What makes us more than our rank

Leiden University often finishes high in the rankings of ‘best universities’ in the world. These league tables are usually compiled by private organisations active in international higher education and research.

But these rankings are widely criticised – by UNESCO, Universities of the Netherlands and international researchers who specialise in assessing the quality of research and education, including experts at our own Centre for Science and Technology Studies (CWTS).

League tables offer a limited view of a university’s overall quality. They rely on data and methodologies that are not fully transparent, and a position on such a list says little about our performance or ambitions, whether in isolation or in comparison with other universities.

That is why, together with many universities worldwide, we say: We are MUCH more than our rank!

In practice, this means that we do not see rankings as the definitive measure of the quality of our research and teaching. If you are choosing a degree programme or exploring potential partnerships, we encourage you to look beyond the rankings and explore who we are as an institution.