Erasmus MC is the largest and one of the foremost academic medical centers and trauma centers in the Netherlands, whereas its economics and business school, Erasmus School of Economics and Rotterdam School of Management are well known in Europe and beyond. Currently, Erasmus University Rotterdam has been placed in the top 100 universities in the world by five major ranking tables. In 2017, the university was ranked by Times Higher Education as 69th in the world with its business & economics as 17th, and clinical health as 42nd in the world, and was ranked among top ten business schools in Europe by the Financial Times. In 2015, Erasmus University Rotterdam was ranked by Times Higher Education as 20th in Europe and 72nd in the world, with its social sciences as 40th, and clinical health as 35th in the world.

The university has seven faculties and focuses on the following four areas:

• Health – Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences/Erasmus MC and Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management (ESHPM)
• Wealth – Erasmus School of Economics and Rotterdam School of Management
• Governance – Erasmus School of Law and Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB)
• Culture – Erasmus School of History, Culture and Communication, Erasmus School of Social and Behavioural Sciences (ESSB), and Erasmus School of Philosophy (ESPhil)