Best Political Science Universities in Europe [2026 Rankings]

1

United Kingdom | England

University of Oxford

#1 in United Kingdom #3 in the World

22% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1096 Founded

2

United Kingdom | England

University College London

#3 in United Kingdom #16 in the World

36% Acceptance

42,000 Enrollment

1826 Founded

3

United Kingdom | England

University of Cambridge

#2 in United Kingdom #6 in the World

21% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1209 Founded

4

United Kingdom | England

London School of Economics and Political Science

#16 in United Kingdom #154 in the World

8% Acceptance

9,218 Enrollment

1895 Founded

5

United Kingdom | England

University of Manchester

#6 in United Kingdom #54 in the World

40% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1824 Founded

6

Netherlands | Amsterdam

University of Amsterdam

#1 in Netherlands #76 in the World

51% Acceptance

41,000 Enrollment

1632 Founded

7

Belgium | Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

#1 in Belgium #62 in the World

33% Acceptance

62,693 Enrollment

1425 Founded

8

Denmark | Copenhagen

University of Copenhagen

#1 in Denmark #61 in the World

37% Acceptance

33,020 Enrollment

1479 Founded

9

Denmark | Aarhus

Aarhus University

#2 in Denmark #101 in the World

42% Acceptance

33,020 Enrollment

1928 Founded

10

United Kingdom | Scotland

University of Edinburgh

#4 in United Kingdom #36 in the World

51% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1583 Founded

11

Belgium | Liege

University of Liege

#3 in Belgium #226 in the World

34% Acceptance

27,678 Enrollment

1817 Founded

12

United Kingdom | England

University of Birmingham

#11 in United Kingdom #108 in the World

38% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1900 Founded

13

United Kingdom | England

University of Bristol

#9 in United Kingdom #96 in the World

63% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1909 Founded

14

United Kingdom | England

University of Nottingham

#13 in United Kingdom #133 in the World

32% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1948 Founded

15

France | Ile-de-France

Paris Institute of Political Studies

#14 in France #514 in the World

9% Acceptance

11,196 Enrollment

1872 Founded

16

United Kingdom | England

University of Warwick

#15 in United Kingdom #140 in the World

23% Acceptance

27,278 Enrollment

1965 Founded

17

United Kingdom | England

University of Sheffield

#14 in United Kingdom #138 in the World

28% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1905 Founded

18

Netherlands | Utrecht

Utrecht University

#2 in Netherlands #78 in the World

22% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1636 Founded

19

United Kingdom | England

University of Leeds

#10 in United Kingdom #99 in the World

48% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1904 Founded

20

United Kingdom | England

Imperial College London

#5 in United Kingdom #38 in the World

41% Acceptance

17,565 Enrollment

1907 Founded

21

Switzerland | Zurich

University of Zurich

#2 in Switzerland #81 in the World

19% Acceptance

25,732 Enrollment

22

United Kingdom | Scotland

University of Glasgow

#8 in United Kingdom #94 in the World

48% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1451 Founded

23

United Kingdom | England

University of York

#20 in United Kingdom #193 in the World

20% Acceptance

27,278 Enrollment

1963 Founded

24

Netherlands | Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam

#9 in Netherlands #231 in the World

53% Acceptance

18,000 Enrollment

1913 Founded

25

United Kingdom | England

University of London

#30 in United Kingdom #303 in the World

36% Acceptance

50,000 Enrollment

1836 Founded

26

Germany | Hamburg State

University of Hamburg

#4 in Germany #110 in the World

39% Acceptance

43,957 Enrollment

1919 Founded

27

United Kingdom | England

University of Southampton

#12 in United Kingdom #122 in the World

32% Acceptance

21,335 Enrollment

1952 Founded

28

Norway | Oslo

University of Oslo

#1 in Norway #98 in the World

27% Acceptance

26,650 Enrollment

1811 Founded

29

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

Heidelberg University – Germany

#1 in Germany #49 in the World

45% Acceptance

28,413 Enrollment

1386 Founded

30

United Kingdom | England

University of Sussex

#25 in United Kingdom #268 in the World

35% Acceptance

17,319 Enrollment

1961 Founded

31

United Kingdom | Wales

Cardiff University

#21 in United Kingdom #207 in the World

39% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1997 Founded

32

Germany | Bavaria

University of Munich

#2 in Germany #69 in the World

55% Acceptance

52,418 Enrollment

1472 Founded

33

Netherlands | Groningen

University of Groningen

#3 in Netherlands #118 in the World

50% Acceptance

34,000 Enrollment

1614 Founded

34

Netherlands | Nijmegen

Radboud University

#4 in Netherlands #127 in the World

43% Acceptance

34,000 Enrollment

1923 Founded

35

Netherlands | Leiden

Leiden University

#6 in Netherlands #158 in the World

30% Acceptance

33,474 Enrollment

1575 Founded

36

France | Ile-de-France

Pierre and Marie Curie University

#1 in France #182 in the World

20% Acceptance

35,114 Enrollment

1150 Founded

37

Sweden | Lund

Lund University

#1 in Sweden #95 in the World

58% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1666 Founded

38

Finland | Helsinki

University of Helsinki

#1 in Finland #84 in the World

12% Acceptance

31,312 Enrollment

1640 Founded

39

Switzerland | Zurich

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

#1 in Switzerland #52 in the World

8% Acceptance

23,420 Enrollment

40

Sweden | Stockholm

Stockholm University

#5 in Sweden #198 in the World

52% Acceptance

37,484 Enrollment

1878 Founded

41

United Kingdom | England

University of Liverpool

#18 in United Kingdom #164 in the World

24% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1881 Founded

42

Germany | Hesse

Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

#38 in Germany #442 in the World

50% Acceptance

43,461 Enrollment

1914 Founded

43

United Kingdom | England

Lancaster University

#33 in United Kingdom #340 in the World

22% Acceptance

15,555 Enrollment

1964 Founded

44

Spain | Cerdanyola del Valles

Autonomous University of Barcelona

#3 in Spain #210 in the World

54% Acceptance

30,926 Enrollment

45

Netherlands | Amsterdam

Free University Amsterdam

#7 in Netherlands #188 in the World

45% Acceptance

41,000 Enrollment

1880 Founded

46

Austria | Vienna

University of Vienna

#1 in Austria #100 in the World

33% Acceptance

93,628 Enrollment

1365 Founded

47

United Kingdom | England

University of Exeter

#22 in United Kingdom #214 in the World

73% Acceptance

11,270 Enrollment

1955 Founded

48

United Kingdom | England

Durham University

#23 in United Kingdom #257 in the World

46% Acceptance

19,520 Enrollment

1832 Founded

49

Germany | Brandenburg

Free University of Berlin

#6 in Germany #131 in the World

15% Acceptance

37,908 Enrollment

1948 Founded

50

Spain | Madrid

Complutense University of Madrid

#2 in Spain #160 in the World

56% Acceptance

58,390 Enrollment

1508 Founded

51

United Kingdom | England

Newcastle University

#17 in United Kingdom #159 in the World

23% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1963 Founded

52

Sweden | Uppsala

Uppsala University

#2 in Sweden #103 in the World

69% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1477 Founded

53

Spain | Barcelona

University of Barcelona

#1 in Spain #116 in the World

69% Acceptance

64,236 Enrollment

54

Netherlands | Tilburg

Tilburg University

#13 in Netherlands #556 in the World

57% Acceptance

19,178 Enrollment

1927 Founded

55

France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

Claude Bernard University Lyon 1

#2 in France #262 in the World

15% Acceptance

38,007 Enrollment

1809 Founded

56

Netherlands | Maastricht

Maastricht University

#12 in Netherlands #309 in the World

53% Acceptance

18,000 Enrollment

1976 Founded

57

Switzerland | Bern

University of Bern

#5 in Switzerland #169 in the World

26% Acceptance

19,608 Enrollment

58

Sweden | Gothenburg

University of Gothenburg

#4 in Sweden #181 in the World

55% Acceptance

36,003 Enrollment

1891 Founded

59

Italy | Emilia-Romagna

University of Bologna

#1 in Italy #104 in the World

73% Acceptance

96,945 Enrollment

1088 Founded

60

Belgium | Ghent

Ghent University

#2 in Belgium #132 in the World

34% Acceptance

50,000 Enrollment

1817 Founded

61

United Kingdom | England

University of Leicester

#24 in United Kingdom #264 in the World

39% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1957 Founded

62

Netherlands | Delft

Delft University of Technology

#5 in Netherlands #137 in the World

50% Acceptance

24,703 Enrollment

1842 Founded

63

Italy | Lazio

Sapienza University of Rome

#2 in Italy #119 in the World

39% Acceptance

100,155 Enrollment

1303 Founded

64

United Kingdom | England

University of East Anglia

#32 in United Kingdom #333 in the World

22% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1963 Founded

65

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

University of Munster

#16 in Germany #200 in the World

14% Acceptance

43,728 Enrollment

1780 Founded

66

Denmark | Frederiksberg

Copenhagen Business School

#6 in Denmark #711 in the World

30% Acceptance

7,610 Enrollment

1917 Founded

67

United Kingdom | England

Queen Mary University of London

#19 in United Kingdom #191 in the World

18% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1989 Founded

68

Spain | Valencia

University of Valencia

#4 in Spain #240 in the World

51% Acceptance

58,390 Enrollment

69

Denmark | Aalborg

Aalborg University

#4 in Denmark #347 in the World

40% Acceptance

20,353 Enrollment

1974 Founded

70

Spain | Granada

University of Granada

#5 in Spain #273 in the World

53% Acceptance

56,842 Enrollment

1531 Founded

71

Germany | Bavaria

Technical University of Munich

#3 in Germany #85 in the World

46% Acceptance

44,000 Enrollment

1868 Founded

72

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

University of Cologne

#11 in Germany #168 in the World

33% Acceptance

52,204 Enrollment

1388 Founded

73

United Kingdom | England

Loughborough University

#36 in United Kingdom #356 in the World

44% Acceptance

19,449 Enrollment

1966 Founded

74

United Kingdom | England

University of Reading

#29 in United Kingdom #288 in the World

37% Acceptance

11,270 Enrollment

1892 Founded

75

Switzerland | Geneva

University of Geneva

#4 in Switzerland #155 in the World

25% Acceptance

17,744 Enrollment

76

Germany | Brandenburg

Humboldt University of Berlin

#9 in Germany #157 in the World

34% Acceptance

36,232 Enrollment

1809 Founded

77

Portugal | Lisbon

University of Lisbon

#1 in Portugal #220 in the World

37% Acceptance

49,769 Enrollment

1911 Founded

78

Ireland | Dublin

University College Dublin

#1 in Ireland #225 in the World

42% Acceptance

33,321 Enrollment

1854 Founded

79

United Kingdom | England

University of Kent

#38 in United Kingdom #416 in the World

50% Acceptance

17,319 Enrollment

1965 Founded

80

Germany | Bavaria

University of Erlangen Nuremberg

#13 in Germany #190 in the World

46% Acceptance

39,658 Enrollment

1743 Founded

81

United Kingdom | England

University of Essex

#39 in United Kingdom #472 in the World

52% Acceptance

29,000 Enrollment

1964 Founded

82

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

RWTH Aachen University

#12 in Germany #171 in the World

35% Acceptance

47,521 Enrollment

1870 Founded

83

Italy | Lombardy

University of Milan

#3 in Italy #146 in the World

21% Acceptance

65,234 Enrollment

1924 Founded

84

Netherlands | Wageningen

Wageningen University

#8 in Netherlands #206 in the World

47% Acceptance

12,819 Enrollment

1918 Founded

85

Sweden | Stockholm

Karolinska Institute

#3 in Sweden #136 in the World

57% Acceptance

8,070 Enrollment

1861 Founded

86

Russia | Moscow

National Research University Higher School of Economics

#3 in Russia #511 in the World

19% Acceptance

16,401 Enrollment

1992 Founded

87

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

University of Freiburg

#10 in Germany #161 in the World

33% Acceptance

23,938 Enrollment

1457 Founded

88

Belgium | Louvain-la-Neuve

Catholic University of Louvain

#4 in Belgium #256 in the World

34% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1425 Founded

89

Germany | Bremen State

University of Bremen

#35 in Germany #400 in the World

52% Acceptance

17,984 Enrollment

1971 Founded

90

Germany | Saxony

Dresden University of Technology

#14 in Germany #196 in the World

28% Acceptance

31,517 Enrollment

1828 Founded

91

Ireland | Dublin

Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin

#2 in Ireland #302 in the World

48% Acceptance

20,430 Enrollment

1592 Founded

92

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

University of Bonn

#7 in Germany #139 in the World

36% Acceptance

38,043 Enrollment

1818 Founded

93

Netherlands | Enschede

University of Twente

#11 in Netherlands #305 in the World

51% Acceptance

24,703 Enrollment

1961 Founded

94

Spain | Seville

University of Seville

#8 in Spain #334 in the World

45% Acceptance

36,054 Enrollment

1505 Founded

95

Germany | Lower Saxony

University of Gottingen

#8 in Germany #149 in the World

34% Acceptance

31,619 Enrollment

1734 Founded

96

Germany | Brandenburg

Technical University of Berlin

#19 in Germany #224 in the World

23% Acceptance

34,842 Enrollment

1946 Founded

97

United Kingdom | England

University of Surrey

#31 in United Kingdom #317 in the World

32% Acceptance

16,900 Enrollment

1966 Founded

98

Spain | Madrid

Autonomous University of Madrid

#6 in Spain #293 in the World

53% Acceptance

58,390 Enrollment

1968 Founded

99

United Kingdom | England

University of Bath

#34 in United Kingdom #343 in the World

67% Acceptance

18,857 Enrollment

1966 Founded

100

United Kingdom | Scotland

University of St Andrews

#27 in United Kingdom #276 in the World

33% Acceptance

10,425 Enrollment

1413 Founded

100 Best Universities in Europe for Political Science

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