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The University of Amsterdam (abbreviated as UvA, nl, Universiteit van Amsterdam) is a public research university located in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The UvA is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being the
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...
(VU). Established in 1632 by municipal authorities and later renamed for the city of Amsterdam, the University of Amsterdam is the third-oldest university in the Netherlands. It is one of the largest research universities in Europe with 31,186 students, 4,794 staff, 1,340 PhD students and an annual budget of €600 million. It is the largest university in the Netherlands by enrollment. The main campus is located in central Amsterdam, with a few faculties located in adjacent boroughs. The university is organised into seven faculties: Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and
Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
, Science, Law, Medicine,
Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
. The University of Amsterdam has produced six
Nobel Laureates The Nobel Prizes ( sv, Nobelpriset, no, Nobelprisen) are awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Swedish Academy, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Norwegian Nobel Committee to individuals and organizations who make ou ...
and five prime ministers of the Netherlands. The university has been placed in the top 100 universities in the world by five prominent ranking tables. By the QS World University Rankings it was ranked 55th in the world, 14th in Europe, and 1st in the Netherlands in 2022. The UvA was placed in the top 50 worldwide in seven fields in the 2011 QS World University Rankings in the fields of linguistics, sociology,
philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, geography, science, Economics and econometrics, and accountancy and
finance Finance is the study and discipline of money, currency and capital assets. It is related to, but not synonymous with economics, the study of production, distribution, and consumption of money, assets, goods and services (the discipline of fina ...
. In 2018 and 2019 the two departments of Media and Communication were commonly ranked 1st in the world by subject by QS Ranking. Close ties are harbored with other institutions internationally through its membership in the League of European Research Universities (LERU), the Institutional Network of the Universities from the Capitals of Europe (UNICA),
European University Association The European University Association (EUA) represents more than 800 institutions of higher education in 48 countries, providing them with a forum for cooperation and exchange of information on higher education and research policies. Members of th ...
(EUA) and Universitas 21.


History


''Athenaeum Illustre'' (1632–1877)

In January 1632, the '' Athenaeum Illustre of Amsterdam'' (Latin: Illustrious School of Amsterdam) was founded by the municipal authorities in Amsterdam. It was mainly devoted to medical teaching. The first two professors were Gerardus Vossius and
Caspar Barlaeus Caspar Barlaeus (February 12, 1584 – January 14, 1648) was a Dutch polymath and Renaissance humanist, a theologian, poet, and historian. Life Born Caspar (Kaspar) van Baerle in Antwerp, Barlaeus' parents fled the city when it was occupied by Spa ...
. The ''Athenaeum Illustre'' provided education comparable to other higher education institutions, although it could not confer doctoral degrees. After training at the ''Athenaeum'', students could complete their education at a university in another town. At the time, Amsterdam also housed several other institutions of higher education, including the Collegium Chirugicum, which trained surgeons, and other institutions that provided theological courses for the Remonstrant and the Mennonite communities. Amsterdam's large degree of religious freedom allowed for the establishment of these institutions. Students of the Colegium Chirugicum and the theological institutions regularly attended classes at the ''Athenaeum Illustre''. In 1815 it was given the statutory obligation “to disseminate taste, civilisation and learning" and “to replace, at least in part, the institutes of higher education and an academic education for those young men whose circumstances unable them to fully spend the time necessary for an academic career at an institute of higher education.” The ''Athenaeum'' began offering classes for students attending non-academic professional training in
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
and
surgery Surgery ''cheirourgikē'' (composed of χείρ, "hand", and ἔργον, "work"), via la, chirurgiae, meaning "hand work". is a medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a person to investigate or treat a pat ...
in 1800. The ''Athenaeum Illustre'' largely worked together with Amsterdam's theological institutions such as the ''Evangelisch-Luthers Seminarium'' (evangelical-Lutheran) and the ''Klinische'' School (medical school), the successor to the ''Collegium Chirurgicum''. The ''Athenaeum'' remained a small institution until the 19th century, with no more than 250 students and eight professors. Alumni of the ''Athenaeum'' include
Cornelis Petrus Tiele Cornelis Petrus Tiele (16 December 183011 January 1902) was a Dutch theologian and scholar of religions. Life Tiele was born at Leiden. He was educated at Amsterdam, first studying at the Athenaeum Illustre, as the communal high school of the ...
.


Municipal university (1877–1961)

In 1877, the ''Athenuem Illustre'' became the Municipal University of Amsterdam and received the right to confer doctoral degrees. This gave the university the same privileges as national universities while being funded by the city of Amsterdam. The professors and lecturers were appointed by the municipal council. This resulted in a staff that was in many ways more colorful than the staffs of national universities. During its time as a municipal university, the university flourished, in particular in the science department, which counted many Nobel prize winners: Tobias Asser,
Christiaan Eijkman Christiaan Eijkman ( , , ; 11 August 1858 – 5 November 1930) was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamins (thiamine). Together with S ...
, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Johannes Diderik van der Waals,
Pieter Zeeman Pieter Zeeman (; 25 May 1865 – 9 October 1943) was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz for his discovery of the Zeeman effect. Childhood and youth Pieter Zeeman was born in Zonnemaire, a small town ...
, and Frits Zernike. The University of Amsterdam's municipal status brought about the relatively early addition of the faculties of Economics and Social Sciences. After the World War II the dramatic rise in the cost of university education put a constraint on the university's growth.


National university (1961–present)

In 1961, the national government made the university a national university, giving it its current name, the University of Amsterdam. Funding was now given by the national government instead of the city and the appointment of professors was transferred to the board of governors. The city of Amsterdam retained a limited influence until 1971, when the appointment was handed over to the executive board. During May 1969, the university became the focus of nationwide news when UvA's administrative centre at the ''Maagdenhuis'' was occupied by hundreds of students who wanted more democratic influence in educational and administrative matters. The protest lasted for days and was eventually broken up by the police. During the 1970s and 1980s, the university was often the target of nationwide student actions. The university saw considerable expansion since becoming a national university, from 7,500 students in 1960 to over 32,000 in 2010. In 2007, UvA undertook the construction of the
Science Park Amsterdam __NOTOC__ Amsterdam Science Park is a science park in the Oost city district of Amsterdam, Netherlands with foci on physics, mathematics, information technology and the life sciences. The 70 hectare (175 acre) park provides accommodations for sci ...
, a campus to house the Faculty of Science along with the new University Sports Center. Much of the park has now been completed. The University of Amsterdam began working in close collaboration with the '' Hogeschool van Amsterdam''. In 2008, the University of Amsterdam and
VU University The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...
jointly founded the
Amsterdam University College Amsterdam University College (AUC) is a public liberal arts college in the Netherlands with an enrolment of about 900 students from more than 60 countries. All teaching is in English. The college was founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of the ...
(AUC), an interuniversity institute that offers a three-year Bachelor (Honors) program in the Liberal Arts and Sciences.


2015 student and staff protests

In February 2015, the university experienced occupations of two of their buildings in protest over proposed budget cuts. These budget cuts occurred in the wake of the university's attempt to deal with its speculative misjudgments and financial difficulties: in 2011, the university's total outstanding debt had increased to €136 million. The Bungehuis occupation ended with the arrest of the 46 protesters on 24 February 2015. The following day a group of protesters forced the door of the Maagdenhuis, the main administrative building of the UvA, and began occupying it, once again raising their demands. The occupation lasted 45 days; the occupiers were evicted on 11 April.


University logo

The current logo of the University of Amsterdam consists of a black square with three white Saint Andrew's Crosses and a white "U." This an adaptation of the coat of arms of Amsterdam which also uses a black background and three white or silver Saint Andrew's Crosses. The three Saint Andrew's Crosses have been said to represent the three plagues of Amsterdam: fire, floods, and the
Black Death The Black Death (also known as the Pestilence, the Great Mortality or the Plague) was a bubonic plague pandemic occurring in Western Eurasia and North Africa from 1346 to 1353. It is the most fatal pandemic recorded in human history, causi ...
. Another rumor is that they represent three fords in the
River Amstel The Amstel () is a river in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands. It flows from the Aarkanaal and Drecht in Nieuwveen northwards, passing Uithoorn, Amstelveen, and Ouderkerk aan de Amstel, to the IJ in Amsterdam. Annually, the rive ...
. These two explanations have no historical basis, however. It is believed by historians that the coat of arms of Amsterdam is derived from the coat of arms of Jan Persijn, the lord of Amsterdam between 1280 and 1282. The "U" represents the word "university" while the colours and three crosses represent the city of Amsterdam.


Campus

As a
metropolitan Metropolitan may refer to: * Metropolitan area, a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories * Metropolitan borough, a form of local government district in England * Metropolitan county, a typ ...
institution, the University of Amsterdam has always been housed in old and new buildings scattered throughout the capital. Because UvA is not a separate, secluded campus, students and city residents readily mix, allowing Amsterdam to maintain close cultural and academic ties to the school. The majority of UvA's buildings lie in the heart of Amsterdam, with only the faculties of Science, Medicine and Dentistry located outside the
City Centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
. The university lies within the largest megalopolis in the Netherlands, the Randstad, with a population 7.2 million inhabitants.


City Centre

The administration of the school and most of the faculties are located in the historic
City Centre A city centre is the commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely equivalent terms exist in other languages, such as "" in Fren ...
of Amsterdam, within the
canal ring A canal ring is the name given to a series of canals that make a complete loop. Etymology There have been canals which formed a ring for more than 200 years, but the term was unknown before the 1960s, when the Inland Waterways Association coine ...
which is itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The facilities in this area date from as early as the 15th century to the 21st-century. Architectural styles represented include the
Dutch Renaissance The Renaissance in the Low Countries was a cultural period in the Northern Renaissance that took place in around the 16th century in the Low Countries (corresponding to modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands and French Flanders). Culture in the Low C ...
,
Dutch Baroque Dutch Baroque architecture is a variety of Baroque architecture that flourished in the Dutch Republic and its colonies during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th century. (Dutch painting during the period is covered by Dutch Golden Age painting). Li ...
, Art Deco, Amsterdam School, and
International style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...
. The ''Agnietenkapel'', ''Maagdenhuis'', ''
Oost-Indisch Huis The Oost-Indisch Huis (Dutch for "East India House") is an early 17th-century building in the centre of Amsterdam. It was the headquarters of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company (''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' or VOC) ...
'', ''Bushuis'', and ''Oudemanhuispoort'' are designated as '' Rijksmonuments'' (national monuments). The 15th century ''Agnietenkapel'', where the university was founded was first constructed as a monastery chapel around 1470, but was later converted for use by the ''Athenaeum Illustre'' in 1631. The Agnes Gate in front of the ''Agnietenkapel'' is a major symbol of the university and dates back to 1571. It was renovated and moved to its current location in 1631. Another area is a former hospital converted into university buildings, the ''Binnengasthuis'', which is considered the heart of UvA. The ''Maagdenhuis'' is the current headquarters of UvA and HvA administration. The building was built between 1783 and 1787 and was formerly an orphanage. The ''
Oost-Indisch Huis The Oost-Indisch Huis (Dutch for "East India House") is an early 17th-century building in the centre of Amsterdam. It was the headquarters of the Amsterdam chamber of the Dutch East India Company (''Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie'' or VOC) ...
'', the former headquarters of the Dutch East India Company was built in 1606 and now used by UvA. The ''Oudemanhuispoort'' was made a university building in 1880. It was constructed in 1602 as a retirement house and now houses some departments of the Humanities faculty. One of the buildings of the University Library complex, the ''Bushuis'', was built as an armory in 1606.


Science Park

The Faculty of Science is located on the east side of the city at the newly constructed
Science Park Amsterdam __NOTOC__ Amsterdam Science Park is a science park in the Oost city district of Amsterdam, Netherlands with foci on physics, mathematics, information technology and the life sciences. The 70 hectare (175 acre) park provides accommodations for sci ...
. This campus contains UvA's science facilities, research institutes, student housing, the University Sports Centre, and businesses. In order to attract distinguished students and researchers, the campus was built by collaboration between the University of Amsterdam, the City of Amsterdam, and the
Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research The Dutch Research Council (NWO, Dutch: Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek) is the national research council of the Netherlands. NWO funds thousands of top researchers at universities and institutes and steers the course of ...
. In 2012, the
Amsterdam University College Amsterdam University College (AUC) is a public liberal arts college in the Netherlands with an enrolment of about 900 students from more than 60 countries. All teaching is in English. The college was founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of the ...
was housed at the Science Park UvA campus.


Academic Medical Centre

In the southeastern Bijlmermeer neighbourhood, the Faculty of Medicine is housed in the Academic Medical Center (AMC), the Faculty of Medicine's teaching and research hospital. It was formed in 1983 when the UvA Faculty of Medicine and two hospitals, Binnengasthuis and the Wilhelmina Gasthuis, combined. Shortly after in 1988, the Emma Children's Hospital also moved to the AMC. It is one of Amsterdam's level 1 trauma centers and strongly cooperates with the
VU University Medical Center VU University Medical Center Amsterdam ( nl, VU Medisch Centrum or VUmc) is the university hospital affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It is rated one of the best academic medical centers in the country in terms of patient care and ...
(VUmc).


Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam

The Faculty of Dentistry is located in the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA) in the southern ''
Zuidas The Zuidas (literally ''South Axis'' in Dutch) is a rapidly developing business district in the city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. The Zuidas is also known as the 'Financial Mile'. It lies between the rivers Amstel and ''Schinkel'' along the ...
'' district on the campus of the
VU University Medical Center VU University Medical Center Amsterdam ( nl, VU Medisch Centrum or VUmc) is the university hospital affiliated with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. It is rated one of the best academic medical centers in the country in terms of patient care and ...
. It was formed when the University of Amsterdam and the Vrije Universiteit combined their Dentistry schools in 1984.


Roeterseiland Campus

The Roeterseiland Campus is an open city campus designed to offer future-proof teaching and research facilities. The Faculties of Economics and Business and Social and Behavioural Sciences are located at the Roeterseiland campus. The Faculty of Law has settled in August 2017 on the campus.


Organisation and administration


Faculties

The university is divided into seven faculties, with each faculty headed by a dean. The faculties include the Faculties of Humanities, Social and Behavioural Sciences, Economics and
Business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...
, Science, Law, Medicine, and
Dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
. Students must be admitted to the faculty of their program before beginning their studies.


Faculty of Science

The Faculty of Science (Dutch: Faculteit der Natuurwetenschappen, Wiskunde en Informatica) (FNWI) covers a wide area of research and education. Research at the Faculty of Science covers the full width of the beta sciences. Spread across eight institutes, the main topics are astronomy, physics, mathematics, information sciences, life sciences, chemistry and biology. The Faculty of Science offers 28 degree programmes for students, 7 of which are a joint degree with the Vrije Universiteit. There are 51 different nationalities studying at the Faculty of Science. The Faculty of Science has around 6,800 students, as well as 1,700 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Around 50% of the staff are internationals. The main faculty buildings are located on the Science Park Amsterdam campus.


Faculty of Humanities

The Faculty of Humanities ( nl, Faculteit der Geesteswetenschappen) (FGw) comprises six departments:
Dutch studies Dutch studies may refer to: * the academic study of Dutch culture and language ('' Neerlandistiek'') * Japanese Rangaku ''Rangaku'' (Kyūjitai: /Shinjitai: , literally "Dutch learning", and by extension "Western learning") is a body of knowledge ...
, History, European Studies and Religion, Archaeology and
Classics Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...
, Language and Literature,
Media studies Media studies is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly ...
,
Philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...
, and Art and
Cultural studies Cultural studies is an interdisciplinary field that examines the political dynamics of contemporary culture (including popular culture) and its historical foundations. Cultural studies researchers generally investigate how cultural practices re ...
. With over 6000 students and about 1000 employees, it is the largest humanities faculty in the Netherlands. It was established in 1997 after a merger of the Faculty of Language and Culture, the Faculty of Theology and the Faculty of Philosophy. In 2011, the faculty was ranked number one in the Netherlands for Philosophy and Linguistics with international ranking in these areas of 37th and 22nd respectively. In terms of research, the faculty produced 726 academic publications in 2009.


Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

The Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences ( nl, Faculteit der Maatschappij- en Gedragswetenschappen) (FMG) is the largest educational and research institution in the social and behavioural sciences in the Netherlands. The faculty has approximately 10,000 students and 1,200 staff members. The Faculty is home to six departments: Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, Communication Science, Psychology,
Social Geography Social geography is the branch of human geography that is interested in the relationships between society and space, and is most closely related to social theory in general and sociology in particular, dealing with the relation of social phenomena ...
, Planning and International Development Studies, and Educational sciences. The faculty was ranked the best in the Netherlands in 2011 for Sociology and Geography with international rankings in these areas of 33rd and 40th respectively. In terms of research, the faculty produced 1,366 academic publications in 2009.


Faculty of Economics and Business

The Faculty of Economics and Business ( nl, Faculteit Economie en Bedrijfskunde) (FEB) was established in 1922. The FEB, which includes the Amsterdam School of Economics (ASE) and the Amsterdam Business School (ABS), currently has around 4,000 students and nearly 600 staff. It was ranked 44th in Economics & Econometrics and 45 in Accountancy & Finance among world universities. In terms of research, the faculty produced 517 academic publications in 2009.


Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law ( nl, Faculteit der Rechtsgeleerdheid) (FdR) is based in the newly redesigned Roetersiland campus. It was earlier housed in the Oudemanhuispoort, a historic building dating from 1602 situated in the center of Amsterdam. It has approximately 3,700 students and 330 academic staff members. 58% of academic staff is female. The Faculty offers nine LLM programs, of which two are taught in English. In addition the Faculty offers three advanced LLM programs, which are all taught in English. Research at the Faculty is undertaken by five research institutes which specialize in the following areas: International law,
Private law Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the ''jus commune'' that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts and torts (as it is called in the common law), and the law of obligations ( ...
,
Environmental law Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the manage ...
, Labor law, and Information law. In terms of research, the faculty produced 451 academic publications in 2018. In the 2018 academic year, there were 41 PhD candidates, 67% of whom were female. In 2015, a bequest from Trudie Vervoort-Jaarsma to the university established the
Julia Henriëtte Jaarsma-Adolfs Julia Adolfs (24 September 1899 – 16 November 1975) was the first woman to pass her law examinations in the Dutch East Indies. She began to practice in 1927 and gained a reputation for practicing criminal law. Acting as an attorney for Chinese ...
scholarship fund for assisting students pursuing an LLM in the law faculty. The bequest of €4 million was the largest single donation left to a Dutch university by a private citizen and was made to honor her mother's legal career. A second scholarship in the name of Vervoort-Jaarsma's daughter, Madeleine Vervoort, provides travel funds to students.


Faculty of Medicine

The Faculty of Medicine ( nl, Faculteit der Geneeskunde) (FdG), each year, approximately 350 first-year students begin their study of medicine at the Academic Medical Center. The first, three-year phase consists mainly of thematic teaching. The second, also three-year phase consists of training internships in and outside of the AMC. In terms of research, the faculty produced 3,206 academic publications in 2009.


Faculty of Dentistry

The Academic Center for Dentistry in Amsterdam ( nl, Faculteit der Tandheelkunde) (ACTA) was founded in 1984 through a merger of the two dentistry faculties of the Universiteit of Amsterdam and the
Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam The Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (abbreviated as ''VU Amsterdam'' or simply ''VU'' when in context) is a public research university in Amsterdam, Netherlands, being founded in 1880. The VU Amsterdam is one of two large, publicly funded research ...
. ACTA conducts scientific research, teaches, and provides patient care in the field of dentistry. ACTA is one of the largest dentistry education and training programmes in the world, with 500 staff members, an annual new-student enrolment of 128 and a total student body of 1000. It consists of three departments. In terms of research, the faculty produced 228 academic publications in 2009.


Administration

The University of Amsterdam is headed by an executive board. The university is then divided into seven faculties, with each faculty headed by a dean. Teaching and research are carried out in various departments and institutes within the individual faculties. UvA has an annual budget of €600 million (approximately $850 million),. In 1992, the board of governors of the University of Amsterdam set up the UvA Holding BV in order to bring its commercial activities into a form that is compatible with private law. The University of Amsterdam holds all the shares of the subsidiaries of the holding. The subsidiaries are clustered into four activity areas which are increasingly outsourced to commercial enterprises and other market participants.


International cooperation

The intellectual and cultural atmosphere at UvA is internationally oriented. Amsterdam attracts students from the Netherlands and beyond: with over 2,500 international students and researchers from over 100 countries. UvA has an extensive network of foreign partner universities, facilitating student and staff exchanges. Within Europe, UvA has Socrates/ Erasmus exchange agreements with over 200 institutions. Outside Europe, it has close ties with approximately 40 universities on all continents.


Academics

The university is accredited by the Dutch
Ministry of Education, Culture and Science The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science ( nl, Ministerie van Onderwijs, Cultuur en Wetenschappen; OCW) is the Dutch Ministry responsible for education, culture, science, research, gender equality and communications. The Ministry was cre ...
, which grants accreditation to institutions who meet a national system of regulations and quality assurance controls. The Ministry has given it WO, or research university status. Dutch students must complete a six-year preparatory program to gain admission to national research universities. Only fifteen percent of students pass this preparatory program. In terms of tuition in 2015–2016, EU full-time students are charged €1,951 per year for both Bachelor's and Master's programs, part-time students are charged €1,696 and non- EU students are charged between €9,000-€25,000 per year for Bachelor's programs and €10,500-€25,000 for Master's and Doctoral programs. Costs for non- EU students varies depending on the faculty of matriculation. In terms of scholarships, the university offers the UvA Amsterdam Excellence Scholarship (AES), Amsterdam Merit Scholarships, scholarships through the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science, Dutch Study Grants, and various European scholarships. Collectively the faculties offer 59 Bachelor's programmes, 133 Master's programmes, and 10 postgraduate programs. The university awarded 2,565 propaedeutic, 3,204 Bachelor's, 3,990 Master's, 438 Doctoral, 242 Post-Doctoral degrees in 2009–2010, and 10,438 total degrees in 2009–2010. The school's academic year lasts from early September until mid-July and is divided into two 20-week semesters. The first of these ends in late January and the second begins in early February. There are no mid-term breaks, only a short holiday around Christmas and New Year as well as Dutch National holidays.


Student body

In 2010, the university had an enrolment of 32,739 students: 20,185
undergraduate students Undergraduate education is education conducted after secondary education and before postgraduate education. It typically includes all postsecondary programs up to the level of a bachelor's degree. For example, in the United States, an entry-lev ...
, 9,361 master's students, 1,235
doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
students, and 412 post-doctoral students. Of all students, 93.4% are Dutch citizens and 6.6% are international students. UvA has over 2,500 international students and researchers that come from over 100 countries. Full-time students comprised 91% of the student body. In 2010 students were enrolled in 7 faculties and the
Amsterdam University College Amsterdam University College (AUC) is a public liberal arts college in the Netherlands with an enrolment of about 900 students from more than 60 countries. All teaching is in English. The college was founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of the ...
: 24% in Humanities, 13% in Law, 7% in Medicine, 1% in Dentistry, 11% in Science, 13% in Economics & Business, 30% in Social & Behavioral Sciences, and 0.5% in the
Amsterdam University College Amsterdam University College (AUC) is a public liberal arts college in the Netherlands with an enrolment of about 900 students from more than 60 countries. All teaching is in English. The college was founded in 2009 as a joint initiative of the ...
. Overall, 20% of students in
bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ye ...
programs complete their degree within three years, 48% in four years, and 69% in five years; 71% of master's students completed their degree in two years. Students on average successfully complete 44
ECTS credits The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a standard means for comparing academic credits, i.e., the "volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload" for higher education across the E ...
during the academic year. In 2007, 88% of master's and
doctoral A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''li ...
graduates went on to paying jobs, with an additional 5% going on to continue their education within 1.5 years of graduating.


University rankings

On a subject basis the QS World University Rankings ranked the university in the top 75 in four out of five of the domains: Social Sciences & Management (41), Arts & Humanities (43), Life Sciences & Medicine (69) and Natural Sciences (75). The 2011-12 Times Higher Education World University Rankings ranked the University of Amsterdam 30th in Arts & Humanities and 40th in Social Sciences, making it the highest ranking Dutch university in these fields and the highest ranking continental European university in the Social Sciences. The 2017 CWTS Leiden Global university ranking ranked the University of Amsterdam in the Global Top 8 in the field of social sciences and humanitie

The College and university rankings, CHE Excellence Ranking rated the school excellent in all seven categories for research, making it the only Dutch institution to accomplish this distinction.


Research

The University of Amsterdam is one of Europe's largest research universities, with over 7,900 scientific publications in 2010. The university spends about €100 million on research each year via direct funding. It receives an additional €23 million via indirect funding and about €49 million from commercial partners. Faculty members often receive research prizes and grants, such as those from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). Research is organized into fifteen research priority areas and 28 research institutes within the faculties oversee this research. The University of Amsterdam has an extensive central
University Library An academic library is a library that is attached to a higher education institution and serves two complementary purposes: to support the curriculum and the research of the university faculty and students. It is unknown how many academic librar ...
(UB), with over four million volumes. In addition, a number of departments have their own libraries. The main university library is located in the city center. It contains over four million books, 70,000 manuscripts, 500,000 letters, and 125,000 maps, as well as special collections of the Department of Rare and Precious Works, the Manuscript and Writing Museum, the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana on Jewish history and culture, and the Department of Documentation on Social Movements. Three reading rooms are available for students to study in quiet. In addition to the main University Library, there are approximately 70 departmental libraries spread throughout the center of Amsterdam. The university's printing arm, the Amsterdam University Press, has a publishing list of over 1,400 titles in both Dutch and English. In addition to its libraries, UvA has five museums. These include the Allard Pierson Museum, which houses antiquities from Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, the Near East, and central Italy during the time between 4000 BCE and 500 CE; the University Museum, with collections showing the history of UvA from 1632 until present; the Museum Vrolik, which houses anatomical, zoological and teratological specimens; The J.A. Dortmond Museum of Script which has exhibits showing the history of writing in the West from 3000 BCE to today; the UvA Computer Museum which houses displays showing how computers of the past worked and how calculations were made before the presence of the electronic computer; the Zoological Museum Amsterdam at the Amsterdam Artis Zoo contains collection of millions of shells, insects, mammals, birds, fishes and other animals used in scientific research.


Student life

At UvA, students can choose from many student organizations, athletic activities, and student services. These include the ASVA Student Union, CREA Cultural Center, the newly constructed University Sports Center, and the Agora student restaurant. In addition, the university provides religious services, career counseling, the International Student Network (ISN), counseling, disability services, and student health services. The students are represented in the different faculty student councils and the central student council. The University Sports Center (USC) offers over 50 sports activities at discount rates for UvA students and staff including Ice skating, tennis, rowing, aerobics, swimming, dancing, golf, and even skiing. The CREA Cultural Center organizes courses, working groups and projects in drama, music, dance, photography, film, and visual arts. It also contains a bar and a theater. The primary mode of transport for students is by
bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...
. The city of Amsterdam also has various public transportation options available to students. These include the
Metro Metro, short for metropolitan, may refer to: Geography * Metro (city), a city in Indonesia * A metropolitan area, the populated region including and surrounding an urban center Public transport * Rapid transit, a passenger railway in an urba ...
, trams, buses, and ferries.


Student housing

The university tries to offer student housing to all students through non-profit housing corporations not owned by UvA. The housing corporations offer apartment-style housing in the City Center, Zuid, Oost, West, Zuid-Oost, and
Amsterdam-Noord Amsterdam-Noord (; ) is a borough of Amsterdam, Netherlands with a population of about 90,000. The IJ, the body of water which separates it from Amsterdam-Centrum and the rest of the city, is situated southwest of Amsterdam-Noord. The borough, whi ...
boroughs of Amsterdam as well as in the suburb of Diemen. Single rooms with private facilities (kitchen, bathroom), single rooms with shared facilities, shared rooms with shared facilities, and couples rooms are available. Students of the opposite sex are permitted to be roommates in all types of rooms. Rooms are anywhere from a few minutes to 45 minutes bike ride to the City Center.


Notable people and alumni

Professors and alumni of the University of Amsterdam have included six Nobel Prize winners and seven Spinoza Prize winners. Notable current and former professors include winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911 Tobias Asser, mathematician Luitzen Egbertus Jan Brouwer, winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901 Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1910 Johannes Diderik van der Waals, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1902
Pieter Zeeman Pieter Zeeman (; 25 May 1865 – 9 October 1943) was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz for his discovery of the Zeeman effect. Childhood and youth Pieter Zeeman was born in Zonnemaire, a small town ...
, winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1953 Frits Zernike, and scholar of religion,
C. Jouco Bleeker Claas Jouco Bleeker (1898–1983) was a Dutch scholar of religion. Born in Beneden Knijpe, Netherlands, Bleeker received his doctorate from the University of Leiden in 1929 and was Professor of the History of Religions and the Phenomenology of R ...
. Alumni in the Science area include winner of the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1929
Christiaan Eijkman Christiaan Eijkman ( , , ; 11 August 1858 – 5 November 1930) was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamins (thiamine). Together with S ...
, inventor of
DNA fingerprinting DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding. DNA profiling is a forensic tec ...
Alec Jeffreys Sir Alec John Jeffreys, (born 9 January 1950) is a British geneticist known for developing techniques for genetic fingerprinting and DNA profiling which are now used worldwide in forensic science to assist police detective work and to resolv ...
, physician and one of the founding fathers of
gynecology Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined are ...
in the Netherlands M.A. Mendes de Leon, astrophysicist and Dutch
communist Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
Anton Pannekoek, string theorist
Erik Verlinde Erik Peter Verlinde (; born 21 January 1962) is a Dutch theoretical physicist and string theorist. He is the identical twin brother of physicist Herman Verlinde. The Verlinde formula, which is important in conformal field theory and topolog ...
, Dutch psychiatrist and World War II resistance hero
Tina Strobos Tina Strobos, née Tineke Buchter (May 19, 1920 – February 27, 2012), was a Dutch physician and psychiatrist from Amsterdam, known for her resistance work during World War II. While a young medical student, she worked with her mother and gra ...
, ESA astronaut
André Kuipers André Kuipers (; born 5 October 1958) is a Dutch physician and ESA astronaut. He became the second Dutch citizen, third Dutch-born and fifth Dutch-speaking astronaut upon launch of Soyuz TMA-4 on 19 April 2004. Kuipers returned to Earth abo ...
, Dutch botanist
Hendrik de Wit Hendrik (Henk) Cornelis Dirk de Wit (24 October 1909 – 16 March 1999) was a Dutch systematic botanist who contributed significantly to the knowledge of the Aroid genera '' Cryptocoryne'' and '' Lagenandra''. He grew up in the Waterland, a ...
, nutrition education pioneer in Israel
Sarah Bavly Sarah Bavly ( he, שרה בבלי, also spelled Sara Bavli) (October 18, 1900 – 1993) was a Dutch–Israeli nutritionist, educator, researcher, and author. Having immigrated from the Netherlands to British Mandatory Palestine in 1926, she becam ...
, and Turkish-American high performance computing and supercomputing research scientist
Ilkay Altintas Ilkay Altintas is a Turkish-American data and computer scientist, and researcher in the domain of supercomputing and high-performance computing applications. Since 2015, Altintas has served as chief data science officer of the San Diego Supercomp ...
. Alumni in the area of Politics and government include former Prime Ministers
Pieter Cort van der Linden Pieter Wilhelm Adrianus Cort van der Linden (14 May 1846 – 15 July 1935) was a Dutch politician who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 29 August 1913 to 9 September 1918. Biography He was the last prime minister to lead a libe ...
and Joop den Uyl, former Belgian prime minister and
president of the European Council The president of the European Council is the person presiding over and driving forward the work of the European Council on the world stage. This institution comprises the college of heads of state or government of EU member states as well as t ...
Charles Michel, former
president of the European Central Bank The president of the European Central Bank is the head of the European Central Bank (ECB), the main institution responsible for the management of the euro and monetary policy in the Eurozone of the European Union (EU). The current president of ...
, Minister of Finance, and president of the Central Bank of the Netherlands Wim Duisenberg, Member of the European Parliament
Thijs Berman Thijs Berman (born 26 September 1957 in Coevorden) is a former journalist. Between 2004 and 2014, he was a Dutch politician and a Member of the European Parliament. Biography Berman was a correspondent in Paris and Moscow for Dutch weekly De ...
, former Secretary General of NATO
Joseph Luns Joseph Marie Antoine Hubert Luns (28 August 1911 – 17 July 2002) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Catholic People's Party (KVP) now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist. He served as Secretary ...
, member of the Dutch royal family and legal advisor
Princess Viktória de Bourbon de Parme Princess Viktória of Bourbon-Parma, Countess of Bardi (née Cservenyák; born 25 May 1982) is a Hungarian-Dutch lawyer, philanthropist, and corporate strategic manager. Through her marriage to Prince Jaime of Bourbon-Parma, the son of Princes ...
, Senate group leader of the Labour Party and former trade union leader
Marleen Barth Magdalena Antoinette Maria 'Marleen' Barth (born 21 March 1964) is a Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and trade unionist, and a former journalist. Early life and education Magdalena Antoinette Maria Barth was born on 21 March 1964 ...
, president of OHIM Wubbo de Boer, former Minister of Defence and former
European Commissioner for Internal Market & Services The Commissioner for Internal Market is a member of the European Commission. The post is currently held by Commissioner Thierry Breton. Responsibilities The portfolio concerns the development of the 480-million-strong European single market, pr ...
Frits Bolkestein, former Minister of Health, Welfare and Sport Els Borst, state secretary of Health, Welfare and Sport
Jet Bussemaker Mariëtte "Jet" Bussemaker (born 15 January 1961) is a retired Dutch politician. A member of the Labour Party (PvdA), she served as Minister of Education, Culture and Science from 5 November 2012 to 26 October 2017 in the Second Rutte cabinet. ...
, Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment
Jacqueline Cramer Jacqueline Marian Cramer (born 10 April 1951) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and biologist. Cramer was Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment in the Fourth Balkenende cabinet for the PvdA. Previou ...
, Minister of Foreign Trade within the Economic Affairs
Frank Heemskerk Frank Heemskerk (born July 26, 1969 in Haarlem) is a former Dutch politician. He was member of Parliament for the Labour Party between 2003 and 2006 and was Minister for Foreign Trade within the Ministry of Economic Affairs from 2006 till 2010 ...
, Minister of Justice Ernst Hirsch Ballin, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations
Guusje ter Horst Guus "Guusje" ter Horst (born 22 March 1952) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and psychologist. She is a member of the supervisory board of Royal Dutch Shell since 1 January 2013 and chairwoman of the supervisory board of ...
, former Minister of Social Affairs and Employment and currently deputy director of UNDP
Ad Melkert Adrianus Petrus Wilhelmus "Ad" Melkert (; born 12 February 1956) is a Dutch politician and diplomat of the Labour Party (PvdA) who has served as a Member of the Council of State since 20 January 2016. Melkert studied Political science at the U ...
, Minister of Education, Culture and Science
Ronald Plasterk Ronald Hans Anton Plasterk (; born 12 April 1957) is a Dutch scientist, entrepreneur and retired politician of the Labour Party (PvdA). He has earned a PhD degree in biology, specialised in molecular genetics. Being a former Minister of the Du ...
and
Prime Minister of Sint Maarten The prime minister of Sint Maarten became the head of government of Sint Maarten after the Netherlands Antilles had been dissolved on 10 October 2010. The prime minister, together with the Council of Ministers and the governor of Sint Maarten, form ...
Leona Marlin-Romeo Leona M. Marlin-Romeo (born 3 July 1973) is a Sint Maarten politician who served as Prime Minister of Sint Maarten from 2018 to 2019. She previously served as a Member of Parliament from 2014 to 2016. __TOC__ Early life Leona Marlin-Romeo was b ...
. In the area of the Arts, notable alumni include cultural analyst
Ien Ang May Ien Ang (born 1954) is Professor of Cultural Studies at thInstitute for Culture and Societyat the University of Western Sydney (UWS), Australia, where she was the founding director and is currently an ARC Professorial Fellow. She is also a F ...
, Leiden University's first female professor Sophia Antoniadis, writers Menno ter Braak,
Willem Frederik Hermans Willem Frederik Hermans (1 September 1921 – 27 April 1995) was a Dutch author of poetry, novels, short stories, plays, as well as book-length studies, essays, and literary criticism. His most famous works are ''The House of Refuge'' (novella, ...
,
J. Slauerhoff Jan Jacob Slauerhoff (15 September 1898 – 5 October 1936), who published as J. Slauerhoff, was a Dutch poet and novelist. He is considered one of the most important Dutch language writers. Youth Slauerhoff attended HBS (secondary school) in Le ...
, and Simon Vestdijk, Emmy award-winning producer
Michael W. King Michael W. King is an American filmmaker, producer, director, and writer of music videos, documentaries, and films. King is the founder of Michael King Productions, LLC. and lives in Scottsdale,_Arizona with his son, Mathias. He is a former boar ...
, actor
Jeff Wilbusch Jeff Wilbusch (born Iftach Wilbuschewitz, 14 November 1987) is an Israeli-German actor. Early life and education Wilbusch was born on 14 November 1987 in Haifa, Israel. He grew up in the Hasidic Jewish Satmar community of Mea Shearim, Jerusale ...
, and Roman law specialist Boudewijn Sirks. In the Media area, alumni include
Thomas von der Dunk Thomas von der Dunk (born 2 July 1961, in Soestdijk) is a Dutch cultural historian, writer, and columnist who has written for ''de Volkskrant'' and ''HP/De Tijd''. Von der Dunk was raised in Bilthoven, and from 1979 to 1988 studied art history at ...
, Dutch cultural historian, writer, and columnist. Alumni in the area of Sports area include Max Euwe, 1935–1937 World Chess Champion. Missionary vicar of the Westerkerk Cristina Pumplun taught at the UvA. File:TMCasser.jpg, Tobias Asser, 1911 Nobel Prize for Peace File:Christiaan Eijkman.jpg,
Christiaan Eijkman Christiaan Eijkman ( , , ; 11 August 1858 – 5 November 1930) was a Dutch physician and professor of physiology whose demonstration that beriberi is caused by poor diet led to the discovery of antineuritic vitamins (thiamine). Together with S ...
, 1929 Nobel Prize for Medicine File:Jacobus van 't Hoff by Perscheid 1904.jpg, Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, 1901 Nobel Prize in Chemistry File:Johannes Diderik van der Waals.jpg, Johannes Diderik van der Waals, 1910 Nobel Prize for Physics File:Pieter Zeeman.jpg,
Pieter Zeeman Pieter Zeeman (; 25 May 1865 – 9 October 1943) was a Dutch physicist who shared the 1902 Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz for his discovery of the Zeeman effect. Childhood and youth Pieter Zeeman was born in Zonnemaire, a small town ...
, 1902 Nobel Prize for Physics File:Zernike.jpg, Frits Zernike, 1953 Nobel Prize for Physics File:SophiaAntoniades.jpg, Sophia Antoniadis


See also

*
Education in the Netherlands Education in the Netherlands is characterized by division: education is oriented toward the needs and background of the pupil. Education is divided over schools for different age groups, some of which are divided in streams for different education ...
* List of modern universities in Europe (1801–1945) *
List of universities in the Netherlands A listing of universities in the Kingdom of the Netherlands: Research universities Research universities in the Netherlands are institutions of tertiary education that in Dutch are called ''universiteit''. Their focus is towards academic educ ...
* CORPNET


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amsterdam, University of University of Amsterdam Research institutes in the Netherlands Educational institutions established in the 1630s University of Amsterdam Universities in the Netherlands