University of Amsterdam Overview
The University of Amsterdam is a public university with origins dating back to 1632. It operates across four campuses in the Netherlands: the City Centre Campus, Roeterseiland Campus, Amsterdam Science Park, and the Academic Medical Center. In a recent academic year, over 30,000 students were enrolled. Tuition fees are higher for students from outside the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA), except for those from Switzerland and Suriname. The university offers reserved housing for international students, managed by external housing organizations.
The university is divided into seven faculties:
- Dentistry
- Economics and Business
- Humanities
- Law
- Medicine
- Science
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
Bachelor’s programs are primarily taught in Dutch, though some are available in English. Many master’s programs are conducted in English.
About 25% of the university’s research focuses on its 20 priority areas, such as:
- Infection and Immunity
- Behavioral Economics
- Private and Public European Law
Key research institutes include:
- Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies
- Institute for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Dynamics
- Anton Pannekoek Institute for Astronomy
The university also runs two international institutes—one in Athens, Greece, and another in Saint Petersburg, Russia—both part of the Dutch Scientific Institutes Abroad network. These support Dutch researchers and students working overseas.
University of Amsterdam Rankings
The University of Amsterdam is ranked #33 in the Best Global Universities list. Rankings are based on widely recognized indicators of academic excellence.
Global Rankings
- #33 – Best Global Universities (tie)
- #5 – Best Global Universities in Europe (tie)
- #1 – Best Global Universities in the Netherlands
Subject Rankings
- #112 – Artificial Intelligence (tie)
- #8 – Arts and Humanities
- #105 – Biology and Biochemistry (tie)
- #245 – Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology (tie)
- #28 – Cardiac and Cardiovascular Systems
- #82 – Cell Biology
- #216 – Chemistry (tie)
- #17 – Clinical Medicine (tie)
- #125 – Computer Science
- #103 – Ecology
- #66 – Economics and Business (tie)
- #56 – Education and Educational Research
- #43 – Endocrinology and Metabolism
- #883 – Engineering (tie)
- #147 – Environment/Ecology (tie)
- #9 – Gastroenterology and Hepatology
- #36 – Immunology (tie)
- #31 – Infectious Diseases
- #436 – Materials Science (tie)
- #170 – Mathematics (tie)
- #105 – Microbiology (tie)
- #86 – Molecular Biology and Genetics
- #43 – Neuroscience and Behavior
- #45 – Oncology (tie)
- #237 – Pharmacology and Toxicology
- #530 – Physical Chemistry (tie)
- #57 – Physics (tie)
- #132 – Plant and Animal Science (tie)
- #14 – Psychiatry/Psychology
- #76 – Public, Environmental and Occupational Health (tie)
- #24 – Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Medical Imaging
- #17 – Social Sciences and Public Health (tie)
- #39 – Space Science
- #3 – Surgery
2024-2025 Indicator Rankings
The university’s overall ranking is determined by 13 performance indicators. Here’s how it scored in each category:
- Global Score: 79.4
- Global Research Reputation: #85
- Regional Research Reputation: #20
- Publications: #49
- Books: #21
- Conferences: #248
- Normalized Citation Impact: #65
- Total Citations: #32
- Top 10% Most Cited Publications: #33
- Percentage of Top 10% Most Cited Publications: #77
- International Collaboration (Relative to Country): #1185
- International Collaboration: #391
- Top 1% Most Cited Papers: #36
- Percentage of Top 1% Most Cited Papers: #153