Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam facts for kids
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Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
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Seal: Maiden in the Garden
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| Latin: Universitas Libera (Reformata Amstelodamensis) |
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| Motto | Auxilium nostrum in nomine Domini (Latin) |
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Motto in English
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Our help is in the name of the Lord |
| Type | Public |
| Established | 1880 |
| Endowment | € 482.6 million |
| President | Margrethe Jonkman |
| Rector | Jeroen Geurts |
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Academic staff
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2,976 (2.263 fte) |
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Administrative staff
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1,662 (1,410 fte) |
| Students | 29,796 |
| Location | , , |
| Campus | Urban |
| Newspaper | Advalvas (Independent) |
| Colors | VU Blue and Black |
| Affiliations | Aurora EUA Santander AACSB |
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The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, often called VU Amsterdam or just VU, is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was started in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two big public universities in the city. The other is the University of Amsterdam (UvA).
The name Vrije Universiteit means "Free University" in Dutch. "Free" means the university is independent. It is not controlled by the government or the Dutch Reformed Church. Even though it started as a private school, the VU has received money from the government since 1970. The university is located in the Buitenveldert area of Amsterdam. It is close to the modern Zuidas business district.
In October 2021, the VU had almost 30,000 students. Most of them studied full-time. That year, the university had over 2,200 teachers and researchers. It also had about 1,400 staff members who helped with administration and other tasks. The university's yearly budget in 2014 was about €480 million. Most of this money came from the government. The rest came from student fees, research grants, and private donations.
The university's official symbol is called The Virgin in the Garden. Abraham Kuyper, who founded the university, chose it himself. It shows a maiden living freely in a garden. She is pointing towards God. This symbol refers to the Protestant Reformation in the Netherlands. In 1990, the university started using the mythical griffin as its main emblem.
Contents
History of VU Amsterdam
How VU Amsterdam Started (1880)
The VU was founded in 1880 by a group of Calvinists. Their leader was Abraham Kuyper. It was the first Protestant university in the Netherlands. Kuyper was a theologian, journalist, and politician. He was also the prime minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905.
He was a professor of theology at VU. He was also the university's first president, called rector magnificus. Kuyper believed in something called Neo-Calvinism. The name Vrije Universiteit means 'Free University'. This showed it was free from government and church control. Teaching at the Vrije Universiteit began in 1880. It started in a few rented rooms in Amsterdam's city center. Kuyper and four other professors taught three subjects: theology, law, and arts.
Growing Bigger (1900s–1960s)
By 1884, the university needed more space. It bought its first building at Keizersgracht 162. Over the years, the university got more buildings in the city. In 1905, VU was officially recognized. It was allowed to give out university degrees. New departments were added. These included a science department in 1930 and a medical department in 1950.
Money for the university came from the VU Association. This group was started by Abraham Kuyper. It was strongly connected to the Calvinist community. By the late 1960s, over 200,000 people supported the university. Many gave small coin donations. About 10,000 fundraisers, mostly women, collected money door-to-door. They used special green VU collecting boxes.
Big Changes (1970s-2000s)
In the late 1960s and 1970s, the university changed a lot. From 1968, the university moved from the city center. It went to a new campus in the Buitenveldert area. To make research stronger, the university asked for public money. This was allowed by the Dutch constitution. It also stopped refusing non-Protestant teachers and students.
Because of these changes, the number of students grew a lot. Students around the world were asking for more say in universities. New student groups formed at VU. They wanted a more democratic university. By the end of the 1970s, the small Christian school had become a large research university. It was open to students from all backgrounds.
More Growth and Updates (2000s–Present)
The number of students kept growing fast in the 21st century. It went from 15,700 students in 2002 to about 25,000 in 2011. This growth caused some problems. Students were less happy, and there were money limits. The university started a plan to improve things. This included updating campus buildings and making changes to staff. These changes sometimes led to disagreements.
Campus and Student Life
Exploring the Buitenveldert Campus
The university's main campus and medical center are in the Buitenveldert neighborhood. This is part of the southern part of Amsterdam. The campus covers about 0.4 square kilometers. It is built along a main road called 'De Boelelaan'. At first, it was a quiet area with mostly fields. Now, it is next to the modern Zuidas business district. This area has many big banks and companies.
The VU campus is easy to reach. You can take the 51 metro line. There are also tram lines and bus routes. It is also a short walk from the Amsterdam Zuid railway station.
The university's Main Building ('Hoofdgebouw' or HG) was built in 1973. It is at the corner of the Boelelaan and Buitenveldertselaan. This sixteen-story building is being updated. The Main Building has departments for Arts, Philosophy, Economics, Business, and Theology. The University Library takes up five floors. The Main Building also has the main auditorium, a restaurant, shops, and a bookstore.
On the south side, the Main Building leads to the campus square ('Campusplein'). Many student groups have offices near this square. South of the square is the Sciences Building ('Wis- en Natuurkundegebouw' or W&N). This is another building from the 1970s. The W&N houses the Science and Earth and Life Sciences departments. In the middle of the campus square is The Basket, the university bar. There are also volleyball courts. Newer additions include a campus supermarket and an Italian coffee shop.
Next to the campus square is the Institute for Health and Welness. This modern building is nicknamed the Red Potato because of its shape and color. The Initium Building, opened in 2010, houses the Law department. It is arch-shaped and forms the eastern entrance of the campus. The Social Sciences department is in the Metropolitan Building, just off-campus. The medical department is on the west side of campus. It is next to the large Amsterdam UMC, location VUmc.
In 2018, the New University Building opened. It has teaching and research spaces. It also has two cafes and an exhibition area. It is used for film screenings every week. The O|2 lab building is one of the first university buildings in the Netherlands built for specific research. In the O|2 Lab building, researchers from VU Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC work together. They study Human Health & Life Sciences in a modern research space.
Life at Uilenstede Campus
The 'Uilenstede' campus is located further south. It is in the town of Amstelveen. Uilenstede was built mostly between 1966 and 1970. It has many student housing complexes and apartment buildings. It also has the VU Sports Centre and a campus cafe. Some of the university's administration offices are also at Uilenstede. You can reach Uilenstede by tram 25 and tram 5. Many student homes at Uilenstede are being updated. A new apartment building for visiting staff and international PhD students opened in 2012. This new building won an architecture prize. A big update of the public areas started in 2013. This includes building three new squares on campus.
How VU Amsterdam is Organized
The Vrije Universiteit has several departments called faculties. These faculties are in charge of teaching and research. There are also research institutes that work on different subjects. As of 2015, after some mergers, the faculties include: Behavioural and Movement Sciences; Dentistry; Earth and Life Sciences; School of Business and Economics; Humanities; Law; Sciences; Social Sciences; Theology; and the VUmc School of Medical Sciences.
The Vrije Universiteit is officially a private organization. It is part of the VU-VUmc Foundation. The other main part of this foundation is the VU University Medical Center. This medical center has its own management.
The university is run by the Executive Board. This board has a president, a vice-president, and a rector. The Executive Board manages the university. It also chooses the deans and professors for the faculties. The Executive Board reports to a Supervisory Board. This board is chosen by the VU Association. This private group founded the university in 1880.
The university also has a Works Council. This group has elected representatives of teachers and staff. The Student Council also has a say in some university decisions. The College of Deans includes all the faculty deans. It helps coordinate things at the university level. It is also responsible for giving out doctoral degrees.
What You Can Study at VU Amsterdam
Teaching at VU Amsterdam is organized within its faculties. The faculties offer 50 bachelor's programs. They also offer almost 160 master's programs. Plus, there are many PhD programs for advanced study.
Most bachelor's courses are taught in Dutch. As of fall 2015, the university offers five bachelor's programs entirely in English. These include Business Analytics, Computer Science, International Business Administration, Liberal Arts and Sciences, Literature and Society, and Philosophy, Politics and Economics. In fall 2018, the English-taught Bachelor program History and International Studies also started. The university-wide VU Honours Programme is also taught in English.
Over 130 master's programs at VU are taught completely in English. In some master's programs, there are many more international students than Dutch students. The university also has exchange agreements with foreign universities. This allows foreign students to study at Vrije Universiteit for one or two semesters.
Like all public universities in the Netherlands, students pay tuition fees set by law. For the 2015/2016 school year, regular tuition fees were €1,951 per year for students from the European Union or European Economic Area. For students from other countries, fees were €9,000 to €12,000 per year. Most Dutch students and EU citizens living long-term in the Netherlands can get government loans or grants. These help cover tuition and living costs.
PhD programs are different. Instead of applying to the university, students find a professor. This professor has a spot for a PhD student, called a 'promovendus'. Students contact the professor directly. Most departments advertise open positions on their websites. PhD students are paid a salary and are considered university employees. So, they do not pay tuition fees.
University Rankings and Reputation
| University rankings | |
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| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World | 151-200 (2022) |
| CWUR World | 149 (2022–23) |
| CWTS World | 68 (2022) |
| QS World | 207 (2024) |
| THE World | 121 (2023) |
| USNWR Global | 82 (2022–23) |
The Vrije Universiteit is ranked among the best universities in the world. In the CWUR - World University Rankings 2019–2020, it was 146th globally.
In the 2023 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, VU was ranked 121st. For Arts and Humanities, it was 87th in the world. For Social Sciences, it was 81st. VU also ranked in the top 100 for Business and Economics (91st), Computer Science (96th), Law (91st), and Psychology (49th).
The 2023 QS World University Rankings placed the Vrije Universiteit 214th globally. VU was in the top 50 for Sport-Related subjects (23rd), Theology (32nd), Philosophy (34th), and Psychology (43rd). It also ranked in the top 100 for Pharmacy and Pharmacology (80th), Medicine (81st), and Economics and Business (86th).
The USNWR ranking of global universities placed VU 84th in the world. It performed well in Economics and Business (44th), Clinical Medicine (58th), and Social Sciences and Health (35th).
The 2021 Shanghai Ranking placed the Vrije Universiteit in the 101–150 range overall. It had higher rankings in Communication (12th), Psychology (22nd), Geography (26th), and Law (29th).
Research at VU Amsterdam
Research at VU is mostly done within its ten faculties and their departments. The university focuses on four main research areas:
- Human Health and Life Sciences: Studying how our bodies work and how to improve health.
- Science for Sustainability: Looking at natural resources and how human actions, like climate change, affect them.
- Connected World: Focusing on how information technology changes society.
- Professional Services: Studying business and finance, including topics like being a responsible company.
Besides faculty research, the university has several research institutes. For example, the Amsterdam Institute of Molecules, Medicines and Systems started in 2010. It has 17 research groups. They work on topics like how biological processes work, designing new medicines, and finding Biomarkers for diseases. The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam School of Business and Economics is also part of the Tinbergen Institute. This institute works with other universities on economics and finance research.
In 2012, almost 3,000 academic staff worked at VU. About 42% were women. Most were from the Netherlands, and about 15% were from other European countries. The rest came from other parts of the world. About 29% of the academic staff were PhD students working as junior researchers. In 2012, about 300 PhD students completed their research at VU.
In 2012, the European Research Council gave grants to VU researchers. The Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research also gave important research grants. In 2013, Professor Piek Vossen (Computational Lexicology) won the Spinoza Prize. This is the highest science award in the Netherlands.
The University Library has a very large collection. It has over 1,000,000 printed books and items. The library is on five floors of the Main Building. The medical collection is at the VU University Medical Center. The library's special collections department has 70,000 old manuscripts and printed items. These include works from the Reformation, old English prints, and pamphlets.
University Newspaper
The university has its own independent newspaper called Ad Valvas. It has been printed since 1952. The newspaper became officially independent in 1979. Ad Valvas used to come out every week. In fall 2012, it became a magazine published every two weeks. The Ad Valvas magazine focuses on in-depth stories, interviews, and opinion pieces. Daily campus news is mostly shared on the newspaper's website.
Well-Known Teachers at VU Amsterdam
- Fons Trompenaars: An expert in how organizations work and how people from different cultures communicate.
- Henri Bal: A professor of Computer Science who wrote books and helped create a program that solved the game of Oware.
- Dorret Boomsma: A professor of biological psychology and winner of the Spinozapremie.
- Mark van Vugt: A professor of evolutionary psychology.
- Brad Bushman: An expert on why people become aggressive.
- Jaap Doek: A professor of law and former chairman of the U.N. Committee of the Rights of the Child.
- Carolyn Fischer: A professor of economics who studies climate policy.
- Frank van Harmelen: A professor of Artificial Intelligence who helped design the Web Ontology Language (OWL).
- Peter Koslowski: A philosopher who wrote many books.
- Peter Nijkamp: A professor of spatial economics and winner of the Spinozapremie.
- Piet Rietveld: A professor of economics who researches transport.
- Andrew S. Tanenbaum: A professor of Computer Science who created the MINIX operating system. This inspired Linux. He also wrote many popular textbooks.
- Richard Tol: A professor of economics who studies the economics of climate change.
- Pier Vellinga: Director of the Climate Centre.
Famous Past Teachers
- Jan Peter Balkenende: Was a professor and later the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
- Herman Bavinck: A famous theologian.
- Jet Bussemaker: Was a professor and later the Minister of Education, Culture and Science.
- Herman Dooyeweerd: A philosopher of law.
- Pieter Sjoerds Gerbrandy: Was a professor of law and Prime Minister during World War II.
- Abraham Kuyper: The founder of the university and a former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
- Ronald Plasterk: Was a professor of molecular biology and later a minister in the government.
- Jelle Zijlstra: Was a professor of economics and later the Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
Well-Known Alumni (Former Students)
- Christine Aaftink: A national champion in speed skating.
- Jan Peter Balkenende: Former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, studied history and law.
- Wouter Bos: Former leader of the Dutch Labour Party and Minister of Finance of the Netherlands, studied political science and economics.
- Ellen van Dijk: A multiple cycling World Champion.
- Piet Hein Donner: A former Minister of Justice.
- Pim Fortuyn: A politician, studied sociology.
- Frits Goldschmeding: Founder of Randstad Holding, a large staffing company.
- Frans Kaashoek: A computer scientist and professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
- Bert Koenders: A former Minister of Developmental Cooperation.
- Linda de Mol: A famous Dutch and German TV host and actress.
- Nico Rienks: A double Olympic Champion in rowing.
- André Rouvoet: A former Minister of Youth and Family Affairs.
- Paul-Peter Tak: An immunologist and executive at GSK.
- Eberhard van der Laan: Former mayor of Amsterdam.
- Werner Vogels: Chief Technology Officer and Vice President of Amazon.com.
- Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius: Current Minister of Justice and Security.
- Gerrit Zalm: A former Minister of Finance and CEO of ABN AMRO.
See also
- Ad Valvas
- Hortus Botanicus Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945)
- List of rectores magnifici of the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- VU University Medical Center (VUmc)
