Rankings: The 3 best universities in Estonia for 2025/2026
Tallinn: Raekoja plats by Jorge Franganillo, CC BY 2.0, modified
Estonia is a small nation of 1.3 million in Europe’s North-East; sharing borders with Latvia and Russia and a short boat ride away from Finland. Despite its size, it stands out as one of the most digitally advanced and innovative countries in Europe and its universities reflect that forward-thinking spirit.
With a strong emphasis on technology, entrepreneurship, and research, Estonia has become an increasingly attractive study destination for international students and its universities claim solid places in international university rankings. The premier institution is the country’s oldest (with a history of around 500 years), the University of Tartu. Other top institutions include Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) and Tallinn University, both in the country’s capital.
Low tuition fees, high-quality English-taught programmes, and a safe, modern environment make it an ideal choice for those looking to study abroad in Northern Europe.
The rankings below will help you compare your options and choose the right university in Estonia for your academic goals.
| University | QS Ranking 2026 | THE Ranking 2025 | ARWU Ranking 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Tartu | 362 | 301 | 601 |
| Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech) | 635 | 601 | – |
| Tallinn University | 901 | 1001 | – |
The QS World University Rankings are among the most important, most-referenced rankings. The QS ranking relies heavily on its academic survey, asking thousands of academics worldwide about the reputation of universities.
The Times Higher Education World University Rankings (or the THE Rankings for short) compile a wide range of statistics. Equal weight is put on teaching quality, research excellence, and research impact through citations (meaning how often a university’s research is referenced elsewhere).
The Academic Ranking of World Universities by Shanghai Jiao Tong University (often just Shanghai Ranking, or ARWU) focuses on research output and quality, for example measured by the number of published and cited scientific papers and the number of staff or alumni winning the Nobel Prize or Fields Medal.
Estonia is the northernmost of the Baltic countries, and a small, proud nation of 1.3 million. Many of its universities offer English-taught study programmes in a vibrant, modern setting.
Read more about studying in Estonia
