Minors
As a bachelor's student at Leiden University you can chose from a wide range of different areas for your optional subjects. You can use this opportunity to broaden or deepen your programme. A minor is one of the ways you can personalise your programme.
What is a minor?
A minor is a cohesive set of courses that allows you to broaden your knowledge and skills or focus on a specific subject area. Most minors are one semester in duration and consist of 30 credits (ECs), which is equal to the number of ‘elective credits’ available in most bachelor’s programmes. However, as some bachelor’s programmes allow only 15 elective credits, you can also opt to follow half a minor. In terms of level, minors are most suitable for students in the third year of their bachelor’s. The Guidelines for Elective Credits and Minors describes the procedure by which students choose and apply for a minor, as referred to in Article 3.2.2 of the (model) Leiden University bachelor's Course and Examination Regulations (OER) 2023-2024.
Why follow a minor?
- A minor represents an excellent opportunity to look beyond the confines of your own study programme.
- All faculties offer a broad selection of minors, in total more than 60. Which means you should be able to find something that really holds your interest for a whole semester.
- By following a minor that examines a topic in depth, you can specialise in a field of expertise.
- Some minors grant access to master's programmes that you might otherwise not be eligible to follow.
Joint minor offer Leiden, Delft and Rotterdam
How about following a minor at a different university? Leiden University, TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam (LDE) each reserve a third of their minor spots for students from the two other universities.
View all minors offered
Together with our LDE partners TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam, we have also developed a number of multidisciplinary minors.
Full range of LDE minorsInformation about all minors offered by Leiden University.
Full range of Leiden University minorsOn the minor application platform eduXchange, you can find all the minors on offer, including minors at TU Delft and Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Full range of minors in eduXchangeApplication and deregistration
Leiden University students
You need to apply via eduXchange. Go to the student website for more information and instruction videos.
TU Delft students and Erasmus University students
You need to apply via eduXchange.
Please use the deregistration form if you have applied for a minor but decide you don't want to take it.
TU Delft students
On this page you can read how to apply.
Erasmus University students
See this page about applying for a minor.
Other students
Between 3 and 16 April 2023 (minors with admission requirements) and 8 May and 15 July 2023 (minors without admission requirements), external students (from other research universities and universities of applied sciences) can apply for just one Leiden University minor. Application is not via eduXchange. Instead, please follow the procedures below.
1. Contact the coordinator of the minor
Contact the coordinator of the minor you wish to follow and ask if there are spaces on that minor for external students. To find out who the coordinator is, see the e-Prospectus.
2. Get a statement of no objection from Leiden University
Ask the minor coordinator to complete and sign a Leiden University Statement of no objection and return it to you.
3. Get a statement of no objection from your own institution
Ask your own institution to complete and sign a Statement of no objection from your own institution and return it to you.
4. Register as a guest student at Leiden University
Complete a Guest student registration request form and upload the statements of no objection issued by both the Leiden University minor coordinator and your own institution.
5. Arrange a 'Proof of Tuition Fee Payment' (BBC)
The BBC (Bewijs Betaald Collegegeld) is proof that you have paid your tuition fee at the institution where you are enrolled. Ask your own institution to send a digital BBC to studentenadm@sea.leidenuniv.nl.
Please note
We can only accept a BBC proving that you have paid ‘statutory tuition fee’. The BBC must be sent to us directly by your institution. You may not send it yourself.