June 2026: The Minister and the State Secretary for Education, Culture and Science have sent the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science’s 2026–2030 Policy Letter to the House of Representatives. Many of the proposed measures mentioned in the letter will be further elaborated in the coming months. As soon as more is known, an explanation will be provided here.

In the meantime, the UvA has published the Framework Letter for the 2027 budget. The letter is a standard step in drawing up the budget. Despite the coalition agreement, the expected decline in student numbers means that across the faculties, service departments and central administration we will need to continue making every effort to achieve a balanced budget in the coming years. As the Executive Board, together with fellow universities, we will continue to emphasise the importance of investing in research.

The new Jetten government’s coalition agreement states the intention to amend the WIB. The plans for higher education offer tentative grounds for cautious optimism. At the same time, much remains uncertain: as a minority government, it will need to secure support for every step.

We will continue to monitor developments closely and offer our input to policymakers in The Hague. The outlook is cautiously positive and the UvA stands ready to contribute to the further development of new plans for higher education.

UvA staff can find more information here

The UvA is a financially sound organisation. Thanks to the coalition agreement, the outlook is slightly better than it was when the 2026 budget was drawn up, although the details remain uncertain at the time of writing. Despite the coalition agreement, the expected decline in student numbers means that across the faculties, service departments and central administration we will need to continue making every effort to achieve a balanced budget in the coming years. The UvA will continue, together with fellow universities, to advocate for investment in research.

It is important that the transition from a period with starter and incentive grants to a period without them is managed properly. Based on a UvA‑wide policy framework, faculties are being asked to establish a transition policy that strikes a good balance between honouring grant commitments and the faculties’ broader ambitions.

The UvA has earmarked €5 million in 2025 and €2.5 million per year in 2026–2028 to provide additional support for this transition policy.

You will receive general information about political plans and upcoming actions via the staff website and the UvA newsletter. Information about cuts within your own faculty/service department will come from your faculty/service department.

You will be informed via your own faculty/service department.

If you have questions, you can contact your line manager or the director of operations of your faculty/service department.