Rotterdam boasts a leading university, the Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR), named after one of its famous former inhabitants and history’s greatest thinkers, Desiderius Erasmus. Among others, the university’s Woudestein campus houses the Rotterdam School of Management, ranked 29th globally and 7th in Europe by the Financial Times in 2005. 

The Willem de Kooning Academy is Rotterdam's main art school, which is part of the Hogeschool Rotterdam. It is regarded as one of the most prestigious art schools in the Netherlands and even the leading one in advertising and copywriting. Part of the Willem de Kooning Academy is the Piet Zwart Institute for postgraduate studies and research in the fine arts, media design and retail design. The Piet Zwart Institute has spawned a raft of emerging international artists in a world where Dutch Design is now making big waves. 

The Hoboken campus is the venue for the Erasmus Medical Centre, consisting of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Erasmus University Rotterdam and the Erasmus Medical Centre, Sophia's Children's Hospital and the Daniel den Hoed oncology centre. This centre for knowledge development, training and care in the field of sickness and health – the largest of its kind in Europe – is renowned nationally and internationally. The Erasmus MC is ranked third worldwide for medical research, behind the Harvard University and Johns Hopkins University. In fact, the Erasmus Medical Center is the No. 1 European institution in clinical medicine, according to the Times Higher Education rankings. 

In addition, three Hogescholen (colleges of applied sciences) are located in Rotterdam. Here students can earn a professional Bachelor's degree and postgraduate or Master's degree. The three colleges are Hogeschool Rotterdam, Hogeschool INHOLLAND and Hogeschool voor Muziek en Dans (University of Music and Dance), which is also known as CodArts.