IB Pathways
Fieldwork in Starikovskaya, Palana area, summer 2003; from left to right: former reindeer herder Kyrill Adukanov…

Leiden University · Netherlands

Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology

Why people live and think differently across the world, studied through theory plus your own fieldwork, internships and ethnographic film-making, with themes like inequality and climate justice.

Erich Kasten · CC BY-SA 4.0

Where
LeidenNetherlands
Degree
BSc
Length
3 years
Taught in
English
Starts
Autumn 2027
Apply by
1 May 2027
Admission
Open to all who qualify
EU/EEA fee
€2,7712027/28 statutory fee
More facts
Degree
BSc
Length
3 years
Taught in
English
Starts
Autumn 2027

Deadlines

  1. 1 December 2026*

    Create your Studielink account
    Your own plan
    Details

    Not an official deadline. With a Dutch address you log in with DigiD, which the government says takes about five days. Without one you upload a scan or photo of your passport or EU identity card and Studielink verifies it automatically. Either way, do it well before 15 January.

    Source

  2. 1 May 2027

    Programmes without numerus fixus (with matching): apply by
    Hard deadline
    DetailsSource

  3. 6 July 2027*

    IB results released
    Details

    Both Dutch deadlines fall well before this. How a conditional place pending results is handled is set by each institution; ask yours.

    Source

* Last year’s date, not yet confirmed.

Every date in the Netherlands

What it is

Four themes run through the programme: sustainability, diversity, digitalisation and methodology. Topics range from climate change and low-carbon futures to social media use, gender, racism, LGBTQIA+ rights, homelessness, food habits and child labour. You do fieldwork in the Netherlands and abroad, internships with organisations and communities, and use creative research methods such as photography, film, zine-making and drawing. Lectures and seminars give the theory, and the degree prepares you to support individuals, groups and communities affected by pressing social issues.

What you need

  • Full IB Diploma required (not certificates); send grade 11, November grade 12 and predicted grades. English-taught IB or English A HL waives the English test. Science programmes set HL subjects.
Requirements in full

Where it says so

Check it on universiteitleiden.nl

How places are decided

    • Everyone eligible is admitted
    Not selective: meet the requirements and you are admitted. Apply by 1 May 2027; online matching is compulsory, its advice not binding.
Sources (2)
  1. Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology at Leiden — checked 2026-09-30
  2. IB applicants at Leiden

Other degrees at Leiden