Best Universities for Philosophy 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 Philosophy. A graph of 101M citations received by 6.43M academic papers made by 1,439 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 Oxford

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#1 in the United Kingdom

#7 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1096

2. University College London

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#2 in the United Kingdom

#8 in the World

Enrollment: 42,000
Founded: 1826

3. University of Cambridge

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#3 in the United Kingdom

#11 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 21%
Founded: 1209

4. Pierre and Marie Curie University

France | Ile-de-France

For Philosophy

#1 in France

#24 in the World

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

5. University of Liege

Belgium | Liege

For Philosophy

#30 in the World

Enrollment: 25,421
Founded: 1817

6. Catholic University of Leuven

Belgium | Leuven

For Philosophy

#35 in the World

Enrollment: 62,693
Founded: 1425

7. University of Edinburgh

United Kingdom | Scotland

For Philosophy

#4 in the United Kingdom

#39 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Founded: 1583

8. University of Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Philosophy

#1 in the Netherlands

#43 in the World

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

9. University of Manchester

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#5 in the United Kingdom

#44 in the World

Founded: 1824

10. Complutense University of Madrid

For Philosophy

#1 in Spain

#46 in the World

Enrollment: 71,806
Founded: 1508

11. Autonomous University of Barcelona

Spain | Cerdanyola del Valles

For Philosophy

#2 in Spain

#47 in the World

Enrollment: 30,926

12. University of Barcelona

Spain | Barcelona

For Philosophy

#3 in Spain

#51 in the World

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

13. University of Granada

Spain | Granada

For Philosophy

#4 in Spain

#53 in the World

Founded: 1531

14. Heidelberg University - Germany

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Philosophy

#60 in the World

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

15. University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Philosophy

#68 in the World

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

16. Imperial College London

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#6 in the United Kingdom

#72 in the World

Enrollment: 17,565
Founded: 1907

17. Utrecht University

Netherlands | Utrecht

For Philosophy

#2 in the Netherlands

#73 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1636

18. King's College London

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#7 in the United Kingdom

#75 in the World

Founded: 1829

19. University of Copenhagen

Denmark | Copenhagen

For Philosophy

#77 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 37%
Founded: 1479

20. Technical University of Munich

Germany | Bavaria

For Philosophy

#79 in the World

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

21. University of Valencia

Spain | Valencia

For Philosophy

#5 in Spain

#86 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 51%
Enrollment: 58,390

22. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Philosophy

#1 in Switzerland

#87 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 23,420

23. University of Zurich

Switzerland | Zurich

For Philosophy

#2 in Switzerland

#88 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 19%
Enrollment: 25,732

24. University of Vienna

Austria | Vienna

For Philosophy

#91 in the World

Enrollment: 93,628
Founded: 1365

25. University of Seville

Spain | Seville

For Philosophy

#6 in Spain

#95 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1505

26. University of Hamburg

Germany | Hamburg State

For Philosophy

#96 in the World

Enrollment: 43,957
Founded: 1919

27. Radboud University

Netherlands | Nijmegen

For Philosophy

#3 in the Netherlands

#101 in the World

Founded: 1923

28. University of Bristol

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#8 in the United Kingdom

#102 in the World

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

29. Autonomous University of Madrid

For Philosophy

#7 in Spain

#103 in the World

Founded: 1968

30. University of Sheffield

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#9 in the United Kingdom

#106 in the World

Founded: 1905

31. Sapienza University of Rome

For Philosophy

#1 in Italy

#108 in the World

Enrollment: 100,155
Founded: 1303

32. Aarhus University

Denmark | Aarhus

For Philosophy

#110 in the World

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

33. University of Birmingham

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#10 in the United Kingdom

#111 in the World

Founded: 1900

34. Free University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Philosophy

#112 in the World

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

35. University of Nottingham

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#11 in the United Kingdom

#116 in the World

Founded: 1948

36. University of Groningen

Netherlands | Groningen

For Philosophy

#4 in the Netherlands

#118 in the World

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

37. Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

Germany | Hesse

For Philosophy

#120 in the World

Enrollment: 43,461
Founded: 1914

38. University of Leeds

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#12 in the United Kingdom

#124 in the World

Founded: 1904

39. University of Helsinki

Finland | Helsinki

For Philosophy

#125 in the World

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

40. University of Geneva

Switzerland | Geneva

For Philosophy

#3 in Switzerland

#126 in the World

Enrollment: 17,744

41. University of Munster

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#127 in the World

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

42. University of Freiburg

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Philosophy

#128 in the World

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

43. Claude Bernard University Lyon 1

France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

For Philosophy

#2 in France

#129 in the World

Enrollment: 38,007
Founded: 1809

44. University of Glasgow

United Kingdom | Scotland

For Philosophy

#13 in the United Kingdom

#131 in the World

Founded: 1451

45. University of Warwick

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#14 in the United Kingdom

#132 in the World

Enrollment: 27,278
Founded: 1965

46. University of Oslo

For Philosophy

#1 in Norway

#133 in the World

Enrollment: 26,650
Founded: 1811

47. University of Bologna

Italy | Emilia-Romagna

For Philosophy

#2 in Italy

#134 in the World

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

48. University of Milan

Italy | Lombardy

For Philosophy

#3 in Italy

#135 in the World

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

49. University of the Basque Country

For Philosophy

#8 in Spain

#138 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Enrollment: 63,000

50. London School of Economics and Political Science

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#15 in the United Kingdom

#141 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 8%
Enrollment: 9,218
Founded: 1895

51. Lund University

For Philosophy

#1 in Sweden

#143 in the World

Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1666

52. RWTH Aachen University

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#144 in the World

Enrollment: 47,521
Founded: 1870

53. University of Tubingen

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Philosophy

#10 in Germany

#145 in the World

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

54. Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

Switzerland | Lausanne

For Philosophy

#4 in Switzerland

#146 in the World

Enrollment: 12,576

55. School for Advanced Studies in the Social Sciences

France | Ile-de-France

For Philosophy

#3 in France

#148 in the World

Enrollment: 2,613
Founded: 1947

56. University of Bonn

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#11 in Germany

#151 in the World

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

57. University of Cologne

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#12 in Germany

#152 in the World

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

58. Ghent University

Belgium | Ghent

For Philosophy

#153 in the World

Enrollment: 41,669
Founded: 1817

59. University of Saragossa

Spain | Zaragoza

For Philosophy

#9 in Spain

#154 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Founded: 1542

60. University of Lisbon

Portugal | Lisbon

For Philosophy

#157 in the World

Enrollment: 49,769
Founded: 1911

61. Humboldt University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Philosophy

#13 in Germany

#158 in the World

Enrollment: 36,378
Founded: 1809

62. University of Aix-Marseilles

France | Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur

For Philosophy

#4 in France

#160 in the World

Enrollment: 78,000
Founded: 2012

63. Catholic University of Louvain

Belgium | Louvain-la-Neuve

For Philosophy

#161 in the World

Enrollment: 40,000
Founded: 1425

64. University of Erlangen Nuremberg

Germany | Bavaria

For Philosophy

#14 in Germany

#162 in the World

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

65. Technical University of Berlin

Germany | Brandenburg

For Philosophy

#15 in Germany

#164 in the World

Enrollment: 35,149
Founded: 1946

66. University of Southampton

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#16 in the United Kingdom

#165 in the World

Enrollment: 21,335
Founded: 1952

67. Uppsala University

Sweden | Uppsala

For Philosophy

#2 in Sweden

#166 in the World

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

68. Delft University of Technology

Netherlands | Delft

For Philosophy

#5 in the Netherlands

#167 in the World

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

69. University of Padua

For Philosophy

#4 in Italy

#168 in the World

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

70. Leiden University

Netherlands | Leiden

For Philosophy

#6 in the Netherlands

#170 in the World

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

71. Free University Amsterdam

Netherlands | Amsterdam

For Philosophy

#7 in the Netherlands

#172 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 45%
Founded: 1880

72. University of Stuttgart

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Philosophy

#16 in Germany

#173 in the World

Enrollment: 22,616
Founded: 1829

73. Ruhr University Bochum

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#17 in Germany

#176 in the World

Enrollment: 42,954
Founded: 1962

74. University of Sussex

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#17 in the United Kingdom

#178 in the World

Enrollment: 17,319
Male:Female: 44:56
Founded: 1961

75. Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz

Germany | Rhineland-Palatinate

For Philosophy

#18 in Germany

#185 in the World

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

76. University of Gottingen

Germany | Lower Saxony

For Philosophy

#19 in Germany

#186 in the World

Enrollment: 31,619
Founded: 1734

77. University of York

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#18 in the United Kingdom

#189 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 20%
Founded: 1963

78. University of Liverpool

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#19 in the United Kingdom

#190 in the World

Enrollment: 28,693
Founded: 1881

79. University of Bordeaux

France | Nouvelle-Aquitaine

For Philosophy

#5 in France

#194 in the World

Enrollment: 54,000
Founded: 1441

80. Lancaster University

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#20 in the United Kingdom

#195 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 22%
Founded: 1964

81. University of Paris 1 Pantheon-Sorbonne

France | Ile-de-France

For Philosophy

#6 in France

#198 in the World

Enrollment: 42,700
Founded: 1971

82. University of Bielefeld

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#20 in Germany

#199 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 50%
Enrollment: 24,488
Founded: 1969

83. Grenoble Alpes University

France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

For Philosophy

#7 in France

#204 in the World

Enrollment: 53,949
Founded: 1339

84. University of London

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#21 in the United Kingdom

#205 in the World

Enrollment: 50,000
Founded: 1836

85. University of Murcia

For Philosophy

#10 in Spain

#209 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 60%
Founded: 1272

86. Karlsruhe Institute of Technology

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

For Philosophy

#21 in Germany

#210 in the World

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

87. University of Salamanca

Spain | Salamanca

For Philosophy

#11 in Spain

#211 in the World

Founded: 1218

88. Stockholm University

Sweden | Stockholm

For Philosophy

#3 in Sweden

#212 in the World

Enrollment: 37,484
Founded: 1878

89. Erasmus University Rotterdam

Netherlands | Rotterdam

For Philosophy

#8 in the Netherlands

#215 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 53%
Founded: 1913

90. Durham University

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#22 in the United Kingdom

#217 in the World

Enrollment: 19,520
Founded: 1832

91. Newcastle University

United Kingdom | England

For Philosophy

#23 in the United Kingdom

#219 in the World

Founded: 1963

92. Dresden University of Technology

Germany | Saxony

For Philosophy

#22 in Germany

#221 in the World

Enrollment: 31,517
Founded: 1828

93. Cardiff University

United Kingdom | Wales

For Philosophy

#24 in the United Kingdom

#222 in the World

Founded: 1997

94. University of Montpellier

France | Occitanie

For Philosophy

#8 in France

#225 in the World

Enrollment: 46,578
Founded: 1289

95. University of Marburg

Germany | Hesse

For Philosophy

#23 in Germany

#227 in the World

Enrollment: 22,612
Founded: 1527

96. University of Bern

Switzerland | Bern

For Philosophy

#5 in Switzerland

#228 in the World

Enrollment: 18,576

97. Free University of Brussels

Belgium | Brussels

For Philosophy

#230 in the World

Enrollment: 31,606
Founded: 1834

98. TU Dortmund University

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

For Philosophy

#24 in Germany

#231 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 59%
Enrollment: 34,616
Male:Female: 54:46
Founded: 1968

99. Paris-Sud University

France | Ile-de-France

For Philosophy

#9 in France

#232 in the World

Enrollment: 31,400
Founded: 2014

100. University of Leipzig

Germany | Saxony

For Philosophy

#25 in Germany

#234 in the World

Acceptance Rate: 10%
Enrollment: 31,088
Founded: 1409

Liberal Arts & Social Sciences subfields in Europe

Anthropology1005

Archaeology1389

Broadcast Journalism335

Classics and Ancient History715

Communications and Public Relations882

Criminology and Criminal Justice406

Early Childhood Education337

Education Majors1022

Forensic Science309

Gender Studies599

Human Rights Law369

Intellectual Property and Patent Law329

International Law381

International Relations and Diplomacy334

Journalism and Digital Media485

Law Enforcement336

Library and Information science788

Linguistics1362

Media Studies438

Military science360

Negotiation and Conflict Resolution390

Occupational Safety and Health301

Political Economy431

Political Science1436

Public Policy / Administration523

Radio and Television broadcasting387

Special Education379

Sports / Exercise science394

Theology / Divinity / Religious studies988

Urban and Regional planning583