The Leiden University (Dutch: Universiteit Leiden) is an university in the City of Leiden, the Netherlands. The current rector is Carel Stolker.
In 1575, the Leiden University was founded by William the Silent, the oldest university in the Netherlands. Today, it is one of Europe's leading international research universities, and boasts seven faculties in the arts, sciences and social sciences, 26,900 students and 6,500 staff members.[1] Leiden University further boasts a grand total of 16 Nobel Prize's, 19 Spinoza Prize's, and 96,000 alumni.[2] The official motto of Leiden University is 'Praesidium Libertatis' – Bastion of Freedom.