An introduction week is the best way to get to know your new city, student life and your fellow students.

Read more about introduction weeks

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.

Read more about ULCN accounts

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.

Read more about the LU card

As a student at Leiden University, you need an LU-Card. This is your university ID. You use it as:

• Identification card for Leiden University
• Library card for the Leiden University Libraries (UBL)
• Print and copy card
• Access card to buildings and rooms
• Access card to parking lots
• Access card to the Hortus Botanicus

The application process for an LU-Card takes approximately two weeks. After you receive notification that your registration is complete, apply for it as soon as possible.

What do you need?

• An activated student account (ULCN)
• A Dutch postal address

How to apply?

1. Log in to Account Services with your student account (ULCN).
2. Go to 'My Profile' and check if your Dutch postal address is correct. If not, follow these steps:
   • Bachelor’s and master’s students: add or update a Dutch address via Studielink.
   • Be aware that it may take a few days for your address change to be processed. Only proceed to the next step if the correct address is displayed in Account Services.
3. Go to 'My Profile' and upload a passport photo. Make sure the photo meets passport photo requirements.
4. You will receive the LU-Card within 5 to 10 working days at your postal address.

College or Registration Card

The college or registration card is your proof of enrollment at Leiden University. This college card is digital and can be found in the Leiden University app.

The college card will appear in the app within 3 days after your registration is finalized, but not earlier than 2 months before the start of your program. You cannot use your college card for identification during exams. For that, you will need to show your LU-Card along with a valid ID, such as your passport or European Identity Card.

Make sure you know where you have to be and when on your first day.

Take a look at your timetable

We are still working on the schedules for next year. As soon as they are final, we will publish them in MyTimetable.

To view your schedule, you can use MyTimetable, where you can create your personal timetable. If you are enrolled in any courses through uSis, they will also be shown there.

Curious about your days off and holidays? Check the faculty calendar to plan your well-deserved breaks.

Check your timetable

Days off and holidays

In your first year you do not have to register for your CADS courses and examinations: we will do this for you. This also goes for the re-takes. You will receive more information about this during the introduction day.

Just before the start of the academic year, study association Itiwana arranges a book sale where you can buy new study books at the lowest price: with a 20% discount compared to their regular prices.

Only members of Itiwana can get the book discount. The cost of the Itiwana membership is lower than the book discount, so becoming a member saves you money. Read more about becoming a member of Itiwana or sign up directly.

We expect you to have your own laptop when you come to study at Leiden University. If you don't have a laptop, we advise you to purchase one. For certain courses, it may be a requirement to bring your laptop to a lecture or tutorial.

A Windows laptop or Apple MacBook with an up-to-date operating system is suitable for your studies, as is a device with Unix. We do not recommend using a Chromebook. A Chromebook can only be used if the student installs the statistical programs R and RStudio with advanced options. An unmanaged Chromebook (ChromeOS) or iPad/tablet is not suitable.

Not suitable: unmanaged Chromebooks (ChromeOS), iPads/tablets and computers with the Linux operating system.

Browser: Alle bekende browsers zoals Chrome, Edge en Firefox. De browser Safari wordt op dit moment niet ondersteund door alle programma’s die de universiteit gebruikt.

Processor: Any 64-bit processor is sufficient. Only very old devices use 32-bit processors.

Storage: Minimum: 1 GB empty storage space. Recommended: At least 10 GB empty storage space. A new laptop usually has at least 128 GB.

RAM: Minimum: 1 GB. Recommended: At least 4 GB. A new laptop usually has at least 4 GB.

We expect you to have access to a laptop when you come to study at Leiden University. If you do not have a laptop, we advise you to purchase one.

Note that some for some exams it is required to bring a laptop. In addition, in your first year, in the courses Statistics I and Statistics II you are supposed to work with statistics software. See for more information the courses Statistics I and Statistics II in the Prospectus.

A Windows laptop or an Apple MacBook with an up-to-date operating system will be sufficient for your studies (see the specifications below). We do not recommend using a Chromebook.

Specifications

Dutch electricity system

Please make sure you have the right adapter for the Dutch electricity system. In the Netherlands the power plugs and sockets are of type C and F. The standard voltage is 230 V and the standard frequency is 50 Hz.

Operating system:

Browser:

Chrome, Edge or Firefox

Processor:

Any 64-bit processor is enough. Only very old devices use 32-bit processors.

Storage:

Minimum: 1GB empty storage. Recommended: at least 10GB empty. A new laptop usually has minimum 128GB.

RAM:

At least 4GB (which is usually the minimum you can find in a new laptop).

In general, students are expected to arrange their own housing. However, for international students, Leiden University reserves a limited number of rooms each year for early applicants. The number of housing applications always greatly exceeds the number of reserved rooms. We therefore strongly recommend that prospective students also explore alternative ways of finding accommodation well before arriving in the Netherlands. 

We strongly recommend that you take both the following steps as early as possible: 

1. Take action to find housing yourself

For example, register with local housing organisations. Registration fees are generally inexpensive and the earlier you register, the greater your chance of getting a room by the start of the semester.

• Learn more about how to find housing yourself

2. Request housing via Leiden University

The university can only house a small percentage of students who request housing. Rooms are offered on a first-come first-served basis, so submit your housing request and pay the housing fee as soon as you can! If you are unsuccessful, you can always fall back on the plans you set in motion to find your own housing.

• Read how to request housing via Leiden University

In your first year of studies you will have a tutor, who will teach workgroups to help you familiarise yourself with university life. You will also have peer mentors (students of the second or third year of the bachelor’s programme). The peer mentor programme focuses on the social aspect of your studies. Your mentor will help you find your way and guide you through the challenges you might face in your first year at university. Your tutor (a teacher) and your mentor (a student) will keep in touch with each other on a regular basis.

The Student Services Centre FSW can help you with questions about timetables, grades, study results, etc.

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

Here, on the student website, you can find a wide range of practical information about your studies.

Select your study programme or exchange faculty

When you first visit the website, you will be asked to select your study programme or exchange faculty to continue.

• By selecting your study programme or exchange faculty, you can access information that is specific to your particular programme and faculty.
• By visiting the site as a guest, you can only access general, university-wide information.  

The website will remember your selection. This means you won’t have to make a selection next time you log in from the same device.

Tabs: from general to specific

If you have selected your study programme or exchange faculty, you will sometimes see more than one tab on a page:

• The tab on the left contains general information.
• The tab in the middle contains information from your faculty.
• The tab on the right contains information for students on your study programme, or for exchange students at this faculty.

All the details of your studies are recorded in uSis. From your first registration as a student until your graduation.

Read more about uSis

Brightspace is Leiden University’s online learning environment.

Read more about Brightspace

We use offline and online forms of education. Our new online learning environment is called Brightspace. Here, instructors place additional information about their course. To get an idea how it works, watch this video about Brightspace.

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.

Read more about uMail

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.

Download the app

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.  

Read more about associations

Itiwana

Itiwana is the study association of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology students in Leiden. We are the link between the students and the institute. We look after our students interests by selling study books, publishing magazines and organising study-related activities.

WDO

The WDO is an Interfaculty Ethnological Association. In 1928, students of ethnology -what is now called ‘’anthropology’’- felt the need to expand their conversations on anthropological subjects outside of the lecture halls. Thus, the WDO was founded. Over the years, the main concept of WDO has stayed the same; students from Leiden University meeting up on a monthly basis to discuss anthropological themes.   

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.

• Universitair Sportcentrum Leiden

• Plex-Fit in Leiden city centre

• USC The Buzz in The Hague

MyTimetable & MyStudymap

In Leiden University’s student portal you can organise your studies with ease. From enrolling for courses and exams to checking your schedule and grades.

Read more about MyTimetable & MyStudymap

You are now a part of our academic community. Here at Leiden University, we pride ourselves on our motto Praesidium Libertatis – bastion of freedom – and cherish the tradition of academic freedom.

What do we expect of you?

A vital component of academic freedom is an open culture in which we can disagree with one another yet still feel safe, a culture that gets us thinking and could even cause us to change our views. This benefits us. And you too have a part to play.

Find out how you can contribute to academic freedom