If you come from abroad, you will need to take care of many practical matters both before and after arriving in the Netherlands. Prepare your stay step by step using this portal for international students. Starting from this page, please note that the Orientation Week Leiden and the Warm Welcome Service are highly recommended for getting started at Leiden University.

An introduction week is the best way to get to know your new city, student life and your fellow students.

Read more about introduction weeks

De Leidsche Flesch is the student association for students in Astronomy, Physics, Mathematics and Computer Science in Leiden. Book sales, excursions, study trips, (lunch) lectures, sports activities, symposia and informal get-togethers are only a few of the activities they organise. Moreover, exams from previous years are available for download from their website. 

In addition, you can enrich your student life by becoming a member of other student's associations, including general student associations, international student associations, religious student associations and sports associations. Click here for an overview.

As a student of Leiden University you’ll receive a student account (ULCN account). This gives you access to the university’s systems and work stations. You'll first need to activate your ULCN account.

Read more about ULCN accounts

Your LU card is your university ID card. It gives you access to a range of facilities. Make sure to request your LU card before starting your studies.

Read more about the LU card

Make sure you know where you have to be and when on your first day.

Take a look at your timetable

Please visit this website.

Compulsory for all components

You must enrol for all components of your study programme, such as lectures, seminars and exams. This applies to both compulsory elements and elective credits. If you are not enrolled, you may not participate. You can enrol via MyStudymap.

Exceptions

Are you a full-time first-year bachelor's student, are you following a pre-master programme, or are you following courses whilst being registered at another Dutch university? If so, different enrolment procedures apply. You will receive further information by email.

Read more about course and exam enrolment via MyStudymap

Under construction.

Before the start of the academic year, there will be an orientation presentation given by the Academic Advisor of the Physics Program, Dr. Chara Papathanassiou (you will receive an email invitation). Right after, you may plan a first appointment via the online appointment tool. If no suitable timeslot is found in the online tool please send an email. During this important mandatory meeting you will discuss your Master study plan. See the next step.

During this first meeting with the Academic Advisor, you will discuss your Study Plan for the MSc degree and your research interests. You should prepare for it:

1. Fill in the Study Plan
2. Upload your studyplan in Brightspace (if you cannot access Brightspace yet, send it as an attachment by email to the Academic Advisor: studyadvisor@physics.leidenuniv.nl)

You draw up a study plan, discuss it with the Academic Advisor and follow it during the program. It forms the basis of obtaining your degree. The study plan must be approved by the Academic Advisor. So you need to also obtain approval for any changes.

Consult the Physics master's schedule to find out when and where to follow your courses. If you're undecided about the courses, you may attend some in the first couple of weeks and only narrow down the selection later. exam  Once you have your ULCN account, you can login to MyTimeTable to see your full schedule. 

Attendance of the Physics Introduction Meeting and the Physics Master Meet up in the first week of your studies is mandatory. Consult the Physics master's schedule to find out when this meeting is planned. The Academic Advisor will introduce you to the most important elements of the programme. The two meetings combine informative, practical and social elements to help you get started with all aspects of studying Physics in Leiden and to get to know your fellow students. In the second week you should attend the Physics Science Day. This is a festive academic opening of the year and highlights the research carried out in the department. This is your one and only opportunity to find out about research -and is invaluable in selecting a project in your 2nd year or semester!

Under construction.

Study advisor
Dr. C. Papathanassiou (Chara)
Email: studyadvisor@physics.leidenuniv.nl
Phone: +31 (0)71 527 5764

The education administration for the Physics master's programme is managed by the Education Office Physics. Make sure you get to know this team - they can support you in many matters regarding your study programme and your stay at Leiden Institute of Physics. 

• For practical study-related information (schedules, student communication, registration, etc.) please contact eduassist@physics.leidenuniv.nl
• For issues concerning the contents of your study programme as well as for personal issues which impact your study programme, contact the Academic Advisor Chara Papathanassiou: Online appointment tool

During your time as a student you will probably face a variety of challenges. Both in terms of studying and personal development, you might need a little help from time to time. Find out how you can boost your wellbeing and who you can turn to for support. Read more about wellbeing

Brightspace is Leiden University’s online learning environment.

Read more about Brightspace

You need to register to a course in MyStudyMap in order to get access to this course in Brightspace. We have created a Master Physics page in Brightspace where you will find plenty of information (including links to information pages, project forms, study plan templates, announcements, opportunities for after your MSc and the occasional conference, summer school or internship). You will be given access to this page automatically. Make sure you check it regularly.

MyTimetable & MyStudymap

In Leiden University’s student portal you can organise your studies with ease. From enrolling for courses and exams to checking your schedule and grades.

Read more about MyTimetable & MyStudymap

Here, on the student website, you can find a wide range of practical information about your studies.

Select your study programme

When you first visit the website, you will be asked to select your study programme to continue.

• By selecting your study programme, you can access information that is specific to your particular programme and faculty.
• By visiting the site as a guest, you can only access general, university-wide information.  

The website will remember your selection. This means you won’t have to make a selection next time you log in from the same device.

Tabs: from general to specific

If you have selected your study programme, you will sometime see more than one tab on a page:

• The tab on the left contains general information.
• The tab in the middle contains information from your faculty.
• The tab on the right contains information from your study programme.

Your student card is your proof of registration as a student of Leiden University. The student card is a digital card and can be found in the University Leiden app after activation.

All the details of your studies are recorded in uSis. From your first registration as a student until your graduation.

Read more about uSis

As a student of Leiden University you will be issued with a university email address: uMail. All correspondence from the university will be sent to this address. You can set up your uMail account so that all mails will be forwarded to your own email address.

Read more about uMail

The indispensable app for Leiden University students. Here you can find all your personal study information in one place. Log in once and access your schedule, results, available computers and university news anytime and anyplace.

Download the app

LION offers dedicated ICT services used by Physics master's students. More information about safe use of IT (email, network and helpdesk contact details).

An overview of all LION employees can be found on the Institute website. If you already have a name and are looking for specific contact or other details, you can enter the name on the Leiden University website (use the white search area in the top part of the screen)

By joining an association you'll meet lots of people and get more out of student life. As well as student and study associations, there are also a range of social associations in Leiden and The Hague, for example sports, religious or cultural associations.  

Read more about associations

As a student of Leiden University, you have access to a wide range of affordable sports via the University Sport Centre (USC) in Leiden and The Hague.

• Universitair Sportcentrum Leiden

• Plex-Fit in Leiden city centre

• USC The Buzz in The Hague

LION consists of two overlapping entities: the research institute (in Dutch: onderzoeksinstituut) and the education programme (in Dutch: opleiding). See the website Leiden Institute of Physics. There is complete overlap between the staff of both entities. Both are part of the Faculty of Science (Wiskunde en Natuurwetenschappen or FWN), one of the seven faculties of Leiden University (Universiteit Leiden).

The Research Institute, is led by the Scientific Director (wetenschappelijk directeur) and managed by Director of Operations. More about LION.

Education Office Physics

The Physics bachelor's education programme (Natuurkunde) and the Physics master's education programme are organised by the Education Office Physics. This team includes the director(s), the programme coordinator, the academic advisor, student affairs officer and administrative support.

The Physics program is served by a number of Committees. More information and memberships of the Education Committee, Board of Examiners, Board of Admissions and Public Relations Committee can be found on the page University & faculty councils and programme bodies.

At LION, we have the following categories of scientific staff:

• Research Faculty members include assistant professors (Universitair docenten), associate professors (universitair hoofddocenten) and full professors (hoogleraren). 
• Postdoctoral fellows (postdocs) are part of the temporary scientific staff (tijdelijke wetenschappelijke staf) and are in Leiden usually for one to three years; most of them take this position directly after obtaining a PhD degree. They are generally supported by funds external to the university. Their role in the Physics masters teaching programme usually pertains to the daily supervision of research projects.
• PhD candidates (promovendi) are also part of the temporary scientific staff (tijdelijke wetenschappelijke staf). As part of their duties, they assist the tenured faculty as teaching assistants (TAs) for the courses in the Physics master programme.

For finding people, see the relevant tab in the Practical matters block.

The LION premises lie at the Bio Science Park. This is where all the Physics program related activities take place. Classrooms are in the Huygens Building (HL), Snellius (SN), Gorlaeus Building  and Van Steenis (Steen) and staff offices either at HL or in the adjacent Oort Building. Click here for a map and directions.

If you plan to take a course at Delft University, please note that you need to take the following actions (you need the prior agreement of the Acedemic Advisor):
1. Enrol as 'Applied Physics - Guest student (Master level)' at TUD
2. Enroll as a guest student at TUD using this form
Please consult the schedules for Delft courses on: Schedules Master (Leiden) and Schedules Master (Delft)
See this link for Delft Contact Centre
Online helpdesk: FAQ's (tudelft.nl) 

Depending on the specialization of your MSc, you will carry out at least one research project at LION. This will take place at the earliest in the 2nd semester (for most, in the 2nd year). By then you will have had plenty of opportunity to find out what is being worked on in the department and approach the right people to get to work on a project. The Academic Advisor can always advise on the project selection and is the person who will give you permission to work on a project. Projects can start at any time during the year, but it is advisable to follow the semester schedule. Start looking for a project a semester in advance. You need to submit a project form (see Project form) filled in and signed by all parties (including the second supervisor/reader) and have it approved before you start working on the project! Both the supervisor and second supervisor/reader need to be staff members. One has always to be a staff member of LION. Please check de website as well: Finding and arranging Master Project