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.
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.
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).
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.
The language of instruction for all agreements is English.
Around 90% of Dutch people speak English – Amsterdam is a particularly popular city for travel, so you should have little to no problems navigating the city in English. However, it would still be useful to learn some basic Dutch. VU offers Dutch courses for a variety of levels; find the fill list on their website. The International Student Service also offers online tutoring for students pre-arrival; read more about the International Student Service under the Student Life and Experience tab.
The academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is then divided into three periods. Consult VU's full academic calendar. Queen Mary students studying at on exchange VU should attend their 5-day Orientation programme within August – this is cross faculty and open to international students.
Periods 1, 2, and 3 take place during the fall semester and periods 4, 5, and 6 take place during the spring semester. The first two periods of each semester are 8 weeks long (periods 1, 2, 4, and 5) and the last period is 4 weeks long (periods 3 and 6).
A full list of courses available for exchange students can be found here. Students may only choose courses from the permitted faculty per the bilateral agreement their Queen Mary academic school has with VU. Nevertheless, students must still respect the creditload subject-area requirements to progress on their Queen Mary degree programme, so module selection must adhere to the framework of Queen Mary degree programme requirements as well.
VU students generally take at least two courses in each of the first two periods. As an alternative to taking a course in periods 3 or 6, you can choose to follow an extra course in another period.
Students can take a maximum of 30 ECTS (usually 5 courses worth 6 ECTS each) per semester. VU advises students takes no more than 3 courses in any one day period as the course load will be too intense.
Students must enroll on a full courseload: 30 ECTS per semester / 60 ECTS for the full academic year (equivalent to 60 Queen Mary credits per semester / 120 Queen Mary credits for the full academic year). 1 ECTS equates approximately to 30 working hours.
Courses' ECTS credit value varies: for example, a class consisting of just a lecture and an exam may equate to 2 ECTS, while a seminar class with written assignments may equate to 6 ECTS.
Dutch grades range from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest). Grades of 5.5 and higher are passing grades. The highest grade (10) is very rarely awarded. An 8 is considered a high mark and a 7 is more common. Learn more about the Dutch grading scale with this video.
Amsterdam is a vibrant and beautiful city, steeped in history. The city is famous for its elaborate canal system, elaborate bridges, and brightly coloured narrow houses with gabled facades. The city has a long artistic heritage that is still upheld today – Amsterdam’s Museum district houses the Van Gogh Museum, works by Rembrandt and Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum, and modern art at the Stedelijk. It is an interesting place to live with endless amounts to do.
Blog posts on Queen Mary Global Bloggers:
Within VU
VU offers accommodation to incoming exchange students on a first-come, first-served basis. VU has enough accommodation for around 50% of incoming students – the rest must rent independently (see below). As student accommodation, facilities like bathrooms and kitchens may be shared and rooms may be quite small.
Rental contracts are for a fixed period of 1 year or 1 semester. A housing fee must be paid as a part of the application process; 250 € for a semester, 500 € for a full year.
VU advises for students to start the accommodation application process as soon as possible. Full details on the application process can be found on this webpage.
Outside VU
Students may also find a room independently. However, there is a serious shortage of rooms for students in Amsterdam, so students are advised to start early and expect expense - even in shared apartments. VU advises to expect prices of 750 € per month and higher for a room in Amsterdam.
Rooms are significantly cheaper in surrounding towns, such as Diemen, Zaandam, Almere and Haarlem. Students sometimes also look for rooms being sublet by other students going abroad; these may be cheaper than standard shared apartments.
There is a council-funded tenant support agency, !WOON, which provides information, support and advice for tenants and prospective tenants in Amsterdam. They have offices around the city with regular walk-in slots.
Additionally, VU recommends the websites RoomPlaza and Housing Anywhere as trustworthy resources for finding student housing. VU offers a discount for ‘Housing Anywhere’ if you sign up through the VU website. These and more excellent website recommendations can be found on this webpage.
Important: Finding and safely securing private accommodation in Amsterdam is competitive and challenging, given the high student population and finite number of private rental offerings. Queen Mary students are advised to follow the partner's guidance as soon as possible to begin their accommodation search safely and without delay, following their nomination to the partner. Read this information page by VU about accommodation options and searching.
Vrije Univrsity Amsterdam provides information on the cost of living as a student here. You can find more general, up-to-date information about the cost of living in Amsterdam here.
Please consult the estimated minimum and maximum cost of living figures for this destination country available in our “Estimated Costs of Living” document available on our Finance page.
The landing page for incoming exchange students, with links to other services, can be found here. Check out VU’s helpful list of first steps upon arrival. The International Student Service provides guidance for international students more generally, including financial information, health insurance and online tutoring for learning Dutch.
Please also consult the academic calendar section under the "Academics" tab for information about VU's orientation programme taking place in August.
As a current Queen Mary student you will be able to find a summary sheet for this partner university on our QMplus page, with an overview of the local student support services available on the following topics: specific learning differences, physical impairments, sensory impairments, long term medical conditions, autism spectrum conditions, mental health and wellbeing difficulties, special accommodation provision, non-emergency health care, emergency services, harassment and trauma and suicide prevention.
Student Associations
Student Societies are known as Associations, and are divided into Study Associations and Student Associations.
Study Associations are for students of the same study or faculty. The association is founded by students and focusses on the content of their studies, with an emphasis on fun and de-stressing - for example, running excursions or keeping an association magazine. Study associations can usually get you a discount on study books for your course. Learn more about study associations.
Student Associations are groups unrelated to study. These include creative and cultural associations, hobby associations, and sports associations. Learn more about Student Associations.
Sports Centre
The VU sports centre has two locations; one on the VU campus and one in Uilenstede (a student district approximately 20 minutes walk from the main campus). The sports centre offers a huge range of sports activities and services, including group lessons, personal training, team sports, sports massages and access to a sports psychologist. Students receive a discount with plenty of pricing options. Learn more about the sports centre.
Culture at VU
VU aims to take part in the cultural heritage of Amsterdam by offering a variety of cultural events on its campus to students, staff and visitors. These include multiple theatres, an ‘ArtScience’ gallery, the Zuidas Botanical Gardens, two choirs, two orchestras and a university radio station. Read about all of these and more on this webpage.