In the past decade, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) has developed into a truly international university and a home to students and researchers from a wide variety of cultural and social backgrounds. The UvA considers the richly varied composition of its academic community to be a great benefit and works to ensure that all students and lecturers can continually develop during their time at the UvA. Language plays a key role in this process: in addition to giving students and staff access to both existing and new knowledge, learning experiences and research data, it is also the medium by which knowledge is expanded and shared.

Language is also the channel that enables exchange of ideas and information and facilitates personal contact among students themselves, between students and lecturers and between all parties on campus. In short, language is a basic precondition for educational quality, facilitation of learning experiences and the entire student experience. Given the key role that language plays in the academic careers of students and staff, as well as being the engine of the academic community, the UvA operates a deliberate and carefully considered policy with regard to language, the objective of which is to set a responsible course that will enable the UvA to further develop as a bilingual university.