Leiden University College The Hague (LUC) is the international English-language honours college of Leiden University, in The Hague. It offers a three-year bachelor’s in Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges, with a BA or BSc depending on the major, and has about 600 students from around 50 nationalities.[1][2]
For 2026/27 the total tuition is €5,684 a year for EU/EEA students (the €2,694 statutory fee plus LUC’s €2,990 institutional fee) and €20,560 for non-EU/EEA students (€17,570 plus €2,990).[3] Every applicant goes through a selection process, and LUC selects 200 first-year students a year.[4]
Key facts
| Official name | Leiden University College The Hague (LUC The Hague) |
| Location | The Hague, the Netherlands (Anna van Buerenplein 301, 2595 DG The Hague)[5] |
| Type | Honours college of Leiden University, run within its Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs; not a separate university[2] |
| Founded | 2010[6] |
| Programme | Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (BA/BSc), three years, full-time, in English, starting in September[2] |
| Students | About 600; around 50 nationalities; average class size 20[1] |
| Intake | 200 first-year students a year, with guaranteed housing on the campus in The Hague[4] |
| Housing | All first- and second-year students live on campus[1] |
| Total tuition 2026/27, EU/EEA | €5,684 per year (€2,694 statutory fee + €2,990 LUC institutional fee)[3] |
| Total tuition 2026/27, non-EU/EEA | €20,560 per year (€17,570 tuition fee + €2,990 LUC institutional fee)[3] |
| Campus fee 2026/27 | €640 per year for students living on campus in the first two years[3] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 (Leiden University) | 119th; LUC itself is not listed separately[7] |
| Official website | universiteitleiden.nl |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.
About Leiden University College The Hague
LUC is the international English-language Honours College of Leiden University. It offers a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Sciences built around Global Challenges, big issues that “cannot be solved by one nation, organisation or viewpoint”.[1] It was established in 2010 and sits beside The Hague Central railway station.[6] The programme is run within Leiden University’s Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs.[2]
The college stresses small-scale, student-centred teaching and a residential community in which all first- and second-year students live on campus.[1] In 2025 it became the first degree programme in the Netherlands to be officially recognised for its focused approach to teaching the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Sustainable Education Label).[2]
How is Leiden University College The Hague ranked?
LUC does not appear as a separate institution in the QS World University Rankings. Its parent, Leiden University, is 119th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, and NL Times says it maintained its position.[7] A university-wide position says little about a single honours college, so treat it as context only.
The programme page highlights a different kind of recognition: the Sustainable Education Label for its work on the UN Sustainable Development Goals.[2] We did not find a dated ranking of Dutch university colleges in the sources we read. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at Leiden University College The Hague?
LUC offers one programme, Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges, a three-year, full-time bachelor’s taught in English.[2] You study today’s global challenges through several disciplines before choosing one or two to pursue in more depth.[2] The programme page lists five majors:[2]
- Culture, History and Society (BA)
- Earth, Energy and Sustainability (BSc)
- Governance, Economics and Development (BSc)
- International Justice (BA)
- World Politics (BA)
The same page speaks of “a choice of six majors”, so check the current major list before you apply.[2] In the first year all students take a statistics course and at least one mathematics-related course, designed to be accessible at all maths levels.[5] Classes are small, averaging 18 to 20 students depending on the page.[2][1]
How much does Leiden University College The Hague cost in 2026/27?
| Cost per year, 2026/27 | EU/EEA | Non-EU/EEA |
|---|---|---|
| Standard tuition fee | €2,694 | €17,570 |
| LUC institutional fee | €2,990 | €2,990 |
| Total tuition | €5,684 | €20,560 |
| Campus fee (students living on campus, first two years) | €640 | €640 |
These are the 2026/27 figures from LUC’s fees page as archived on 10 May 2026. The live page has since moved on to 2027/28 and shows an estimated €5,841 for EU/EEA students (€2,771 plus a €3,070 institutional fee) and €21,120 for non-EU/EEA students (€18,050 plus €3,070), with a campus fee of €657.[3][8] The institutional fee covers small classes, academic and study advisors, student psychologists, student association membership, college-wide events and extra facilities, and every student pays it on top of the standard fee.[3] Fees can change each year and are charged again when you extend your registration.[3]
Who pays the lower fee?
The statutory fee applies to nationals of EEA countries, Suriname and Switzerland who follow a government-subsidised programme and are not taking a second degree. If you are a non-EEA national with a Dutch residence permit that makes you eligible for student finance from the Dutch education agency (DUO), you also pay the statutory fee. Anyone with several nationalities, one of them EU/EEA, qualifies for the EU/EEA rate.[9][3]
Housing and living costs
- Rent for a furnished studio on campus is expected to be about €790 a month, and the studios qualify for Dutch rent subsidy of about €260 a month for students without income (figure from 2025).[3]
- Personal expenses are estimated at €490 to €770 a month, covering food, health insurance, transport, study material and social activities.[3]
- LUC offers financial support to a limited number of students through its own Financial Support Programme.[3]
How do you apply to Leiden University College The Hague?
All applicants go through a selection process. You apply for “Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges” in Studielink, activate your Leiden University account and submit a complete application in the Leiden University application portal (uSis). Both steps must be completed by the deadline.[4]
- Diploma evaluation: the Admissions Committee checks whether your diploma and English are likely to meet the requirements.
- Pre-admission class and reflection: you attend an online class on global challenges (1.5 hours in total) and write a short reflection afterwards. LUC expects you to write it yourself without AI; detected AI answers count against your application.
- Admission assessment: the committee reviews the whole application: academic skills, English, motivation for Global Challenges, extracurricular activities, willingness to engage, the reflection and maths skills.
- Decision: made by the committee together with the Dean of LUC and communicated on a rolling basis.
Academics come first in the assessment, followed by English, motivation, extracurricular activities and finally maths.[4] LUC selects 200 first-year students a year and does not allow deferral; if you want to start a year later you have to re-apply.[4] There are early-bird and regular rounds, and we list no dates because they change every year; check LUC’s deadlines page.[4]
Entry requirements
Because LUC is an honours programme, Leiden University’s minimum admission requirements apply plus additional LUC selection requirements for each diploma, listed in a diploma list. If you meet Leiden’s requirements but not LUC’s extra ones you can still apply, with a lower chance of being selected. A diploma not on the list can only be assessed by applying.[5] All applicants submit a transcript with their most recent mathematics grade.[5]
Which English level do you need?
All applicants must be proficient in English. You can prove it with a test, or with a diploma that carries an “English language test exemption” on LUC’s diploma list. Test results can be no more than two years old when the programme starts and must come from a single test.[5]
| Test | Overall | Each part |
|---|---|---|
| IELTS Academic | 7.0 | at least 6.0 |
| TOEFL iBT (current scoring) | 5.5 | at least 4.5 |
| TOEFL iBT (taken September to December 2025) | 100 | at least 20 |
| Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency | 185 | at least 169 |
| LanguageCert Academic (test centre) | 75 | at least 65 |
| Pearson PTE Academic | 76 | at least 61 |
The scores above are those shown for the 2027 intake. LUC does not accept IELTS General Training, IELTS One Skill Retake, TOEFL MyBest or Essentials scores, or institutional tests; IELTS Academic online and TOEFL Home Edition are accepted only if test centres in your country are inaccessible or closed because of unsafe conditions.[5]
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Leiden University College The Hague cost in 2026/27?
Total tuition is €5,684 a year for EU/EEA students and €20,560 for non-EU/EEA students, including LUC’s €2,990 institutional fee. The campus fee for students living on campus is €640 a year.[3]
Is LUC The Hague part of Leiden University?
How do I get into Leiden University College The Hague?
You apply in Studielink and the Leiden application portal, then go through a selection: diploma evaluation, an online pre-admission class with a written reflection, and a holistic assessment. LUC selects 200 first-year students a year.[4]
What English score does LUC require?
For example IELTS Academic 7.0 overall with at least 6.0 in each part, or Cambridge 185 with at least 169 in each part. Some diplomas are exempt.[5]
More about studying in Netherlands
- Netherlands: best universities
- Study in Netherlands: complete guide
- Cost of Studying Abroad
- International Student Scholarships
- University Ranking Methodology
More university profiles in Netherlands
- Amsterdam Business School (University of Amsterdam)
- Amsterdam University College
- Delft University of Technology (TU Delft)
- Eindhoven University of Technology
- Erasmus University Rotterdam
- Leiden University
- Maastricht University
- Nyenrode Business University
- Open Universiteit (Open University of the Netherlands)
- Radboud University
- Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University (RSM)
- Tilburg University
- University College Utrecht
- University of Amsterdam (UvA)
- University of Groningen
- University of Twente
- Utrecht University
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
- Wageningen University & Research
Sources
[1] Leiden University: Leiden University College The Hague (LUC by numbers) (page without a date; news items up to 22 Oct 2026)
[2] Leiden University: Liberal Arts and Sciences: Global Challenges (BA/BSc), Leiden University College (page without a date; open-day dates in November 2026 listed)
[3] Leiden University: LUC fees and finances (Internet Archive copy) (archived copy of 10 May 2026 showing fees for 2026-2027)
[4] Leiden University: LUC application and selection (page without a date; deadlines on the page are not repeated here)
[5] Leiden University: LUC admission requirements (page without a date; English scores shown for the 2027 intake)
[6] Wikipedia: Leiden University College The Hague (founding year and building; the article gives the postal code as 2592 DG, LUC’s own page gives 2595 DG)
[7] NL Times: TU Delft continues as top Dutch university in QS World Rankings (QS publishes the ranking at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (article of 18 Jun 2026; QS 2027 edition)
[8] Leiden University: LUC fees and finances (current page) (page without a date; now shows estimated fees for 2027-2028)
[9] Leiden University: Tuition fee for bachelor’s students (page without a date; rates shown for 2027-2028)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.