Utrecht University

Public research university in the Netherlands

Utrecht University

Universiteit Utrecht

Latin: Universitas Rheno-Traiectina[1]
Universitas Ultraiectina[2]
Motto| Sol Iustitiae Illustra Nos (Latin)

Motto in English

| May the Sun of Righteousness Enlighten Us[3]
Type| Public, research
Established| 26 March 1636 (389 years ago) (1636-03-26)

Academic affiliation

| CG, LERU, EUA, IAU, TPC, MISA, Utrecht Network
Endowment| € 677 million (2023)[4]
Budget| € 2.800 billion (2023)

* University: € 1.157 billion (2023)
* Hospital: € 1.643 billion (2023)

Rector| Wilco Hazeleger

Academic staff

| 4,499

Administrative staff

| 4,430

Total staff

| 8,929
Students| 39,679
Location|

Utrecht, Utrecht Province

Netherlands

52°05′07″N 05°10′30″E﻿ / ﻿52.08528°N 5.17500°E﻿ / 52.08528; 5.17500
Campus| Urban
Colours|
Yellow, red, black & white[5]
Website| uu.nl

Utrecht University (UU; Dutch: Universiteit Utrecht, formerly Rijksuniversiteit Utrecht) is a public research university in Utrecht, Netherlands. Established 26 March 1636 (389 years ago) (1636-03-26), it is one of the oldest universities in the Netherlands. In 2023, it had an enrollment of 39,769 students, and employed 8,929 faculty members and staff.[4] More than 400 PhD degrees were awarded and 7,765 scientific articles were published. The university's 2023 budget was €2.8 billion, consisting of €1.157 billion for the university[4] (income from work commissioned by third parties is 319 million euros) and €1.643 billion for the University Medical Center Utrecht.[6]

The university's interdisciplinary research targets life sciences, pathways to sustainability, dynamics of youth, and institutions for open societies. Utrecht University is led by the University Board, consisting of Wilco Hazeleger (Rector Magnificus), Anton Pijpers (chair), Margot van der Starre (Vice Chair) and Niels Vreeswijk (Student Assessor). Close ties are harboured with other institutions internationally through its membership in the Coimbra Group (CG), the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Utrecht Network and the European University Association (EUA).

## History

[edit]

Gable decoration at the University Hall building (Academiegebouw [nl]). Bernardus Schotanus, the university's first rector magnificus, and professor of law and mathematics

Utrecht University was founded on 26 March 1636.[7] It has its roots in the Illustrious School of Utrecht, which founded two years earlier in 1634 before being elevated to the status of university in 1636. The influential professor of theology Gisbertus Voetius delivered the inaugural speech, and Bernardus Schotanus (professor of law and mathematics) became the university's first rector magnificus. Anna Maria van Schurman, who became the university's first female student, was invited to write a Latin poem for the inauguration.[8] Initially, only a few dozen students attended classes at the university. Seven professors worked in four faculties: philosophy, which offered all students an introductory education, and three higher-level faculties (theology, medicine and law).

Utrecht University flourished in the seventeenth century, and contributed significantly to the Dutch Golden Age, despite competition with the older universities, such as Leiden (1575) and Groningen (1614). Leiden, in particular, proved a strong competitor and made further improvement necessary; a rivalry that persists to this day. A botanical garden was built on the grounds of the present Sonnenborgh Observatory, and three years later the Smeetoren added an astronomical observatory. The university attracted many students from abroad (especially from Germany, England and Scotland). They witnessed the intellectual and theological battle fought between proponents of the new philosophy (René Descartes lived for a few years in Utrecht) and proponents of the strict Reformed theologian Voetius. They also witnessed the teachings of renowned Dutch jurist, Johannes Voet, a university alumnus and professor of law, whose works remain highly authoritative in modern Roman-Dutch law.

An honorary doctorate in law was conferred on Eleanor Roosevelt in 1948.

In 1806, the French occupying authorities of the Netherlands downgraded Utrecht University to an école secondaire (high school), but after the establishment of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1813 it regained its former status.[7] Leiden, Leuven, Groningen, Utrecht and Ghent were the five universities (Dutch: hoge scholen) of the new state. Two of the universities (Leuven and Ghent) became part of the new Belgian state after their respective provinces separated from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1830. As a result, Utrecht University remained one of only three Dutch universities. During the French occupation, King Louis Napoleon ordered the construction of a palace in the centre of Utrecht, which eventually became the University Library City Centre.[7]

Utrecht University played a prominent role in the golden age of Dutch science. Around 1850 the "Utrechtian School" of science formed, with Pieter Harting, Gerardus J. Mulder, Christophorus H. D. Buys Ballot and Franciscus Donders among the leading scientists. They introduced the educational laboratory (onderwijslaboratorium) as a practical learning place for their students. The National Veterinary School (Dutch: Rijks Veeartsenijschool) became Utrecht University's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine in 1918.

As the university grew, the academic buildings in the historic city centre were unable to meet the university's increasing need for space. Therefore, starting from the 1960s, a significant part of the university moved to the De Uithof campus, which occupies the easternmost part of the city and is located south of De Bilt. However, the university continued to retain its academic buildings and presence in the historic city centre.

The university is represented in the Stichting Academisch Erfgoed, a foundation with the goal of preserving the university's heritage and collections.

## Organisation

[edit]

Utrecht University Hall (Academiegebouw [nl]), built in 1894

The university consists of seven faculties, which offer 58 undergraduate degree programmes and over 150 graduate programmes.[9]

Faculty  | School/Department

|

Faculty of Geosciences |

* Department of Earth Sciences
* Department of Physical Geography
* Department of Sustainable Development (Copernicus Institute)
* Department of Human Geography and Spatial Planning

Faculty of Humanities |

* Department of History and Art History
* Department of Languages, Literature and Communication
* Department of Media and Culture Studies
* Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance[10] |

* Utrecht University School of Law
* Utrecht University School of Economics (USE)
* Utrecht University School of Governance (USG)

Faculty of Medicine
Faculty of Science |

* Department of Biology
* Department of Chemistry
* Department of Information and Computing Sciences
* Department of Mathematics
* Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
* Department of Physics and Astronomy

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences |

* Department of Education and Pedagogy
* Department of Social Sciences
* Department of Psychology

Faculty of Veterinary Medicine

There are also three interfaculty units:

* University College Utrecht
* University College Roosevelt
* Centre for Education and Learning (COLUU)

## Campus

[edit]

The two large faculties of Humanities and Law & Governance are situated in the inner city of Utrecht. The other five faculties and most of the administrative services are located in Utrecht Science Park De Uithof, a campus area on the outskirts of the city. University College Utrecht, along with the Utrecht School of Economics, are situated in the former Kromhout Kazerne, which used to be a Dutch military base. University College Roosevelt is located off-campus in the city of Middelburg in the south-west of the Netherlands.

* Utrecht Science Park

* University College

* Minnaert Building

* Juridische Bibliotheek (former law library)

* Student life, Neude square, Utrecht city centre

* Utrecht University Botanic Gardens

* David de Wied building

## International rankings

[edit]

University rankings

Global – Overall
ARWU World[11]| 55 (2024)
QS World[12]| =103 (2026)
THE World[13]| 66 (2023)
USNWR Global[14]| 49 (2025–26)
University rankings

National – Overall
ARWU National[15]| 1 (2024)
QS National[16]| =3 (2026)
THE National[17]| 3 (2023)
USNWR National[18]| =2 (2025–26)

In the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU), the University of Utrecht was ranked 55th globally, the highest in the Netherlands but down from 40th in 2003. Top subjects include public administration (2nd), water resources (10th), and pharmacy (10th). Other notable rankings are in Earth sciences (11th), veterinary sciences (16th), psychology (16th), oceanography (17th), law (29th), education (38th), environmental science and engineering: (41st), geography: (42th), atmospheric science: (45th), public health: (45th), biological sciences (51-75), clinical medicine (51-75), medical technology (51-75), economics (51-75), physics (76-100), ecology (76-100), biotechnology (76-100), chemistry (101-150), biomedical engineering (101-150), statistics (101-150).[11]

In the 2024 U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities Ranking, Utrecht University was ranked 46th in the world. Its top-performing subjects included microbiology (6th), geosciences (14th), meteorology and atmospheric sciences (15th), surgery (18th), infectious diseases (21st), public health (21st), education and educational research (22nd), psychiatry/psychology (22nd), pharmacology and toxicology (25th), plant and animal science (28th), radiology, nuclear medicine, and medical imaging (31st), cardiac and cardiovascular systems (42nd), water resources (45th), marine biology (46th), environment/ecology (46th), cell biology (48th), immunology (53rd), and biology and biochemistry (60th).[14]

In the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the university was ranked 66th.[17] Best-ranked subjects were education (24th), psychology (26th), medicine and dentistry (67th), biological sciences (63rd), veterinary sciences (63rd), physical sciences (59th), and law (36th).[19]

In the 2025 QS World University Rankings by subject, the rankings are as follows: veterinary science (8th), geophysics (17th), geology (19th), public administration (22nd), geography (22nd), Earth & marine sciences (27th), psychology (30th), pharmacy & pharmacology (44th), life sciences and medicine (48th), environmental sciences (48th), education (51st), biological sciences (61st), medicine (64th), law (73rd), natural sciences (84th), nursing (51-100), development studies (51-100), chemistry (133rd), computer science (142nd), economics and econometrics (143rd), statistics and operational research (101-150), and chemical engineering (101-150).[20]

In 2024 the analytics company Clarivate ranked Utrecht University 44th in the world and 7th in Europe, with 29 highly cited researchers in the top 1% by citations for their field(s) and publication year in the Web of Science over the past decade.[21]

Utrecht University was also mentioned in the BlueSky Ranking Of University Rankings 2022/23 published by Matt Symonds, co-founder of QS. BlueSky Ranking Of University Rankings considers the aggregation of the performance of schools across four major rankings: AWRU, QS,THE, and USNWR. In this ranking, Utrecht University was placed 60th worldwide, 18th in Europe, and 1st in the Netherlands.[22]

## Affiliations

[edit]

Utrecht University is a member of:

* the Coimbra Group (CG),

* League of European Research Universities (LERU),

* the Utrecht Network,

* the European University Association (EUA),

* the International Association of Universities (IAU)

* the McDonnell International Scholars Academy (MISA).

Utrecht University operates strategic international partnership with KU Leuven, University College London, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Toronto, University of Sydney.[23]

## Notable alumni and faculty

[edit]

Main article: List of people associated with the University of Utrecht

Utrecht University counts a number of distinguished scholars among its alumni and faculty, including 12 Nobel Prize, 1 Pulitzer Prize, 2 Wolf Prize, 2 National Medal of Science, 22 Spinoza Prize and 4 Stevin Prize laureates. The university counts several heads of state and government amongst its graduates, including: 4 members of Dutch royal house, 6 Prime Ministers of the Netherlands, 6 foreign heads of state or government, and 35 Ministers of the Cabinet of the Netherlands.

Utrecht University alumni have won a total of 13 gold Olympic medals.[24]

## See also

[edit]

* List of early modern universities in Europe
* Roosevelt Academy International Honors College of Utrecht University located in Middelburg, Zeeland
* University College Utrecht International Honors College of Utrecht University located in Utrecht
* Utrecht Network
* Utrecht School of the Arts
* Utrecht Summer School
* Utrecht University of Applied Sciences (HU – Hogeschool Utrecht)
* Codex Boreelianus
* Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association, of which Utrecht University Library is a founding member
* Bijvoet Centre for Biomolecular Research, a research institute of Utrecht University in the field of molecular Life Sciences

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Record of the Jubilee Celebrations of the University of Sydney. Sydney, New South Wales: William Brooks and Co. 1903. ISBN 9781112213304. `{{cite book}}`: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
2. ^ "Memorial book of the Sesquicentennial celebration of the founding of the College of New Jersey and of the ceremonies inaugurating Princeton university". New York, C. Scribner's sons. 1898.
3. ^ "History". Utrecht University. 28 August 2014. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
4. ^ a b c "Facts and figures – Organisation – Utrecht University". uu.nl. Retrieved 25 March 2023.
5. ^ "Colour – Corporate Identity – Utrecht University". Utrecht University. Archived from the original on 24 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
6. ^ "UCM Utrecht". UCM Utrecht. Retrieved 29 September 2023.
7. ^ a b c "The History of Utrecht University". Utrecht University. Archived from the original on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 31 May 2020.
8. ^ Frade, Sofia (2016). "Ménage's Learned Ladies: Anne Dacier (1647–1720) and Anna Maria van Schurman (1607–1678)". In Wyles, Rosie; Hall, Edith (eds.). Women Classical Scholars: Unsealing the Fountain from the Renaissance to Jacqueline de Romilly. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780198725206.
9. ^ "Faculties – Organisation". Utrecht University. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2017.
10. ^ "Faculty of Law, Economics and Governance". Utrecht University. Archived from the original on 6 August 2011. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
11. ^ a b "Academic Ranking of World Universities 2024". Shanghai Ranking Consultancy. Archived from the original on 15 August 2022. Retrieved 16 August 2022.
12. ^ "QS World University Rankings 2024". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
13. ^ "World University Rankings 2023". Times Higher Education (THE). Retrieved 14 October 2022.
14. ^ a b "2022-2023 Best Global Universities Rankings". U.S. News Education. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
15. ^ "The Netherlands University Rankings 2023". AWRU. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
16. ^ "QS The Netherlands University Rankings 2024". Quacquarelli Symonds Ltd. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
17. ^ a b "The Netherlands University Rankings 2023". Times Higher Education (THE). Retrieved 15 September 2023.
18. ^ "2022-2023 The Netherlands Universities Rankings". U.S. News Education. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
19. ^ "World University Rankings by subject". Times Higher Education.
20. ^ "QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024". QS Top Universities.
21. ^ "Highly Cited Researchers". Clarivate.
22. ^ "BlueSky Ranking Of University Rankings 2022/23 – Global". Blue Sky thinking. 30 December 2022.
23. ^ "Partners". UU. Retrieved 7 March 2025.
24. ^ "DUB". DUB. Retrieved 7 August 2024.

## External links

[edit]

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