Universiteit Leiden

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Admission requirements

Admission as an exchange or study abroad student is based on a number of factors.

1. Nomination by home university (only for students from partner universities)

  • Not applicable for independent fee-paying study abroad students, or if you are applying for a traineeship, research project or internship.
  • Be aware that some exchange agreements are limited to a specific faculty or discipline, which means you will not be able to follow courses at other faculities/institutes. Check with your home university coordinator whether there are limitations on the type of courses you may follow.

2. Academic requirements

  • You should have completed at least two years of university education.
  • You must have a GPA of at least 3.2 out of 4.0 (or equivalent).
  • Your academic background must be relevant to the courses you are applying for. For some courses, specific prerequisite knowledge is required – see the prospectus for details.

3. English language requirements

The minimum test scores required are:

  • TOEFL: 90 (internet-based) 
    • We do not accept the following types of test: TOEFL My Best ™ scores (multiple test scores combined), TOEFL Essentials™  or institutional tests such as ITP.
    • For admission to the academic year 2023-2024, in the following circumstances we can accept the TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition™ or TOEFL IBT Paper Edition™: you are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres in your region are closed due to COVID or inaccessible due to unsafe situations. 
    • For admission to the academic year 2022-2023, we can accept the TOEFL IBT Special Home Edition™ and the TOEFL IBT Paper Edition™ in all circumstances.
  • IELTS Academic: 6.5
    • We do not accept IELTS General Training or IELTS Indicator
    • We are not yet able to accept the new IELTS online.
  • Cambridge English ExamC1 Advanced with a minimum score of 180, or C2 Proficiency.
Other criteria
  • Test results may be no more than two years old. 
  • Chinese students should take either an IELTS or a TOEFL internet-based test, then apply for a Nuffic certificate.
Exemptions

Submitting an English language test result is not required if: 

  • You are an Erasmus+ applicant and have been granted exemption from submitting an English test by your home university coordinator.
    Note that Erasmus+ International Credit Mobility students are not exempted.
  • You have completed your secondary education in the USA, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada), Singapore, South-Africa or Malta. 
  • You have an (English-taught) International Baccalaureate secondary school diploma.

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