Hi! I’m an applicant for the Leiden IRO 2026 intake (ranking number 840).

For those applying to Leiden IRO 2026 — does anyone know how far the offers have gone so far?

If you’ve recently received an offer, could you share your ranking number and when you got it? That would really help track the movement of the waiting list.

Thanks a lot!

I am ranking 536, in how much time do you think I will be offered a place?

Hey i’m starting at LUC soon and was wondering if anyone had any input about the workload. how hard is to manage a job at the same time. How many classes a day ect. Thanks so much (i also came from doing the IB so im used to a “heavier” workload”

I got accepted into a one years Master’s program, but it’s course based and so not quite serious. One year is also not enough to gain enough research and linguistic competences for my discipline. Will it be possible to switch to the research program if professors like me and I show great academic performance?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 22 year old English Literature Graduate from Scotland going to do my Masters in Leiden in September. The course is the Book and Digital Media branch of the Media Masters, and I'm looking to reach out to people who might also be on the same degree path. I know no one in the city, and I'm sure there are people in a similar boat. Leave a comment if you want to chat about housing/ the course/ books/ anything!

Hi! I’ll be in Leiden in the fall and I will be doing an MPA (Public Administration). I’m from the US and wanted to know what this would look like in terms of jobs after obtaining the Master’s and how this would translate back in the US. Would appreciate any info or insight from any current or previous US students at Leiden, thanks!

Hi! I’m trying to decide between universities for International Relations and Organisations (IRO) and I’d really appreciate hearing from current or former IRO students at Leiden.

One thing that’s really important to me is continuing to learn languages alongside my degree. I was already studying languages in my home country, and I’d love to either start continue learning and improving those languages or start studying one from scratch.

I got accepted to another university where taking a language course is actually mandatory, so I’m wondering whether that might fit my interests better. On the other hand, I would really like to study in The Hague and I saw Leiden offer language courses through the university. Has anyone here taken any those courses while doing IRO?

I’m very curious about the workload. Is IRO at Leiden demanding enough that adding a language course would be unrealistic? Or is it manageable if you organize your time well? I´ve heard mixed opinions...

I also applied for the International Studies because of the strong language-learning component but I think IRO might actually be a better fit for me overall academically.

Would really appreciate any advice :)

note: I also noticed that some Dutch universities offer Dutch courses for very cheap (like €50) and from what I could find Leiden does offer A1 courses for beginners but way more expensive (€490 for students)

Hi everyone!

Just here to soothe some nerves regarding my age and the probability of having classmates who are older as well. I already have a career but have recently decided that my curiosity for Archeology outweighed the sheer hesitance I felt towards partaking in another bachelor's. I am 25, turning 26, and really hope my peers are more of a mixed bag because I don't think I could handle solely being around 18-year-olds.

And if not, any tips or coping mechanisms?

Hey, looking to connect with folks who have done/are doing the MPA at Leiden. Want some feedback regarding the programme…

hi guys! I just got into the IRO program and I was wondering if there is a gc on whatsapp or another platform for intl students! thank you so much

Hey current students and alumni of IRO Leiden University,

I have been accepted to IRO, and I was wondering if you could tell me about whether this specific program ended up fitting your interests and was what you expected. Did you enjoy studying within the program, and was what you have studied ended up being useful in your academic and work future? What career opportunities do you/did you have?

I like the international program and the location, however I'm a little bit unsure whether to go for this program or choose a PPE program instead at another uni closer to home. I read the curriculum of IRO but I didn't see many economics related or data science subjects there. (I fear that I wouldn't be able to find a good job without those skills, or that it would be so so much more competitive.) Also, I saw very little space for electives except the last (3rd) year where I can only choose electives at Leiden if I don't go on an exchange semester.

What do you think? Are my fears valid? How would you grade the quality of education from 1 to 10? Please feel free to answer, I would really, really appreciate it and you could maybe help some other folks up here too!

Hi, is there a WhatsApp group for people starting their MPA at Leiden in September? If not, please indicate interest and I shall add you in one!

Incoming international student here! I'm curious about the academic honors in Leiden and in Dutch universities in general. I am more familiar with the US system (cum laude, magna cum laude, summa cum laude): are these the same in Leiden? If so, what grades do they correspond to?

Thank you very much!

Hi everyone,

I’ll be starting the Bachelor’s in International Studies this September, and I wanted to ask anyone studying at Leiden University (not necessarily International Studies) how the weekly workload is structured. How many assignments do you usually get, and are they manageable?

I’m also curious about essay writing, especially at the beginning. When it comes to researching and writing essays, do you mainly rely on the materials provided by professors, or are you often given a question and expected to break it down yourself, find sources independently, and build your argument without much guidance?

Finally, what’s the best way to manage assignments and exams effectively?

At the moment, I’m practicing writing and answering essay questions, and I was wondering if this is actually useful, or if you’d recommend preparing in other ways as well and if so, what would you suggest?

Thanks in advance!