Foundations of Computing (MSc)
Admission requirements
To be eligible for Foundations of Computing at Leiden University, you must meet the following admission requirements.
Diploma requirements
You are eligible to apply if you have
- a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science (Informatica) or Artificial Intelligence from any research university in the Netherlands.
OR - a bachelor’s degree in a Computer Science-related programme from a research university in the Netherlands, under the condition that you have accumulated at least 90 EC (or the equivalent thereof) in courses/projects in the domain of Computer Science.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to the BSc degrees in Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence. If you need to meet the 90 EC requirement, you can use the list of courses and projects taught in the Leiden bachelor’s programme in Computer Science for reference.
If you have a bachelor’s degree that does not meet the requirements above, you may be eligible for an individual Pre-Master’s Programme. Deficiencies of up to 30 EC can be compensated through such a Pre-Master’s Programme. You will be admitted to the master’s programme upon completion of this Pre-Master’s Programme.
Read more about the Pre-Master's programme, if you think you may be eligible and consider pursuing one.
If you have a degree in Dutch higher vocational education (hbo) in a Computer Science or Bioinformatics-related field of science, you are eligible to apply under the condition that you have
- obtained the diploma within a maximum of five years and
- an average final grade of at least 7.5.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to the level and content of the Dutch BSc degree in Computer Science and whether you meet the additional requirements (including the language requirement).
Most students from a Dutch university of applied sciences are not directly admissible, but may be eligible for an individual Pre-Master’s Programme. Deficiencies of up to 30 EC can be compensated through such a Pre-Master’s Programme. You will be admitted to the master’s programme upon completion of this Pre-Master’s Programme.
Read more about the Pre-Master's programme, if you think you may be eligible and consider pursuing one.
If you have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or Artificial Intelligence, or in a Computer Science-related programme from a foreign research university with a level similar to Dutch universities, you are eligible to apply under the condition that you have accumulated at least 90 EC (or the equivalent thereof) in courses/projects in the domain of Computer Science.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to the level and content of the Dutch BSc degree in Computer Science. If you need to meet the 90 EC requirement, you can use the list of courses and projects taught in the Leiden bachelor’s programme in Computer Science for reference.
If you do not meet the 90 EC requirement, it is not recommended to apply for this Master's programme.
Language requirements
The following requirements apply*:
- IELTS Academic modules only, on paper or on computer: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
- We do not accept IELTS Academic online.
- We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Skill Retake
- TOEFL internet based: 90 overall, with at least 20 for each separate component.
- We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
You are unable to take an in-person test on location because test centres are inaccessible or closed due to unsafe conditions in a country. - 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.
- We are not able to accept The TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situation only:
- Cambridge English Exam C2 Proficiency, or C1 Advanced (180), with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.
Note that English test results may not be more than two years old and must be obtained in one single test.
*You do not have to submit an English proficiency test if you have completed your education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada) Singapore, South-Africa or Malta; or if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; or if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught bachelor at a Dutch research university or (for September intake) a diploma of an English-taught higher professional education (hbo) programme completed at a Dutch university of applied sciences.
For detailed information, including exemption criteria and methods of submission, refer to English language proficiency.
Additional information
We expect students to bring a regular laptop running Windows (or running Linux for certain study programmes). MacOS may in most cases also suffice (with Parallels for Windows installed), but not all specialized applications may be supported, and less support may be available.
Laptop profile Faculty of Science:
• Windows 11 compatible – 64-bits (or Linux for some study programmes)
• Processor/CPU – modern, medium range
• Memory/RAM – 8 GB, if possible 16 GB
• Storage – 512 GB, if possible 1 TB
Laptop profile MSc Computer Science:
• Operating system: Linux and/or Windows (MacOS often suffices, but support may be limited)
• Modern medium range GPU (CUDA-capable if possible, but certainly not high end)
University computing servers will be used for demanding computations.