By Cadence Chua Warning: This article may contain themes that readers may find distressing. Please proceed with caution and reach out to the Student Life Officers if you need someone to talk to. 2026 has begun with multiple headline events, including the capture of Venezuelan dictator Maduro by Trump. This is probably making you curious…

By Cadence Chua This Wednesday, on 29 October from 07:00 to 21:30, Dutch citizens across the Netherlands will head to the polls for the second time in less than two years. They will be voting for their preferred candidates to have a seat in de Tweede Kamer (the House of Representatives), following the collapse of…

By Elea Jürß On the 6th of October, the common room of the Academic Building transformed into the stage of the first Meet and Greet with AUC’s new dean, Bruce Mutsvairo. Hosted by the Student Council (StuCo), students and staff had the opportunity to voice their concerns and ask questions about the dean’s vision and…

By Maria van Wijnen Three weeks ago, the Dutch government collapsed after key political parties failed to agree on major issues, forcing Prime Minister Dick Schoof to resign. The far-right Party for Freedom (PVV), led by Geert Wilders, pulled out of the coalition over disagreements on immigration policy. This move effectively ended the government, and…

By Maria van Wijnen Last Monday, 25 November, around twenty thousand students, teachers, administrators, and other passionate demonstrators took to Malieveld, in the Hague, to protest budget cuts to higher education. In true Dutch fashion, protestors brought umbrellas and stood in the rain for over two hours while listening to speeches, engaging in chants, and…

By Pola Folwarczny and Lou Boot On 6 November, American students at AUC woke up to the news of Donald Trump’s sweeping victory in the 2024 presidential election. Disappointment, fear, anxiety, relief, numbness – a multitude of sensations flooded their systems, welcoming them into this new reality. In the aftermath of the election, some have…

By Emmy van Ingen Affordability, sustainability, and democratisation. These are the three demands of Antikantine, a group of students who wish to see a less profit-oriented university cafeteria. After their first protest in March last year, the UvA responded to their demands by implementing a cheaper meal option. However, the execution of this plan did…

By Weronika Szymańska and Ben Kiem On Monday, the pro-Palestinian protest at UvA reached a new peak as the riot police forcefully ended an occupation at the Roeterseiland campus. Protesters had barricaded themselves inside the ABC building, while outside over a thousand students gathered in a show of support during the demonstration. The protest was…

Opinion Note: The following is an open letter from several of the individuals who were arrested in front of AUC during the protests that occurred from 25 to 28 March. Dear AUC community, We are writing to you as a group of students who were arrested for peacefully protesting our university’s complicity in the genocide…

By Malavika Libish and Weronika Szymańska International students coming to Amsterdam have several formal processes to complete before they become residents of the country. Some of these are quick and easy to complete, while others might entail some complications. Students from outside the European Union (EU) have to go through various applications and processes, starting…

By Lila Burkle Collage by Nieka van Lieshout Amsterdam University College is a potential exception from the proposed Dutch government policy that could significantly impact international students and programs across the Netherlands. The recent policy, which calls universities to suspend active international recruitment, sparked significant nation-wide opposition within the university community. However, AUC’s management, including…

By Klaudia Sobczyk In July 2023, Robbert Dijkgraaf, the outgoing Minister of Education, proposed a new educational bill restricting the English language in higher education, a huge blow to the academic opportunities for non-Dutch-speaking AUC graduates. The bill calls for using Dutch as the primary language in the academic programs, a measure to reduce the…

By Parag Dass On 15 August, the Taliban completed its unilateral siege of Afghanistan and re-established its Islamic Emirate of yore – albeit with promises of a more moderate regime that seems unlikely to be followed upon. The main opponents to their advance, the Afghan government and military, have either fled the country or surrendered….