Founded in 1880, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam is an internationally renowned, leading European research university which consistently listed among the world’s top universities. Its name translates literally as Free University which signifies the university’s strong emphasis on academic independence.
"With 12 faculties in total, the university offers high quality education programmes at three levels; Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral. The classes are highly interactive as their teaching style is student-centered, where students are stimulated by the lecturers to develop their own opinion through independent and creative thinking. The university is open to all cultures, nationalities, and religions which means that international students are very welcome to enroll. Currently there are around 78 nationalities in the campus, offering an international academic community. There are around 120 English-taught programs at all three levels and the university offers services to help international students with housing, visa and the administrative side in order for them to study in Netherlands. Being located in Amsterdam provides convenience for international students as it is a multicultural city where English is the second language and it has the largest concentration of students. Some of Vrije Universiteit’s notable alumni are Ellen Van Dijk, the cycling world champion and Werner Vogels, the vice president of Amazon. "