University of Amsterdam facts for kids
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Universiteit van Amsterdam
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| Latin: Universitas Amstelodamensis | |
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Former names
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Athenaeum Illustre (1632–1877) Municipal University of Amsterdam (1877–1961) |
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| Type | Public |
| Established | 1632, elevated to university status in 1877 |
| President | Geert ten Dam |
| Rector Magnificus | Peter-Paul Verbeek |
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Academic staff
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2,425 |
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Administrative staff
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2,369 |
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Total staff
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5,777 (2022) |
| Students | 42,171 (2022) |
| Location |
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52°22′6″N 4°53′25″E / 52.36833°N 4.89028°E |
| Campus | Urban |
| Colours | Red, Black, White and Grey |
| Affiliations | LERU, UNICA, EUA, Universitas 21 |
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The University of Amsterdam (UvA) is a big public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands. It was started in 1632 by the city leaders. This makes it the fourth-oldest school in the Netherlands that is still open today.
The UvA is one of two large public universities in Amsterdam. The other is the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU). It is also one of the biggest research universities in Europe. It has over 42,000 students and a budget of about €600 million each year. The main campus is in the center of Amsterdam. Some of its schools are in nearby areas. The university has seven main schools, called faculties. These include Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Science, Law, Medicine, and Dentistry.
The University of Amsterdam works closely with other schools around the world. It is part of groups like the League of European Research Universities (LERU). Many famous people have studied or worked at the UvA. This includes six Nobel Laureates and five prime ministers of the Netherlands.
Contents
History of the University
The Early Years (1632–1877)
In January 1632, the Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam was founded. It was a school mainly focused on teaching medicine. The first two teachers were Gerardus Vossius and Caspar Barlaeus. The Athenaeum Illustre offered education like other higher schools. However, it could not give out doctor's degrees. Students would finish their studies at another university after training here.
At that time, Amsterdam had other schools too. These included a college for surgeons and schools for religious studies. Amsterdam was known for its religious freedom. This allowed these different schools to open. Students from these other schools often took classes at the Athenaeum Illustre.
In 1815, the school was given a new task. It was to "spread good taste, culture, and learning." It also helped young men who could not spend a lot of time at a university. Around 1800, the Athenaeum started offering classes for students learning skills like pharmacy and surgery. The Athenaeum Illustre worked closely with other Amsterdam schools. These included religious schools and medical schools.
The Athenaeum stayed a small school for a long time. It had no more than 250 students and eight teachers until the 1800s.
Becoming a Municipal University (1877–1961)
In 1877, the Athenaeum Illustre became the Municipal University of Amsterdam. It was then allowed to give out doctor's degrees. This gave it the same rights as national universities. But it was still paid for by the city of Amsterdam. The city council chose the teachers and professors. This led to a very diverse staff. During this time, the university grew a lot. Especially the science department became famous. Many Nobel prize winners were part of it. These included Tobias Asser, Christiaan Eijkman, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Johannes Diderik van der Waals, Pieter Zeeman, and Frits Zernike.
Because it was a city university, it added new schools early on. These were for Economics and Social Sciences. After World War II, the cost of university education went up a lot. This made it harder for the university to grow.
Becoming a National University (1961–Present)
In 1961, the Dutch government made the university a national university. It was then given its current name, the University of Amsterdam. The government now paid for the university instead of the city. The power to choose professors moved to the board of governors. The city of Amsterdam had some influence until 1971. After that, the executive board took over completely.
In May 1969, the university was in the news across the country. Hundreds of students took over the main office building, the Maagdenhuis. They wanted more say in how the university was run. The protest lasted for days. Police eventually ended it. In the 1970s and 1980s, students often held protests at the university.
The university grew a lot after becoming a national university. It went from 7,500 students in 1960 to over 32,000 in 2010. In 2007, the UvA started building the Science Park Amsterdam. This is a large campus for the Faculty of Science. It also has a new University Sports Center. Most of the park is now finished. The University of Amsterdam also started working closely with the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. In 2008, the UvA and VU University together started the Amsterdam University College (AUC). This school offers a three-year Bachelor's program in Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Student Protests in 2015
In February 2015, students took over two university buildings. They were protesting against planned budget cuts. These cuts were due to the university's financial problems. In 2011, the university's total debt had grown to €136 million.
The first occupation ended with 46 protesters being arrested. The next day, a group of protesters entered the Maagdenhuis. This is the main administrative building. They started occupying it, repeating their demands. This occupation lasted 45 days. The protesters were removed on April 11.
University Logo
The University of Amsterdam's logo is a black square with three white X-shapes. It also has a white "U." This design comes from the coat of arms of Amsterdam. That coat of arms also has a black background and three white or silver X-shapes. Some people say the three X-shapes stand for the three big problems Amsterdam faced: fire, floods, and the Black Death. Another idea is that they represent three crossings in the River Amstel. However, historians say these ideas are not true. They believe the coat of arms comes from Jan Persijn, a lord of Amsterdam from 1280 to 1282. The "U" in the logo stands for "university." The colors and three crosses represent the city of Amsterdam.
University Campus
The University of Amsterdam is spread out across the city. It uses both old and new buildings. Because the UvA is not a separate, closed-off campus, students and city residents mix easily. This helps Amsterdam keep strong cultural and academic ties to the school. Most of the UvA's buildings are in the heart of Amsterdam. Only the Faculties of Science, Medicine, and Dentistry are outside the City Centre. The university is in the Randstad, a large urban area in the Netherlands.
City Centre Campus
The main offices and most of the faculties are in Amsterdam's historic City Centre. This area is within the canal ring, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Buildings here range from the 15th century to modern times. You can see many building styles, like Dutch Renaissance and Art Deco. Several buildings are national monuments.
The 15th-century Agnietenkapel is where the university began. It was a monastery chapel around 1470. It was changed for the Athenaeum Illustre in 1631. The Agnes Gate in front of the Agnietenkapel is a key symbol of the university. It dates back to 1571. Another important area is the Binnengasthuis. This was a hospital that became university buildings. It is seen as the heart of the UvA. The Maagdenhuis is the current main office for the UvA. It was built between 1783 and 1787 and used to be an orphanage. The Oost-Indisch Huis, once the main office of the Dutch East India Company, was built in 1606. It is now used by the UvA. The Oudemanhuispoort became a university building in 1880. It was built in 1602 as a retirement home. Now it holds some departments of the Humanities faculty. The Bushuis, part of the University Library, was built as an armory in 1606.
Science Park Campus
The Faculty of Science is on the east side of the city. It is located at the new Science Park Amsterdam. This large campus has the UvA's science facilities, research centers, student housing, and a sports center. The campus was built to attract top students and researchers. It was a joint effort by the University of Amsterdam, the City of Amsterdam, and the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research. In 2012, the Amsterdam University College also moved to the Science Park UvA campus.
Academic Medical Centre
In the southeast part of the city, the Faculty of Medicine is in the Academic Medical Center (AMC). This is the Faculty of Medicine's teaching and research hospital. It was created in 1983. This happened when the UvA Faculty of Medicine and two hospitals joined together. The Emma Children's Hospital also moved to the AMC in 1988. It is a major trauma center in Amsterdam. It works closely with the VU University Medical Center (VUmc).
Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam
The Faculty of Dentistry is in the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA). This is in the southern Zuidas area. It is on the campus of the VU University Medical Center. It was formed in 1984. This happened when the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit combined their Dentistry schools.
Roeterseiland Campus
The Roeterseiland Campus is an open city campus. It is designed to offer modern teaching and research facilities. The Faculties of Economics and Business and Social and Behavioural Sciences are on this campus. The Faculty of Law also moved to this campus in August 2017.
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How the University is Organized
University Faculties
The university is split into seven main schools, called faculties. Each faculty has a dean who leads it. The faculties are: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and Business, Science, Law, Medicine, and Dentistry. Students must be accepted into the faculty of their chosen program before they can start studying.
Faculty of Science
The Faculty of Science (FNWI) covers many areas of research and education. Its research includes all kinds of science. There are eight institutes that focus on topics like astronomy, physics, math, computer science, life sciences, chemistry, and biology.
The Faculty of Science offers 28 different degree programs. Seven of these are joint programs with the Vrije Universiteit. Students from 51 different countries study at this faculty. The Faculty of Science has about 6,800 students. It also has 1,700 staff members who work in teaching, research, or support. About half of the staff are from other countries. The main buildings for this faculty are at the Science Park Amsterdam campus.
Faculty of Humanities
The Faculty of Humanities (FGw) has six departments. These include Dutch studies, History, European Studies and Religion, Archaeology and Classics, Language and Literature, Media studies, Philosophy, and Art and Cultural studies. It is the largest humanities faculty in the Netherlands. It has over 6,000 students and about 1,000 employees. It was formed in 1997 when several faculties merged. In 2011, this faculty was ranked number one in the Netherlands for Philosophy and Linguistics.
The Centre for Latin American Research and Documentation (CEDLA) is also part of this faculty. It has one of Europe's largest collections of information on Latin America.
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences (FMG) is the biggest school for social and behavioural sciences in the Netherlands. This faculty has about 10,000 students and 1,200 staff members. It has six departments. These include Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, Communication Science, Psychology, Social Geography, and Educational sciences. In 2023, this faculty was ranked best in the world for communication science. It was also ranked best in the EU for psychology and sociology.
Faculty of Economics and Business
The Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) started in 1922. The FEB includes the Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE) and the Amsterdam Business School (ABS). It currently has about 4,000 students and nearly 600 staff. It was ranked highly among world universities for Economics and Business.
Faculty of Law
The Faculty of Law (FdR) is located at the new Roeterseiland campus. It used to be in the Oudemanhuispoort, a historic building from 1602. It has about 3,700 students and 330 academic staff. More than half of the academic staff are women. The faculty offers many law programs, some taught in English. Research at the faculty is done by five research institutes. They focus on areas like International law, Private law, and Environmental law.
In 2015, a large gift from Trudie Vervoort-Jaarsma created a scholarship fund. This fund helps students studying law. It was the largest single donation ever given to a Dutch university by a private citizen.
Faculty of Medicine
The Faculty of Medicine (FdG) welcomes about 350 new students each year. They begin their study of medicine at Amsterdam UMC. The first three years focus on themed teaching. The next three years involve training internships in and outside of Amsterdam UMC.
Faculty of Dentistry
The Academic Center for Dentistry in Amsterdam (ACTA) was founded in 1984. This happened when the two dentistry faculties from the Universiteit of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam merged. ACTA does scientific research, teaches, and provides dental care. ACTA is one of the largest dentistry education programs in the world. It has 500 staff members and about 1,000 students.
University Administration
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The University of Amsterdam is led by an executive board. The university is then divided into seven faculties. Each faculty is led by a dean. Teaching and research happen in different departments and institutes within these faculties. The UvA has a yearly budget of about €600 million.
In 1992, the university set up UvA Holding BV. This was to manage its business activities. The University of Amsterdam owns all parts of this holding company.
Working with Other Countries
The UvA has a very international feel. Amsterdam attracts students from the Netherlands and other countries. Over 2,500 international students and researchers from more than 100 countries come here.
The UvA has many partner universities in other countries. This makes it easy for students and staff to exchange places. Within Europe, the UvA has exchange agreements with over 200 schools. Outside Europe, it works closely with about 40 universities around the world.
Academics at UvA
The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science officially recognizes the university. This means it meets national rules and quality checks. The Ministry has given it "WO" status. This means it is a research university. Dutch students must complete a six-year program before they can get into national research universities. Only about 15% of students pass this program.
For the 2015–2016 school year, students from the EU paid €1,951 per year for most programs. Students from outside the EU paid between €9,000 and €25,000 per year. The cost for non-EU students changes depending on their chosen faculty. The university offers many scholarships. These include the UvA Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship (AES) and Amsterdam Merit Scholarships.
The faculties together offer 59 Bachelor's programs and 133 Master's programs. They also offer 10 postgraduate programs. In 2009–2010, the university awarded over 10,000 degrees. The school year runs from early September to mid-July. It is split into two 20-week semesters. There are no breaks in the middle of semesters, only short holidays around Christmas and New Year.
| Student Body Makeup | ||
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| Dutch | 79% | |
| Other EEA citizen | 14% | |
| Non-European | 7% | |
Student Body
In 2010, the university had 32,739 students. This included over 20,000 undergraduate students and over 9,000 master's students. About 66% of all students were Dutch citizens. The other 34% were international students. The UvA has over 2,500 international students and researchers from more than 100 countries. Most students (91%) studied full-time.
The University of Amsterdam is quite competitive to get into. Only about 4% of international students are accepted. Overall, about 14% of applicants get in.
About 20% of students finish their Bachelor's degree in three years. 48% finish in four years, and 69% in five years. 71% of Master's students finish their degree in two years. On average, students complete 44 ECTS credits each year. In 2007, 88% of Master's and Doctoral graduates found paying jobs. Another 5% continued their education within 1.5 years of graduating.
University Rankings
| University rankings | |
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| Global – Overall | |
| ARWU World | 101-150 (2022) |
| CWUR World | 80 (2023) |
| CWTS World | 60 (2023) |
| QS World | 53 (2024) |
| THE World | 60 (2023) |
| USNWR Global | =39 (2022-23) |
According to US News, the UvA is among the top 10 best universities in Europe. It is also ranked 53rd in the 2023-2024 QS World University Rankings. The UvA is one of only two Dutch universities in the top 100 universities worldwide.
In the 2023 ARWU Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, the UvA was ranked first globally in Communication. Other UvA subjects with high rankings include Psychology (8th), Sociology (10th), and Political Science (15th).
The 2011-12 Times Higher Education World University Rankings placed the University of Amsterdam 30th in Arts & Humanities. It was 40th in Social Sciences. This made it the highest-ranked Dutch university in these fields. It was also the highest-ranked European university in the Social Sciences.
Research at UvA
The University of Amsterdam is one of Europe's largest research universities. It produced over 7,900 scientific papers in 2010. The university spends about €100 million on research each year from its own funds. It also gets money from other sources and from businesses. Teachers often win research prizes and grants. Research is organized into fifteen main areas and 28 research institutes.
The University of Amsterdam has a very large central University Library (UB). It holds over four million books. Many departments also have their own libraries. The main university library is in the city center. It has millions of books, manuscripts, letters, and maps. It also has special collections. These include rare books, a writing museum, and a collection on Jewish history. There are three quiet rooms for students to study. The university's publishing company, the Amsterdam University Press, has published over 1,400 titles. These are in both Dutch and English.
Besides its libraries, the UvA has five museums. These include the Allard Pierson Museum. It has old items from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and Italy. The University Museum shows the history of the UvA from 1632 until today. The Museum Vrolik has collections of anatomical and animal specimens. The J.A. Dortmond Museum of Script shows the history of writing. The UvA Computer Museum shows how old computers worked. The Zoological Museum Amsterdam is at the Amsterdam Artis Zoo. It has millions of shells, insects, and other animals used for science.
Student Life at UvA
At the UvA, students can join many groups. They can also do sports and use student services. These include the ASVA Student Union, the CREA Cultural Center, and the University Sports Center. There is also a student restaurant. The university offers religious services, career help, and support for international students. Students are represented in student councils.
The University Sports Center (USC) offers over 50 sports activities. UvA students and staff get discounts. Sports include ice skating, tennis, rowing, and golf.
The CREA Cultural Center offers classes and projects in drama, music, dance, photography, film, and art. It also has a bar and a theater.
Most students travel by bicycle. Amsterdam also has many public transport options for students. These include the Metro, trams, buses, and ferries.
Student Housing
The university tries to help most international first-year students find housing. They work with non-profit housing groups. These groups offer apartments in different parts of Amsterdam. They also have housing in the suburb of Diemen. Students can find single rooms with private or shared facilities. Shared rooms and couples rooms are also available. Rooms can be from a few minutes to 45 minutes bike ride from the City Center. The university advises students to find housing before coming to Amsterdam. Housing options can be very limited.
Famous People from UvA
Professors and students from the University of Amsterdam have included six Nobel Prize winners. They also include seven Spinoza Prize winners.
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Tobias Asser, 1911 Nobel Prize for Peace
Notable Professors
Famous current and former professors include:
- Tobias Asser, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911.
- Mathematician Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer.
- Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901.
- Johannes Diderik van der Waals, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1910.
- Pieter Zeeman, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1902.
- Frits Zernike, who won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1953.
- Scholar of religion, C. Jouco Bleeker.
Famous Alumni in Arts
In the arts, famous alumni include:
- Cultural expert Ien Ang.
- Sophia Antoniadis, the first female professor at Leiden University.
- Writers Menno ter Braak, Willem Frederik Hermans, J. Slauerhoff, and Simon Vestdijk.
- Emmy award-winning producer Michael W. King.
- Actor Jeff Wilbusch.
- Roman law expert Boudewijn Sirks.
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Sophia Antoniadis
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Menno ter Braak
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J. Slauerhoff
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Famous Alumni in Media
In media, alumni include Thomas von der Dunk, a Dutch historian, writer, and columnist.
Famous Alumni in Politics and Government
Alumni in politics and government include:
- Former Prime Ministers Pieter Cort van der Linden and Joop den Uyl.
- Former Belgian prime minister and president of the European Council Charles Michel.
- Former president of the European Central Bank Wim Duisenberg.
- Member of the European Parliament Thijs Berman.
- Former Secretary General of NATO Joseph Luns.
- Member of the Dutch royal family and legal advisor Princess Viktória de Bourbon de Parme.
- Many other ministers and government officials.
Famous Alumni in Science
Alumni in science include:
- Christiaan Eijkman, who won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1929.
- Alec Jeffreys, who invented DNA fingerprinting.
- Physician M.A. Mendes de Leon, one of the founders of gynecology in the Netherlands.
- Astrophysicist Anton Pannekoek.
- String theorist Erik Verlinde.
- Dutch psychiatrist and World War II hero Tina Strobos.
- ESA astronaut André Kuipers.
- Dutch botanist Hendrik de Wit.
- Nutrition education pioneer Sarah Bavly.
- High performance computing scientist Ilkay Altintas.
- Malariologist Arjen Dondorp.
- Anaesthetist Menno Sluijter.
- Social geographer Alida Edelman-Vlam.
Famous Alumni in Sports
In sports, alumni include Max Euwe, who was the World Chess Champion from 1935–1937.
See also
In Spanish: Universidad de Ámsterdam para niños
- Education in the Netherlands
- List of universities in the Netherlands
