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Leiden University

In the year of 1575, the Dutch republic had no universities in its northern heartland. The only other universities that were in the Netherlands were in the Southern Louvain and were resolutely under control by the Spanish.

Leiden University can be found in the small city of Leiden and it is the Netherlands’ oldest still-standing university today. This university was founded in the year of 1575 by the leader of the Dutch revolt in the Eighty years’ war, Prince William of Orange. Some royalty that took place at this specific university; Queens Beatrix, Juliana and Wilhelmina as well as Willem-Alexander did their studies at Leiden University.

Leiden University now has more than fifty divisions, nine faculties, over 150 undergraduate programs, houses over forty international and national institutes and they just love their international reputation, although, the university does not have a central campus as the buildings are stretched all over the city. A few of the buildings such as where the Leiden international office is located, known as the Gravensteen building, is very old but well maintained. Much more modern buildings would include the Gorlaeus and the Lipsius.

Leiden University is divided into nine main faculties that offer about fifty undergraduate degree courses and just about one hundred graduate courses. The nine different faculties are the following: Theology, Law, Medicine, Natural Science and Mathematics, Arts, Social and Behavioral Science, Archaeology, Philosophy, Creative and Performing Arts.

Leiden University is one of the best and they live by their motto “Praesidium Libertatis” which means “Bastion of Freedom” in English. It is a public university that has 3,973 dedicated staff members and 17,630 hard-working students.