Address: Rapenburg 70, 2311 EZ Leiden, Zuid-Holland, Netherlands
Life Sciences, Natural Sciences, Data Science
Founded in 1575, Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. It has a strong tradition in sciences and research.
Leiden University is the oldest university in the Netherlands. William of Orange founded it in 1575 as a reward to the city for its resistance to the Spanish siege of the year before. It has about 34,000 students and 6,700 staff, and around one student in five comes from abroad. The Academiegebouw stands on the Rapenburg canal in the old centre, and newer buildings are at the Bio Science Park and in The Hague, where the university runs a college for law, politics and global affairs.
Leiden is known for the humanities, law, social sciences and the sciences. The faculty of humanities has an old tradition in Asian, African and Middle Eastern studies, and the university library keeps manuscripts and maps from many regions. The Leiden Observatory is the oldest university observatory in the world still in use. The Hortus Botanicus, founded in 1590, is one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe and was the first place where tulips were grown in the Netherlands.
Many scientists passed through Leiden. Hendrik Lorentz and Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, who liquefied helium and discovered superconductivity, taught at the university and received Nobel Prizes in physics in 1902 and 1913. Pieter Zeeman studied here, and Willem Einthoven, inventor of the electrocardiograph, received the 1924 Nobel Prize in Medicine at Leiden. Albert Einstein held a visiting professorship in the 1920s, and Rene Descartes and the future American president John Quincy Adams were also linked to the city.
EU students pay the statutory Dutch tuition fee, which is around two and a half thousand euros a year, while students from outside the EU pay a higher institutional fee set by each programme. Check the current tariff. Applications go through Studielink, and several programmes use selection or limited places. Many bachelor’s programmes are taught in English, and most master’s degrees are in English.
Leiden is a small canal city between Amsterdam and The Hague, with good train links and high rents.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Astroscience, Bioengineering, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Computer Vision, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Mathematics, Microbiology and Genetics, Nanotechnologies, Physics, Software Engineering, Statistics
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
LERU, Coimbra Group (observer). Extensive global network.
Research:
Fundamentals of science, Health and wellbeing, Law, governance and society, Asian studies, Global challenges.
Famous Alumnis:
Christiaan Huygens (attended), Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, Hendrik Lorentz, Willem Einthoven, King Willem-Alexander
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
6700
Current students***:
34000
Foreign students***:
20%
Cumulative former students***:
160000
Pros
Oldest Dutch university with rich history, strong research in fundamental sciences, located in a charming student city.
Cons
Can be perceived as traditional, housing is very difficult to find.
Best For
Fundamental sciences and research in a historic academic setting.
Also strong in bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam makes a sensible second look at home; it has almost the same size, at about 32,000 students, and is also a public institution.
Radboud Universiteit shares the core fields of this university, namely bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and is slightly smaller, at about 25,000 students against roughly 34,000 here.
Among national alternatives, Universiteit van Amsterdam stands out for its focus on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies, and it covers telecommunications and electrical and electronics as well, and is slightly larger, at about 42,000 students against roughly 34,000 here.
A good alternative in the same country is Universiteit Utrecht, which likewise covers astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it is also a public institution, and runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes.
On content, Rijksuniversiteit Groningen and this institution are close, as both teach astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers marine science and fluid dynamics as well.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Fudan, based in China, is built around astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies much like this university, and it is also a public institution, and teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral.
The closest overseas parallel on astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies is Peking University, located in China; it teaches at the same levels, namely bachelor's, master's and doctoral, and covers geotechnics and optics as well.
Seen from abroad, Universiteit Antwerpen (Belgium) is a close relative on subject matter, since bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics are central to both, and it covers process control and telecommunications as well, and is smaller, enrolling about 22,000 students against roughly 34,000 here.
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin offers an international parallel to this university, with astroscience, bioinformatics and nanotechnologies as common ground; it runs the same bachelor's, master's and doctoral programmes, and covers agriculture and optics as well.
Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca brings a Italy setting to the same core fields, bioinformatics, nanotechnologies and microbiology and genetics, and it has almost the same size, at about 35,000 students, and is also a public institution.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
Where is Leiden University?
The Academiegebouw is at Rapenburg 70 in Leiden, Netherlands.
When was it founded?
In 1575, by William of Orange, which makes it the oldest university in the Netherlands.
Why was it founded?
As a reward to the city for its resistance to the Spanish siege.
How large is it?
About 34,000 students and 6,700 staff.
What is it best known for?
Humanities, Asian and African studies, law, social sciences, physics and astronomy.
Which Nobel laureates are linked to it?
Hendrik Lorentz, Heike Kamerlingh Onnes and Willem Einthoven, among others.
What is the Hortus Botanicus?
A botanical garden founded in 1590, one of the oldest in Europe.
Where is Leiden University College?
In The Hague, where the university teaches law, politics and global affairs.
What does it cost?
EU students pay the statutory Dutch tuition fee, around two and a half thousand euros a year. Students from outside the EU pay a higher institutional fee. Check the current tariff.
How do you apply?
Through Studielink, and several programmes use selection or limited places.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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