Trinity has been ranked one of the top ten most beautiful universities in Europe by Times Higher Education (THE). THE called it “the ideal Irish college destination”.
College placed 9th on the list. In a description of the university, THE referred to “a combination of cobblestone walkways, sweeping emerald-green lawns and 18th-century architectural gems,” which is “modeled on the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge”.
THE cited the Long Room in the Old Library, with its “central walkway lined with marble busts of philosophers and writers and a distinctive barrel ceiling” as a particularly pleasing feature, and referred to Trinity’s use as a backdrop for a number of films as a sign of its beauty.
Trinity’s attractiveness leads tourists to flock to the college. Every year, millions of people come to explore the campus grounds, visit the Long Room and see the Book of Kells. It is estimated that over 945,000 people viewed the medieval manuscript in 2017.
The University of Bologna in Italy was listed as the most beautiful university in the world, with THE noting that it is the world’s oldest university, having been founded in 1088. The University of Salamanca, Spain and the University of Coimbra, Portugal were ranked second and third respectively.
Trinity rose to 117th place in the THE World University Rankings 2017/2018, 14 places higher than the previous year’s ranking of 131st.
