These were the most read stories of 2025
Over the past year, the Folia website once again attracted well over one million visitors. Which stories, videos and podcasts proved most popular? As tradition dictates, here is Folia’s annual review.
The most read articles of 2025
1. UvA scientist on nitrogen research: “I will not easily lend myself to policy advice again”
UvA statistician Emiel van Loon advised the government on nitrogen issues, although it was likely the last time he did so.
2. Minister Brekelmans leaves Room for Discussion after 15 minutes for security reasons
Defence Minister Ruben Brekelmans (VVD) was forced to end an interview with Room for Discussion prematurely for security reasons: the presence of protesters made the interview impossible.
3. UvA ends English-language bachelor’s degree in psychology
The executive boards of several universities in the Randstad, including the UvA, will cease offering the English-taught bachelor’s programme in psychology, “subject to conditions”.
4. UvA professor Uğur Üngör: “No difference between genocide and genocidal violence”
Rector Peter-Paul Verbeek used the term “genocidal violence” instead of genocide. Nonsense, says UvA professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies Uğur Üngör. “I see no difference between the two terms.”
5. UvA blacklisted by US state of Florida
The UvA has been placed on a blacklist by the government of the U.S. state of Florida due to its boycott of Israel. Notably, the list, which had previously existed in relative obscurity, was significantly expanded following Donald Trump’s inauguration.
6. UvA files a police report for threatening posters at Science Park
In March, the UvA filed a report concerning threatening posters in which each member of the Executive Board was named and pictured, accused of “complicity in genocide”. The UvA described it as a “new low point.”
7. Growing old as a philosophical experience: “As an elder you are a kind of explorer”
In January, Suzanne Biewinga earned her doctorate at the UvA at the age of seventy for her research into a new philosophy of ageing as an experience.
8. UvA’s new bird watching course is so popular that students even queue for it
A new UvA course on birdwatching proved so popular that a waiting list immediately formed. “Now, when I’m cycling and hear a bird, I stop and listen to identify it.”
9. Ellen Rutten (49) is stepping down as professor at the UvA: “My role as a Slavicist has run its course”
UvA professor Ellen Rutten (49) is leaving her position. Since Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, she has felt that research alone is like “sitting still” and wants to contribute more actively to society.
10. UvA student applies for Chair of the Executive Board
History student Carlos van Eck has applied for the position of Chair of the Executive Board. According to him, it is high time the UvA chooses someone “from within its own ranks”.
The most viewed videos of 2025
1. ADE kicks off during exam week. Is it possible to combine partying and studying?
The Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE) was, of course, popular among students again this year. A major drawback was that the festival took place right in the middle of exam week. Did that deter students?
2. Dating apps or love in the bar: How do students meet?
Dating apps like Bumble and Tinder are losing popularity. Are students fed up with endless swiping, and returning to meeting each other in the pub?
3. Students deeply affected by Lisa (17)’s Death: “Fear becomes reality”
The murder of 17-year-old Lisa from Abcoude left a profound impact on students in Amsterdam. What does this mean for students’ sense of safety?
The most listened-to podcasts of 2025
1. De Illustere Universiteit: Vossius and Barlaeus (1632): How Amsterdam defied Leiden’s academic monopoly
Vossius and Barlaeus took to the lectern on 8 and 9 January 1632. The Athenaeum Illustre, the predecessor of the University of Amsterdam, was thus born, but until the very last moment, it remained uncertain whether the illustrious school would actually come into being.
2. De Tijd van je Leven | How to combine studying with a busy student life in Amsterdam
Many students experience performance pressure. In addition to studying and working, they also need to maintain some sort of social life. How do you manage it all?
3. Vraag 2 | Cabinet-Schoof has fallen. Is the language test now off the table?
Cabinet-Schoof fell. The big question is whether the Internationalisation in Balance Act, or WIB, would still go ahead. Folia spoke with Ingmar Visser from the psychology programme, where this law would have significant consequences.
