Welcome to Leiden University
Will you soon be joining Leiden University? Here you can find all the information you need to get your studies off to a good start.
Joining a bachelor's or master's programme?
Find out what you need to know and arrange by clicking on your faculty or study programme tab.
Joining an exchange or study-abroad programme?
Find out all you need to know for your semester at Leiden University on the website for international exchange and study abroad students.
Welcome at the Faculty of Science. All information you will need to start with your studies, you will find on the programme's tab.
Is there no information yet, or did you not find an answer to your question? Please contact the co-ordinator or advisor of studies.
Your time as a student at Leiden University will soon begin. Read here what you need to do to find your way quickly and prepare optimally.
What to arrange before your studies begin
An introduction week is the best way to get to know your new city, student life and your fellow students.
Introductory meeting 'Data Science & Artificial Intelligence'
An introduction will be given on Friday afternoon, September 1, 2023. During this afternoon you will receive more information about the University in general and about your study program specifically. There will also be a group photo opportunity. If you would like to join, please register here. We kindly ask you to be present in room C1 of the Gorlaeus building (Einsteinweg 55, Leiden). The walk-in is from 12.45 – 13.00h. Subsequently, the introduction program will take place from 13.00 – 16.00h.
The actual lectures will start on Monday 4th of September.
First-year weekend study association 'Leidsche Flesch'
The study association 'De Leidsche Flesch' organises a first-year weekend 22-24 September.
As a student of Leiden University you’ll receive a student account (ULCN account). This gives you access to the university’s systems and work stations. You'll first need to activate your ULCN account.
Your LU card is your university ID card. It gives you access to a range of facilities. Make sure to request your LU card before starting your studies.
Make sure you know where you have to be and when on your first day.
Prepare your stay
As an international student, you will need to take care of a number of practical matters both before and after arriving in the Netherlands. Check this website to find out about the steps you need take and appointments you need to make.
Warm welcome service
On certain dates shortly before the start of each semester, Leiden University organises a Warm Welcome Service for newly-arriving international students. This includes assistance in finding your way from the airport to your accommodation, as well as advice on the formalities you need to take care of after arrival. More information will be available soon on the warm welcome service page. If you have any questions about the Warm Welcome Service, please send a mail to: arrival@leidenuniv.nl
We are preparing to provide (all) our teaching on campus as of the start of the new academic year, without any restrictions. Make sure that you start early applying for housing or finding housing yourself. On the housing page you can find more information about arranging accommodation.
Prospectus
In the Prospectus (E-Guide) you will find all detailed information about the courses you will follow, including the learning objectives, assessment method and literature per subject. You will also find the registration codes for courses and exams here.
Registration
Regardless of the status of your application (perhaps one or more conditions still need to be met), this e-mail already provides some general information about the start of the academic year.
In case your registration is not yet complete, please send in the required documents. We recommend that you complete your registration as soon as possible. More information can be found here. If you experience any difficulties or have questions during the process, feel free to reach out to the Student Affairs Front Office or send an e-mail to: bacheloradmission@sea.leidenuniv.nl. Not being registered means that you cannot follow this programme.
Books
You can order your study books at a discount through the study association De Leidse Flesch. During the summer holidays you will receive an information letter from De Leidsche Flesch after your registration at the university. If you become a member of De Leidsche Flesch you will receive an e-mail with more information.
My Study Map
Students who are starting their studies for the first time are registered by the student administration for the courses in the first semester of the program for which they have registered via Studielink. This registration takes place in the last week of August and is repeated at the end of the first week of September. This doesn’t include the exam/retake, which still needs to be confirmed by the student; the students receive notifications about this from MyStudyMap.
An overview of all first-year courses can be found in the E-Guide.
Or check our Q&A.
We expect students to bring a regular laptop running Linux or Windows. MacOS may in most cases also suffice, but less support might be available. There are no strict hardware requirements. However, for most of the courses we advise a laptop with sufficient (8GB+) memory, a modern CPU (medium range, not necessarily high end), and modern GPU (medium range, if possible CUDA-capable, definitely not high end).
Very intensive computation does not need to be performed on these laptops, but would take place on university servers.
Support and advice
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Education support: education-office@liacs.leidenuniv.nl. The Education-office handles all your questions, your first point of contact. Is also open for visiting hours: Snellius, room 406 (1st floor, Mo/Tue: 10.00 – 12.00 and 13.00 – 15.00, Thu: 13.00 – 16.00h)
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Study advisor: the study advisor can guide, advise, and inform you about your study. You can contact the study advisor about all kinds of problems in your study (BSA study delay, disability, exemptions e.d.) You can reach Ilja van den Brandt via: studyadvisor@liacs.leidenuniv.nl
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Programme coordinator: the coordinator can help you with all kinds of other questions regarding the bachelor programme. You can reach Joyce Glerum via: bachelor@liacs.leidenuniv.nl
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Student coach: Anna van der Meulen is a student mentor, and a studying and presenting lecturer.
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International Office: the Science International Office gives advice to students who want to go abroad for study, internship or a research project. Also lecturers can ask their questions. Besides that, the Science International Office is also the first point of contact for international students. You can contact the International Office of our faculty via incoming@science.leidenuniv.nl.
Science Buddy Programme
International students can join the Science Buddy Programme.
The Science Buddy Programme is organised by the Science International Office, and offered to all our faculty's new international students every semester. A Science Buddy is a current student of the Faculty of Science who is easily approachable and can share his or her experience with international students. They also regularly hosts social events and activities. Interested? You can sign up here.
During your time as a student you will probably face a variety of challenges. Both in terms of studying and personal development, you might need a little help from time to time. Find out how you can boost your wellbeing and who you can turn to for support. Read more about wellbeing
Get to know key facilities
Here, on the student website, you can find a wide range of practical information about your studies. By selecting your programme when logging in, you can view information that is relevant to you. Find out how to get the most out of the student website
Your student card is your proof of registration as a student of Leiden University. The student card is a digital card and can be found in the University Leiden app after activation.
All the details of your studies are recorded in uSis. From your first registration as a student until your graduation.
Brightspace is Leiden University’s online learning environment.
As a student of Leiden University you will be issued with a university email address: uMail. All correspondence from the university will be sent to this address. You can set up your uMail account so that all mails will be forwarded to your own email address.
The indispensable app for Leiden University students. Here you can find all your personal study information in one place. Log in once and access your schedule, results, available computers and university news anytime and anyplace.
Get more out of your student life
By joining an association you'll meet lots of people and get more out of student life. As well as student and study associations, there are also a range of social associations in Leiden and The Hague, for example sports, religious or cultural associations.
The study association 'De Leidsche Flesch' organises a first-year weekend 22-24 September.
More information about 'De Leidsche Flesch'.
As a student of Leiden University, you have access to a wide range of affordable sports via the University Sport Centre (USC) in Leiden and The Hague.