Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam): Courses, Admission, Cost

Established in 1880, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) is a highly-ranked university for higher education and research in Amsterdam. In its initial years, the university operated in the Scottish Missionary Church with a few students and five lecturers. It consisted of three faculties then, namely arts, law, and theology. VU bought its first building at Keizersgracht 162 in the early 20^th century. The university attained the legal right to award educational degrees in 1905. In the year 1968, it relocated to a new functional campus in Buitenveldert. It has affiliations from the European University Association (EUA), SGroup European Universities' Network (SGroup) and the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. The university is also associated with Aurora.

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam operates a 98-acre main campus in Buitenveldert and a satellite campus 'Uilenstede' in Amstelveen municipality. Teaching takes place in spacious classrooms, laboratories, and research centers equipped with modernized facilities for teaching and research. The main building of the university has 16 storeys, housing the faculties of business, arts, theology, economics, and philosophy. The University Library occupies five floors in the building and possesses over 1,000,000 printed volumes, 70,000 manuscripts and digital resources like e-journals, e-books, and databases. Also, the building houses the main auditorium, restaurant, fair trade store, bookstore, and several kiosks. Other facilities featured on the campus include a bar, health center, residence halls, and several volleyball fields. The campus is at a small distance from various transport terminals.

The academic structure of the university is organized into seven faculties and two schools, with each focusing on different subjects of study. VU offers over 50 undergraduate, 160 postgraduate and several doctorate programs in humanities, science, business, social sciences, economics, behavioral and movement sciences, dentistry, theology, law and health professions. The university provides students with the opportunity to study abroad or at other institutions for a semester through exchange programs. It also operates an independent biweekly newspaper named Advalvas. At present, more than 23,000 students are pursuing their degrees at the university. The staff includes about 2,976 academic instructors and 1,662 administrative affiliates.

VU has a vast alumni network of about 95,000 graduates across the globe. The alumni list includes some notable names like Frits Goldschmeding (Randstad Holding's Founder), Frans Kaashoek (Entrepreneur and Computer Scientist), James Olthuis (Philosopher, Psychotherapist and Theologian), Jan Peter Balkenende (Netherlands's Former Prime Minister), Linda de Mol (Actress and TV Presenter), Jona Lendering (Author and Historian), Werner Vogels (Amazon's Vice President and Chief Technology Officer) and Wim Deetman (Politician).