UvA Kieswijzer

The UvA should prioritise offering permanent contracts to Junior Lecturers (D4s), even if this leaves less financial room for senior lecturer salary increases.

Lampara

Fully agree

Job security for junior lecturers is essential for their wellbeing, and the university should treat the wellbeing of its labor force as a priority. Furthermore, beyond worker welfare, permanent contracts for junior lecturers would allow them to do a better job serving the university community as they would not have to deal with the stress of potentially having to be uprooted after their temporary contract ends, which is especially important for junior lectures, coming outside of Europe.

Meteor

Disagree

Enabling competitive salaries for senior lecturers attracts talent among junior lecturers and is beneficial for students

De Vrije Student

Disagree

The university needs a certain flexible workforce in order to respond to fluctuating student numbers, temporary teaching demand, and changes within degree programmes. Moreover, the UvA already has relatively strong D4 policy, under which Junior Lecturers can, in our view, receive several years of job security. Any further expansion of permanent contracts should therefore be carefully weighed against financial feasibility and a fair distribution of resources within the teaching team

Student Mandate

Agree

The UvA should seriously invest in permanent contracts for junior lecturers. Structural teaching should not depend on temporary insecurity. At the same time, this must be done carefully: the university should not shift so much financial capacity that experienced senior lecturers leave or feel undervalued. Good education requires both continuity and expertise. We therefore support more permanent contracts for junior lecturers, as long as this is part of a balanced staffing policy that also preserves the quality, supervision and experience of senior lecturers.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Fully agree

The Activistenpartij stands in solidarity and fully supports the causes of CasualUvA. The UvA should offer permanent contracts and better working conditions for Junior Lecturers, thus ensuring stable living conditions.

INTER

Agree

Stable contracts improve educational quality and staff wellbeing, which directly benefits students.

UvASociaal

Agree

UvASociaal agrees with this statement, as junior lecturers are often disproportionately affected by unstable working conditions and precarious contracts. While senior lecturers also deserve fair salaries, they generally already have greater financial stability and institutional security, which many junior lecturers lack. Therefore, improving employment security and working conditions for junior lecturers should be prioritized over increasing salaries for those in more secure positions.

The Founding Students

Neutral

Stance: Decision-making regarding contract structures and salary distribution requires specialist expertise and should not be made by the FSR. TFS emphasizes that the quality of lecturers is most important, regardless of whether they are junior or senior staff members. Explanation: Balancing permanent contracts for junior lecturers against creating financial room for salary increases for senior lecturers is complex and requires in-depth knowledge of personnel policy and financial frameworks. TFS believes that such decisions belong at the central level, where the necessary expertise is available and an integrated assessment can be made. TFS emphasizes that the quality of lecturers is paramount, regardless of whether they are junior or senior staff members. Considerations regarding contracts should primarily be based on quality.

The UvA should completely exclude research collaboration and funding from the security and resilience sector.

Examples of the companies within this sector are the Ministry of Defence, the police, the NFI, the AIVD, RIVM and financial services.

UvASociaal

Neutral

UvASociaal is critical of security and resilience funding, as it is often closely connected to military or surveillance interests. While universities should contribute to society, there must be clear ethical limits to how research and education are used. We believe collaborations in these areas should only be allowed under strict regulations and a transparent ethical framework, ensuring that research outcomes are not used to support harmful or oppressive practices.

Student Mandate

Disagree

A complete exclusion of cooperation with the security and resilience sector goes too far. The UvA should assess each partnership critically to determine whether it is compatible with academic freedom, human rights, scientific integrity and social responsibility. Cooperation with institutions such as Defence, the police, the RIVM or other public bodies can be legitimate and socially relevant. However, the university must set clear boundaries: no cooperation that contributes to human rights violations, unlawful surveillance, discrimination or other harmful applications.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

DVS opposes the complete exclusion of cooperation with the security and resilience sector. Such partnerships can produce valuable social and scientific research, for example in the fields of security, forensic science, cybersecurity, or crisis management. However, academic independence, transparency, and clear ethical boundaries must always be safeguarded.

INTER

Agree

INTER supports ethical and transparent partnerships, but we should deeply avoiding collaborations linked to human rights violations or harmful agendas

ActivistenPartij UvA

Fully agree

Collaborations with the so called security and resilience sector actively contribute to the oppression of the working class. Security has been used in the past to justify major conflicts, such as the Iraq war and internally secures only capital not the people. Our university must not partake in the building of weapons or improving monitoring systems for the police. Collaborations with historical archives for degrees like Military History (Militaire Geschiedenis) are valid for science as a means and end. Careful consideration is necessary when lives are at stake.

Lampara

Fully agree

We wanted cops off campus—Now why is defense knocking on our door? We stand against state-sanctioned violence and the appropriation of research, academic material, staff, and students by the military.

Meteor

Agree

Science can be a powerful force in raising awareness for malicious practices of authorities and keeping them in check. Hence independence is crucial to ensure neutrality and the common good.

The Founding Students

Neutral

Stance: This issue has limited relevance at the faculty level and primarily concerns a central policy consideration. Explanation: Within the Faculty of Law, research collaborations with the security and resilience sector are rare. The practical relevance of this issue at faculty level is therefore limited. In addition, excluding such collaborations concerns a broader policy-based and, to some extent, political decision affecting the university as a whole. TFS believes that these considerations should be addressed at the central level, where the Central Student Council (CSR) and the university board can make an integrated assessment. At the faculty level, TFS aims to focus on issues directly related to the quality of education.

The UvA should expand research collaboration and funding partnerships with private sector companies.

Lampara

Neutral

We cannot avoid working with private sector companies, especially in terms of funding and providing research or internship opportunities. However, we believe that an ethical framework must be made to vet these companies into consideration of partnership to ensure that the university funnels graduates and researchers to companies that are as positive and constructive as institutions can be. It is in the interest of the university and all those in it that the university holds up their attitudes on their code of conduct, environmental agreements, and values on human rights in partnership agreements.

The Founding Students

Agree

Stance: Collaborations with the private sector are possible, provided they contribute to the quality of education and are assessed carefully. A good example of this was the now discontinued ALF minor. Explanation: Entering into research collaborations and funding partnerships with private parties requires specialist knowledge and a careful balancing of interests. TFS believes that such collaborations should in principle be possible, as long as they demonstrably contribute to the quality of education and academic independence remains safeguarded. A good example of this was the now discontinued ALF minor. In this minor, students worked on cases provided by both private and public institutions, ranging from law firms and legal aid organizations to the judiciary and the Public Prosecution Service. These real-life cases provided students with valuable practical knowledge and experience.

De Vrije Student

Fully agree

DVS supports more cooperation with the private sector, as this makes the UvA less vulnerable to dependence on government funding and possible budget cuts. Private partnerships can also create new opportunities for innovation, connect research more closely to practice, and provide students with more opportunities for internships, jobs, and entrepreneurship. However, scientific independence and transparency must always be protected.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Neutral

It is important that our University stays connected and able to produce the highest level of research. Expanding collaborations with actors such as those in the renewable energy sector are necessary to try to sustain our lives on this planet. When collaborating though, we must not be dependent and ensure that ethical guidelines for third party collaborations are followed, ensuring the integrity of our research. Furthermore, funding should be transparent like the UvA budget and involve the CSR and FSR to give their input on/possibly shut down dubious ties that are hard to break, but will be broken later.

INTER

Neutral

Partnerships can create opportunities, but they must remain ethical, transparent, and aligned with university values.

UvASociaal

Disagree

UvASociaal does not believe this is something that should be further expanded, as the UvA already engages in such collaborations. Instead, these partnerships should be strictly and structurally regulated to ensure the university is not simply helping large corporations grow more powerful, but is instead contributing meaningful knowledge and insights that genuinely benefit society and can be implemented through broader public or social initiatives.

Student Mandate

Neutral

Cooperation with private sector companies can be valuable for research, innovation and societal impact. At the same time, funding must never influence academic independence, scientific integrity or the content of education. The UvA should therefore not simply pursue more private partnerships, but rather better and more transparently assessed ones. For each partnership, it must be clear who is funding it, what interests are involved, what conditions apply and how independent research is protected.

Meteor

Disagree

Only if scholars agree on the beneficial nature of these collaborations, and the funding does not undermine research independence and they serve the common good is this permissible.

The university should significantly expand student services like student advisors and psychologists, even if this requires reducing spending on education and teaching.

Student Mandate

Agree

Mental health, study guidance and accessible support are essential to good education. Students cannot study effectively if they have to wait too long for help from a study adviser or psychologist. The UvA should therefore seriously expand student support services. At the same time, this should not undermine the quality of education. The right approach is a balanced investment: better support for students while maintaining high-quality education, because both are necessary for student success.

The Founding Students

Agree

Stance: Student wellbeing and proper guidance are essential to the quality of education. Explanation: TFS believes that student wellbeing and accessible support services, such as study advisers and psychologists, have a direct impact on the quality of education as experienced by students. Students who are properly supported are able to perform better and progress through their studies more effectively. Although this may involve difficult financial choices, TFS considers investment in student support services to be a legitimate priority. Without adequate support, not only student wellbeing comes under pressure, but also the quality and accessibility of education itself.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

DVS recognises that study advisers, psychologists, and other student services are important for student wellbeing and academic success. At the same time, education remains the university’s core task, and a major expansion of services should not come at the expense of teaching quality. The UvA can support and refer students, but structural mental healthcare primarily belongs with professional healthcare institutions and the government.

UvASociaal

Neutral

Given existing financial pressures and funding constraints, support for student wellbeing should not come at the expense of education itself. At the same time, the growing pressure on student wellbeing clearly shows that this is an area that requires continued investment and attention. While significantly expanding support services may not always be financially feasible, the university should develop additional, accessible forms of support through community-building and other initiatives that help students feel connected and supported. Student well-being should remain a clear priority and must not be overlooked.

INTER

Disagree

INTER strongly supports better mental health support, but not at the cost of educational quality. The university should prioritise both.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Agree

Student services are lacking - study advisors are often not helpful, and it is unclear what they do; student psychologists are not enough, the meetings with them are short and infrequent. Especially for working-class and first-generation students, those services can prove crucial. We believe this type of infrastructure should be the foundation of a properly working institution, and it is of paramount importance to fund them properly.

Meteor

Disagree

Good education and teaching is what a university is supposed to provide. If it does so effectively, student welfare increases too. The existing services are deemed sufficient by Meteoor.

Lampara

Fully agree

Why are disability, mental health, and access seen as expenditures and a threat to education? Shouldn’t the quality of education match the needs of students being served? Student services that provide more access to education should not be seen as something in competition to education and teaching: it is a necessary part of education to ensure all students are fully taking advantage of the privilege of going to university, studying with dignity, and feeling secure in their choice of program and institution.

Admission to programmes with limited capacity should be based on random lotteries rather than selection procedures.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

De Vrije Student strongly opposes admission based on lottery instead of selection procedures. In programmes with limited capacity, motivation, suitability, and demonstrable abilities should be taken into account, so that available places go to students who are a good fit for the programme. The problems in dentistry show that lottery systems can lead to poor outcomes in practice, with many students failing to pass the first year. This is not only inefficient for the programme, but also unfair to students who work hard, are well prepared, and are demonstrably motivated to complete the programme successfully.

INTER

Agree

INTER values equal opportunities and reducing unfair advantages in selective admission procedures.

The Founding Students

Neutral

Stance: Admission to programmes with limited capacity should be based as much as possible on suitability rather than chance. Explanation: Selection procedures provide a better understanding of a student’s abilities and motivation. At the same time, such procedures must remain fair, transparent, and accessible in order to safeguard equal opportunities.

UvASociaal

Fully agree

UvASociaal strongly supports this, as selection procedures often favor students from more privileged backgrounds who have greater access to resources and opportunities. A lottery-based system is a fairer alternative because it reduces bias and does not give disproportionate advantages to specific groups. University admissions should be as unbiased and accessible as possible, ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to enter higher education.

Student Mandate

Agree

For programmes with limited capacity, admission should be as fair and accessible as possible. Selection procedures can benefit students who are better prepared, receive more support or understand the system better. A lottery gives every qualified applicant an equal chance and prevents admission from depending too much on background, network or preparation. However, it must first be clear that applicants meet the necessary admission requirements. After that, a lottery is a fairer starting point than a selection procedure that may reinforce inequality.

Meteor

Disagree

only if selection procedures are automatized and not personal.

Lampara

Neutral

We do not stand for a gender-blind, race-blind, class-blind, and/or disability-blind lottery system. A blind lottery assumes every candidate is of equal standing and has equal stakes of going to university, when this is untrue. While we understand the intention of random lotteries to create equal access, certain demographics of people have historically been underrepresented in higher education institutions, which leads to the lack of diversity of institutions/industries down the line and handicapping certain demographics by forcing them out of specific occupations from the beginning of their careers. Nor do we stand for the extremely unbiased fully “meritocratic” system where underprivileged students fall between the cracks. We need to think of better, more inclusive compromises.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Fully agree

The Activist Party is in full support of limiting the growth of the UvA through a lottery system, the only truly egalitarian selection procedure. Selection committees tend to have biases and grades don't represent a person. Research has shown that a lottery system is the least biased way of limiting student capacity.

The university should actively prioritise diversity targets in hiring, even when this means deviating from purely merit-based selection.

Lampara

Fully agree

Why does this question pose diversity as costing the quality and merit of applicants? This is an empirically unfounded claim: a variety of studies of workforce management and organizational psychology have shown that thoughtfully implemented diversity policies in no way sacrifice qualitative standards. Lampara stands for a diversity-oriented hiring policy.

UvASociaal

Agree

UvASociaal supports prioritizing diversity targets to ensure better representation, while also recognizing that merit remains important in selection processes. However, selection should not be based on a “purely merit-based” system, as such processes are often shaped by existing social and institutional biases. Promoting diversity helps create a more inclusive and representative university community while addressing structural inequalities within education.

Student Mandate

Agree

The university should aim for a diverse staff body that better reflects society. This requires active policy, fair recruitment and removing barriers in selection procedures. At the same time, quality must remain leading. Diversity goals should not mean that suitability, expertise and experience become less important. The right approach is therefore not to abandon merit-based selection, but to make selection procedures fairer, broader and less exclusionary.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Fully agree

Activistenpartij fully supports the prioritisation of diversity targets, as we should follow the equity principle in terms of diversity. We strongly believe this approach doesn't hinder merit-based selection, as its purpose is to reverse centuries-old discrimination which precludes actual merit-based selection by excluding anyone and everyone who isn't a white man. Because of this history, those of minority backgrounds systematically encounter more barriers that heavily affect their life chances. UvA should counter this via affirmative action.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

DVS stands for equal opportunities, but believes that quality, experience, and suitability should remain the basis for staff selection. Diversity can be valuable, but it should not mean moving away from selection based on merit. The university should remove barriers and encourage broad recruitment, without placing candidates’ identity above quality.

The Founding Students

Disagree

Stance: Selection should primarily be based on quality and suitability. Explanation: TFS believes that quality and suitability should always be the leading factors in recruitment and selection procedures. Actively deviating from merit-based selection by prioritizing diversity goals is considered undesirable. Although diversity within the university is a valuable objective, it should not come at the expense of objective and substantive selection criteria. TFS stands for equal treatment and believes that every candidate should be assessed based on their qualifications and abilities.

INTER

Agree

Diversity improves education and representation, and universities should actively work toward inclusive hiring.

Meteor

Neutral

The tradeoff has to be balanced

Every bachelor programme should be offered in both Dutch and English.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

De Vrije Student believes that bachelor’s education should, in principle, be available in Dutch wherever possible, especially to safeguard accessibility for Dutch students. At the same time, English-taught education can be valuable or necessary for international programmes, labour market needs, or scientific contexts. Offering every bachelor’s programme in both languages as standard is not always financially or practically feasible. Therefore, the principle should be: Dutch where possible, English where necessary.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Agree

Ideally, programs should be made accessible in both Dutch and English. In some cases this isn’t practical. For instance, PPLE would not make sense in Dutch due to its international aspect. The same goes for some other programmes and masters, such as Public International Law. Therefore programs should retain autonomy over the language in which they teach, with decisions coming from thoughtful conversations between students and staff in each department. As such, we believe this decision should not be enforced on a central level.

The Founding Students

Disagree

Stance: The choice of the language of instruction should be left to the programmes themselves; a fully uniform language policy is not desirable. Explanation: Nationally oriented fields of law, such as labour law or criminal law, are best suited to Dutch, while internationally oriented disciplines benefit from English. A differentiated approach best reflects both the content and the quality of education.

Lampara

Agree

This is relevant for both Dutch and non-Dutch students. People should be able to study in whatever language they are comfortable with, and this university claims to be a bilingual one. For some students, that means preferring one language because it’ll be the lingua franca of their industry. For others, it is what they're most comfortable learning and talking theory with. There are many reasons as to why a bilingual system in program education is relevant.

INTER

Agree

We are a party that values both dutch and international students, as such, we believe everyone deserves the access to learning in their language of choice, be it english or dutch.

Meteor

Disagree

We are in The Netherlands.

Student Mandate

Disagree

Bilingual education can be valuable and can increase accessibility for different groups of students. However, at this moment it is not realistic to offer every bachelor’s programme fully in both Dutch and English. There is insufficient capacity, teaching staff, scheduling space and funding for this. The UvA should carefully assess where English-language or Dutch-language education is necessary and feasible, without putting the quality of education under pressure.

UvASociaal

Disagree

UvASociaal believes language policy should depend on the needs of each individual programme rather than strict quotas for Dutch or international students. Some programmes naturally attract more Dutch students, while others are more internationally oriented, and additional restrictions can harm accessibility and educational quality. We believe universities should remain accessible to both Dutch and international students. Where appropriate, programmes can be offered in both Dutch and English, but not every programme needs to be taught in English. For example, medical programmes are primarily aimed at training doctors who will work in the Netherlands, making Dutch-language education practical and necessary. A balanced, programme-specific approach is therefore the best way to maintain both accessibility and quality.

The UvA should strongly oppose any government attempt to reduce the number of international students.

Meteor

Agree

More international students makes the university a place where on is prepared for a fully globalized future.

The Founding Students

Neutral

Stance: Opposing national policy plans concerning international students is primarily a central matter. Explanation: Policy responses to government plans affect the university as a whole and require decision-making at the central level. As a faculty-level representative body, TFS has limited direct influence on such matters.

Lampara

Fully agree

The university benefits from internationals as much as internationals benefit from it. Not only do we help fund it— especially non-EU students with our institutional fees—but we are able to bring in our perspectives, our knowledge. our labor, and our community efforts to the academic and social weaves of this institution. University is already a privilege to those in the Netherlands, why make it more gatekept to those beyond borders, especially those who want to have the best education they can get and give back to their academic communities?

UvASociaal

Disagree

Over the past 15 years, the UvA and other universities have actively recruited large numbers of international students without adequately preparing for the resulting influx, which has put pressure on housing, accessibility, and the quality of education. If national-level measures are introduced to better manage this growth and improve educational quality, UvASociaal does not believe these should be strongly opposed. This is not because international students are unwelcome, but because universities invested heavily in international marketing without ensuring they had the resources and long-term planning needed to properly support and accommodate students. As a result, both Dutch and international students have experienced worsening housing conditions and increasing pressure on education quality.

Student Mandate

Agree

International students are valuable to the UvA and to the academic community. They bring knowledge, perspectives and diversity, and strengthen the university’s international character. The UvA should therefore oppose generic restrictions that treat international students mainly as a problem. At the same time, growth and internationalisation must remain responsible: housing, educational quality, guidance and language policy must be properly organised. Restrictions should not undermine accessible and international education.

De Vrije Student

Disagree

De Vrije Student does not believe that the UvA should oppose national plans to regulate the intake of international students on principle. International students are welcome and enrich the academic environment, but unfocused growth can put pressure on housing, education, and accessibility.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Fully agree

The government’s plans as they stand would be catastrophic to the university, effectively destroying many of the study programs currently being offered. We believe that the UvA leadership should stand behind their stated commitment to the international character of our university. On the other hand we believe the UvA should take housing availability into account in admitting international students, as to avoid the risk of students ending up homeless.

INTER

Fully agree

INTER values diversity, inclusivity, and international perspectives as essential parts of university education and general life.

Students wishing to follow honours programmes should be admitted based on academic performance, not motivation alone.

ActivistenPartij UvA

Fully disagree

On principle, we believe that every student should be given the greatest ability to pursue whatever courses match their interests. We also question whether a simple GPA is an appropriate measure to assess their suitability for a given course.

Student Mandate

Agree

Honours programmes should become more accessible and less closed off, so that motivated students get a fair chance. At the same time, admission should not be based solely on motivation. An honours programme requires extra effort and academic ability. Therefore, performance, study progress and suitability should weigh heavily, alongside motivation. This protects the quality of the programme without making admission unnecessarily restrictive or elitist.

Lampara

Fully disagree

Education is already a privilege, why gatekeep a certain number of opportunities to those who have a stellar first or second year of university? Currently, admissions to an Honors program is laid on the assumption that a student’s performance in the earlier years of education is an indicator of their passion and drive to learn. This is not fully true. Students who—for whatever reason—have difficulty getting a stellar GPA in their first year should not be barred from opportunities to grow, discover their passions, and maximize the privilege of going to university in an Honors program. As it is, the Honors program is meant to show grit, growth mindset, and a commitment to academic education. That is not something that can only be indicated in the first year assumes students that begin the year with a lower GPA cannot exhibit these traits, when Lampara believes that that is not the case at all.

De Vrije Student

Agree

Grades are an objective measure of academic performance and provide a reliable indication of someone’s ability to handle complex academic tasks. DVS believes that the honours track should not only be a reward for motivation, but also a recognition of academic achievement. If the honours track were based solely on motivation, this could undermine its academic integrity and reduce its value. Moreover, ignoring grades could create the risk that students are admitted who may not have the required academic skills to complete the track successfully.

The Founding Students

Agree

Position TFS believes that grades should continue to play an important role in admission to honours programmes. Explanation Grades provide a reliable indication of academic ability. For motivated students who do not have top grades, there are plenty of other extracurricular opportunities available, and they can apply for a hardship clause.

UvASociaal

Disagree

UvASociaal believes that students should be given the opportunity to follow honours programmes not only based on academic performance, but also on motivation, as this is a strong indicator of curiosity and future academic growth. Grades alone do not fully represent a student’s abilities or potential, and relying solely on them can overlook capable and motivated students.

Meteor

Agree

Ensures quality of program.

INTER

Agree

Academic performance should remain an important factor, though motivation should also be considered.

The university should ensure a larger part of the curriculum (of all study programs) is focused on career preparation, even if this takes away from time spent on academic subjects.