Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands and enjoys an excellent worldwide reputation built up over more than four centuries. We’ve provided sound personal education for hundreds of thousands of students since 1575. For many years, we’ve been among the leaders in Dutch university rankings and we are currently to be found in a variety of top international rankings too.

With almost 80 challenging master’s programmes and over 200 specialisations on offer, you are bound to find the perfect master’s match at Leiden University. Furthermore, with our inspiring research master’s programmes we can offer the best-possible preparation for a PhD or a career as a scientific researcher.

Master’s programmes taught in English, international classrooms and students and lecturers from all corners of the world: Leiden University is truly an international university. We are members of several international networks of renowned universities, including the leading League of European Research Universities (LERU). This is useful, to say the least, because it will give you the opportunity to expand your own international network, something you will benefit from for your entire career.

Leiden University has international students from about 130 countries. The top 5 countries with the most master students currently studying at Leiden University:

• 12.2 % Germany
• 9.2 % Greece
• 8.6 % United Kingdom
• 8 % China
• 7.5 % Italy

Leiden University is a leading European research university and we enjoy an excellent reputation as a multidisciplinary and research-intensive university. As a master’s student, you can count on receiving tuition from the top researchers in your discipline, as well as the opportunity to hone your research skills. Above all, research internships and research master’s programmes will challenge you to play an active role as a co-researcher.

There are some 29,000 students at Leiden University. But as a master’s student here you’ll always be more than just a number; your lecturers will know you by name. We’ll do our utmost to give you the best possible support, and if you can and want to do more, we’ll challenge you at every step of the way. For students with the necessary talent and motivation we offer the ‘Leiden Leadership Programme’ and the opportunity to study abroad.

In all our master’s programmes, as well as in the way we support our students, Leiden University devotes a lot of attention to the job market and developing the necessary skills and competencies. During your master’s programme, you will work on the so-called “21^st-century skills”, which include:

• The ability to work together in teams
• International and intercultural competencies
• Entrepreneurial and leadership skills
• Digital competencies

Our alumni are found in all professional walks of life and they can count on excellent opportunities in the job market. Three-quarters of our alumni find a job in less than three months. By encouraging you to use our Career Services and Young Alumni Network, Leiden University is looking forward to helping you get your career off to a flying start.

Learn more about Career Services of Leiden University

There is no shortage of excellent job opportunities in and around Leiden. In Leiden itself these include the University Medical Center and the Leiden Bio Science Park. In The Hague there are foreign embassies, the Netherlands’ ministries and the headquarters of countless international organisations and multinationals.

A fact not to be underestimated is that Leiden is a real student city. At least 10 per cent of the population are students, the city has over 20 student associations and its compact centre is full of cafés, many of which are popular haunts for students. The Hague, which is Leiden University’s second location, is the Netherlands’ fastest-growing student city and it boasts international allure. And like Leiden, The Hague is also centrally located among the Netherlands’ main cities.

Learn more about student life in Leiden and The Hague.