Leiden University Excellence Scholarships (LexS)

Overview

The Leiden University Excellence Scholarship (LExS) is a competitive, merit-based tuition fee scholarship offered by Leiden University — the oldest university in the Netherlands, founded in 1575 — to outstanding non-EEA/non-EFTA students enrolling in eligible full-time Master's degree programmes. The scholarship partially or fully covers tuition fees and is awarded for the full duration of the Master's programme (typically one or two years). Award amounts are fixed at one of five levels: €10,000 / €15,000 / €17,500 / €18,500 / or €19,000 per year — the level is determined by the faculty selection committee, not chosen by the applicant. ⚠️ This is not a full scholarship. Even at the highest award level, recipients must still demonstrate proof of sufficient funds for their Dutch student visa/residence permit, as the LExS does not cover living costs, accommodation, or other expenses. Only approximately 25 scholarships are awarded each year from over 1,000 applicants — this is highly competitive. The scholarship application is built into the Leiden University online admissions portal — there is no separate external form. You must first apply for a Master's programme before the LExS option becomes visible.

Eligibility

Who is Eligible

• Holds a non-EU/EEA and non-EFTA passport — Nepali students are fully eligible
• Not eligible for Dutch study grants and loans ("Studiefinanciering") via DUO
• Applying for an eligible full-time Master's programme at one of these faculties: Archaeology, Medicine/LUMC, Governance and Global Affairs, Law (Advanced LLM only), Social and Behavioural Sciences, or Science
• Ranked in the top 10% of graduates from their previous study programme — proof of ranking is not required, but this is the academic benchmark used for selection
• Has strong academic results that are directly relevant to the Master's programme applied for
• Applying for programmes starting in September (the primary intake for LExS)
• All nationalities are eligible for the LExS if applying to Advanced LLMs or the MSc International Relations and Diplomacy — the non-EEA restriction does not apply to these programmes

Who is Not Eligible

• EU/EEA or EFTA passport holders (e.g. European students) — except for the Advanced LLM and MSc International Relations and Diplomacy programmes
• Students applying to any Humanities faculty programme — the Faculty of Humanities is excluded from LExS
• Students applying to non-advanced LLM or MSc programmes at Leiden Law School (only Advanced LLMs qualify)
• Students applying for a February intake — LExS is only available for the September intake
• Students who already hold a Leiden University Master's degree (with very limited case-by-case exceptions)
• Students not enrolled full-time at Leiden University
• Students who change their degree programme after receiving the scholarship — the LExS may be revoked and a fresh application required

How to Apply

The LExS application is embedded inside the Leiden University online admissions system — you cannot apply for the scholarship without first submitting a Master's programme application.

1. Apply for a Master's programme at Leiden University via the online application portal. Pay the application fee if applicable — allow at least 3 working days for processing before the scholarship deadline.
2. After submitting your admission application, return to the Apply screen and click on "Scholarships" — the LExS option will appear if you are applying for an eligible programme.
3. Indicate that you wish to apply for the LExS and upload your motivation letter — a PDF or Word document of maximum 500 words explaining why you deserve the award and your motivation for the programme.
4. If applying to multiple Master's programmes, you must submit a separate LExS motivation letter for each programme.
5. Submit your complete application (admission + LExS) before the deadline. Late applications are not accepted under any circumstances.
6. Scholarship decisions are made by Faculty Selection Committees and communicated alongside or after admission decisions.
7. If awarded, sign and return the Acceptance Form LExS confirming your agreement with the scholarship terms and conditions before the award is finalised.