Top Ten Universities in Europe Under 50 Years Old

Universities in Europe are not only among the oldest and most elite institutions in the world, but they also include some of the youngest and most vibrant.

Young universities, although often overlooked in the world rankings due to the time it takes to establish a strong international reputation and research output, deserve to be recognized as institutions making waves in a relatively small space of time. This is the aim behind the QS Top 50 Under 50, which showcases 50 of the highest performing young universities around the globe, based on the most recent QS World University Rankings®.

In the latest edition of the Top 50 Under 50, universities in Europe comprise almost half of the entries, giving strong evidence that European higher education systems are as young and innovative as they are historic and deep-rooted. The European country with most high-ranking young universities is Spain, with five institutions featured. The UK claims three while Germany and Sweden have two each. Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway and Portugal all bring one youngster to the table.

Based on the recent Top 50 Under 50 results, here are the current top 10 universities in Europe under 50 years old…

Maastricht University, Netherlands
Universitat Autónoma de Barcelona, Spain
University of Antwerp, Belgium
University of Bath, UK
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Spain
Loughborough University, UK
Universität Ulm, Germany
Universität Konstanz, Germany
Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Spain
Umeå University, Sweden