Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS) 2027

Faculties

Archaeology

Humanities

Medicine / LUMC

Governance and Global Affairs

Law

Social and Behavioural Sciences

Science

Selection Process

Up to 10 weeks after the LExS deadline, the faculty selection committees will nominate LExS recipients and notify the Scholarships Team. All LExS applicants will be notified of the Scholarships Team’s decisions at the End of March.

For more information about the Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS), please visit Leiden University’s website.

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Every applicant should fulfil the following prerequisites

Eligibilities

Open to applicants for all Master’s programmes at Leiden University starting in September (except Leiden Law School’s non-advanced LLM and MSc).

Must hold a non-EEA/non-EFTA passport and be ineligible for Dutch student finance (Studiefinanciering).

No nationality restriction for LLM Advanced Studies and MSc in International Relations and Diplomacy.

UK students are eligible unless they were registered residents in the Netherlands before 1 January 2021.

Must have excellent academic results, typically within the top 10% of previous graduates.

Recipients must agree in writing to the LExS Terms and Conditions before the award.

Ineligibilities

Applicants who already hold a Leiden University Master’s degree, except where a prior Master’s or work experience is required.

Those applying for non-advanced LLM or MSc programmes at Leiden Law School.

Students enrolling in a February-start programme.

Applicants not meeting nationality requirements.

Recipients of a full external scholarship (partial external funding may be allowed with approval).

The LExS Master’s Degree Scholarship is awarded for the whole course of the study program. There are three award levels accessible:

€ 10,000 tuition fee

€ 15,000 tuition fee.

€ 17,500 of the tuition fee

€ 18,500 of the tuition fee

€ 19,000 of the tuition fee

Full tuition fee without the statutory tuition fee

Note: It’s critical to remember that the LExS is a partial scholarship. ‘Evidence of sufficient funds’ is still required of non-EEA LExS participants when they apply for a residence permit or student visa.

Apply online for admission to a Leiden University Master’s programme and pay the application fee (if applicable).

Allow up to 3 working days for your admission application to be processed.

After submitting, go to the Scholarships section in your online portal; if eligible, the LExS option will appear.

Select LExS and upload a motivation letter (PDF, max 500 words) explaining why you should be considered.

Submit your LExS application before the deadline; no edits or additions are allowed afterward.

If applying to multiple programmes, submit a separate LExS application and motivation letter for each.

Late or incomplete applications will not be considered—ensure all materials are submitted before the deadline.