Education system

Every year, Leiden University welcomes some 27,000 students from 115 different countries. In educating these students, we are committed to ensuring that the quality of our tuition meets or exceeds the highest-possible standards.

Personal and challenging

As a student at Leiden University you can interact closely with your lecturers, conduct your own research and explore topics that are both current and relevant. The style of teaching here is personal and challenging, using innovative methods of education. We also use open and online methods, such as blended learning. This is a combination of face-to-face and online contact, SPOCs (Small Open Online Courses) and MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses). You'll find our MOOCs at the Coursera platform. It’s a great way to get to know Leiden University.

Achieving your full potential

To help our bachelor’s and master’s students realise their full potential, we have developed and introduced what we call the Leiden Study System and the Binding Study Advice. Our teaching, in what is becoming an increasingly international environment, is inspired and fuelled by scientific research, and we challenge our students to play an active role in research projects. We are proud to present as many as 7,000 students with their degree certificate every year.

Extra supervision

Thanks to the Leiden Study System, students receive extra supervision during their programme. At the start of his or her studies, each student is given a personal interview. Furthermore, sufficient tuition hours are allocated and they get to work in small mentored groups, with regular meetings to discuss their progress. In their second year, students will draw up a study plan designed to help them maintain good progress and ensure they obtain their credits on time.

21st-century skills

Good preparation for the job market is important for young academics. This is why we work together with the Student Careers Service, to ensure that our programmes are properly aligned with the job market and that our students develop the skills and competences they will need later. We also make use of our networks of alumni and employers and we train students in special skills known as 21^st-century skills. These include the ability to work in a team, international and intercultural competences, entrepreneurship, leadership and digital skills.

Talent

At Leiden University we do our utmost to offer our students and staff a stimulating academic working and learning environment. If you are an unusually talented and motivated student, you will be offered additional opportunities to add depth or breadth to your programme in our excellence track at the Honours Academy with an Honours College or Honours Class. Master’s students can develop their leadership skills in the Leiden Leadership Programme or the International Leiden Leadership Programme.