Leiden University, together with the Open University and Universities of the Netherlands, will take up residence in the Spui building at Grote Marktstraat 48-50/Spui 3 in downtown The Hague from 2025. The partners signed the leases on 7 November.

Vice-rector Organisatieontwikkeling en oud-decaan FGGA Erwin Muller start op 1 april 2026 als staatsraad bij de Afdeling Advisering van de Raad van State.

Three new initiatives will provide a more diverse view of Leiden’s academic history, literally and figuratively: a historical study on the background of students and scientists, a new book about the Academy Building, and two new sculptures of female scientists, Ewine van Dishoek, Professor of Molecular…

Black-and-white photographs filled with solemn young men and distinguished professors line the walls of the Grand Auditorium. Young women are missing from the photos; women rarely obtained PhDs 50 years ago. And this article is about that group, the PhD candidates between 1966 and 1972, who were invited…

The Durham Declaration was presented at the Climate Symposium marking the Coimbra Group’s 40th anniversary on 26 March. Leiden University is proud to be one of the first signatories of this declaration.

A group of nine activists from Students for Palestine occupied part of the Academy Building on Wednesday 26 November. Outside, a group of around 30 demonstrators chanted slogans and called on the Executive Board to sever ties with Israeli universities.

Management, Leadership

The Leiden-Delft-Erasmus (LDE) alliance signed a collaboration agreement with the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Science and Technology on 23 September.

Over 30 ambassadors strengthened their ties with researchers and university leaders in a recent visit to Leiden University. Cross-border collaboration (both literal and figurative) was the theme of presentations and a tour of the Hortus botanicus.

The outline agreement proposed by the new cabinet will have serious consequences for higher education and research. If the plans go through, there will be significant cutbacks in our sector. We will keep you up to date with developments on this page.

If you notice something you think may be unethical or illegal, you can discuss this in confidence with the confidential counsellor.

Much of Leiden University’s income comes from the government and the tuition fee (first income stream). Each year the Executive Board distributes this income among the faculties and institutes. For the sake of transparency, the University applies the First Income Stream Allocation Model. Alongside being…

Training

What is the significance of the history of slavery for our present-day society? A special exhibition in the inner courtyard of the Academy Building features eleven insightful portraits of students and staff, and their answer to this question. The aim of the exhibition’s initiators is to make the subject…

The Landscaping department manages, cares for and maintains all green spaces, road surfaces, waterways and ponds located on University grounds. The Landscaping department also performs work on request.

The protection of data is the responsibility of all of us. The university observes a privacy policy for the purpose of protecting personal data as effectively as possible. An overview of the procedures can be found below.

When performing contract research or providing courses for a third party, you must charge a fee. This fee must be at least equal to the total cost price.

Our staff members, naturally including professors, are the cornerstone of our university. We set very high standards and expect them all, especially the professors, to possess recognised qualities in the areas of research and teaching, PhD supervision, academic leadership, integrity, maintaining international…

The Annual Report of Leiden University reports on its teaching, research, innovation, knowledge valorisation, infrastructure, staff and finances. It is the cornerstone of the planning and control process, and is a detailed financial statement on the policy that has been enacted.

Of the women studying at university, 52% have experienced some form of sexual harassment. For male students, the figure is 19%.

How has evolution shaped our curiosity? And how does that curiosity ensure that we now have the technological ability to discover whether we are alone in the universe? This was all covered during the celebration of Leiden University’s 449th Dies Natalis.

The importance of science communication and cross-boundary collaboration, and the ‘mantra’ of diminishing social cohesion in society: these all came up at Leiden University’s 448th Dies Natalis. A panel discussion including Leiden’s mayor Lenferink, music and two honorary doctorates completed the special…

If you want to travel for work to an area with a security risk country or area with the color code orange and/or red, you need prior permission from the university.

Each programme has a Board of Examiners. This is a legal requirement. The board determines whether students meets the conditions of the Course and Examination Regulations (OER) and whether they possess the knowledge, understanding and skills required to pass the final examination for that programme.

What can we learn from female colleagues who are the first to hold top positions within the university? On International Women’s Day, President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow and Rector Magnificus Hester Bijl talked with a group of university staff from all levels within the organisation, and…

On 27 May 2025, the Executive Board decided to establish a Committee on Human Rights / Conflict Zones.

Alongside the funds that the faculties receive from the Executive Board, they can obtain extra funds from other funding bodies for their teaching and research. These extra sources of income are termed the second and third income streams.

The financial developments for the coming years are outlined in the Framework Memorandum. The Memorandum forms the basis of the Planning & Control cycle for each new year. Furthermore, it compares the expected income from the first income stream (government funding and the tuition fee) with the budgets…

Demonstrations can be used to show and explain a skill or procedure in a setting from practice, like a lab or (fictitious) courtroom.

At Leiden University, we know a long tradition of working with international partners. To encourage successful and strategic partnerships, the Leiden University Global Fund (LUGF) was established in 2024. This fund is intended to invest in worldwide partnerships, activities and initiatives. One of the…

The more diverse a work environment is the more creative and innovative it will be. This in turn promotes quality of education and research, which is why Leiden University is committed to equal opportunities for each individual, whether these are opportunities for appointment, for promotion, or to optimally…

Through Open Access, research results from around the world are freely accessible to all. It is an incentive for exchanging and utilising knowledge and fresh insights between scientists, companies and social institutions. The Centre for Digital Scholarship at the University Library offers support with…

An annual plan ensures that Planning & Control is embedded in the organisation. The plan states who provides what and when. This means that the right information is available at the right time, allowing for the proper financial management of the University.

No procession of professors, just a handful of people in the church and snowdrifts outside Leiden’s Pieterskerk: 8 February 2021 was no ordinary Dies Natalis. Carel Stolker transferred the rectorate to Hester Bijl, and Annetje Ottow became the new President of the Executive Board. With an honorary doctorate…

Leiden University is going to partner with the Asian Development Bank, a bank committed to regional development. President of the Executive Board Annetje Ottow signed a memorandum of understanding on this unique partnership in Manila on 27 April.

Should Leiden University cut its ties with the fossil fuel industry forthwith? This was the main question in a debate between students and staff. The answer was clearer for some than for others.

An extra-long cortège, three honorary doctorates, a quiz about 450 years of university history, a Dies Natalis rap and a call to defend academic freedom: these all featured in Leiden University’s 450th Dies Natalis celebration and the official start of its jubilee year.