Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575, with 33,494 students and seven faculties in Leiden and The Hague.[1][2] It is 119th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, the same place as last year.[3]
The national statutory fee for 2026/27 is €2,694 for EU/EEA, Swiss and Surinamese students.[4] Non-EEA students pay a programme-specific institutional fee. The pages we could read now show 2027/28 rates, for example €14,700 for most bachelor’s programmes and €22,900 for a typical master’s, and the 2026/27 amounts quoted in earlier page versions were lower.[5][6] The application fee is €100.[7]
Key facts
| Official name | Universiteit Leiden |
| Location | Leiden, with a second campus in The Hague (visiting address Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ Leiden)[8] |
| Type | Public research university; the oldest surviving university in the Netherlands[2] |
| Founded | 1575 (8 February), by William of Orange[2] |
| Students | 33,494 in 2025[1] |
| Staff | 8,130 staff members, or 5,350 FTE (2025)[1] |
| Incoming students 2025 | 6,316 bachelor’s (23% foreign nationals) and 7,058 master’s (36% foreign nationals)[1] |
| Faculties | Seven: Archaeology; Governance and Global Affairs; Humanities; Law; Medicine/LUMC; Science; Social and Behavioural Sciences[1] |
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | 119th[3] |
| Tuition 2026/27, statutory rate | €2,694[4] |
| Tuition, non-EEA bachelor’s (published for 2027/28) | €14,700 (most faculties), €19,200 (Science, Biomedical Sciences), €31,400 (Medicine)[5] |
| Tuition, non-EEA master’s (published for 2027/28) | €22,900 on the programme pages we read[6] |
| Application fee, bachelor’s | €100, non-refundable, covers several programmes[7] |
| Official website | universiteitleiden.nl |
Checked against the sources listed at the bottom of this page on 5 November 2026.
About Leiden University
Leiden University was established on 8 February 1575 by William of Orange, as a Protestant institution. It is described as the oldest surviving university in the Netherlands.[2] The main campus is in Leiden. The university expanded to The Hague in 1998 and moved into the Wijnhaven building on Turfmarkt in 2016; the Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs and Leiden University College The Hague are based there only.[2]
The university lists seven faculties: Archaeology; Governance and Global Affairs; Humanities; Law; Medicine/LUMC; Science; and Social and Behavioural Sciences. It reports 33,494 students and 8,130 staff members (5,350 FTE) for 2025.[1]
How is Leiden University ranked?
In the QS World University Rankings 2027, published on 18 June 2026, Leiden University is 119th in the world with a score of 65.6. It kept its position from the previous edition. Among Dutch universities it is fourth, behind TU Delft (48th), the University of Amsterdam (60th) and Utrecht University (113th).[3] Wikipedia lists the same joint 119th place.[2] Rankings differ by publisher and year, so treat one position as one view. How we compile rankings.
What can you study at Leiden University?
Teaching is organised in the seven faculties listed above. Six bachelor’s programmes have a fixed number of places (numerus fixus): Biomedical Sciences (Dutch), Clinical Technology (Dutch), Criminology (Dutch), International Relations and Organisations (English), Medicine (Dutch) and Psychology (English and Dutch).[10] Another Leiden page lists a slightly different set, so check your programme page for the current selection rules. Dutch-taught bachelor’s programmes require Dutch proficiency; Leiden accepts specific Dutch tests, such as the Academic Language Centre’s TUL exams, and names exemptions for some IB diplomas.[11]
How much does Leiden University cost in 2026/27?
The statutory fee for 2026/27 is €2,694 a year for students with Dutch, EU/EEA, Swiss or Surinamese nationality, and for holders of certain Dutch residence permits.[4] All other students generally pay the institutional fee, which Leiden sets by programme.
Which year the amounts belong to. The Leiden pages we could read now display the 2027/28 rates. Earlier versions of the programme pages listed the 2026/27 rates. They appeared in search results, but we could not open them. We therefore show both and mark the year.[5][6]
| Programme | Non-EEA per year, 2026/27 (earlier page versions) | Non-EEA per year, 2027/28 (current pages) |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s: Humanities, Law, Archaeology, Governance and Global Affairs, Social and Behavioural Sciences | €14,300 | €14,700 |
| Bachelor’s: Science, Biomedical Sciences | not read | €19,200 |
| Bachelor’s: Medicine (LUMC) | not read | €31,400 |
| Master’s (e.g. English Literature, Law and Society, Linguistics) | €22,300 | €22,900 |
| Master’s (e.g. Mathematics, Physics, Astronomy, Computer Science) | €22,500 | not read |
The 2027/28 statutory fee is €2,771.[5][6] A second Dutch bachelor’s costs €10,600 (Humanities, Law and similar) to €28,200 (Medicine) in 2027/28; a second Dutch master’s costs €17,800 in 2027/28 and €17,200 on earlier versions of the pages for 2026/27. These second-degree rates apply to EU/EEA, Swiss and Surinamese students only.[5][6]
Leiden University College The Hague
For 2027/28 the LUC page lists €18,050 tuition for non-EU/EEA students plus an institutional fee of €3,070 for all students, so €21,120 in total. EU/EEA students pay the estimated statutory fee plus the institutional fee (€5,841 in total). It also lists a non-refundable campus fee of €657 for the first two years on campus.[9] We did not read LUC’s 2026/27 figures.
Some Leiden programmes are not government-subsidised. There, students of all nationalities pay a higher, programme-specific institutional fee, and the Leiden fee calculator shows the amount.[5] None of these pages carries a “last updated” date.
How do you apply to Leiden University?
For bachelor’s programmes the application has three parts:[7]
- Start the application in Studielink using a valid passport or European ID card, or DigiD if you live in the Netherlands. You then receive login details for Leiden’s portal uSis.
- In uSis, check whether you are admitted automatically. If not, upload the required documents. The Board of Admissions decides: admitted, conditionally admitted or not admitted.
- If admitted, confirm in uSis, then pay the tuition fee and wait for the Confirmation of Enrolment.
The €100 application fee is non-refundable and covers several programmes. Processing does not start until it arrives. Exemptions include holders of a Dutch VWO diploma and applicants with refugee status in the Netherlands. Leiden University College charges its own fee, which does not cover other programmes.[7]
For numerus fixus programmes there is no confirmation in uSis: if you are offered a place, you must accept it in Studielink within 14 days.[7] The minimum academic requirement is a diploma at least equal to the Dutch pre-university diploma (VWO); international applicants generally have to apply for admission.[10] Master’s programmes set their own requirements on their programme pages. We give no deadlines because they change every year and differ by programme.
Which English level do you need?
Minimum scores are set per programme and shown in the programme description. For all bachelor’s and master’s programmes Leiden accepts IELTS Academic (paper or computer), TOEFL iBT, Cambridge C1 Advanced or C2 Proficiency, LanguageCert Academic (test centre only) and Pearson PTE Academic. Results may not be more than two years old and must come from a single test. IELTS General Training, TOEFL MyBest, TOEFL Essentials and institutional tests such as ITP are not accepted, and the online and home editions are accepted only where test centres are closed for safety reasons.[11][12]
Leiden’s equivalency table (for admission in 2027/28) pairs IELTS 6.0 with TOEFL 4.5 on the new 1 to 6 scale (80 on the old scale), IELTS 6.5 with 5.0 (90), IELTS 7.0 with 5.5 (100) and IELTS 7.5 with 6.0 (113).[11] The master’s document gives a separate table for 2026/27, where IELTS 6.5 corresponds to TOEFL 90.[12]
The level varies a lot. The English Literature and Culture master’s, for example, asks for IELTS 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component, or TOEFL 113.[6] Exemptions apply to applicants who completed their entire secondary or higher education in the USA, UK, Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Canada (except French-taught programmes), Singapore, South Africa or Malta, and to holders of an English-taught International Baccalaureate diploma.[11]
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does Leiden University cost for non-EU students?
Which Leiden bachelor’s programmes are numerus fixus?
Biomedical Sciences, Clinical Technology, Criminology, International Relations and Organisations, Medicine and Psychology.[10]
Is Leiden University College The Hague part of Leiden University?
How do I apply to Leiden University as an international student?
Start in Studielink, complete the application in uSis and pay the €100 application fee. The Board of Admissions then decides.[7]
How is Leiden University ranked?
119th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, unchanged from the previous edition, and fourth among Dutch universities.[3]
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 College The Hague
- 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: Facts and figures (page without a date; based on the Annual Report for 2025)
[2] Wikipedia: Leiden University (history, status, The Hague campus and Leiden University College; part of the article was not read)
[3] NL Times: TU Delft continues as Netherlands’ top university in QS World Rankings (QS publishes the ranking at topuniversities.com, which blocks automated access) (article of 18 Jun 2026; QS edition 2027)
[4] DUO: Tuition fees (page without a date; statutory fee 2026/27)
[5] Leiden University: Tuition fee (bachelor’s) (page without a date; displays 2027/28. The 2026/27 amount of €14,300 comes from an earlier version of the English Language and Culture programme page, seen in search results)
[6] Leiden University: English Literature and Culture (MA), tuition fees and requirements (page without a date; displays 2027/28. The 2026/27 amounts (€22,300, €22,500, €17,200) come from earlier versions of programme pages, seen in search results)
[7] Leiden University: Application procedure (bachelor’s) (page without a date)
[8] Leiden University: Contact (page without a date)
[9] Leiden University: Leiden University College The Hague, fees and finances (page without a date; displays 2027/28)
[10] Leiden University: Admission requirements (bachelor’s) (page without a date; another Leiden page lists a slightly different set of numerus fixus programmes)
[11] Leiden University: Language requirements, bachelor’s programmes (PDF) (last updated July 2026)
[12] Leiden University: English language proficiency, master’s programmes (PDF) (last updated July 2026)
Figures may change; check official sources before you decide. How we compile our data · Found an error? Tell us.