p. 1

leiden university study abroad and exchange programmes 2010-2011 leiden university the university to discover.

[close]

p. 2

leiden university one of the most internationalised universities the oecd organisation for economic co-operation and development commends leiden university s level of internationalisation in its thematic review of tertiary education the following can be read leiden is one of the most internationalised universities in the world it often leads collaborative meetings consortia and other initiatives involving cross-border networks for example the leiden university international institute of asian studies which is frequently visited by outstanding foreign scholars houses a concentration of expertise that has few equals anywhere in comparison with comparable centres in the english-speaking institutions the institute is particularly notable for the breadth and depth of expertise in language and dialect asian studies at leiden is only one field in which particular concentrations of dutch scholar researchers have an outstanding international presence other fields include genomics chemistry and its applications physics and parts of mathematics the geo-sciences and earth monitoring aerospace pharmaceutics and other areas oecd thematic review of tertiary education netherlands s marginson t weko et al p 95

[close]

p. 3

introduction to leiden university amsterdam leiden history founded in 1575 leiden university is the oldest university in the netherlands it was a gift from william of orange to the brave citizens of leiden who had withstood a long siege by the spanish,and saved the entire region from spanish occupation leiden university has always been strongly committed to freedom of belief and religion as reflected by the university s motto `praesidium libertatis bastion of liberty over the years this atmosphere of freedom of speech has provided the ideal environment for such famous scholars as descartes boerhaave and einstein to develop their theories in its almost 450 years of existence leiden has produced many outstanding academics and scientists including several nobel laureates of over 18,000 students including approx 1,600 international students increasing numbers of international scholars and students find their way to leiden degree and phd programmes in english more than 50 bachelor s programmes are offerered mainly taught in dutch location leiden has established a firm international position among the world s top research and academic institutes in a great many fields top research increasingly means joining forces across the boundaries of departmental disciplines faculties and the university itself to this end leiden university is also a member of partnerships such as the league of european research universities leru coimbra and the europaeum the university comprises six faculties archaeology law humanities medicine/lumc science and social and behavioural sciences leiden offers many non-degree courses in a wide variety of subjects as well as more than 80 master s 1 the city of leiden with its 118,000 inhabitants is conveniently located in the political cultural and economic heart of the netherlands amsterdam rotterdam and utrecht are just half an hour away by train the hague lies at a mere fifteen minutes distance present today leiden is a fully accredited classical yet modern university with an enrolment

[close]

p. 4

study abroad or exchange student if you want to study for one or two semesters at leiden university you can do this either as an exchange student or as a study abroad student the departing student creates a place for the incoming student as an exchange student you remain registered at your home university during the exchange leiden university has more than 100 bilateral exchange agreements and participates in the following programmes · heerasmusprogrammeofthe t european union · on-eubilateralagreementsof n academic co-operation and exchange · sepinternationalstudentexchange i programme you can check at the international office of your home university whether you can participate in one of the above-mentioned programmes study abroad students if you do not fall under the terms of such an exchange programme you can apply to non-degree courses at leiden university as a study abroad student exchange students in a reciprocal exchange programme `exchange students are students who come to leiden within the framework of a reciprocal exchange programme in such an exchange programme leiden students can study at the partner university and in return leiden university receives students from the partner institution in each case other programmes besides the exchange and study abroad programmes leiden university also offers other programmes open to international students such as bachelor s programmes master s programmes phd tracks and summer schools for more information and a complete overview of the programmes please visit www.education.leiden.edu you can also follow language courses organised by the academic language centre if you would like to know more about these courses please visit www.languagecentreleidenuniv.nl 2

[close]

p. 5

courses leiden university offers a unique study abroad programme called euroscholars for students interested in discovering their potential for a research career this programme offers outstanding opportunities to work as a junior researcher in a research project supervision will be provided by academic staff working on and or responsible for the research project the programme comprises a language and culture course an in-depth literature review on the chosen research topic and the actual research project research can be done in all kinds of fields at leiden university details about the projects that are offered can be found at the euroscholars website see below the courses open to exchange and study abroad students in leiden are many and varied you can take courses in such subjects as · rchaeology a · umanities:arthistory,chineselanh guages and cultures dutch egyptian language and cultures indian american studies japanese language and culture linguistics philosophy religious studies russian studies slavic languages and cultures all available courses and course descriptions can be found at www.leiden.edu/studyabroadinleiden · ocialandbehaviouralsciences s cultural anthropology psychology public administration political science · aw:leidenlawcoursesllc l · edicine:biomedicalsciences m medicine · cience:biology,bio-pharmaceutical s sciences chemistry life science and technology mathematics student profile outstanding and motivated advanced undergraduate honours or post graduate students with a strong interest in an academic/research career with a gpa of 3.4 or higher this programme is especially suited to students from institutes where undergraduate research forms part of the regular curriculum students do not need to have research experience science students need to have ample teaching laboratory experiences for more information about euroscholars please check the website www.euroscholars.eu 3

[close]

p. 6

admission application procedures you will find below a short description of the admission requirements and application procedures admission to a specific course may also depend on the maximum number of participants that can be accommodated in a class if you would like to study for a semester or a year at leiden university please complete and submit the appropriate application form for upto-date and detailed information about the procedures and application forms please visit our website www.leiden.edu/application processing time usually we will need around 4 to 6 weeks to assess your application and inform you about your admission please bear in mind that applications may take longer to process particularly when the application deadlines are approaching bilateral exchange agreement which is limited to a specific field or discipline you do not automatically have the right to enroll in courses offered by other faculties or departments admission and application procedures for study abroad students you should have completed at least two years of academic education with a minimum grade point average gpa of 3.2/3.4 or its equivalent depending on the course level you may be expected to have a higher level of related background or academic knowledge admission and application procedures for exchange students it is only possible to study at leiden university as an exchange student if your own university has signed an exchange agreement with leiden university in order to be accepted as an exchange student you should be nominated as such by the responsible co-ordinator of the exchange programme of your home university the application form has to be signed by your co-ordinator and yourself and will be sent in by your co-ordinator the best place to find out if your univer english language requirements all leiden university applicants are required to take an english proficiency test this requirement does not apply if you have completed your education in canada the usa the uk ireland new zealand or australia or if you have obtained an international baccalaureate or european baccalaureate diploma erasmus exchange students are usually also exempted from taking the test leiden university accepts three kinds of official tests detailed below although the application deadlines your application should be received before the relevant deadline general deadlines are · pril1 for the start in september a · ctober15 for the start in january o february sity can nominate you and how to apply for a place is the international office of your own university scope of the exchange agreement for exchange students if you are accepted on the basis of a 4

[close]

p. 7

money matters ielts is preferred these tests are generally only valid for two years also please note that the modality required is `academic the required score may vary per individual programme 1 the international english language testing system ielts minimum score of 6.5 for more information please see www.ielts.org 2 the test of english as a foreign language toefl minimum score 570 paperbased 230 computer-based 88-90 internet based for more information please visit www.toefl.org original test results should be sent directly by the educational testing service the toefl institution code for leiden university is 0504 institutional toefl tests are not accepted 3 cambridge certificate of proficiency in english note applicants from mainland china are required to submit an academic ielts test or internet-based toefl score due to visa requirements tuition fees exchange students almost invariably leiden university and the partner university have agreed not to charge any tuition fees for each other s exchange candidates as an exchange student you are however not exempted from paying participation fees for any of the special programmes for courses offered by the language centre or for participation in the leiden university summer schools study abroad students leiden university charges a standard study abroad tuition fee the tuition fees are · tudyabroadsemesterhalfyear,upto s 30 ects including housing n 9,000 2010/2011 academic year · tudyabroadyearupto60 ects s including housing n 17,550 2010/2011 academic year · inglecoursefee:approx.n 200 per ects s excluding housing the course load is given in ects european credit the tuition fee for detailed information please check www.leiden.edu/studyinleiden please note that if you need a visa to enter the netherlands and or/a residence permit to stay legally in the netherlands you must provide proof of your ability to cover your expenses during the whole period of your stay see also page 6 scholarships a number of scholarships are available for an overview of these scholarships and the requirements please visit www.leiden.edu/scholarship cost of living a single student needs around n 10,000 per year to cover living and other expenses the costs for study abroad students will be lower as accommodation is included in transfer system credit points a full-time programme has a course load of 60 ects 1 ects equals 28 hours of study this includes preparing for and attending classes reading books writing papers studying for tests and exams etc in ects 60 credits represent the workload of a year of study normally 30 credits are given for a semester 5

[close]

p. 8

accommodation visa insurances housing through the university the housing office co-ordinates applications for international student housing for those students coming from abroad you can indicate on the online application form whether you require assistance in finding accommodation in leiden if you need a visa you are strongly advised to apply for housing through the university more information on housing options prices and conditions is available at www.leiden.edu/studenthousing you can also find information via this website about finding housing yourself in the private sector eu or eea countries or from switzerland canada the usa australia new zealand japan or south korea you do not need a visa all other students require a visa to enter the country for a stay longer than three months leiden university s international office will apply for the visa on your behalf the dutch immigration authorities do not allow students to apply for an visa themselves for the purpose of study the visa procedure will only be started once you have been admitted to leiden university and the visa can only be granted if a number of requirements are met for the exact requirements and procedures please visit www.leiden.edu/practical health insurance all residents of the netherlands including students are required by law to have adequate health insurance leiden university itself does not offer insurance however there are several insurance companies that offer policies for students please check the internet and compare the different policies you can also refer to www.leiden.edu/practical visa procedures if you have a passport issued by one of the 6

[close]

p. 9

7

[close]

p. 10

student life in and outside the classroom leiden is a true university town with a rich student life there are many activities for students both social and study-related and many different clubs and organisations for students to join such as the study and student associations prior to the first and second semester the university organises an introduction programme for new international students this programme consists of a general introduction to the university the faculties the city of leiden and the student organisations as a student of leiden university you will also have access to various support services specially designed to assist students some of these services such as the international office and the international student adviser offer support particularly aimed at international students at the faculties you can for example receive support from co-ordinators and study advisers special assistance is also offered for students with a disability you can find information on all the facilities and support services available at www.leiden.edu/students many of the associations offer you the opportunity to develop your organisational communication and social skills to complement your academic curriculum many of these associations are dutch oriented please also see www.leiden.edu/students the university offers a sports centre a language centre a student careers centre and many other amenities facilities and student support services at the university leiden university offers a wide range of facilities to students to support you in your studies but also to make your time as a student as enjoyable as possible the university has one central library and many faculties and departments also have their own dedicated libraries computer rooms are available at the faculties the university library and plexus student centre students can also bring their own laptop to most computer rooms where wireless internet is available furthermore 8 historical leiden with all the modern amenities leiden is a beautiful and historic city with many 17th century buildings its picturesque city centre is criss-crossed with boat-lined canals bordered by red brick streets at the same time it is also a modern cultural and business centre offering all the amenities you need to make your stay here both enjoyable and memorable the city has twelve museums a wide range of shops delightful cafés and international restaurants several cinemas and much more for more information about the city of leiden please visit www.leiden.nl study and student associations study associations are for students from a particular degree course they focus on the academic aspects of student life and organise course-related activities such as lectures seminars field trips or excursions the main focus of student associations is on social events such as drinks sports activities lectures camp weeks etc.

[close]

p. 11

contact website www.leiden.edu leiden university international office you can find a list of the questions most frequently asked by students on our website www.leiden.edu/askaquestion if you cannot find the answer to your question there you can contact the international office by email other brochures you can order brochures via the following link www.leiden.edu/brochures disclaimer september 2009 although the information in this brochure has been compiled with the utmost care leiden university does not accept responsibility for any errors that may be contained herein the reader is urged to seek detailed information from the website www.leiden.edu this brochure was produced with funding from the european commission.

[close]

p. 12

www.leiden.edu/studyabroadinleiden

[close]