Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR) was established in 1913 under the name of NHH (Netherlands School of Commerce). It was in this institute where the first Nobel Prize Laureate in Economics, Jan Tinbergen, worked and taught. In 1973, the University was named after the 15th century Rotterdam humanist Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus (1467-1536).

The EUR has proven to be a breeding ground for politicians and business leaders. Its international reputation has attracted speakers such as Gerhard F. K. Schröder (former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany), Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu (Prime-Minister of Israel), Dr. Supachai (Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), former PhD student of Jan Tinbergen); Dr. Ruud Lubbers (UN High Commissioner for Refugees, former Dutch Prime Minister, International President of WWF and alumnus of Erasmus University); Dr. Jan Pronk (Special Ambassador of the UN, former Minister of Development Cooperation, and former collaborator of Jan Tinbergen); Jacques Santer (former Chairman of the European Commission); Neil Kinnock (Vice-President of the EC, former EU Commissioner for Transport); Helmut Kohl (former Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany), Frederick De Klerk (former President of the Republic of South Africa), and Shimon Peres (former Prime-Minister of Israel).

EUR has a strong focus on academic research with an eye for its practical applications. This research is world-class and fostered by the two main research schools, the Erasmus Research Institute for Management and the Tinbergen Institute.

Erasmus University Rotterdam has conferred honorary doctorate degrees to a number of leading figures in the areas of economics and business administration.