Emma Sprangers, Author at Ad Valvas

18 March 2026

Third of international students don’t feel at home in the Netherlands

While international students are mostly satisfied with Dutch higher education, they do experience challenges related to student finance and housing. Many also often feel excluded by their Dutch peers.

12 March 2026

Mental health support and financial aid for Iranian students in the Netherlands

Several higher education institutions are offering support to their students from Iran. This already started before the war broke out. In total, the Netherlands has more than 1,200 Iranian students.

26 February 2026

Large-scale student protests at universities in Iran

Since Saturday, large protests have again been taking place at universities across Iran. “The mood has shifted,” says Iran expert Peyman Jafari: “Students don’t want to go back to square one.”

24 February 2026

The mother tongue hidden in a chest

For those who speak multiple languages, language is more than a mere tool for communication. During the VU Mother Language Day, it became clear just how strongly language is connected to memory, identity and loss.

18 February 2026

Students walk out of dinner with executive board

During a dinner with student representatives and the VU executive board last week, a large part of the room walked out after rector Geurts’ speech.

17 February 2026

‘You can’t reduce Iran to one story’

For Iranian and Iranian-Dutch students and staff, the unrest in Iran is not a far-off conflict. Three members of the VU community share how they experience the current situation, and why they believe Iran is so often misunderstood.

10 February 2026

International student intake continues to decline

The number of first-year undergraduate students has declined again. With the exception of Leiden and Delft, universities in the Netherlands welcomed fewer Dutch and international students.

9 February 2026

USC chair: ‘We don’t agree, but we carry on together’

Anne Bruggink is chair of the University Student Council this academic year. How does she keep everyone together?

9 February 2026

How the classroom can offer a remedy for trauma

Decolonial feminist Nadira Omarjee stresses the importance of sharing lived experiences within the classroom and outside of it, as space for the engagement with the other, to build solidarity and resistance against injustices.

4 February 2026

Board roles increasingly unpopular among young people

Clubs, student associations and youth interest groups are struggling to recruit new board members. The National Youth Council (NJR) notes a marked decline in enthusiasm for serving on boards.

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