41 Best universities for Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in the Netherlands

Updated: March 15, 2026

Ranking by academic field

Below is a list of best universities in the Netherlands ranked based on their research performance in Liberal Arts & Social Sciences. A graph of 26.2M citations received by 713K academic papers made by 41 universities in the Netherlands 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 Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#8 in Europe

#37 in the World

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

2. Utrecht University

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#17 in Europe

#73 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1636

3. Radboud University

Netherlands | Nijmegen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#31 in Europe

#107 in the World

Founded: 1923

4. University of Groningen

Netherlands | Groningen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#35 in Europe

#112 in the World

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

5. Erasmus University Rotterdam

Netherlands | Rotterdam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#44 in Europe

#133 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Founded: 1913

6. Leiden University

Netherlands | Leiden

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#46 in Europe

#136 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 30%
Enrollment: 33,474
Founded: 1575

7. Free University Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#48 in Europe

#139 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1880

8. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands | Delft

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#67 in Europe

#182 in the World

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

9. Wageningen University

Netherlands | Wageningen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#75 in Europe

#203 in the World

Enrollment: 12,819
Founded: 1918

10. Maastricht University

Netherlands | Maastricht

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#79 in Europe

#212 in the World

Enrollment: 18,000
Founded: 1976

11. Tilburg University

Netherlands | Tilburg

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#107 in Europe

#272 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Enrollment: 19,178
Founded: 1927

12. University of Twente

Netherlands | Enschede

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#136 in Europe

#334 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1961

13. Eindhoven University of Technology

Netherlands | Eindhoven

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#174 in Europe

#419 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 13,069
Founded: 1956

14. Hogeschool van Amsterdam, University of Professional Education

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#649 in Europe

#1957 in the World

Founded: 1619

15. Rotterdam University

Netherlands | Rotterdam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#672 in Europe

#2051 in the World

Enrollment: 36,000
Founded: 1988

16. Fontys University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Venlo

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#746 in Europe

#2471 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 77%
Founded: 1996

17. Nyenrode Business University

Netherlands | Breukelen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#751 in Europe

#2479 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1946

18. HU University of Applied Sciences Utrecht

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#786 in Europe

#2685 in the World

Founded: 1993

19. University of Humanistic Studies

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#814 in Europe

#2837 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Enrollment: 550
Male:Female: 30:70
Founded: 1989

20. Hague University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | The Hague

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#898 in Europe

#3273 in the World

Enrollment: 2,331
Founded: 1987

21. Zuyd University

Netherlands | Heerlen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#922 in Europe

#3417 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 49%
Founded: 2001

22. HAN University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Arnhem

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#929 in Europe

#3446 in the World

Founded: 1996

23. Breda University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Breda

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#944 in Europe

#3493 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 57%
Founded: 1966

24. Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen

Netherlands | Groningen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#961 in Europe

#3561 in the World

Founded: 1986

25. Windesheim University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Zwolle

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1033 in Europe

#4032 in the World

Founded: 1986

26. Utrecht School of the Arts

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1083 in Europe

#4327 in the World

Founded: 1987

27. Saxion University

Netherlands | Enschede

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1089 in Europe

#4363 in the World

Enrollment: 27,000
Founded: 1989

28. INHolland University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Haarlem

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1093 in Europe

#4383 in the World

Founded: 2002

29. NHL Stenden University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Leeuwarden

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1134 in Europe

#4546 in the World

Founded: 2008

30. AVANS University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Breda

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1167 in Europe

#4741 in the World

Enrollment: 29,000
Founded: 2004

31. TIAS School for Business and Society

Netherlands | Eindhoven

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1217 in Europe

#5031 in the World

Founded: 1986

32. Hogeschool Leiden, University of Professional Education

Netherlands | Leiden

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1228 in Europe

#5084 in the World

Founded: 1984

33. Codarts University of the Arts

Netherlands | Rotterdam

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1271 in Europe

#5329 in the World

Founded: 1930

34. University of Aruba

Netherlands | Oranjestad

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1333 in Europe

#5673 in the World

Founded: 1970

35. Ede Christian University

Netherlands | Ede

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1354 in Europe

#5823 in the World

Founded: 1994

36. Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Velp

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1362 in Europe

#5881 in the World

Founded: 2003

37. American University of the Caribbean - School of Medicine

Netherlands | Cupecoy

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1420 in Europe

#6302 in the World

Founded: 1978

38. Hotelschool The Hague

Netherlands | The Hague

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1422 in Europe

#6317 in the World

Founded: 1929

39. HZ University of Applied Sciences

Netherlands | Vlissingen

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1431 in Europe

#6379 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 84%
Enrollment: 1,100
Founded: 1987

40. ArtEZ Institute for the Arts

Netherlands | Arnhem

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1435 in Europe

#6395 in the World

Founded: 2002

41. Design Academy Eindhoven

Netherlands | Eindhoven

For Liberal Arts & Social Sciences

#1484 in Europe

#6868 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 28%
Founded: 1947

The best cities to study Liberal Arts & Social Sciences in the Netherlands based on the number of universities and their ranks are Amsterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen, and Groningen.