Dutch students

• VWO diploma
  • ‘Natuur & Techniek’
  • ‘Natuur & Gezondheid’
  • ‘Economie & Maatschappij’ and at least one of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Geography and/or Physics
  • ‘Cultuur en Maatschappij’ with mathematics A or B and at least two of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geography and/or Physics

Other Dutch diplomas

• Students with a VWO diploma who do not meet the above criteria can take one or more of the following vwo level exams:
  • Vwo deelcertificaten (in Dutch only: Staatsexamens (apply before 31 December) or at a school or vavo)
  • Boswell Beta vwo exams (in English and Dutch)
• Students with an HBO-propedeuse and official VWO-level exam certificates (‘vwo deelcertificaten or Boswell exams’) in mathematics A or B and at least two of the following subjects: Biology, Chemistry, Economics, Geography and/or Physics, can also apply.
• Colloquium doctum is a special admission procedures for prospective Dutch students who:
  • do not have a diploma that grants university admission, and
  • are aged 21 or older on the day their proposed study programme will commence.
    
    Not easy
    This is a challenging admission procedure. Most candidates will have to take a number of exams at Dutch pre-university (VWO) level.  If you pass your exams, bear in mind that you may still have gaps in your knowledge compared to students who have completed their VWO diploma.
    
    For this reason, recent school leavers are advised to consider completing a VWO diploma rather than taking the colloquium doctum route.
    
    Application deadline
    Be aware that the application deadline for colloquium doctum is 1 November. Read more under Application deadlines.

International students

An equivalent of a Dutch pre-university education (VWO) diploma, including the subject requirements described above.

Regarding the requirements for the most common diplomas, see the document 'Specific diploma requirements for science programmes'.

As this study programme is taught in English and all study activities must be undertaken in English, it is essential that you have a good level of proficiency in written and spoken English.

You do not need to submit an English proficiency test if you:

• have obtained a Dutch VWO diploma
• have obtained a bachelor’s or master’s diploma from a Dutch university of applied sciences (HBO) or a Dutch university
• have completed your secondary or higher education in the USA, the UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes in Canada), Singapore, South Africa or Malta.
• have obtained an International Baccalaureate™ Diploma (IB DP) taught in English or with English A HL.
• have obtained a German Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife (Abitur) and English was included in your final year at least at Grundkurslevel.
• Exemptions can also be granted on the basis of certain other educational diplomas. Check our diploma requirements list to find out whether your diploma might entitle you to an exemption.

If none of the above apply to you, you must provide proof of proficiency by means of one of the following tests. You must arrange the test yourself. Test results may not be more than two years old

Leiden University accepts three kinds of official tests:

• IELTS - Academic modules only, on paper or on computer. Minimum score of 6.0 overall and 6.0 for  each separate component
  • We do not accept IELTS Academic online
  • We do not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS Indicator, or IELTS One Skill Retake
• TOEFL Internet Based. Minimum score of 80 overall and 20 for each separate component
  • We do not accept the TOEFL IBT Home Edition™, except in the following situations only:
    You took the test before 1 Sept 2022 (and it is not more than 2 years old), or 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.
• Cambridge C2 Proficiency in English or Cambridge C1 Advanced English, with a minimum score of 169 for each separate component.

Also see general language requirements for additional information.

BSc Science for Sustainable Societies is a bachelor’s programme with a compulsory matching module. As part of the application process you will be invited to participate in a ‘matching activity’. This is to make sure that BSc Science for Sustainable Society is the right programme for you. Matching is a compulsory part of your admission and application procedure.

Compulsory matching
BSc Science for Sustainable Societies is a bachelor's programme with a compulsory matching module.

As part of the application process, you will be invited to participate in a ‘matching activity’. This is to make sure that BSc Science for Sustainable Societies is the right programme for you. Matching is a compulsory part of your admission and application procedure.

Matching is done through an online matching module. In this module, you will familiarise yourself with the teaching style, course materials and the way of thinking that are typical for BSc Science for Sustainable Societies. After completing the module, you will receive an advice following your results. This advice is not binding. Therefore, your performance on the module does not influence your chances of being admitted to the programme. The module is designed to find out whether Science for Sustainable Societies is the right choice for you.

Once you have applied for the BSc Science for Sustainable Societies and your application has been successfully received by Leiden University (before the application deadlines), you will receive an invitation to participate in the matching module once it opens.

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