through the oldest and newest higher learning institutions with thousands of learners from across the world.

77 Best Universities in Europe ranked

While majority of top-tier varsities are concentrated in the United Kingdom, there are more competitive institutions across the continent.

Which is the leading university in Europe?

1. University of Oxford

The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. 

Country	United Kingdom
Founded	1096
Telephone	+44 1865 270000
Website	https://www.ox.ac.uk
Email	[email protected]

There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating university globally.

2. University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England.

Country	United Kingdom
Founded	1209
Telephone	+44 1223 337733
Website	https://www.cam.ac.uk
Email	[email protected]

Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the world’s third-oldest university in continuous operation

3. ETH Zurich

ETH Zurich, founded in 1854, is a public university in Zurich, Switzerland.

Country	Switzerland
Founded	1854
Telephone	+4144 6321111
Website	https://ethz.ch
Email	[email protected]

The institution focuses primarily on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. ETH Zurich ranks among Europe’s best universities.

4. Imperial College London

Imperial College London, also known simply as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England.

Country	United Kingdom
Founded	1907
Telephone	+44 20 7589 5111
Website	https://www.imperial.ac.uk
Email	contact [email protected]

Pioneers include Queen Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who envisioned a cultural area in South Kensington that included museums, colleges, and the Royal Albert Hall.

5. University College London (UCL)

University College London is a public research university in London, England.

Country	United Kingdom
Founded	1826
Telephone	+442076792000
Website	https://www.ucl.ac.uk
Email	[email protected]

It is the second-largest university in the United Kingdom by total enrolment and the largest by postgraduate enrolment

6. Sorbonne University

Sorbonne University is a public research university located in Paris, France.

Country	France
Founded	1257
Telephone	+33144 274427
Website	https://www.sorbonne-universite.fr
Email	communication@sorbonne universite.fr

The institution’s legacy reaches back to the Middle Ages in 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon as a constituent college of the University of Paris.

7. University of Edinburgh

The University of Edinburgh is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Country	Scotland
Founded	1582
Telephone	+441316501000
Website	https://www.ed.ac.uk
Email	[email protected]

Founded by the town council under the authority of a royal charter from King James VI in 1582 and officially.

8. University of Copenhagen

The University of Copenhagen is a public research university in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Country	Denmark
Founded	1479
Telephone	+4535333333
Website	https://www.ku.dk
Email	[email protected]

Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in Scandinavia, after Uppsala University.

9. KU Leuven

KU Leuven is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium.

Country	Belgium
Founded	1425
Telephone	+32 16 32 51 11
Website	https://www.kuleuven.be
Email	[email protected]

Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries.

10. University of Amsterdam

The University of Amsterdam is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Country	The Netherlands
Founded	1632
Telephone	+31205259111
Website	https://www.uva.nl
Email	[email protected]

Established in 1632 by municipal authorities, it is the fourth-oldest academic institution in the Netherlands still in operation.

11. University of Manchester

The University of Manchester is a public research university in Manchester, England.

Country	The Netherlands
Founded	1632
Telephone	+31205259111
Website	https://www.uva.nl
Email	[email protected]

The main campus is south of Manchester City Centre on Oxford Road.

Full list of universities in Europe

1. Aalto University
2. Autonomous University of Barcelona
3. Catholic University of Leuven
4. Charles University in Prague
5. Delft University of Technology
6. École Normale Supérieure, Paris
7. École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL)
8. Heidelberg – duplicate
9. King’s College London
10. KU Leuven
11. LMU Munich
12. Moscow State University
13. Polytechnic University of Milan
14. Royal Holloway University of London
15. Technical University of Denmark
16. Technical University of Munich
17. Trinity College Dublin
18. Trinity College Dublin
19. Trinity College Dublin
20. Université PSL  
21. University College Dublin
22. University of Aarhus
23. University of Antwerp
24. University of Athens
25. University of Barcelona
26. University of Belgrade
27. University of Bergen
28. University of Bologna
29. University of Bonn
30. University of Bristol
31. University of Bucharest
32. University of Budapest (ELTE)
33. University of Copenhagen
34. University of Edinburgh
35. University of Florence
36. University of Geneva
37. University of Glasgow
38. University of Granada
39. University of Groningen
40. University of Heidelberg
41. University of Helsinki
42. University of Leeds
43. University of Leiden
44. University of Leiden
45. University of Ljubljana
46. University of Milan
47. University of Nantes
48. University of Nottingham
49. University of Oslo
50. University of Padua
51. University of Paris
52. University of Pisa
53. University of Porto
54. University of Salamanca
55. University of Sheffield
56. University of Stockholm
57. University of Šuttgart
58. University of Tartu
59. University of Vienna
60. University of Warsaw
61. University of Zagreb
62. University of Zurich

There are even more prestigious universities in Africa, Asia, Australia, South America, and North America.

Top ranking universities across countries in Europe

No	Country	Capital	Pop
1	Albania	Tirana	2.8m
2	Andorra	Andorra la Vella	77k
3	Austria	Vienna	9m
4	Belarus	Minsk	9.3m
5	Belgium	Brussels	11.5m
6	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Sarajevo	3.3m
7	Bulgaria	Sofia	6.8m
8	Croatia	Zagreb	4.0m
9	Cyprus	Nicosia	1.2m
10	Czech Republic	Prague	10.5m
11	Denmark	Copenhagen	5.9m
12	Estonia	Tallinn	1.3m
13	Finland	Helsinki	5.5m
14	France	Paris	67.8m
15	Germany	Berlin	83.2m
16	Greece	Athens	10.7m
17	Hungary	Budapest	9.6m
18	Iceland	Reykjavik	372k
19	Ireland	Dublin	5.1m
20	Italy	Rome	60.3m
21	Kosovo	Pristina	1.9m
22	Latvia	Riga	1.8m
23	Liechtenstein	Vaduz	39k
24	Lithuania	Vilnius	2.8m
25	Luxembourg	Luxembourg City	645k
26	Malta	Valletta	516k
27	Moldova	Chisinau	2.6m
28	Monaco	Monaco	39k
29	Montenegro	Podgorica	622k
30	Netherlands	Amsterdam	17.5m
31	North Macedonia	Skopje	2.1m
32	Norway	Oslo	5.5m
33	Poland	Warsaw	37.8m
34	Portugal	Lisbon	10.3m
35	Romania	Bucharest	19.0m
36	Russia	Moscow	144.5m
37	San Marino	San Marino	34k
38	Serbia	Belgrade	6.7m
39	Slovakia	Bratislava	5.5m
40	Slovenia	Ljubljana	2.1m
41	Spain	Madrid	47.5m
42	Sweden	Stockholm	10.5m
43	Switzerland	Bern	8.7m
44	Ukraine	Kyiv	41.0m
45	United Kingdom	London	67.3m
46	Vatican City	Vatican City	825

The number of universities and colleges in Europe continues to rise amid demand for science related study programs in various parts of the world.