Netherlands has some of the Best Universities in Europe
The Netherlands proved its universities are some of the best in Europe by getting a high rating in the recently released Times Higher Education European University Top 200 Rankings 2016.
The Netherlands received special mention not only because of the high number of English-taught programmes offered, but also because of its relatively easy visa procedures for international students.
Holland is ranked 5th among European countries in terms of the sheer number of universities it has in the top 200, which is 13. With an impressive 12 universities among the top 100 universities on the list, the Netherlands is outranked there only by the UK (31) and Germany (20). The Netherlands has 6 universities in the top 25 of the list.
British universities did the best in Europe, not only capturing the top 3 places on the Times Higher Education (THE) list but also boasting 7 universities in the top 10. However, the tough new visa rules Britain implemented last July has marked the country as a “difficult and unattractive” place to study for international students. For instance, the Independent newspaper reports that business school student intake from outside the UK fell sharply by 9% last year.
THE’s rankings editor Phil Baty said in his report the list shows that European universities can easily compete with Britain. According to EP-Nuffic he singled out the Netherlands and Germany as exceptional alternatives for international students because of the high number of English-taught programmes being offered. Visa procedures are also deemed less complicated than in the UK. “While traditionally the UK was the top choice for students from China and India, it now faces healthy competition. That has the potential to completely change the future of some institutions,” Baty said.
The highest ranked Dutch university is Wageningen University (14) followed by the University of Amsterdam (19) and the University of Utrecht (20). Wittenborg is jointly supervising a PhD student, Esther Gitonga, with Wageningen. Gitonga is the coordinator of Wittenborg’s School of Hospitality & Tourism.
WUP 16/3/2016
by Anesca Smith
©WUAS Press