Best Universities for Chemistry in Europe

Updated: February 29, 2024

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in Europe ranked based on their research performance in Chemistry. A graph of 403M citations received by 13.9M academic papers made by 1,401 universities in Europe was used to calculate publications' ratings, which then were adjusted for release dates and added to final scores.

We don't distinguish between undergraduate and graduate programs nor do we adjust for current majors offered. You can find information about granted degrees on a university page but always double-check with the university website.

1. University of Cambridge

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#1 in the United Kingdom

#12 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

2. University of Oxford

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#2 in the United Kingdom

#19 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

3. University College London

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#3 in the United Kingdom

#21 in the World

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

4. Imperial College London

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#4 in the United Kingdom

#29 in the World

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

5. Heidelberg University - Germany

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Chemistry

#38 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Enrollment: 28,413
Male:Female: 45:55
Founded: 1386

6. Pierre and Marie Curie University

France | Ile-de-France

For Chemistry

#1 in France

#44 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Enrollment: 35,114
Founded: 1150

7. Catholic University of Leuven

Belgium | Leuven

For Chemistry

#46 in the World

Enrollment: 62,693
Founded: 1425

8. University of Manchester

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#5 in the United Kingdom

#47 in the World

Founded: 1824

9. Karolinska Institute

Sweden | Stockholm

For Chemistry

#1 in Sweden

#48 in the World

Enrollment: 8,070
Founded: 1861

10. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Switzerland | Lausanne

For Chemistry

#1 in Switzerland

#51 in the World

Enrollment: 12,576

11. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Chemistry

#2 in Switzerland

#58 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

12. Lund University

For Chemistry

#2 in Sweden

#63 in the World

Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1666

13. University of Copenhagen

Denmark | Copenhagen

For Chemistry

#76 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 37%
Founded: 1479

14. University of Edinburgh

United Kingdom | Scotland

For Chemistry

#6 in the United Kingdom

#78 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1583

15. Technical University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Chemistry

#82 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 44,000
Male:Female: 63:37
Founded: 1868

16. University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Chemistry

#87 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 55%
Enrollment: 52,418
Founded: 1472

17. University of Helsinki

Finland | Helsinki

For Chemistry

#90 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Enrollment: 31,312
Founded: 1640

18. Uppsala University

Sweden | Uppsala

For Chemistry

#3 in Sweden

#100 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment: 35,556
Founded: 1477

19. Utrecht University

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Chemistry

#1 in the Netherlands

#101 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1636

20. Ghent University

Belgium | Ghent

For Chemistry

#103 in the World

Enrollment: 41,669
Founded: 1817

21. University of Bristol

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#7 in the United Kingdom

#108 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 63%
Enrollment: 27,513
Founded: 1909

22. University of Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Chemistry

#2 in the Netherlands

#109 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 41,000
Founded: 1632

23. Technical University of Denmark

Denmark | Kongens Lyngby

For Chemistry

#112 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 38%
Founded: 1829

24. University of Groningen

Netherlands | Groningen

For Chemistry

#3 in the Netherlands

#113 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 34,000
Founded: 1614

25. University of Milan

Italy | Lombardy

For Chemistry

#1 in Italy

#115 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Enrollment: 65,234
Founded: 1924

26. University of Birmingham

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#8 in the United Kingdom

#118 in the World

Founded: 1900

27. University of Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Chemistry

#3 in Switzerland

#122 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Enrollment: 25,732

28. Radboud University

Netherlands | Nijmegen

For Chemistry

#4 in the Netherlands

#127 in the World

Founded: 1923

29. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands | Delft

For Chemistry

#5 in the Netherlands

#128 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 24,703
Founded: 1842

30. Claude Bernard University Lyon 1

France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

For Chemistry

#2 in France

#131 in the World

Enrollment: 38,007
Founded: 1809

31. University of Sheffield

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#9 in the United Kingdom

#133 in the World

Founded: 1905

32. King's College London

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#10 in the United Kingdom

#134 in the World

Founded: 1829

33. University of Nottingham

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#11 in the United Kingdom

#135 in the World

Founded: 1948

34. University of Leeds

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#12 in the United Kingdom

#136 in the World

Founded: 1904

35. University of Bologna

Italy | Emilia-Romagna

For Chemistry

#2 in Italy

#137 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 73%
Enrollment: 79,999
Founded: 1088

36. University of Barcelona

Spain | Barcelona

For Chemistry

#1 in Spain

#139 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 69%
Enrollment: 64,236
Male:Female: 86:14

37. University of Erlangen Nuremberg

Germany | Bavaria

For Chemistry

#140 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 46%
Enrollment: 38,878
Founded: 1743

38. University of Padua

For Chemistry

#3 in Italy

#142 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 40%
Enrollment: 62,876
Founded: 1222

39. University of Gottingen

Germany | Lower Saxony

For Chemistry

#145 in the World

Enrollment: 31,619
Founded: 1734

40. University of Tubingen

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Chemistry

#147 in the World

Enrollment: 27,770
Male:Female: 41:59
Founded: 1477

41. Moscow State University

Russia | Moscow

For Chemistry

#1 in Russia

#148 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 12%
Founded: 1755

42. RWTH Aachen University

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Chemistry

#152 in the World

Enrollment: 47,521
Founded: 1870

43. University of Freiburg

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Chemistry

#154 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 33%
Enrollment: 23,938
Founded: 1457

44. Sapienza University of Rome

For Chemistry

#4 in Italy

#155 in the World

Enrollment: 100,155
Founded: 1303

45. University of Southampton

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#13 in the United Kingdom

#156 in the World

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

46. Paris-Sud University

France | Ile-de-France

For Chemistry

#3 in France

#157 in the World

Enrollment: 31,400
Founded: 2014

47. University of Glasgow

United Kingdom | Scotland

For Chemistry

#14 in the United Kingdom

#159 in the World

Founded: 1451

48. University of Hamburg

Germany | Hamburg State

For Chemistry

#163 in the World

Enrollment: 43,957
Founded: 1919

49. University of Munster

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Chemistry

#10 in Germany

#164 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 14%
Enrollment: 43,728
Founded: 1780

50. University of Liverpool

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#15 in the United Kingdom

#167 in the World

Enrollment: 28,693
Founded: 1881

51. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

Germany | Hesse

For Chemistry

#11 in Germany

#168 in the World

Enrollment: 43,461
Founded: 1914

52. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Chemistry

#12 in Germany

#169 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 26%
Enrollment: 23,321
Founded: 2009

53. University of Vienna

Austria | Vienna

For Chemistry

#170 in the World

Enrollment: 93,628
Founded: 1365

54. Aarhus University

Denmark | Aarhus

For Chemistry

#173 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 42%
Enrollment: 33,020
Founded: 1928

55. University of Wurzburg

Germany | Bavaria

For Chemistry

#13 in Germany

#174 in the World

Enrollment: 27,149
Male:Female: 41:59
Founded: 1402

56. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Germany | Rhineland-Palatinate

For Chemistry

#14 in Germany

#175 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Enrollment: 33,132
Founded: 1946

57. University of Oslo

For Chemistry

#1 in Norway

#177 in the World

Enrollment: 26,650
Founded: 1811

58. Federico II University of Naples

Italy | Campania

For Chemistry

#5 in Italy

#178 in the World

Enrollment: 73,553
Founded: 1224

59. University of Geneva

Switzerland | Geneva

For Chemistry

#4 in Switzerland

#179 in the World

Enrollment: 17,744

60. Free University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Chemistry

#15 in Germany

#191 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 15%
Enrollment: 37,608
Founded: 1948

61. University of Bonn

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Chemistry

#16 in Germany

#192 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 36%
Enrollment: 38,043
Founded: 1818

62. University of Bern

Switzerland | Bern

For Chemistry

#5 in Switzerland

#194 in the World

Enrollment: 18,576

63. University of Basel

Switzerland | Basel

For Chemistry

#6 in Switzerland

#196 in the World

Enrollment: 12,896

64. Leiden University

Netherlands | Leiden

For Chemistry

#6 in the Netherlands

#199 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 27,713
Founded: 1575

65. Wageningen University

Netherlands | Wageningen

For Chemistry

#7 in the Netherlands

#202 in the World

Enrollment: 12,819
Founded: 1918

66. Newcastle University

United Kingdom | England

For Chemistry

#16 in the United Kingdom

#203 in the World

Founded: 1963

67. Charite - Medical University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Chemistry

#17 in Germany

#206 in the World

Enrollment: 8,877
Founded: 1710

68. Autonomous University of Madrid

For Chemistry

#2 in Spain

#210 in the World

Founded: 1968

69. Polytechnic University of Bari

For Chemistry

#6 in Italy

#221 in the World

Founded: 1990

70. KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Sweden | Stockholm

For Chemistry

#4 in Sweden

#222 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 41%
Enrollment: 14,278
Founded: 1827

71. Heinrich Heine University of Dusseldorf

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Chemistry

#18 in Germany

#225 in the World

Enrollment: 37,473
Male:Female: 42:58
Founded: 1965

72. University of Gothenburg

Sweden | Gothenburg

For Chemistry

#5 in Sweden

#226 in the World

Enrollment: 36,003
Founded: 1891

73. University of Stuttgart

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Chemistry

#19 in Germany

#229 in the World

Enrollment: 22,616
Founded: 1829

74. University of Florence

Italy | Tuscany

For Chemistry

#7 in Italy

#230 in the World

Founded: 1321

75. University of Marburg

Germany | Hesse

For Chemistry

#20 in Germany

#232 in the World

Enrollment: 22,612
Founded: 1527

76. Vienna University of Technology

Austria | Vienna

For Chemistry

#233 in the World

Enrollment: 29,341
Founded: 1872

77. Ruhr University Bochum

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Chemistry

#21 in Germany

#235 in the World

Enrollment: 42,954
Founded: 1962

78. University of Cologne

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Chemistry

#22 in Germany

#236 in the World

Enrollment: 52,204
Male:Female: 39:61
Founded: 1388

79. Stockholm University

Sweden | Stockholm

For Chemistry

#6 in Sweden

#237 in the World

Enrollment: 37,484
Founded: 1878

80. Complutense University of Madrid

For Chemistry

#3 in Spain

#241 in the World

Enrollment: 71,806
Founded: 1508

81. University of Liege

Belgium | Liege

For Chemistry

#243 in the World

Enrollment: 25,421
Founded: 1817

82. University of Montpellier

France | Occitanie

For Chemistry

#4 in France

#247 in the World

Enrollment: 46,578
Founded: 1289

83. Eindhoven University of Technology

Netherlands | Eindhoven

For Chemistry

#8 in the Netherlands

#249 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1956

84. Chalmers University of Technology

Sweden | Gothenburg

For Chemistry

#7 in Sweden

#251 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 79%
Enrollment: 10,912
Founded: 1829

85. University of Pisa

Italy | Tuscany

For Chemistry

#8 in Italy

#252 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 39%
Enrollment: 49,108
Founded: 1343

86. Paul Sabatier University - Toulouse III

France | Occitanie

For Chemistry

#5 in France

#254 in the World

Enrollment: 29,680
Founded: 1960

87. University of Dundee

United Kingdom | Scotland

For Chemistry

#17 in the United Kingdom

#255 in the World

Founded: 1967

88. University of Porto

Portugal | Porto

For Chemistry

#258 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Enrollment: 29,178
Founded: 1911

89. University of Lausanne

Switzerland | Lausanne

For Chemistry

#7 in Switzerland

#260 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 31%
Enrollment: 16,919

90. University of Turin

Italy | Piedmont

For Chemistry

#9 in Italy

#264 in the World

Founded: 1404

91. Technical University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Chemistry

#23 in Germany

#269 in the World

Enrollment: 35,149
Founded: 1946

92. Catholic University of Louvain

Belgium | Louvain-la-Neuve

For Chemistry

#277 in the World

Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1425

93. Dresden University of Technology

Germany | Saxony

For Chemistry

#24 in Germany

#278 in the World

Enrollment: 31,517
Founded: 1828

94. Autonomous University of Barcelona

Spain | Cerdanyola del Valles

For Chemistry

#4 in Spain

#279 in the World

Enrollment: 30,926

95. University of Regensburg

Germany | Bavaria

For Chemistry

#25 in Germany

#281 in the World

Enrollment: 20,702
Founded: 1962

96. Humboldt University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Chemistry

#26 in Germany

#282 in the World

Enrollment: 36,378
Founded: 1809

97. University of Bordeaux

France | Nouvelle-Aquitaine

For Chemistry

#6 in France

#283 in the World

Enrollment: 54,000
Founded: 1441

98. Grenoble Alpes University

France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

For Chemistry

#7 in France

#285 in the World

Enrollment: 53,949
Founded: 1339

99. University of Valencia

Spain | Valencia

For Chemistry

#5 in Spain

#286 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 58,390

100. University of Ulm

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Chemistry

#27 in Germany

#288 in the World

Enrollment: 10,164
Founded: 1967

Chemistry subfields in Europe

Biochemical Engineering398

Biochemistry1264

Chemical Engineering1007

Computational Chemistry609

Environmental Chemistry830

Inorganic Chemistry734

Materials Science1327

Nanotechnology971

Nutrition and Food Science810

Organic Chemistry1257

Petrology and Geochemistry740

Physical chemistry1027

Polymer science and Plastics engineering367

Radiochemistry619