Statistics and Data Science (MSc)
Admission requirements
To be eligible for Statistics and Data Science at Leiden University, you must meet the following admission requirements.
Diploma requirements
Entry requirements for students from a Dutch research university
If you have a bachelor’s degree from a research university in the Netherlands, you are eligible to apply under the condition that you have
- basic knowledge of calculus (equivalent to the Dutch: vwo Wiskunde B) and
- accumulated at least 20 EC (or the equivalence thereof) in courses/projects in statistics/ methodology and/or mathematics, of which at least 10 EC in statistics/methodology/probability calculus. And
- that you have followed at least one 3EC course in which an imperative programming language (such as R, Python, MatLab, or C\C++ or similar) was taught.
The aforementioned courses/projects must have been concluded with an average mark of at least 7.5/10 (or GPA ≥ 3.4).
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficient for admission.
If you have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics, psychology, computer science or econometrics from a research university in the Netherlands, you will typically fulfil the requirements with respect to statistics/methodology and/or mathematics. We also encourage students with a bachelor in life sciences, such as biomedical sciences, medicine, and biology to apply.
For more information, please contact the Student Information Centre.
Entry requirements for students from a Dutch university of applied sciences (hbo)
If you have a degree in Dutch higher vocational education (hbo) in a Statistics & Data Science-related field of science, you are eligible to apply.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background demonstrate, to their satisfaction, that you possess the same level of knowledge, understanding and skills as holders of a bachelor’s degree from a research university in the Netherlands which meets the admission requirements, as defined in the section above ''Entry requirements for students from a Dutch research university''.
For more information, please contact the Student Information Centre.
Entry requirements for students from a foreign research university
If you have a bachelor’s degree from a foreign research university with a level similar to Dutch universities, you are eligible to apply under the condition that you have
- basic knowledge of calculus (equivalent to the Dutch: vwo Wiskunde B) and
- accumulated at least 20 EC (or the equivalence thereof) in courses/projects in statistics/ methodology and/or mathematics, of which at least 10 EC in statistics/methodology/probability calculus. And
- that you have followed at least one 3EC course in which an imperative programming language (such as R, Python, MatLab, or C\C++ or similar) was taught.
The aforementioned courses/projects must have been concluded with an average mark of at least 7.5/10 (or GPA ≥ 3.4).
Bachelor’s degrees in mathematics, psychology, computer science or econometrics from a research university usually fulfil the requirements with respect to statistics/methodology and/or mathematics. We also encourage students with a bachelor in life sciences, such as biomedical sciences, medicine, and biology to apply.
The Board of Admissions will assess whether your degree and background are sufficiently related to the level and content of a Dutch BSc degree and whether you meet the additional requirements.
For more information, please contact the Student Information Centre.
Language requirements
English language requirements
English language proficiency
The following requirements apply:
- IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall, with at least 6.0 for each separate component score.
For other accepted exams, including score equivalency tables and criteria for the accepted exams, refer to our English language proficiency requirements.
Note that English test results may not be more than two years old.
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, if you have obtained an English-taught International Baccalaureate™; if you have completed a Dutch VWO diploma or an English-taught degree at a Dutch research university or an English-taught bachelor’s degree from a Dutch university of applied sciences.
Additional information
Laptop profile
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.
• 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