VU University Amsterdam and the city of Amsterdam

VU University Amsterdam

VU University Amsterdam is a leading European research university established in 1880. With 23,000 students, and about 4,300 staff we are a modern organization at the cutting edge of academic higher education. Education is provided at three levels: Bachelor’s (BA, BSc), Master’s (MA, MSc) and doctoral (PhD).Twelve faculties share a single campus and cover a wide spectrum of arts, sciences and medicine.

Why choose VU University Amsterdam?

• VU University Amsterdam is consistently listed amongst the top universities in the world in different rankings
• The university is located in one of the most dynamic and fast-growing business districts in the Netherlands
• We offer a modern campus university with student housing on only five minutes by bike
• We help you with housing, visa and important registrations needed for studying in the Netherlands
• We offer an international environment, we strive that one out of four students is an international student in our English taught programmes
• We provide high quality education in small and highly interactive classes
• The university is located in lively and multicultural Amsterdam, which has the largest concentration of students in the Netherlands and where English is the 2nd language
  

The Faculty of Social Sciences

The Faculty of Social Sciences is one of the largest faculties at VU University Amsterdam. Here, over 3,500 students and 400 staff members are occupied in education and research.
The Faculty believes in a personal approach, offering high-quality education in an inspiring environment. Course programmes are small-scale and well organized, while members from different academic disciplines within the faculty cooperate closely, keeping a focus on current issues. This results in broad and multidisciplinary teaching programmes and research.

The Faculty offers 6 bachelor’s programmes and 8 master’s programmes in fields ranging from Communication Science - Comparative and European Politics - International Relations and Transnational Governance - Culture, Organization and Management - Governance of Safety and Security -Governance of Third Sector Organizations - Public Administration - Policy, Communication & Organization - Sociology - and Social Research.

The city of Amsterdam

If you are looking to broaden your horizon and study abroad, you need to look no further than Amsterdam. As capital of the Netherlands, Amsterdam is an exuberant small-scale metropolis where you will feel safe and welcome in no time at all. To study in Amsterdam is to study in a vibrant city with a rich history, famous for its historical buildings and canals. Its tolerant atmosphere and the open-mindness of its inhabitants provide in inviting setting to study.

Did you know that:

• Amsterdam has approximately 750,000 inhabitants?
• Amsterdam has 150 canals?
• Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands?
• With 179 different nationalities, Amsterdam is a real multi-cultural city?
• The Quality of life in Amsterdam is ranked 13th worldwide, compared with New York at 49th and London at 38th (Mercer Study 2008)?
• With almost 92,000 students, Amsterdam is a real student city?

Of course there is more to tell about Amsterdam. Here you can find a lot of information about the city. As soon as you arrive at the university, you will receive a copy of our International Student Guide to Amsterdam, specially designed with foreign students in mind. It will help you become acquainted with Amsterdam and its canals, restaurants, history, student life and more.

The Netherlands

The country’s Dutch name is ‘Nederland’, meaning the low country. "Low" because much of the land is at or below sea level. A remarkable aspect of the Netherlands is its flatness. Hilly landscapes can only be found in the southern tip of the country. The Netherlands is a small country, with a population of more than 16 million people.

Depending on where you come from, the Dutch weather might be a bit of getting used to. The Netherlands has amaritime climate, which means a lot of rain and only moderate variations in temperature between the four seasons. July and August are the warmest months, with average temperatures between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius. You can expect some frost and snow in the winter.

The Netherlands is centrally located between metropolitan cities such as Paris, Berlin and London. The city has excellent international transport connections. From Schiphol Airport you can have direct flights to all countries in Europe. It is also easy to travel internationally by train. You can be in Brussels in only two hours and in Berlin in only 6 hours.