ABSTRACT
Leiden University is the oldest institution of Higher Education in the netherlands. By tradition it was established in 1575 as a gift to the people of Leiden from Prince william of Holland after they successfully repelled the Spanish from their city. Leiden has a population of just over 117,000 and was established by the Romans in the fourth century as a fortress. Almost all of the Dutch students whom I interviewed at Leiden University were from areas relatively close to Leiden reflecting a tradition in the netherlands of attending your nearest university. Some lived at home or lived outside the city. According to Dutch students to whom I spoke, Dutch universities are all generally understood to be ‘of a similar standard’ and assuming that a student does sufficiently well in their school exams to get into university in their subject they have the right to attend any university where the subject is studied which can, and did in my experience, lead to intense competition for student housing within Leiden with some students living in The Hague or even Amsterdam. Leiden University was, many felt, ‘slightly more popular’ than other institutions because it was the most established and was attended by the Dutch aristocracy including the Crown Prince.
