International rankings do not offer a complete picture of the quality of universities.

World rankings attract considerable attention when they are published, both within and outside universities. It is important to note, however, that they provide a limited, sometimes imperfect and even misleading picture of the overall quality of a university. That is why Leiden University has joined the More Than Our Rank initiative.

See also this Universities of the Netherlands paper, which takes a critical look at world university rankings.

CWTS Leiden Ranking

The Leiden Centre for Science and Technology Studies has formulated ten principles for the design, interpretation and use of rankings.

The CWTS Leiden Ranking assesses the performance of 1,400 major universities worldwide. Using sophisticated bibliometric indicators, the ranking attempts to accurately measure the scientific impact of universities and the extent to which they collaborate with other universities. In the CWTS Leiden Ranking 2023, Leiden University ranks 89th worldwide and 5th in the Netherlands.