History

“I am a true entrepreneur, it is my life and blood, I absolutely love it and was made for it.” Anton Dreesman, Founder.

‘You can either wait for others to make things happen or you can take direct action yourself’ is the basis upon which Anton Dreesmann founded IC University of Applied Sciences – Amsterdam in 1979 (formerly known as ‘Inter College Business School’). At the time, he lacked adequately trained people for his family business Vroom & Dreesmann, the largest retailer in The Netherlands during that period. For this reason, he started a study programme that focused purely on hospitality. In the early 1980s, IC University of Applied Sciences – Amsterdam expanded to what it is today, a private education institution offering a business administration study programme.

The monumental building where IC University of Applied Sciences – Amsterdam is located, was in 1914 a building for 2 public elementary schools. It’s the former ‘Koningin Emma school’ (you can still find this name on the facade), later in use by de Hogere Economische School. 

From 2000 to 2014, IC University of Applied Sciences – Amsterdam was part of Luzac, dedicated to training the business minds of tomorrow.

In July 2014, the school was acquired by George Banken, Paul van Splunteren and Bart van den Dries. These three prominent entrepreneurs aimed to align the study programme with the practices of the modern, dynamic world of entrepreneurship. Thanks to years of experience and a broad network of shareholders, IC University of Applied Sciences – Amsterdam excels at offering a practicality-oriented business administration programme, made for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.

In 2019, IC University of Applied Sciences – Amsterdam was acquired by Global University Systems (GUS). GUS is an international network consisting of more than 24 universities and colleges around the world, brought together by a shared passion for accessible, industry-relevant qualifications. GUS delivers a wide variety of programmes, including bachelor’s degree programmes, master’s degree programmes, professional training, English Language training and corporate & executive education. When someone chooses to study at a GUS institution– whether on campus in Europe, North America or even in their own home – they’re joining a network of over 80,000 students worldwide. 

GUS institutions are based in some of the biggest cities around the world, with campuses in London, Birmingham and Manchester, across the Atlantic in Toronto, Chicago and Vancouver; and across the globe in Singapore, Amsterdam, Germany and Israel.