Leiden University

Areas of Study: 
UL offers a wide selection of subjects including Anthropology, Archaeology, Art & Art History, Asian Studies, Biology, Biomedical Science, Chemistry, Dutch Studies, English, Fine Arts, History, International Relations, Law, Life Science (Biology), Linguistics, Math, Philosophy, Political Science, Psychology, Religious Studies, Sociology and more. You can use the course search feature to search for courses in English.

Course requirements:
In Europe, full-time course load is typically 30 ECTS (European credits), and exchange students at Leiden are typically expected to take 24-30 credits per semester. 6 ECTS = 3 UCalgary units (1 half-course). 
The amount of credits each course is worth corresponds to the workload/contact hours, and can vary from 1-30 ECTS per course, so please be mindful of this in your selection. 

Please note that in the Netherlands, approx. 75% of your courses should be taken within the same faculty, with the other 25% either within that same faculty or one other faculty, if you meet the prerequisites. Please note which Faculty you plan to take the majority of your courses from in the Course Selection field of your online application. 

Student Tip: "The courses were quite different than those at UCalgary and had this interesting discussion atmosphere. The readings were from European sources which was interesting, and for the Dutch studies course, taking it while also exploring the Netherlands was hugely valuable and really taught me so much about the country. Learning firsthand how the EU works and what effect that has on individual people has made me appreciate differences in how European countries work and how people live compared to Canada. Now I see the things in Canada that are kind of special to us, and also appreciate the meaning of things I hear on the news about other countries. I now have a sense of how much bigger the world is and how many people there are living different kinds of lives from mine."

The academic year is divided into 2 semesters.

• Fall semester runs from late August to mid-January. It may be possible for students to complete the Fall semester in December, depending on courses offered. Speak with the exchange advisor for more information. 
• Spring semester runs from mid-January to early June. 

Exchange students are eligible to apply for housing as soon as they have been accepted. Students in Leiden can apply for housing through Leiden University. Due to limited availability, housing is not guaranteed, but students who apply on (or before) Leiden's deadline and ensure all documents are submitted & the housing deposit has been paid early in the process have a higher chance of placement either in Leiden or The Hague (an easy 15 minutes' train commute from Leiden).  Housing is very tight in the Netherlands, so please apply as early as possible. 

Housing may be in the form of "student rooms", which have up to 10 private bedrooms on a floor with shared bathroom and kitchen, or in "student apartments", which hold one or two students in a small apartment with full amenities. Rent depends largely on the type of residence; most rooms are €400-€600 per month while apartments are €500-€800 per month. Please note that rent, like in UCalgary residence, is charged based on the entire semester - so for those finishing early in December, rent will still be charged for January.

UL also provides some advice for students who must find their own housing. Additional information is online.

Student Tips: "I stayed in a hotel for a few days before my housing contract started Sept 1. You can have your contract started one half month earlier, but you pay rent, so you can either pay money for rent or book a hostel/hotel for part of orientation week. I stayed in a small studio in Kloosterpoort building. It had an amazing location in Leiden. Everything (bed sheets, pillow, duvet, kitchen set) was provided, brand new. I had to buy a wireless router but there was wifi available. There was also no gym in residence but many nearby. There were also restaurants and many grocery stores and an amazing market outdoors on Wednesdays and Saturdays, right by residence. Food in Leiden is probably even cheaper than in Canada. The easiest option for accommodation in Leiden is going through the housing arranged by the university - it can be limited in Leiden. Those that couldn't find private accommodation in Leiden lived in the Hague (15 min away by train)."

This exchange is open to regular, full-time students in any faculty at the U of C, who have completed at least 2 full years (20 courses) at the post-secondary level, with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 (B) or greater.

Do I have to speak Dutch? 

UL offers many courses in English and so no prior knowledge of Dutch is required for this exchange.

Student Tip: "You really don’t have to know Dutch, but knowing some basics is nice to be polite. It also does help to know it so you can read signs and such, but for the most part everyone does speak English."

What's special about Leiden?

Student Tip: "Keep an eye out on the weekends for events, usually there is something going on that’s worth seeing. And get a museumkaart; it will get you into all the museums for free! Leiden alone has a whole bunch and it’s so easy to get to other towns, so it pays for itself very quickly. Also make sure to get the 40% discount OV-chipkaart to visiting other towns in the Netherlands without worrying much on cost. If you get the 9292 app on your phone for checking train times it’s very easy to just hop on a train and be at all kinds of interesting Dutch towns in only a half hour. Delft and Gouda are particularly nice."

What resources are available to new students?

UL hosts "OWL" at the start of each semester, an in-depth orientation week which is designed specifically for international students and has a variety of informative, cultural, and social events. Also make sure to check out the Study in Holland page for more information!

Student Tip: "There was an orientation week, which introduced me to fellow students which was useful, and took me around to various campus locations which was also useful. The orientation week was a largely social activity, and after that most social activities were through the International Student Network which was strongly paired with the university and recommended, along with Leiden United. The clubs are very very helpful, and I would recommend joining them because they’re the best way to meet not just Dutch students but students from all over the world. I think the best thing to do is to kind of try everything at first and then eventually narrow down to the one(s) you like the best and keep going to those."

What supports or services are available at Leiden?

UL provides comprehensive academic support to students with disabilities. For information on accessibility and support services of campuses across Europe, please check out Inclusive Mobility. For city-specific services and places in Europe, the Jaccede interactive platform (website and/or smartphone app - both Android and iOS) also provides a searchable user-built database to identify important accessibility information of public places and locations.