Leiden University Leiden University was founded in 1575 and is one of the leading international research universities in Europe. In the first decades of its existence, the university was host to many international students, from Europe and beyond. Since those early days, it has developed into a truly International university, annually hosting more than 3000 international and exchange students each year in its Bachelor and Master programmes, almost 1000 international PhD students and more than 800 international academic staff. The University has seven faculties and a campus in both Leiden and The Hague. Our motto is Praesidium Libertatis – Bastion of Freedom. We distinguish five broad clusters of science areas and on overarching theme.