Europe Teaching Rankings 2018

The Europe Teaching Rankings is part of Times Higher Education’s series of tables focusing on institutions’ teaching and learning environments for students.

In this 2018 pilot ranking, half of universities’ overall scores are based on the results of the THE European Student Survey – a student engagement survey of more than 30,000 university students, which includes questions on whether teaching supports critical thinking, whether classes challenge students and whether students have the opportunity to interact with staff.

As well as engagement, the ranking also measures student outcomes, the diversity of institutions’ environments, and the resources that universities have in order to teach effectively.

Overall, the ranking is underpinned by 13 individual performance metrics. More than 240 universities across western and southern Europe have been ranked.

View the Europe Teaching Rankings 2018 methodology

The UK’s University of Oxford tops the 2018 table and the outcomes pillar, which draws on data on teaching reputation, graduation rate and the development of students’ skills.

It is followed in second place by its local rival the University of Cambridge, which is number one in the resources pillar. This looks at universities’ staff-to-student ratio, research productivity and quality of services.

The UK is the most represented country in the table with 100 institutions.

Spain’s Comillas Pontifical University, which is in the 51-75 band overall, tops the engagement pillar, which has five metrics based on the survey data.

Meanwhile, Hanze University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands (151-200 overall) is ranked first for environment, which measures the gender balance of staff and students.

Overall, eight countries feature in the ranking: UK, Spain, Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands, Portugal and the Republic of Ireland .

The student-focused nature of the THE Europe Teaching Rankings means that the results differ significantly from the THE World University Rankings, which focus on research excellence on a global scale.

We are in the pilot phase of this ranking so some notable institutions and countries are excluded from the table. We are calling on universities and governments to get involved to make the data set even richer.

To get involved or share your views, please email: europerankings@timeshighereducation.com