Excellence Scholarships for International Students at Leiden University, Netherlands

Brief Description

Leiden University Excellence Scholarships (LExS) are open for international students wishing to study Master`s degree in Netherlands for the academic year 2012-2013.

For whom?

1. Non-EU/EEA students enrolling in a Leiden University master`s degree programme starting September 2011 or February 2012 ( All MA, MSc and LL.M programmes as mentioned on the website Master`s programmes in Leiden).
2. All nationalities enrolling in the following programmes starting September 2011 or February 2012:
   • Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in Air and Space Law
   • Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in European and International Business Law
   • Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in International Tax Law
   • Master of Laws: Advanced Studies in Public International Law
   • MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy

Additional requirements:

1. In his or her prior academic education abroad, the applicant must have achieved excellent study results which are relevant for the programme for which the student wishes to enroll. As an indication, the student will be among the top 10% for the relevant programme followed abroad
2. The applicant will hold a non-EU/EEA passport and will not be eligible for support under the Dutch system of study grants and loans (“Studiefinanciering”; more information)
3. Scholarships will not be awarded to applicants who have already obtained a Leiden University master`s degree
4. Students who are granted a Leiden Excellence Scholarship must comply with and confirm in writing their agreement with the terms and conditions (pdf) attached to the scholarship prior to the granting of the scholarship.

Scholarship Amount:

The Leiden University Excellence Scholarship programme has 5 awards:

• Platinum : Covers the tuition fee minus the home fee* and an allowance of €10,000 for living costs
• Gold : Covers the tuition fee minus the home fee*
• Silver : Covers 75% of the tuition fee
• Bronze : Covers 50% of the tuition fee
• Ivory : Covers 25 % of the tuition fee

The number and type of award of the scholarship depends on the budget available for each Faculty department. The type of award has no reflection on the students` academic level of excellence.

* The tuition fee will be reduced to the amount of the home fee. Students who have been awarded a Platinum or Gold award still have to pay the home fee themselves.

Application procedure for September 2011 / February 2012 intake:

STEP :

• (1A) Fill in your online application for admission to Leiden University [Deadline 1 MARCH 2011 for programmes starting in September 2011]
• (B) Upload all necessary documents [Deadline 1 APRIL 2011 onlyfor programmes of the Leiden Law School starting in September 2011]
• (C) : Indicate clearly that you would like to apply for the LExS scholarship on the scholarship page
• (D) : Upload your letter of motivation for the LExS scholarship on the scholarship page [Deadline 1 October 2011 for programmes starting in February 2012]
• (E) : Submit your online application [The end of April 2011 for September 2011 intake]
• (F) : Pay the application fee
• (2A) : All LExS applicants will be informed by the scholarship department of Student Educational Affairs [Mid November 2011 for the February 2012 intake]

Letter of motivation
To apply for the scholarship, you should write a letter of motivation (in Word) of a maximum of 500 words, in which you indicate why you believe you should be considered for this scholarship. The Word document should then be attached on the scholarship page in your online application for the master`s programmes for which you are applying.

It is possible to submit applications for more scholarship programmes simultaneously. However, it is not possible to obtain more than 1 scholarship from Leiden University for the same study programme. (terms and conditions (pdf))

If you have already submitted your online application for admission to Leiden University, but would still like to apply for the LExS scholarship, we kindly request you to submit the LExS motivation letter to

Related posts:

1. Leiden University Excellence Scholarship Master Programme, Netherlands
2. Leiden University Excellence Scholarship programme 2010/2011 (LExS) for Masters Programmes, Netherlands
3. PhD Scholarship at Leiden Observatory, Netherlands
4. MA Scholarships at Brussels School of International Studies, Belgium
5. Master Scholarships at The Netherlands Fellowship Programmes (NFP) and University of Twente, Netherlands