Vrije Universiteit

The Vrije Universiteit is a university in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Related Topics:
Amsterdam - The Netherlands

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The Vrije Universiteit should not be confused with the University of Amsterdam. The name is often abbrevated as VU. It is the university of the Vereniging VU-Windesheim, which also encompasses the Christelijke Hogeschool Windesheim, and was formerly known as the Vereniging voor Christelijk Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs (Association for Christian Scientific Education).

Related Topics:
University of Amsterdam - Christelijke Hogeschool Windesheim

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The association was founded in 1880, and headed by Abraham Kuyper, as the first protestant university. Vrije Universiteit literally means Free University to signify freedom from government and church.

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The education itself however, is not free of cost; like all accredited universities in The Netherlands students pay a (government determined) fee, while students receive a student loan from government as well.

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About 17,000 students (2004) attend the university, with 2,200 scientific employees, and 1,600 non-scientific employees.

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