VU University Amsterdam

Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, often called VU, is a public research university in Amsterdam, founded in 1880 by theologian and statesman Abraham Kuyper as a private Protestant institution independent of both church hierarchy and the state. It later became a government-funded university while keeping the name Vrije Universiteit. Its compact campus sits in the Buitenveldert district beside the Zuidas business area, distinct from the University of Amsterdam in the historic center.

Faculties cover humanities, social sciences, law, economics and business, science, behavioral and movement sciences, religion and theology, and medicine. Strengths include theology and philosophy, earth and life sciences, business and econometrics, and clinical medicine. Graduate researchers use Amsterdam UMC's VU medical campus, now combined with the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam, plus the Network Institute and science laboratories on the main campus.

Enrollment is about 30,000 students, with international students a growing share, especially in English-taught master's programs, drawn from well over 100 countries. Faculty and researchers number in the several thousands. Alumni include former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende and former finance minister Gerrit Zalm.

Graduate study in the Dutch system is a one- or two-year master's, often taught in English, followed by a PhD that is usually a salaried research appointment rather than a tuition program. The academic year runs from September. Doctoral candidates are typically university employees; master's students use Dutch study finance or university scholarships. Graduate life is campus-based at the Zuidas, with scarce housing and the rest of the city reachable by metro and tram.

In the Grad School Navigator directory, VU University Amsterdam lists 2 graduate programs in neuroscience and psychology, all of them master's programs.