Make sure that you start early applying for housing or finding housing yourself. On the housing page you can find more information about arranging accommodation.

As an international student, you will also need to take care of a number of practical matters before and after arriving in the Netherlands:

• check if and how you should request visa or a residence permit;
• insurances and health care;
• open a Dutch bank account;
• make an appointment to register yourself with your new municipality.

Please inform yourself about these and other steps: 
Prepare your stay at Leiden University

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

In this Academic Year Calendar Psychology you will find all holiday and exam dates of the academic year 2024-2025.

In the Prospectus you will find all detailed information about the courses you will follow, including the learning objectives, assessment method and literature per subject. You will also find the registration codes for courses and exams here.

Through the system MyStudymap you are able to register for courses and exams. Course enrolment opens on 11 December 2024 at 1pm. After you have enrolled for courses, your personal study schedule will be visible in MyStudymap. 

More information about course registration and the informational presentation of the research master in Psychology can be found on the Start Course Enrolment page.

You can order the books you need during the first block via the webshop of our study association Labyrint. You can buy English books at a lowest price guarantee compared to other suppliers if you are a member of Labyrint. 

It is also possible to buy your books elsewhere, but always make sure that the ISBN code matches so that you are sure you are buying the right book. Updated versions of books often appear. Using an older version of a book is at your own risk as the information may not fully match with what you are supposed to study.

The books you will need vary per specialisation and course and can be found in each course description in the Prospectus.

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

The Master's Kick Off event is meant for all students who are starting their master’s programme and research master's programme in Psychology in Leiden. On this day, you will meet the coordinator of the research master and your fellow students, and receive important information about the master's programme, study advice and practical information.

See the Master's Kick Off event page

The study adviser gives advice about study planning and progress. In case of personal, medical or family circumstances students can talk to their study adviser to discuss the situation, the need for professional help, the consequences for their study progress, and the possible options for minimising study delay.

Contact details of the study advisers of the Master in Psychology

The Student Services Centre (SSC) of the Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences is the point of contact for all your practical study questions. You can contact the SSC for questions about: course and exam registration, study results, and other practical, administrative matters.

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

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

Brightspace is Leiden University’s online learning environment.

Read more about Brightspace

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

Leiden University offers many study places where you can study in peace. One of these study places is the Social and Behavioural Sciences Library, which is located in the Pieter de la Court Building. This library has 150 regular study places and 60 computer study places.

You can read more about the library and other study facilities on the website. 

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

Study Association Labyrint

Study association Labyrint is there to help you during your studies. As a member, you receive a discount on textbooks, summaries, tutoring and all Labyrint activities. This study association also organises various activities: from lectures and congresses to parties and social activities. 

Labyrint has few obligations, so you can decide for yourself how active you become within the association. Will you only become a member for the discounts or will you commit yourself with a small group of fellow students to organise the most fantastic activities? For more information, see the website of Labyrint. 

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

The Research Master's Programme Committee consists of both staff representatives and students and is responsible for the constant process of adjusting and modifying the education programme, for instance, by means of education evaluations, both small-scale and large-scale. The Master's Programme Committee acts as adviser to the Board of Education.

Every year in September the students of the Research Master's Programme Committee are chosen. You can apply for this committee and play a role in improving the programme.

The International Student Platform (ISP) is mainly concerned with educational problems specific for international students. But there is enough space to discuss all possible bottlenecks that international students are facing during their stay at Leiden University.

International students who want to have a say in our education programme are welcome to apply to become a part of the ISP.