Two Remarkable Universities in One Fantastic City: Amsterdam  

While Amsterdam has become a hot spot for tourism, it also contains two quality universities that you should consider visiting while in the city.

Amsterdam, the capital and biggest city in the Netherlands, is located in the province of North Holland. One of the most populated metropolitan regions in Europe, Amsterdam is the country's cultural and financial center. Each year, roughly 3.6 million visitors from around the world visit the city's various tourist spots. That includes the Van Gogh Museum, the Anne Frank House, and several coffee shops. Amsterdam also boasts of two quality universities.  

One of the renowned Universities in Amsterdam, Vrije University was founded in 1880. Although the school was once exclusively attended by "Reformed Christians," since the 1960s the university has been open to anyone interested in attending it. Although the meaning of university's name is "Free University," the "free" actually refers to the separation of church and state. The school is located in one of the quickest growing business districts located in the country. Besides offering students a high-quality education, the school stresses the importance of social involvement, and is easily accessible by a nearby international airport. 

Another university located in Amsterdam is the University of Amsterdam. It's a research university situated in the center of the city. Besides being a major university in the Netherlands, the University of Amsterdam is also one of the premiere universities in all of Europe. It boasts of nearly 5,000 staff members, 30,000 students, and several quality programs. The University of Amsterdam contains both undergraduate and graduate degree programs, with several of the courses being taught in English. While the University of Amsterdam is independent of Vrije University, both schools collaborate to improve Europe's quality of higher education. 

The University of Amsterdam has quite a rich history. It was founded in 1632 as Athenaeum. This school's initial fields of study only included Philosophy and History. Later, Medicine, Law, and Theology became part of the institution's curriculum. The school remained small until it became an official higher education institute, in 1815. It then became known as "Municipal University," and began awarding doctoral degrees.  

Another major change happened in 1961. That's when the Netherlands' national government became financially responsible for the school. In 1961 it became officially known as the University of Amsterdam. The university made international news when students demanded more democratic power in 1969. Similar activities occurred in the 1970s and 1980s. UvA contains seven "faculties," each of which is supervised by a dean. Each faculty within the university also contains different institutes and departments.  

When visiting the prestigious universities of Amsterdam, consider booking a holiday apartment online. This will ensure that you have lodging once you arrive in the city.

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