Financial matters
What are the costs involved in studying abroad and how can you finance your stay? Avoid unexpected expenses by researching financial matters thoroughly in advance.
Budget
Make an overview of anticipated expenses and sources of income, to make sure you have sufficient funds for your studies abroad. Consider the following:
- Tuition fees
- Travel expenses (to/from your destination and during your stay)
- Rent
- Other living expenses (food & drink, clothing, etc.)
- Visas and residence permits
- Vaccinations, medication, health certificates
- Insurances
- Telephone costs etc.
- Student finance
- Scholarships
- Language tests
- Study costs (books etc.)
- Sports/recreation
Take financial risks into consideration
Studying abroad is always at your own risk, also in financial terms*. You are responsible for any costs incurred for your stay abroad, even if your trip has to be cancelled or cut short due to safety reasons.
*Exceptions may be made for activities abroad that are a compulsory part of your study programme.
Precautions
- Buy a flight ticket with a flexible departure date or purchase cancellation insurance, just in case you have to change your plans.
- If your destination becomes unsafe whilst you are abroad, you may have to come back to The Netherlands. Any costs incurred are your own responsibility so make sure to take out a good insurance policy. Check with your insurer exactly what is covered depending on the colour code of your destination.
- Be aware that any scholarships you are awarded will be cancelled or stopped if your activity abroad is cancelled or cut short due to health and safety reasons. This might mean you have to wholly or partially repay your scholarship. Check the rules with your scholarship provider.
Student finance
Under certain circumstances you may be eligible for Dutch student finance and travel subsidy during your stay abroad. You can submit an application via the DUO website (in Dutch).
Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available for study, research and internships abroad. If you have completed your studies but want to do an additional programme abroad, for example a master’s, there are also scholarship options.
Points to remember
- Before applying for a scholarship, check carefully that you meet all the criteria.
- You can apply for multiple scholarships. One scholarship alone is generally not enough to finance your whole stay.
- Some scholarships may only be requested once during your academic career. Keep this in mind if you want to go abroad during both your bachelor’s and master’s programmes.
- Apply on time: many scholarships have early deadlines!
Find a scholarship
On the scholarships page you can find all the scholarships managed by Leiden University. Use the filters to search for scholarships that are relevant for you.
Find a scholarshipWorldwide
Beursopener (mainly in Dutch)
Global Scholarships
Within Europe
European Funding Guide
Scholarshipportal EU
Brazil
GCUB International Mobility Program
Canada
China
China Scholarship Council
Schwarzman Scholars
Germany
German Academic Exchange Studies (DAAD)
Italy
Japan
Study in Japan
Japan Study Support
Japan Student Service Organization
Taiwan
Study in Taiwan
Taiwan Embassy Taiwan
United Kingdom
United States
There are also sources of private funding available. The student counsellors can provide you with further information, or take a look in the ‘funds book’ which can be found in the University library.
Funding for students with a disability
If you will incur additional costs while studying abroad due to a disability, you can request additional funding.
- Are you going to a European country? Request additional funding from the Erasmus+ programme.
- Are you going to a country outside Europe? Request additional funding via Fenestra Disability Centre.
No funding for non-approved activities
You are only eligible for funding if your activity abroad has been approved in advance by the university. In other words, you must meet all the following conditions:
- You have gained approval to undertake the activity in the context of your studies from your study programme or faculty.
- Your activity is entered and approved in the study abroad portal;
- You are permitted to travel to the destination in question according to Leiden University’s travel policy.
You can find out how to gain approval from your study programme or faculty and how to use the study abroad portal on the pages about exchange, studying abroad independently and other activities abroad.
Do not go without permission
If you do not meet all the conditions for funding but you go abroad for study-related activities anyway, you will not receive a scholarship or any kind of funding via Leiden University. If you have already obtained a scholarship or funding via Leiden University, you will be obliged to pay it back. In the case of exchange programmes, you may also be obliged to pay tuition fees to your host institution.
International Discount Card
With an International Student Identity Card (ISIC card) you can get discount on a range of products and services in more than 130 countries, including flight tickets. Purchase your card from ISIC Netherlands.
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Scholarships
Please read the information on financial matters under the ‘General’ tab carefully and check the reports of returning students in the Student Reports database for tips.
More information on which grants may be available to you can be found under the pages relevant to your study abroad experience – ‘Exchange’ for exchange students and ‘Internships, research, fieldwork, summer schools and more’ for other students.
Consult the Scholarships page for a full overview of scholarships available via Leiden University. If you have any questions regarding any of these scholarships, please contact the Scholarships Team directly via outbound@sea.leidenuniv.nl.
Additional grants and announcements for grants can be found on the Science International Office Brightspace, under the Faculty of Science (FWN) course.
OV-Chipcard Reimbursement
You can apply to receive a monthly compensation for your student travel product. For more information, please check DUO’s website. The Science International Office can sign your request form. Please already fill out your name, date of birth, and desired reimbursement period. Only whole months can be used (e.g. 01/09/2025 – 31/01/2026).
A valid uSis registration of your study abroad activity is required before the reimbusement can be requested.