Selecting courses

Source: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/admission-and-application/exchange/application-procedure/selecting-courses Parent: https://www.universiteitleiden.nl/en/education/admission-and-application/bachelors/admission-requirements

If you will follow taught courses during your semester at Leiden University, follow the steps below to make sure you select courses that are suitable for you.

How can I find suitable courses

• Go to the Prospectus.
• Click on ‘Exchange’ at the bottom of the screen.
• On the next page use the filters on the left side to filter the results by semester, faculty, level etc.; or search for courses according to specific criteria by using the search bar at the top of the screen.
• Click on a course you are interested in, then check the following information in the right-hand menu to find out if the course is suitable for you:

How many courses should I choose?

First, check with your home university how many credits you need to take at Leiden University. The normal full-time study load is 30 EC per semester.

To be admitted as an exchange/study abroad students, you must be admitted to at least 15 EC for one semester. However, your home university will usually require that you take more credits than that. Make sure you are admitted to sufficient courses to meet your credit requirements before arrival!

Leiden University uses the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). For further information on our credit and grading system please see Exchange - interpreting your transcript and grades.

Course dates not updated in prospectus?

Are you interested in a course, but the course dates in the prospectus have not yet been updated for the upcoming academic year? You can still select the course. In general, most courses offered in one academic year will be offered again the following year. If the course is later cancelled, you will be informed via the online application portal and invited to make a new selection.

Important faculty-specific information

Some faculties have additional criteria that you must take into consideration when choosing courses. You can find these here below. Do you have further questions? See who to contact under Questions about courses.

Faculty of Science

• Science courses have strict admission requirements. Make sure you meet these requirements before selecting a course. In your letter of motivation (see required documents) explain clearly why you believe you are qualified to follow your selected Science courses.
• Different degree programmes at the Faculty of Science have overlapping schedules. When selecting courses at the Faculty of Science, we advise you not to choose courses from different degree programmes. You can see which degree programme a course belongs to by looking under ‘Part of’ in the prospectus course description.
• If you wish to do a whole BSc minor programme, you cannot combine this with courses at other faculties. The minor is a full-time course of study.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Science

Psychology

• Course selection is final.You cannot add or drop courses after 1 July (fall semester) or 1 December (spring semester).
• For courses in period 2 of the first semester:
• Exams take place in January or early February. It is not possible to reschedule exams or make alternative arrangements (such as online exams). So if you need to be home in January, do not select psycholgy courses in this period.
• Exam resits take place in the second semester (period 3), so do not select these courses if you find it important to be here on the resit date.
• Be aware that first-semester university housing contracts end in mid-January. So if you take courses in this period, you may need to arrange accommodation for the final weeks.
• For level 400 courses:
• Exam resits take place the following semester or in late summer. Do not select these courses if you find it important to be here on the resit date.
• All 10 EC level 400 courses are offered twice a year. In the prospectus you will see, for example, 'block 1, block 3'. This means you can do the course in either block (not that you have to attend both blocks).

Institute of Political Science

• Our courses are taught both in Leiden and at our campus in The Hague. Please check the location of the course you prefer to follow. If you want to combine courses taught in The Hague with courses taught at our Department (or other Faculties) in Leiden,  please take the door-to-door travel time into consideration.

Leiden Law School

• Choose your courses early: courses fill up quickly and places are allocated on a first-come first-served basis.
• Choose your courses carefully:
• Law courses have strict admission requirements - see the prospectusfor details. Only apply for courses you are qualified to follow. If you are not admitted and have to select a different course, there may be few left to choose from.
• Courses with a catalogue number starting with 22989 in the prospectushave adapted timetables with early exams and minimal overlap. This makes them ideal for exchange students. You may also choose other courses, but be aware that you could end up with schedule clashes.
• A semester consists of two blocks. You must spread your courses out over both blocks. It is not permitted to have a whole block with no courses at all.
• Course changes after admission are only permitted in case of schedule clashes. You will be invited to check your personal timetable for clashes approx. one month before arrival. But be aware that by then, many courses will already be full.
• Does your home university require you to take specific courses in Leiden? Unfortunately we cannot guarantee this will be possible due to limited places.
• Choose the right number of law courses:
• Joining us via a Law Faculty exchange agreement? You must take a minimum of 15 EC of Law courses.
• Joining us via a university-wide exchange agreement? You may take a maximum of 15 EC of law courses.
• Unsure what type of exchange agreement your university has with Leiden? Check with your home university coordinator.
• After admission: Leiden Law School will enrol you for your approved courses and exams. You do not need to do this yourself. This is with the exception of resits - which you must enrol for yourself.

Leiden University Medical Centre (LUMC)

• As courses at LUMC are fulltime, it is not possible to combine them with courses at other faculties. However you can add an internship in order to fill a whole semester, both in terms of workload and study credits.

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA)

• If you are joining Leiden University on a Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs (FGGA) exchange agreement, you have to take a minimum of 15 EC of FGGA courses. If you are unsure what type of exchange agreement your university has with Leiden, please check with your home university coordinator.
• The Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs is located in The Hague. Please check the location of the courses you'd like to follow. If you want to combine courses taught in The Hague with courses taught in Leiden, please take the door-to-door travel time (45min including train travel) into consideration.
• For courses in the first (fall) semester: re-sit exams take place in January. It is not possible to reschedule exams or make alternative arrangements (such as online exams). Students are expected to still be in The Hague in January if they need to re-sit an exam.
• Minor programmes: FGGA offers interesting minor programmes of 30 EC in the Fall semester.
• Public Administration courses: English-taught bachelor level courses are only offered in the fall semester.
• Security Studies: Only a limited number of courses from this programme are available.

Faculty of Humanities

• If you are joining Leiden University on an Faculty of Humanities exchange agreement, you have to take a minimum of 15 EC of Humanities courses. If you are unsure what type of exchange agreement your university has with Leiden, check with your home university coordinator.
• For courses scheduled in the first semester, some exams may take place in January. If you need to be back at your home university in January, inform your lecturer and the Humanities International Office upon arrival so we can look into possible alternative arrangements.
• Our courses are taught both in Leiden and at our campus in The Hague. Please check the location of the course you prefer to follow. If you want to combine courses taught in The Hague with courses taught at our faculty (or other faculties) in Leiden,  please take the door-to-door travel time into consideration.

Questions about courses?

Do you need more information about choosing courses at a particular faculty? Or do you have questions about a specific course or combination of courses? Get in touch with the International Exchange Coordinator at the faculty that offers the course:

Faculty International Exchange Coordinators

Faculty of Archaeology

Cleody van Eijk\ Van Steenis, room A204\ Phone: +31(0)71 527 1687\ Email: exchange@arch.leidenuniv.nl

Make an appointment

Faculty of Humanities

Linda Huizinga-Coolen, Jacinta de Ronde & Michelle van der Voort\ Lipsius, LIPS desk (to the right once inside the front doors)\ Email: exchange@hum.leidenuniv.nl

Make an appointment

Faculty of Science

Fenna Heezen & Hanna Pielka\ Gorlaeus, room CE0.11\ Phone: +31 (0)71 5275783\ Email: incoming@science.leidenuniv.nl

Make an appointment

Leiden Law School

Patricia Garcia Fernandez\ Email: incomingexchange@law.leidenuniv.nl\ Tel: +31 6 38980093

Open consultation hours

Mon, Tues, Thur: 10:30 till 11:30\ Kamerlingh Onnes, C0.05

Faculty of Medicine / LUMC

Sascha Wanna & Sandra van Deursen\ LUMC Education Building, Education Service Point (main hall)\ Phone: +31(0)71 526 8700\ Email: intoff@lumc.nl

Online appointment times (via Teams)

• Tuesday: 11.00 – 12.30
• Thursday: 12.30 – 15.00

Mail to schedule an appointment: intoff@lumc.nl.

Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences

Institute of Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology

Diederik Hulsebos\ Pieter de la Court, room 3A67\ Phone: +31 (71) 527 2727\ Email: d.r.g.hulsebos@fsw.leidenuniv.nl 

Institute of Education and Child Studies

Jacquy Bouwer\ Pieter de la Court, room 4B03\ Phone: +31(0)71 527 4072\ Email: jabouwer@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Make an appointment

Or drop by during office hours

Institute of Political Science

B. Bergmann\ Phone: +31 (0)71 527 7960\ Email: exchangeps@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Institute of Psychology

Romy van Keppel\ Pieter de la Court\ Phone: +31(0)71 527 3609\ Email: exchangepsy@fsw.leidenuniv.nl

Make an appointment

Faculty of Governance and Global Affairs

Laura Kamsma, Daria Bumblauskas, Gina Forno & Sharon Kouwenberg \ Wijnhaven\ Email: international@fgga.leidenuniv.nl

Dutch language courses

Do you want to follow Dutch language coursesat the university's Academic Language Centre? If so, these will be 'in addition' to your exchange/study abroad programme and will not be included on transcript. There is a separate fee for courses at the Academic Language Centre.