Best Sports Universities in Europe [2026 Rankings]

1

United Kingdom | England

University College London

#3 in United Kingdom #16 in the World

36% Acceptance

42,000 Enrollment

1826 Founded

2

Sweden | Stockholm

Karolinska Institute

#3 in Sweden #136 in the World

57% Acceptance

8,070 Enrollment

1861 Founded

3

Belgium | Leuven

Catholic University of Leuven

#1 in Belgium #62 in the World

33% Acceptance

62,693 Enrollment

1425 Founded

4

Denmark | Copenhagen

University of Copenhagen

#1 in Denmark #61 in the World

37% Acceptance

33,020 Enrollment

1479 Founded

5

Netherlands | Nijmegen

Radboud University

#4 in Netherlands #127 in the World

43% Acceptance

34,000 Enrollment

1923 Founded

6

Netherlands | Amsterdam

Free University Amsterdam

#7 in Netherlands #188 in the World

45% Acceptance

41,000 Enrollment

1880 Founded

7

United Kingdom | England

University of Oxford

#1 in United Kingdom #3 in the World

22% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1096 Founded

8

Netherlands | Groningen

University of Groningen

#3 in Netherlands #118 in the World

50% Acceptance

34,000 Enrollment

1614 Founded

9

Sweden | Lund

Lund University

#1 in Sweden #95 in the World

58% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1666 Founded

10

Denmark | Aalborg

Aalborg University

#4 in Denmark #347 in the World

40% Acceptance

20,353 Enrollment

1974 Founded

11

Netherlands | Maastricht

Maastricht University

#12 in Netherlands #309 in the World

53% Acceptance

18,000 Enrollment

1976 Founded

12

United Kingdom | England

Imperial College London

#5 in United Kingdom #38 in the World

41% Acceptance

17,565 Enrollment

1907 Founded

13

Finland | Jyvaskyla

University of Jyvaskyla

#6 in Finland #525 in the World

60% Acceptance

13,870 Enrollment

1934 Founded

14

France | Ile-de-France

Pierre and Marie Curie University

#1 in France #182 in the World

20% Acceptance

35,114 Enrollment

1150 Founded

15

Sweden | Gothenburg

University of Gothenburg

#4 in Sweden #181 in the World

55% Acceptance

36,003 Enrollment

1891 Founded

16

Belgium | Ghent

Ghent University

#2 in Belgium #132 in the World

34% Acceptance

50,000 Enrollment

1817 Founded

17

Italy | Lazio

Sapienza University of Rome

#2 in Italy #119 in the World

39% Acceptance

100,155 Enrollment

1303 Founded

18

Denmark | Odense

University of Southern Denmark

#5 in Denmark #359 in the World

35% Acceptance

33,020 Enrollment

1966 Founded

19

United Kingdom | England

University of Cambridge

#2 in United Kingdom #6 in the World

21% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1209 Founded

20

United Kingdom | England

Newcastle University

#17 in United Kingdom #159 in the World

23% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1963 Founded

21

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

Heidelberg University – Germany

#1 in Germany #49 in the World

45% Acceptance

28,413 Enrollment

1386 Founded

22

United Kingdom | England

University of Birmingham

#11 in United Kingdom #108 in the World

38% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1900 Founded

23

Netherlands | Amsterdam

University of Amsterdam

#1 in Netherlands #76 in the World

51% Acceptance

41,000 Enrollment

1632 Founded

24

United Kingdom | England

Loughborough University

#36 in United Kingdom #356 in the World

44% Acceptance

19,449 Enrollment

1966 Founded

25

Germany | Bavaria

University of Munich

#2 in Germany #69 in the World

55% Acceptance

52,418 Enrollment

1472 Founded

26

Sweden | Umea

Umea University

#9 in Sweden #318 in the World

61% Acceptance

34,237 Enrollment

1965 Founded

27

United Kingdom | England

University of Southampton

#12 in United Kingdom #122 in the World

32% Acceptance

21,335 Enrollment

1952 Founded

28

Switzerland | Zurich

University of Zurich

#2 in Switzerland #81 in the World

19% Acceptance

25,732 Enrollment

29

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

University of Tubingen

#5 in Germany #128 in the World

33% Acceptance

28,238 Enrollment

1477 Founded

30

Germany | Brandenburg

Charite – Medical University of Berlin

#22 in Germany #267 in the World

38% Acceptance

9,340 Enrollment

1710 Founded

31

United Kingdom | England

University of Nottingham

#13 in United Kingdom #133 in the World

32% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1948 Founded

32

Italy | Lombardy

University of Milan

#3 in Italy #146 in the World

21% Acceptance

65,234 Enrollment

1924 Founded

33

United Kingdom | England

University of Bristol

#9 in United Kingdom #96 in the World

63% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1909 Founded

34

Italy | Veneto

University of Padua

#4 in Italy #153 in the World

40% Acceptance

70,000 Enrollment

1222 Founded

35

Norway | Trondheim

Norwegian University of Science and Technology

#3 in Norway #247 in the World

27% Acceptance

44,000 Enrollment

1996 Founded

36

United Kingdom | Scotland

University of Glasgow

#8 in United Kingdom #94 in the World

48% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1451 Founded

37

Spain | Granada

University of Granada

#5 in Spain #273 in the World

53% Acceptance

56,842 Enrollment

1531 Founded

38

United Kingdom | England

University of Liverpool

#18 in United Kingdom #164 in the World

24% Acceptance

28,693 Enrollment

1881 Founded

39

United Kingdom | England

University of Leeds

#10 in United Kingdom #99 in the World

48% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1904 Founded

40

United Kingdom | England

University of Manchester

#6 in United Kingdom #54 in the World

40% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1824 Founded

41

Switzerland | Zurich

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich

#1 in Switzerland #52 in the World

8% Acceptance

23,420 Enrollment

42

Netherlands | Utrecht

Utrecht University

#2 in Netherlands #78 in the World

22% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1636 Founded

43

Denmark | Aarhus

Aarhus University

#2 in Denmark #101 in the World

42% Acceptance

33,020 Enrollment

1928 Founded

44

Italy | Emilia-Romagna

University of Bologna

#1 in Italy #104 in the World

73% Acceptance

96,945 Enrollment

1088 Founded

45

Norway | Oslo

Norwegian School of Sport Sciences

#13 in Norway #2213 in the World

24% Acceptance

17,000 Enrollment

1968 Founded

46

United Kingdom | Scotland

University of Edinburgh

#4 in United Kingdom #36 in the World

51% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1583 Founded

47

France | Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes

Claude Bernard University Lyon 1

#2 in France #262 in the World

15% Acceptance

38,007 Enrollment

1809 Founded

48

United Kingdom | England

Liverpool John Moores University

#59 in United Kingdom #675 in the World

46% Acceptance

15,555 Enrollment

1992 Founded

49

Switzerland | Lausanne

Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne

#3 in Switzerland #125 in the World

23% Acceptance

12,576 Enrollment

50

Germany | Baden-Wurttemberg

University of Freiburg

#10 in Germany #161 in the World

33% Acceptance

23,938 Enrollment

1457 Founded

51

Germany | Bavaria

Technical University of Munich

#3 in Germany #85 in the World

46% Acceptance

44,000 Enrollment

1868 Founded

52

United Kingdom | England

Manchester Metropolitan University

#50 in United Kingdom #599 in the World

53% Acceptance

22,980 Enrollment

1992 Founded

53

Portugal | Porto

University of Porto

#2 in Portugal #229 in the World

31% Acceptance

29,178 Enrollment

1911 Founded

54

United Kingdom | England

University of Exeter

#22 in United Kingdom #214 in the World

73% Acceptance

11,270 Enrollment

1955 Founded

55

Netherlands | Rotterdam

Erasmus University Rotterdam

#9 in Netherlands #231 in the World

53% Acceptance

18,000 Enrollment

1913 Founded

56

Norway | Oslo

University of Oslo

#1 in Norway #98 in the World

27% Acceptance

26,650 Enrollment

1811 Founded

57

Belgium | Liege

University of Liege

#3 in Belgium #226 in the World

34% Acceptance

27,678 Enrollment

1817 Founded

58

Netherlands | Enschede

University of Twente

#11 in Netherlands #305 in the World

51% Acceptance

24,703 Enrollment

1961 Founded

59

Switzerland | Bern

University of Bern

#5 in Switzerland #169 in the World

26% Acceptance

19,608 Enrollment

60

Finland | Helsinki

University of Helsinki

#1 in Finland #84 in the World

12% Acceptance

31,312 Enrollment

1640 Founded

61

Portugal | Lisbon

University of Lisbon

#1 in Portugal #220 in the World

37% Acceptance

49,769 Enrollment

1911 Founded

62

Sweden | Linkoping

Linkoping University

#7 in Sweden #298 in the World

41% Acceptance

22,441 Enrollment

1975 Founded

63

United Kingdom | Northern Ireland

Ulster University

#43 in United Kingdom #512 in the World

55% Acceptance

50,000 Enrollment

1968 Founded

64

Germany | Schleswig-Holstein

Kiel University

#23 in Germany #272 in the World

45% Acceptance

27,468 Enrollment

1665 Founded

65

United Kingdom | England

University of Sheffield

#14 in United Kingdom #138 in the World

28% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1905 Founded

66

Greece | Thessaloniki

Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

#2 in Greece #292 in the World

20% Acceptance

92,090 Enrollment

1925 Founded

67

Ireland | Dublin

University College Dublin

#1 in Ireland #225 in the World

42% Acceptance

33,321 Enrollment

1854 Founded

68

Greece | Athens

National and Kapodistrian University of Athens

#1 in Greece #228 in the World

19% Acceptance

70,461 Enrollment

1837 Founded

69

Germany | Hamburg State

University of Hamburg

#4 in Germany #110 in the World

39% Acceptance

43,957 Enrollment

1919 Founded

70

Italy | Lombardy

Catholic University of the Sacred Heart

#12 in Italy #418 in the World

40% Acceptance

23,000 Enrollment

1921 Founded

71

Spain | Valencia

University of Valencia

#4 in Spain #240 in the World

51% Acceptance

58,390 Enrollment

72

United Kingdom | Scotland

University of Strathclyde

#35 in United Kingdom #354 in the World

47% Acceptance

18,857 Enrollment

1964 Founded

73

Germany | Bavaria

University of Erlangen Nuremberg

#13 in Germany #190 in the World

46% Acceptance

39,658 Enrollment

1743 Founded

74

Netherlands | Delft

Delft University of Technology

#5 in Netherlands #137 in the World

50% Acceptance

24,703 Enrollment

1842 Founded

75

Austria | Vienna

Medical University of Vienna

#4 in Austria #419 in the World

35% Acceptance

7,915 Enrollment

2004 Founded

76

Italy | Liguria

University of Genoa

#10 in Italy #394 in the World

39% Acceptance

36,728 Enrollment

1481 Founded

77

Spain | Barcelona

University of Barcelona

#1 in Spain #116 in the World

69% Acceptance

64,236 Enrollment

78

Spain | Cerdanyola del Valles

Autonomous University of Barcelona

#3 in Spain #210 in the World

54% Acceptance

30,926 Enrollment

79

Sweden | Uppsala

Uppsala University

#2 in Sweden #103 in the World

69% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1477 Founded

80

Norway | Bergen

University of Bergen

#2 in Norway #227 in the World

28% Acceptance

16,900 Enrollment

1946 Founded

81

Ireland | Dublin

Trinity College Dublin, University of Dublin

#2 in Ireland #302 in the World

48% Acceptance

20,430 Enrollment

1592 Founded

82

Germany | Lower Saxony

University of Gottingen

#8 in Germany #149 in the World

34% Acceptance

31,619 Enrollment

1734 Founded

83

Germany | Hesse

Goethe University of Frankfurt am Main

#38 in Germany #442 in the World

50% Acceptance

43,461 Enrollment

1914 Founded

84

Italy | Piedmont

University of Turin

#5 in Italy #221 in the World

37% Acceptance

5,000 Enrollment

1404 Founded

85

United Kingdom | England

Keele University

#54 in United Kingdom #628 in the World

52% Acceptance

24,409 Enrollment

1962 Founded

86

Germany | Lower Saxony

Hannover Medical School

#45 in Germany #612 in the World

10% Acceptance

3,843 Enrollment

1965 Founded

87

United Kingdom | England

Queen Mary University of London

#19 in United Kingdom #191 in the World

18% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1989 Founded

88

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

University of Cologne

#11 in Germany #168 in the World

33% Acceptance

52,204 Enrollment

1388 Founded

89

Belgium | Louvain-la-Neuve

Catholic University of Louvain

#4 in Belgium #256 in the World

34% Acceptance

40,000 Enrollment

1425 Founded

90

United Kingdom | Wales

Cardiff University

#21 in United Kingdom #207 in the World

39% Acceptance

27,513 Enrollment

1997 Founded

91

Belgium | Antwerp

University of Antwerp

#6 in Belgium #370 in the World

33% Acceptance

62,693 Enrollment

2003 Founded

92

Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia

Ruhr University Bochum

#21 in Germany #242 in the World

28% Acceptance

42,954 Enrollment

1962 Founded

93

Germany | Brandenburg

Free University of Berlin

#6 in Germany #131 in the World

15% Acceptance

37,908 Enrollment

1948 Founded

94

Finland | Oulu

University of Oulu

#5 in Finland #441 in the World

31% Acceptance

2,900 Enrollment

1958 Founded

95

Germany | Brandenburg

Humboldt University of Berlin

#9 in Germany #157 in the World

34% Acceptance

36,232 Enrollment

1809 Founded

96

Finland | Turku

University of Turku

#4 in Finland #371 in the World

18% Acceptance

20,800 Enrollment

1920 Founded

97

Switzerland | Geneva

University of Geneva

#4 in Switzerland #155 in the World

25% Acceptance

17,744 Enrollment

98

Germany | Thuringia

Friedrich Schiller University of Jena

#27 in Germany #326 in the World

60% Acceptance

17,345 Enrollment

1558 Founded

99

United Kingdom | England

University of Bath

#34 in United Kingdom #343 in the World

67% Acceptance

18,857 Enrollment

1966 Founded

100

Croatia | Zagreb

University of Zagreb

#1 in Croatia #352 in the World

56% Acceptance

65,436 Enrollment

1874 Founded

100 Best Universities in Europe for Sports

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