FAQs - for prospective students who want to apply to Leiden University
Yes, Leiden University is still accepting applications for most programmes starting in September 2020.
We are currently doing our best to keep to our regular processing times of 2-4 weeks for bachelor’s applications and 6-8 weeks for master’s applications. Please keep in mind that given the current situation this may take longer, particularly around deadlines.
The deadline for bachelor’s programmes with an application deadline of 1 May has been extended to 1 June, but only if you have an EU/EEA nationality. The study choice check remains part of the admission procedure and can be taken online.
The deadline for Leiden University College The Hague or bachelor's programmes with a limited capacity (numerus fixus) still remain unchanged.
The deadline for non-EU/EER students for admission to a bachelor's or master's programme has been postponed to 1 May, the deadline for visa applications has been postponed to 15 June.
The deadline for the masters's programme with a capacity limitation (selection) has been postponed to 15 June. With the exception of the MSc Pharmacy and MSc Biomedical Science; the deadline for these programmes remain 1 April.
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When applying, please provide as many of the required documents as you have available. The Admissions Office will contact you if further information is needed.
Leiden University will do its utmost to take your circumstances into consideration and offer flexibility in terms of documents and deadlines. However, please be aware that in some situations the only option may be for you to delay your studies until a later date.
In principle, Leiden University will be accepting all diploma credentials that appear on our diploma equivalencies list regardless of any exam postponements or cancellations. This includes the International Baccalaureate, A-levels and College Board Advanced Placement exams. If minimum grades for final exams and/or specific exam results are required for your diploma in the diploma equivalencies list and if these exams have been cancelled in your country, your application will be assessed on a case by case basis and admission might still be possible based on your final year subjects/stream/grades so far etc.
Given the current exceptional circumstances, Leiden University is actively monitoring developments around the world, and will be reviewing the implications for our admissions policy of final exams being cancelled as and when this happens. Leiden University will do its utmost to take your circumstances into consideration and offer flexibility where possible.
We recognise that these are highly unusual circumstances, and we are committed to supporting students and ensuring that the admissions process continues as smoothly as possible.
For your online application, you do not need the results of your English proficiency test. You can indicate that you have not yet taken the test in the Leiden University Online Application System (uSis). Once your results are available, submit these results according to the instructions in your conditional admission statement.
Please note that Leiden University currently accepts the iBT TOEFL Special Home Edition. You can check if this online English proficiency test is accessible for you on the ETS website.
Leiden University currently accepts the iBT TOEFL Special Home Edition. You can check if this online English proficiency test is accessible for you on the ETS website.
You can apply for the Nuffic certificate even if you have not taken your English proficiency test at the time of application. Nuffic will process your application without the test. As soon as you receive your English test scores, arrange for them to be submitted directly to Leiden University.
You can cancel your application at any time, even if you have previously accepted the offer of admission in uSis. If you cancel before 1 September 2020, you will also be reimbursed for any tuition fees you have already paid.
You may also consider deferring your application to to the next available start date of your programme. Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. However, if you defer your current application or submit a new one for the next academic year, you will not have to pay this fee again.
Visa fees are only refundable if you cancel your application before the University submits your visa application to the Dutch immigration authorities (IND). If the University has already applied for your visa when you cancel your application, the visa fee is non-refundable.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will take action as needed, according to the guidelines of the Dutch government. At present, the government is sticking to the 1 September start of the academic year.
Unfortunately, not all questions you may have will have answers just yet. The University is working hard in these uncertain times to provide as many answers as possible.
If you have a specific question about your application or admission to Leiden University, please contact our Student Affairs Office using this form or call during office hours
FAQs - for students who have already applied or been made a conditional offer
Leiden University is actively monitoring developments around the world, and will be reviewing the implications for our admissions policy of final exams being cancelled as and when this happens. Leiden University will do its utmost to take your circumstances into consideration and offer flexibility in terms of deadlines. However, please be aware that in some situations the only option may be for you to delay your studies until a later date.
In principle, Leiden University will be accepting all diploma credentials that appear on our diploma equivalencies list, regardless of any exam postponements or cancellations.
If minimum grades for final exams and/or specific exam results are required for your diploma in the diploma equivalencies list or your conditional admission statement and if these exams have been cancelled in your country, your application will be assessed on a case by case basis and admission might still be possible based on your final years subjects/stream/grades so far etc. If you have already received your conditional admission statement and this applies to you, please contact the Admissions Office using this form: bachelor’s admissions contact form.
If you already applied and been made a conditional offer based on an IB diploma or British A-levels that you will obtain in 2020: the cancellation of the exam sessions in summer 2020 will not affect your eligibility. As long as you obtain your diploma and meet the conditions specified in your letter of admission, you will be made an unconditional offer and will be able to enrol on your chosen programme in September. Please arrange for the IB or A level authority to send us your results as soon as they are available.
If you have already applied, please note that Leiden University will be as flexible as possible with document submission. This means that, depending on your situation, it may be possible for your school to send us your final documents by email. Where diploma or credential authorities already have an online delivery system for results, such as the International Baccalaureate, please arrange for these results to be submitted in the standard way.
If you cannot submit the documents according to the instructions in your admission statement, please first verify with your school/university which documents they can still submit and how, and then contact the Admissions Office for approval, by filling out the relevant contact form: bachelor’s admissions contact form / master'a admissions contact form.
Leiden University will do its utmost to take your circumstances into consideration and offer flexibility in terms of deadlines. However, please be aware that in some situations the only option may be for you to delay your studies until a later date.
Leiden University currently accepts the iBT TOEFL Special Home Edition. You can check if this online English proficiency test is accessible for you on the ETS website.
If this online test is not an option for you, Leiden University will do its utmost to take your circumstances into consideration and offer flexibility in terms of deadlines. However, please be aware that in some situations the only option may be for you to delay your studies until a later date.
If you have been made a conditional offer, we need to have received your results before 15 June (non-EU/EEA students) or 1 September (EU/EEA students) to be able to make an unconditional offer.
If your test results are not available before our deadline, please contact the Admissions Office by filling out the relevant contact form: bachelor’s admissions contact form / master'a admissions contact form.
Leiden University currently accepts the iBT TOEFL Special Home Edition. You can check if this online English proficiency test is accessible for you on the ETS website.
You can apply for the Nuffic certificate even if you have not taken your English proficiency test at the time of application. Nuffic will process your request without the test. As soon as you receive your English test scores, arrange for them to be submitted directly to Leiden University by the relevant testing authority.
In accordance with the guidelines of the Dutch government, most of our staff will be working remotely until 28 April. Unfortunately, this may cause some delay in processing applications or physical documents that have been sent to the Admissions Office.
Regardless of this delay, we advise you to send us the required documents as instructed in your letter of conditional admission. We will confirm their arrival as soon as possible.
Yes, we expect to release the rankings on time.
At this time, the visa/residence permit application procedure has not been changed as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. If you need a visa and/or residence permit to study in the Netherlands, the Visa Office will contact you directly with instructions.
We cannot predict whether changes will be made to travel regulations, the availability of Dutch embassies/consulates in affected areas and so on. If we become aware of precautions that could affect the visa/residence permit procedure, the Visa Team will inform you in May or early June.
You can cancel your application at any time, even if you have previously accepted the offer of admission in uSis. If you cancel before 1 September 2020, you will also be reimbursed for any tuition fees already paid.
You may also consider deferring your application to the next available start date of your programme, where possible. Not all programmes are able to offer this option.
Please note that the application fee is non-refundable. However, if you defer your current application or submit a new one for the next academic year, you will not have to pay this fee again.
Also note that if you withdraw or cancel your enrolment and your visa (if applicable) has already been applied for, the visa fees are non-refundable.
After accepting the offer for housing the payment of the housing fee is non-refundable. Please also check costs and payment for other financial consequences.
We are monitoring the situation closely and will take action as needed, according to the guidelines of the Dutch government. At present, the government is sticking to the 1 September start of the academic year.
Unfortunately, not all questions you may have will have answers just yet. The University is working hard in these uncertain times to provide as many answers as possible.
If you have a specific question about your application or admission to Leiden University, please contact our Student Affairs Office using the relevant form: bachelor’s admissions contact form / master'a admissions contact form.
FAQ - incoming exchange students / non degree students
The application deadline for incoming exchange and study abroad student has been postponed to 1 May. Please submit your complete application, including all documents before this date.
For your online application, you do not need the results of your English proficiency test. You can indicate that you have not yet taken the test in the Online Application System. Once your results are available, submit these results according to the instructions in your conditional admission statement. If you have been made a conditional offer, we need to have received your results before 1 June (non-EU/EEA students) or 1 September (EU/EEA students) in order to be able to make an unconditional offer.
Yes, there is. Please consult your home and your host exchange coordinator to ask what steps you need to take. Please note that due to the current situation, there may be limits to the number of students we can accept for the Spring semester. Moreover, kindly note that course offerings in Spring may differ from those in Fall, and that you need to be admitted for these new courses.
If you consider renting through the university’s Housing Office, it is strongly advised to apply for housing and pay your deposit as soon as possible. The sooner the better, as housing options are very limited.
