Board membership
Being on the board of a student association or organisation is a great way to gain work experience whilst having an unforgettable time with your fellow students. Although it can sometimes cause you to fall behind in your studies, you may be eligible to request financial support.
Gaining work experience as a student is a great idea as it allows you to develop skills that will be a big asset in your professional life. But be aware that being on the board of a large student association will almost certainly delay your graduation by up to one academic year. Evaluate in advance whether this is a good idea in your situation.
Certificate for your efforts
Board membership activities contribute to the smooth running of the university and the personal development of students. To express its appreciation, Leiden University awards certificates to board members for their efforts. In some cases these are sent automatically, in other cases you may need to request a certificate yourself.
Financial support
If you fall behind in your studies as a result of board membership activities, you may be eligible for financial support.
You can request financial support if you have carried out board membership activities for an organisation in one of the following categories:
- Faculty-based study associations
- Faculty-based co-participation bodies
- Student associations that fall under the Local Chamber of Associations (PKvV) and sports associations
- Other organisations such as job fair organisations and boards that do not fall under a particular faculty
- Student parties with an electoral list for the faculty councils or the University Council.
Does your organisation not fit into one of these categories?
If you are undertaking board duties for an organisation or activity that does not fall under one of the above-mentioned categories, you can submit a request for financial assistance to: bestuursbeurs@SEA.leidenuniv.nl.
- You are registered as a tuition fee-paying Leiden University student in the year in which you undertake the board activities.
- You are not receiving financial assistance for the same activity via the University Council Facilities Regulations, the Compensation Ruling for Faculty Board Members and Services Managers, or the Leiden Student Council Regulations.
- You may receive a maximum of 18 months’ worth of financial support for board membership activities during your entire period of student registration at Leiden University.
The Executive Board determines the amount of funds available for each category of organisation.
Division of funds category 1
Undertaken by the faculty assessor on behalf of the faculty board
The faculty assessor draws us recommendations concerning the division of funds between study associations on the basis of the number of members and the activities undertaken by the association (university points model).
Division of funds category 2
Undertaken by the faculty assessor on behalf of the faculty board
The faculty assessor determines whether the member of the co-participation body meets the requirements for financial support on the basis of a number of pre-determined criteria, i.e. participation in (online) trainings and attendance of meetings.
Division of funds category 3
Undertaken by the PKvV
The PKvV draws up recommendations for the division on funds between student and sports associations. At the beginning of each year, the PKvV sends a questionnaire to all associations in order to gather information. The division of funds is primarily decided on the basis of a points system. In addition, the number of board members who could request financial support (if they meet all conditions) is taken into consideration. When drawing up its recommendations, the PKvV also takes the following into account:
- The size of the association (number of members)
- The number of activities
- The opening times of association premises (if applicable)
- The facilities available in association premises (if applicable)
- The number of board members and the amount of time they dedicate to board activities
Division of funds category 4
Undertaken by the LAssO
For this category, three different ‘pots’ of funds are available, each with a different focus. These are known as the B, C and Other pot. The Leiden Assessors Council (LAssO) draws up recommendations for the division of funds on the basis of this model.
The division of funds from these ‘pots’ takes place on the basis of the following criteria:
- The number of hours spent on activities
- The number of students served by the body
- Pot-specific criteria
In exceptional circumstances, organisations may be entitled to a bonus of half a month’s worth of funding.
Division of funds category 5
Undertaken by the LAssO
The Leiden Assessors Council (LAssO) draws up recommendations for the division of funds to student party board members. This is done on the basis of the conditions and criteria stated in the Regulations on financial support for student party board members.
Awarding of funds by Executive Board
The Executive Board checks the recommendations issued by the PKvV, faculty boards and LAsso and makes a final decision on the amount of funds to be awarded. For category 2, the Executive Board awards funds directly to individual board members. For all other categories, funds are awarded to a board as a whole. Thereafter, the chairperson of the board arranges the proportional distribution of funds between board members.
Financial support amounts to 300 euro for each recognised month of board activities. If you are/were receiving a DUO top-up grant during your board membership activities, you will receive additional funding equivalent to the amount of your top-up grant.
Full-time board membership: tuition fee compensation
If you receive financial support for full-time board membership (12 months), you will also receive financial compensation equivalent to one year of statutory tuition fee. If you cancel your student registration part-way through the academic year, you must repay this tuition fee compensation on a pro-rata basis.
Tuition fee-free board membership
You can also opt for tuition fee-free board membership. In this case, when requesting financial support you must sign a contract stating that you were not registered as a student of Leiden University during your board membership period, but will be registered as a student the subsequent year.
Note: if you opt for tuition fee-free board membership, you are not entitled to student finance from DUO, i.e. a student loan or public transport pass.
When?
Fulltime board membership
- Before starting board membership activities
You must request payment of financial support before starting your full-time (12 months) board membership activities.
Part-time board membership
- No later than 3 months after completing your studies
You can request payment of financial support up to 3 months after completing your study programme. - Deadline: 31 December
You must submit your application before 31 December in the year in which your board membership activities took place. For example: if you undertook board activities in the academic year 2019/2020, the deadline is 31 December 2020.
How?
- Check whether you meet the conditions above.
- Collect the necessary documents:
- Completed chairperson’s statement
- Proof of student registration, or if you are opting for tuition fee-free board membership (only for full-time board membership), a completed tuition fee-free board membership contract (form available in Dutch)
- If you are/were entitled to a DUO top-up grant during your board membership activities: a copy of your DUO financial overview
- Complete the request form.
Payment date
Fulltime board membership
You will receive monthly payments during your board membership activities.
Part-time board membership
You will receive a one-off payment once you have completed your board membership activities.