Arts & Humanities
Literature, philosophy, history and the classical languages — the foundation upon which every enquiring mind is built.
Est. 1892 · North Holland
Where curiosity becomes
Where curiosity becomes
conviction.
For over a century, Aurelian has been a home for restless minds — a place where rigorous scholarship, human-scale teaching, and the courage to ask better questions shape the leaders of tomorrow.
132+
Years of Scholarship
9:1
Student–Faculty Ratio
94%
Graduate Employment
68
Countries Represented
Our Heritage
Discover what we study
A university built on the belief that light and truth are earned, not given.
Founded in 1892 by a circle of reformist scholars, Aurelian was conceived as an alternative to the great universities of its age — intimate in scale, fearless in inquiry, and uncompromising in its devotion to the life of the mind.
More than a century later, that founding conviction endures. Our historic quadrangles and modern laboratories sit side by side, home to a community of 8,400 students and 900 faculty drawn from across the world. We are small enough to know every student by name and ambitious enough to lead the global conversation.
Human-scale teaching
Seminars of twelve. Tutorials of two. Your professors will know how you think.
Global by design
Sixty-eight nationalities on one campus, and exchange partnerships on five continents.
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Students Enrolled
0
Faculty & Scholars
0+
Degree Programs
0K
Alumni Worldwide
Academics
Six schools. One uncompromising standard.
From the liberal arts at our core to the frontiers of applied science, every program at Aurelian is built on the same principle — depth before breadth, and the patient pursuit of mastery.
Natural Sciences
Physics, chemistry, biology and earth sciences taught in laboratories where discovery is a daily habit, not an aspiration.
Social Sciences
Economics, politics, sociology and anthropology — the tools to understand a world that refuses to stand still.
Architecture & Design
Where drawing, making and critical thinking converge in studios that have shaped skylines on three continents.
Law & Governance
A legal education rooted in jurisprudence and ethics, preparing advocates, diplomats and public servants.
Health & Medicine
Patient-centered medical training in partnership with teaching hospitals renowned across Northern Europe.
"I came to Aurelian to read. I stayed because someone finally taught me how to think."
— Elara Voss, Class of 2024
The Aurelian Library
Three million volumes, and a quiet corner for every reader.
The Aurelian Library is the intellectual heart of the university — a Victorian reading room of oak and brass, connected to a modern wing of digital archives and collaborative study spaces.
01
Rare books & manuscripts
Our special collections hold 40,000 rare volumes and 2,000 linear metres of archive, including the celebrated Aldine Press collection.
02
Open twenty-four hours
During term, the reading rooms never close. Night owls outnumber the early risers by a ratio we have stopped counting.
03
Personal librarians
Every student is paired with a subject librarian who knows their research — and knows when to bring another cup of coffee.
Research & Discovery
Questions worth a lifetime.
Aurelian is one of Europe's most research-intensive universities, yet we have never mistaken scale for significance. Our scholars pursue the questions that matter — patient, fundamental, often unclassifiable work that quietly changes the world.
With €184 million in annual research funding and 27 dedicated institutes, our community publishes over 4,000 papers each year. But the number we are proudest of is this: seventy percent of our undergraduates co-author a paper before they graduate.
Partner with our research
Institute I
Climate & Sustainability
Modelling resilient coastlines and reimagining the energy systems of a warming planet.
Institute II
Quantum & Matter
Fundamental physics in our new Centre for Quantum Materials, opened in 2023.
Institute III
Human Flourishing
Where economists, philosophers and clinicians study what makes a life go well.
Institute IV
AI & Society
Building trustworthy machine learning — and asking whether we should, before we do.
Faculty
Teachers who still remember how to wonder.
Our professors are scholars first — researchers whose work shapes their fields, and mentors whose doors are always open.
Prof. Dr. Idris Halvorsen
Chair, Quantum Materials
A Laureate of the European Physical Society, Idris leads our work on topological superconductors — and still teaches first-year thermodynamics every autumn.
Prof. Amara Okafor
Professor of Political Philosophy
Amara writes on justice, migration and the boundaries of citizenship. Her seminars are famous for running an hour over and ending in the courtyard.
Dr. Lucas Reinders
Director, Aurelian Library
A historian of science by training and a librarian by calling, Lucas curates our rare books and champions the lost art of slow reading.
Campus Life
A campus made for long afternoons and lasting friendships.
Twenty-eight societies, twelve boat clubs, four choirs, one observatory, and a student union older than most European republics. There is a life here waiting to be lived.
The campus from above
The Old Quadrangle
Between lectures
The Reading Room
Aurelian Hall at dusk
News & Events
All news
From around the university.
Research
Aurelian physicists observe a new state of matter
A team at the Centre for Quantum Materials has published findings in Nature that may reshape our understanding of superconductivity.
Campus
Autumn convocation welcomes the Class of 2030
Two thousand new students from 58 countries gathered beneath the Aurelian oak for the university's 134th matriculation ceremony.
Admissions
Applications for 2027 entry are now open
Our admissions team shares what they are looking for — and a few things they wish more applicants would stop doing.
Admissions
Begin your application
Your path to Aurelian, step by considered step.
We review every application personally and holistically — there is no formula, no single kind of student we are looking for. These are the three stages ahead of you.
1
Submit your application
Apply through our portal by 15 January. Include your academic record, a personal statement, and one reference.
2
The admissions interview
Shortlisted candidates meet two tutors for a conversation about the ideas that matter to them. It is a discussion, not an interrogation.
3
Receive your decision
Decisions are released by 31 March. Over forty percent of our students receive substantial financial support — your circumstances should never decide your future.
“
A university is not a place for the transmission of knowledge, but for the transformation of the person who arrives to seek it.Dr. Helena Castellanos Vice-Chancellor, Aurelian University
Questions, Answered
The things everyone asks.
We look for intellectual promise, genuine curiosity and the discipline to follow an idea wherever it leads. Grades matter, but so does the personal statement — tell us what keeps you reading at midnight, not what you think we want to hear.
Yes. Over forty percent of our students receive bursaries or scholarships, and our Aurelian Access Programme meets the full demonstrated need of every admitted student. No one should be unable to come here for financial reasons.
We would be disappointed if you didn't. Guided tours run every Wednesday and Saturday during term, led by current students, and our open days take place each September and June. Virtual tours are also available for those travelling from further afield.
All first-year students are guaranteed a room in one of our historic residential colleges. Most are set around their own quadrangles, with dining halls, libraries and common rooms. Many students choose to remain in college for their entire degree.
Tutorials are the heart of an Aurelian education: weekly meetings of one or two students with a professor, to discuss an essay or problem set you have prepared. They are demanding, exhilarating, and the reason our students describe their degrees as transformational.
Begin Here
Your seat at the table is waiting.
Applications for Autumn 2027 are now open. We cannot wait to read what you have to say.