VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands, founded in 1880. VU is one of two large, publicly funded research universities in the city, the other being the University of Amsterdam (UvA). VU has received government funding on a parity basis with public universities since 1970. Over the past decades, VU has transformed from a small, protestant institution into a broad, research-intensive university attended by a wide variety of students of diverse backgrounds. Abraham Kuyper, Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1901 to 1905, founded VU University Amsterdam in 1880. At first the university was only open to Reformed Christians and was entirely financed by their fund-raising efforts and donations. Since the 1960s, however, VU University Amsterdam has been open to everyone and funded in the same way as the other Dutch universities, although it still retains its tradition of Christian standards and values. This finds expression in the emphasis placed upon social involvement in the universities teaching and research programmes. Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, has been a renowned cultural, scientific and commercial centre for many centuries. It was here, in 1880, that VU University Amsterdam first opened its doors to students.
VU University Amsterdam
