Deputy Education Minister Halbe Zijlstra says the high ranking for Dutch universities in the annual Times Higher Education list is totally justified. He called it “great news for Dutch universities and the whole education system.”

The University of Utrecht is the highest in the list at 68th place. There are 12 Dutch universities in the top 200 putting the Netherlands in third place behind the United States and the United Kingdom. Tilburg was the only one to fall outside the top 200.

Mr Zijlstra warned that universities should concentrate on the subjects they are best at. A spokesperson for Utrecht University said he fears that "the effects of government cuts will be visible in higher education in a few years time."

The Universities of Wageningen, Leiden and Amsterdam all featured in the top 100. Last year, the highest Dutch entry in the list was the Technical University Eindhoven at 114.

(nc)

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