Vision on student well-being 

One of the six ambitions in Leiden University’s strategic plan is to promote a healthy, engaged and learning community. Within this ambition, there is a strong focus on the well-being of students and staff, with attention given to creating an open and supportive learning environment, which helps to build resilience, connection and success. 

In 2023, the Executive Board adopted the university’s Vision on Student Well-Being, based on this ambition, which you can read here. The Joint Action Plan on Student Well-Being 2024-2027  (in Dutch) outlines the framework within which faculties and university service departments work together to achieve the objectives set out in the Vision on Student Well-Being. The interim evaluation of this joint plan is available via this link.

The vision identifies five key principles that together comprise an integrated approach to student well-being: 

• 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 principles are aligned with the National Action Plan (ECIO) and form an integrated approach to improving 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.

As well as this alignment with the national framework, Leiden University also assesses the well-being of its students via national monitors and surveys, which give insight into how students rate their own well-being and where they need more support. 

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

Bearing in mind that this grade is obviously only a snapshot, students rate their general well-being as ‘very satisfactory’ on average. They also feel that their well-being is taken seriously by their study programme and largely know where to find help.

At the same time, the NSE 2025 shows that student well-being requires continuing attention. Almost a third of the students experience high performance pressure ‘often’ or ‘always’, while a large majority report that they experience this pressure to some extent. Additionally, more than half of the students say they need more support from the university, particularly in the area of study skills. The need for support with mental well-being has fallen in comparison with previous years but remains relevant for a substantial group of students. 

These results underline the importance of an integrated approach to student well-being. For a healthy and supportive learning environment, it is essential not only to give attention to mental health, but also to further strengthen study skills, encourage discussion of performance pressure and offer easily accessible support.

The NSE provides important information, especially because the response rate is considerably higher (31% in 2025) than that of other measures. All the figures can be viewed via Leiden University’s Education Dashboard. 

Trimbos monitor

In the spring of 2025, more than 27,000 students participated in the third Trimbos Monitor on mental health and substance use of students. The results of Leiden University students are largely in line with the national picture. The monitor shows that students’ mental health has improved slightly since 2021, and their life satisfaction has increased. However, a significant number of students still experience stress, performance pressure, loneliness and mental health issues. Substance use has remained mostly stable, with no reduction in ‘risky drinking behaviour’. It is therefore very important that we continue to focus not only on students’ mental resilience but also on their social and educational environment.