2027 Leiden University Excellence Scholarship in Netherlands

Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS) is for Dutch and international students joining a full-time Leiden University Master’s degree programme in the Netherlands. The 2026 Leiden University Excellence LExS Scholarship offers a € 19,000 scholarship opportunity that partly covers the tuition fees of selected individuals pursuing Master’s degree in the heart of Europe.

Eligibility: 

• Non-EEA/non-EFTA* nationals who are applying for a Master’s programme at Leiden University. See additional note for UK students below.
• Students of all nationalities applying for an LLM Advanced Studies programme, or the MSC in International Relations and Diplomacy.

*EEA/EFTA: All EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland

1. Study programme requirements

• Applicants for all Master’s programme at Leiden University – with the exception of LLM (non-advanced) and MSc programmes at Leiden Law School.
• 2. Students must have achieved excellent academic results in their previous study programme(s), which must be relevant to the Master’s programme for which they are applying.
• As an indication, the student is amongst the top 10% of graduates in his/her previous study programme. Note that proof of ranking is not required – this information is purely to indicate the level of competitiveness.

Value: 

The LExS is awarded for the duration of the study programme. There are five available levels of awards:

• € 10,000 of the tuition fee
• € 15,000 of the tuition fee
• € 17,500 of the tuition fee
• € 18,500 of the tuition fee
• € 19,000 of the tuition fee

Eligible Field: 

• Archaeology, Humanities,
• Medicine/LUMC,
• Governance and Global Affairs,
• Law,
• Social and Behavioural Sciences, Science,
• African Studies Centre,
• International Institute for Asian Studies

Deadline: December 1, 2026
Type: Master.
Host Country: Netherlands