History, Affiliations and Rankings
Leiden University is a public higher education and research institution in Leiden, Netherlands. It was founded in 1575. It is one of the most renowned universities in and around Europe. It was founded by William, Prince of Orange and is the country's oldest institution, known for its major foundations, student-run bodies, and emphasis on social sciences. It is a Coimbra Group recognized member and a founder member of the League of European Research Universities. According to the QS World Rankings 2021, the university is ranked #128 and #71 as per Times Higher Education across the globe.
Infrastructure, Campuses and Courses
The university does not have a central campus; instead, its buildings are spread around Leiden. Notably, university buildings such as Gravensteen are among the oldest, although Gorlaeus and Lipsius are more recent additions. The university has a huge campus in The Hague that houses Global Studies, the College of Governance and Global Affairs, sciences, and Liberal Arts, as well as six of the seven faculties. Science, Archaeology, Medicine, Law, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Public Administration, Political Science, Arts and Humanities are among the seven faculties. In total, the university maintains 29 research institutions in Leiden and the Hague. Additionally, the university has a variety of resources to assist students with their studies. LEI provides more than 100 undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programmes across a wide variety of fields. The university has over 50 academic departments and over 40 national and international research institutes.
Accomplishments and Alumni
LEI has a 109,000-strong global alumni network. It has produced a number of students with personal ties to Dutch Royal, including Queen Beatrix, Queen Juliana, and King Willem-Alexander. Some of the notable names from the university’s large alumni base includes politicians such as current Prime Minister Mark Rutte. Dutch Physicist Hendrik Lorentz and Dutch Computer Scientist Edsger W. Dijkstra.
Student Diversity and Visiting Companies
LEI is a diverse community of 29,542 students representing 129 different nations. It employs about 6,700 people, including skilled and competent affiliates.
