Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

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 university’s teaching and research programmes.