Internships, research, fieldwork, summer schools and more
There are many other types of activity you can do abroad to enrich your studies and gain international experience. Find out about the options available to you.
Options related to your study programme
Depending on your study programme, there might be a range of international activities available to you. Some may be compulsory or optional parts of your programme. Others are extra-curricular activities that you can choose to follow to complement your studies. Activities might include:
- Internships
- Research and fieldwork
- Fieldtrips and excursions
- Subject-specific summer or winter schools
- Mandatory study abroad activities
- Clinical clerkships (co-schappen)
- Moot courts
- Study association trips
Approval and registration
Is your activity abroad part of, or associated with your Leiden University studies? In other words, do you want to receive study credits or funding via the university, or have the activity included on your transcript? If so, you must first gain approval from your study programme. After gaining approval, you must also register your activity in Leiden University’s study abroad portal. This will enable the university to contact you in case of emergencies.
Refer to your faculty or study programme tab
For information on the activities available to you and how to arrange approval and registration in the study abroad portal, click on your faculty or study programme tab.
Options for students of all faculties
There are also a number of international activities that are available to students of all faculties. These include:
Summer and winter schools are offered all over the world. Please note: Summer and Winter schools are part of our regular exchange agreements and therefore students will have to pay the summer/winter school fees themselves. Please check the respective partner website for more information about the costs.
Safe destination
You may not go abroad for study-related activities to a country for which negative travel advice has been issued. Visit the Health and safety page and read Leiden University Regulations on Studying Abroad for more information.
As a student of the Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), there are a range of other activities you can do abroad as part of, or alongside your studies. On this page you can find out about the options available to you, how to request approval and how to register your activity after gaining approval.
Types of activity
At the LUMC, you can do a research internship or research project abroad during the programmes Biomedical Sciences, Medicine, Technical Medicine, Population Health Management, Vitality & Ageing and Pharmacy. As a student at the LUMC, these project can be embedded in our innovation themes: Academic Pharma, Neuroscience, Oncology, (Auto) Immunology, Cell Tissue & Organ, Cardiovascular, Genetics, Infection, Lifecourse, and Prevention & Lifestyle. Research projects within these themes can be carried out at an international institute of your own choosing if clearly reasoned why it’s a relevant, suitable project and after having been discussed with supervisors. It’s also possible to carry out research projects in different themes, but make sure you get approval for your project first. The LUMC can also help you to carry out a project at one of our partner institutes, such as partners from the League of European Research Universities (LERU) or the Eurolife consortium. All projects have to be approved before the start date by the program coordinators. Contact your course coordinators to get approval. Should you need any help, the International Office of the LUMC can assist you.
For help with finding research projects and internships, please contact the LUMC’s International Office via intoff@lumc.nl or schedule a meeting here.
Internship Bachelor Biomedical Sciences 3rd year
In the third year of the Bachelor Biomedical Sciences, you can do your internship abroad. It’s recommended to stay in Europe, because it’s probably your first internship.
For more information on this internship, please contact internship coordinator of the bachelor or the LUMC International Office via intoff@lumc.nl or schedule a meeting here.
During the regular clinical rotations for students of Medicine, there are ample opportunities to go abroad. You can do clinical rotations at the institution of your choosing, but only if the internship meets all the set criteria for a regular medical internship abroad.
Furthermore, the LUMC has a few slots available for clinical rotations in Surinam. For the clusters Dermatology, Otorhinolaryngology, ophthalmology and Neurology; Woman and Child; and Surgery, we have agreements with several hospitals in Surinam for regular internships.
You can also fill up your elective space during your studies with clinical rotations abroad. This option gives you more freedom to choose, because it only serves as an expansion of your own knowledge and isn’t part of the curriculum. You can look for places yourself and more information is available here. However, should you want to do a clinical rotation in Surinam during your electives, make sure to contact the LUMC International Office first via intoff@lumc.nl.
You can contact the International Office to discuss possibilities for clinical rotations abroad via intoff@lumc.nl or schedule a meeting here.
The LUMC offers multiple summer and winter schools in a range of subjects. The following summer and winter school will take place in 2021:
- Leiden Summer School in Regenerative Medicine
- Leiden-Brazil Summer School on Data Science in Health and Disease
- LUMC Summer School on Population Health Management
- Summer School Artificial Intelligence & Value Based Healthcare
- TechMed Summer School
- Translational Winter School on Neuromuscular Diseases
You can sign up here for the summer and winter schools.
You can check the full overview of summer and winter schools of Leiden University and the LUMC here.
Make sure to check all the registration criteria for each individual summer school thoroughly, for instance with regards to distributing credits. If you want recieve credits for attending summer and winter schools, please contact your course coordinators first to check if and how these credits can be distributed.
Approval and registration
If you want to receive university credits, funding or recognition on your transcript for your activity abroad, you must first request approval from your study programme. You can find instructions on how to do so in the information on your activity type above.
After gaining approval
Once you have the necessary approval from your study programme, you must also register your activity in Leiden University’s study abroad portal.
How and when to register
By registering in the Study Abroad portal, you enable Leiden University to make sure you have selected a safe destination and to contact you in case of an emergency abroad. If you will receive study credits, university funding or recognition on your transcript for your activity abroad, registration in the study abroad portal is obligatory.
Register in the Study Abroad portal as soon as you have gained permission from your study programme for your activity abroad - and at least 2 weeks before departure. If you will go abroad within 2 weeks, get in touch with your faculty contact person for instructions.
- Log into uSis > click on the Study Abroad tile > select ‘Register another type of study-related activity abroad’.
- Enter the requested data, upload any required documents then click on submit.
- If you have the necessary faculty approval and your destination is safe, the university will approve your registration. You may then depart for your activity abroad. Remember to check the travel advice before departure in case the safety situation changes.
- As soon as possible, enter your contact details abroad in the Study Abroad portal - in the ‘During your stay’ section. Remember to keep your contact details updated whilst abroad so we can reach you in case of emergencies!