null Open Universiteit Named Best University in 2026 Keuzegids

Open Universiteit Named Best University in 2026 Keuzegids

The Open Universiteit has been named the best university in the country by the Keuzegids Universiteiten 2026, the Netherlands' the leading independent study comparison guide in the Netherlands. While the Open Universiteit shared first place last year, it now holds the undisputed number one position. With an impressive score increase of four-points - from 68.5 to 72.5 - the Open Universiteit leaves the competition far behind. The university performs particularly well in the fields of Economics & Business and Science & Computing. The highest-performing programs come from the latter domain: Information Science (87 points) and Computer Science (86 points). With these results, the Open Universiteit once again receives the designation of Best University and strengthens its reputation with no fewer than five top programs of exceptionally high quality.

All Bachelor's Programs Ranked Number 1

Remarkably, seven Bachelor's programs have been rated the best in their category. The Keuzegids notes: 'The trend had already begun last year, but has now continued: the Open Universiteit has claimed the top spot entirely for itself. The university scores far above average, particularly in the fields of economics and business, science and computing.'

Five bachelor's programs received the Top Program quality label: Information Science, Computer Science, Environmental Sciences, Cultural Studies, and Business Administration. The bachelor's programs in Law and Psychology have also risen to first place. The new bachelor's program in Educational Sciences is not yet included in the 2026 assessments.

Number 1 in National Student Survey - NSE

In May, the Open Universiteit was already named the highest-rated university in the Netherlands in the National Student Survey (NSE) 2025. Six out of seven evaluated bachelor's programs received the highest satisfaction score from students within their field of study. Among master's programs, this was the case for Software Engineering, Law, and Arts and Culture Studies.

Increasing Enrollment Numbers

Contrary to the national trend, students are increasingly finding their way to the Open Universiteit. In the 2024/2025 academic year, the Open Universiteit recorded an 8.3% growth in the number of new students.

Rector Magnificus Theo Bastiaens: 'Being number one this year is not an end point, but an encouragement: we continue to build accessible, innovative, and excellent higher education for everyone who wants to keep developing themselves. With this number one position and the growing intake, we demonstrate that quality and accessibility reinforce each other. We continue to work towards this every day.'

About the Keuzegids

The Keuzegids Universiteiten has published an independent annual ranking of Dutch educational institutions since 1991. The programs of the Open Universiteit have been included in the guide since 2004. The ranking is partly based on the National Student Survey (NSE), in which students rate their programs. The editors of Keuzegids add their own weighting and analysis to determine the quality of education.

Laatst gewijzigd op: 27 nov 2025 0:01

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