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Global Opportunities

Vrije University Amsterdam

Please find useful information below about Vrije University Amsterdam (VU Amsterdam) as an exchange destination. Learn more about the location, the campus, courses and student life! 

About 

Vrije University Amsterdam (VU), founded in 1880, is a multidisciplinary university with a focus on social good. Initially a private university, it was founded by theologian and politician Abraham Kuyper as a Protestant Christian university, designed to be free of influence from the Dutch government and the Dutch reformed church. A great part of his ambition was to bring faith and science together without letting one hinder the other; a collaborative mindset that continues in the university to this day. Within its large faculty (approximately 25,000 students), campuses are not divided by school or subject areas so that students can mix cross-faculty. 

Much of VU’s current research focus stems from its profile themes: Connected World, Governance for Society, Human Health and Life Sciences, and Science for Sustainability, with university-wide targets (internally and externally) relating to these themes. These are related to the overarching ethos of ‘A Broader Mind’, encouraging students to look beyond their particular discipline. 

Consult VU on QS World Rankings to learn more about their current world ranking and academic reputation in different subject areas. 

Location

VU has a central campus in Amsterdam’s Zuidas Knowledge District. Almost all students, staff and programmes are located within a single building complex on campus. Check out the campus map here or take a look at their virtual campus tour. 

VU’s central campus is modern and well-resourced with facilities. It hosts several cafés, a supermarket, a cultural centre, a bookstore, open sports courts and the Zuidas botanical gardens. It is located close to Amsterdam Zuid train station, with tram and bus stops on the doorstep. It is also easy to reach by bicycle from the greater Amsterdam area. 

Level of competitiveness

This destination is only open to (2): students within the School of History (hosted within VU's Faculty of Humanities), and Psychology students within the School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences (hosted within VU’s Faculty of Behavioural and Movement Sciences).  

  • School of History agreement: Very competitive ***
  • School of Biology and Behavioural Sciences (Psychology) agreement: Very competitive ***

The level of competitiveness (Less competitive * / Competitive ** / Very competitive ***) refers to one's chances of being allocated an exchange space at this partner. This is an approximation determined by the number of applications received for this destination during the last academic year versus the total number of exchange spaces available to Queen Mary students.

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