Vision on student well-being 

In 2019, the Student Well-being Taskforce issued advice on student well-being to the Executive Board. The advice was grouped into five student well-being priorities:  

• Awareness of student well-being   
• Prevention and early detection   
• Support and psychological intervention   
• Professionalisation of lecturers and student-facing staff    
• Connections and a safe study environment    

These priorities align with the National Action Plan (ECIO, in Dutch) and form an integral approach for improving student well-being. In 2023, Leiden University wrote its own Vision on Student Well-Being (in Dutch). The Joint Action Plan on Student Well-Being 2024-2027 (in Dutch) outlines the framework within which faculties and university departments will work together to achieve the goals set out in the Vision on Student Well-Being.

National framework student well-being

The university's long-term plan is also in line with  the ‘National Framework for Student Well-being 2023-2030’ (in Dutch), which emerged from the 2022 agreement on higher education and science. This framework identifies 4 themes (which are secured in the action plan under the 5 pillars) that universities of applied sciences and universities must work on until 2030:

1. Increasing the ‘sense of belonging’ and offering practical tools that can contribute to good mental well-being of students in higher education.
2. Focusing on prevention, in addition to the current focus on and efforts to solve already existing problems.
3. Further increasing knowledge and expertise within institutions.
4. Strengthening cooperation between institutions and the organisations that are part of the care chain (collaboration with mental health care, youth care, etc.). The minister will take the initiative together with the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, to better organise the available time and space for an integrated approach within the care chain.

National Student Survey (NSE)

Since 2022, questions have been added to the NSE for students at Leiden University about their support needs. In addition, they are asked to give a grade for their general well-being. Of course, this is only a snapshot, but here, we can see a small improvement:

Grade for general well-being:
2022: 6.9
2023: 7.1
2024: 7.2

The fact that this grade does not say everything is evident from the fact that at the same time, no less than 61.1% of students in 2024 indicate that they need more support from the university, particularly with their psychological well-being. However, the percentage that indicates that they do not need support has decreased. All figures can be consulted via the education dashboard of Leiden University.

From 2025, questions about student well-being has been added to the NSE nationwide. The NSE provides important information, also because the response rate is significantly higher than with other measurements.

Trimbos monitor

In the spring of 2023, more than 32,000 students completed a questionnaire about their mental health and substance use. This was a second measurement, after the first in 2021. The results show that although some students feel mentally reasonable to good, a significant number experience psychological problems. Alcohol is the most commonly used substance, just like in the previous measurement. Compared to 2021, some problems have decreased slightly, but sources of stress such as financial worries and the housing market remain important factors that influence mental health. It is therefore important not only to improve the mental resilience of students, but also to pay attention to their environment.

In 2025, Leiden University will participate in the Trimbos monitor for the third time.