Introduction

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is a world-renowned research university located in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. Founded in 1880, the university is known for its high-quality teaching, wide-ranging research fields and international academic environment.

Overview

Student and Faculty Size: More than 26,500 students and more than 4,600 faculty members.

Colleges and Courses: There are 9 colleges in total, offering more than 50 undergraduate and more than 160 graduate courses, covering agriculture, art, business, law, information science and technology, mathematics, medicine and natural sciences.

History and Establishment Time

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam was founded on October 20, 1880 by Abraham Cooper, a Dutch Protestant Reformed leader and politician. The school was originally a Christian university. The "freedom" in the name of the school refers to the pursuit of academic neutrality, without interference from the state or the church, and only based on the words of God.

School Strength

Faculty: It has nearly 2,000 faculty members, including 300 professors. The faculty is of high quality, with profound academic attainments and rich teaching experience in various disciplines, and can provide students with high-quality education and guidance.

Scientific research results: The school has fruitful research results and is at the international leading level in many disciplines. For example, its law school has close cooperation with many international legal organizations, and research in the field of computer science has also made significant progress. Many scientific research results have had an important impact on the development of related fields.

International cooperation: As a university with a high degree of internationalization, it has extensive cooperation and exchanges with universities, scientific research institutions and enterprises around the world. The school actively participates in international scientific research projects, carries out student exchange programs and teacher exchange activities, and provides students and teachers with a broad international vision and development opportunities.

Institutional nature

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is a public university, which is highly recognized by the Dutch government and society in terms of academic research, teaching quality and social services.

Educational philosophy

Pursue academic freedom and neutrality: Emphasize the freedom and independence of academic research, encourage teachers and students to freely explore knowledge and pursue truth without external interference, and cultivate students' critical thinking and innovative spirit.

Focus on personal education and social contribution: Pay attention to students' personal development and strive to provide students with personalized education so that students can fully develop their potential. At the same time, it also emphasizes students' sense of social responsibility and encourages students to apply what they have learned to social practice and contribute to the development of society.

Interdisciplinary cooperation and innovation: Recognize the complexity and diversity of modern social problems, actively promote interdisciplinary cooperation and exchanges, cultivate students' interdisciplinary thinking ability and teamwork spirit, and promote the development of innovative research and education models through cross-integration between different disciplines.

Key laboratories and disciplines

Key laboratories: Tinbergen Institute is one of its important economic research centers, and it plays an important role in research and education in the field of economics. In addition, the school also has a number of advanced laboratories and research institutions in the fields of medicine and computer science, providing strong support for the scientific research work of related disciplines.

Advantageous disciplines: Law, computer science, economics, sports science and other disciplines are the advantageous disciplines of VU Amsterdam. The School of Law has a long history and a high reputation in the fields of law and sociology. Its Master of International Business Law program is favored by international students from all over the world. The Department of Computer Science has a good artificial intelligence and semantic web team, a complete discipline, and close relations with companies such as IBM. The economics major is backed by Tinbergen Institute, one of the best economics research centers in the world, and its PPE undergraduate major is also very outstanding. The sports science major ranks 12th in the world.

Faculty

VU Amsterdam has a total of 9 colleges, namely the Amsterdam Dental Academic Center (jointly with UvA), the Faculty of Science, the Faculty of Behavioral and Sports Sciences, the Faculty of Business and Economics, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Religion and Theology, the Faculty of Law, and the Faculty of Social Sciences.

Ranking

VU Amsterdam ranks among the top in various world rankings all year round and is considered one of the top 100 universities in the world. Ranked 253rd in the 2024 QS World University Rankings, its business school has been accredited by the AACSB Business School and is ranked as one of the 75 best business schools in the world.

Expenses

Tuition fees: Undergraduate courses cost about 9,000-12,000 euros per year, and master's courses cost about 10,000-15,000 euros per year, depending on the major. For example, the tuition fee for the Master of International Business Law is 10,500 euros/year, and the tuition fee for the Master of Artificial Intelligence is 9,000 euros/year.

Living expenses: The cost of living in Amsterdam is relatively high, including accommodation, food, transportation, etc., which costs about 1000-1500 euros per month.

Campus

Location: The campus is located in Zuidas, the core financial and business district of Amsterdam, surrounded by more than 700 companies, with convenient transportation, only 10 kilometers away from Amsterdam Schiphol International Airport, and only 8 minutes by train. The area also gathers many multinational corporate headquarters, international exhibition centers and major international law firms in the Netherlands, providing students with abundant internship and employment opportunities.

Campus facilities: The school has modern teaching facilities such as libraries, computer classrooms, computer centers, etc., which provide good conditions for students' study and research. In addition, the campus also has living facilities such as sports centers, supermarkets, and cultural centers. The student dormitory is only a 5-minute bicycle ride away, and the accommodation environment is safe and comfortable.