Please refer to our frequently asked questions below!
General
The HOPweek will take place 18-22 August 2025.
The HOP is for everyone who will start their bachelors or masters at Leiden University in The Hague in September 2024. The week is for both Dutch and international students. Participation includes activities and food.
Of course! Under 18s still get access to all the events during the HOPweek, but will will have restricted access to certain things like alcohol in accordance with local laws.
We recommend that you participate in The HOP because this week is organized for you to get to know The Hague , your study and its student life. Orientation Week Leiden is for all international students (bachelor’s and master’s), but is based in Leiden. Of course you are more than welcome to participate in both introduction weeks!
The HOP is for all students starting at Leiden University in The Hague. Both Dutch and international students are welcome. EL CID caters more to Dutch students of Leiden University in Leiden. OWL is for all international students (bachelor and master), but is based in Leiden.
No, not at all! We will make sure that you are in a group with other international students and that your guides have a sufficient level of English. All the events and activities organized will be in English.
Please note that the HOPweek is the only introduction week officially affiliated with Leiden University in The Hague. As such, our programme takes into account factors that other introduction weeks might not. The HOPweek is specifically catered to allow the best start to your student life at Leiden University and The Hague. It will give you the best opportunity to meet people from your study programme, new student organisations, etc. While you are free to join other introduction weeks as well, please note that each introduction week has its own costs and intensive programme.
Registration
The participation fee for the HOP ’24 will be announced soon. The HOP is self-funding which means we get very limited financial support from the University and have to find our own funding and use participants fees to organize the HOP week. Most activities, lunch and dinner are included during the HOP.
Don’t worry! Although we sent the first invitations in June, we regularly update and re-send the invitation. If your process of acceptance was delayed you might receive an invitation in a later stage. Please do make sure you have taken all the steps to complete your registration at Leiden University (what you need to do is stated in your acceptance letter).
You are advised to contact us if you have not received an invite by the 1st of August!
It is no problem to join HOPweek on a later day during the week, however, please notify us by sending an email to participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl. Please also note that we are not able to offer you a refund for the days you have missed when arriving later.
Please email to participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl. If your application ID is not correct, do not worry about it, but double check whether all the other information is correct.
Yes, you are more than welcome to join! We will make sure that you are in a group together with master students.
During the HOP there will be events, organisations and merchandise to sign up for which might require payment. Also drinks are not included.
You can find more information on these extra options in the detailed programme in the app that you will receive access to a few days prior to the start of the HOP.
You can cancel your registration by emailing to participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
Please note that there are no refunds possible unless you will not be attending Leiden University at all and you cancelled before the closing of the online deadline.
As no refunds will be issued, we advise you to sign up if you are sure you can attend: you fulfilled your Academic requirements, flights are available and you have secured a place to stay during the HOP.
Other serious/personal emergencies resulting in cancelling can be conveyed to us by email and may be taken into consideration.
Keep in mind that the process of getting a refund takes a while, so you will not have your money back immediately.
In case your payment fails or your credit card is not accepted, please try again.
If you are still not able to complete your payment, you can email us at participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
Groups
The programme of HOP will appear on the website in June. The programme is still subject to change.
A couple of days prior to the start of the HOPweek we will send you an e-mail with more information and the login to the HOP App.
You will then also receive the names and contact details of your mentors, your group number and you will be informed about your first meeting point with your group!
After you have received your group number it is unfortunately not possible to change groups. We encourage you to join the group we assign you to and have a change to meet new people who will be in the same faculty as you.
If there is a special reason you should be in a specific group or with a specific other person you can email to participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl. As long as you belong to the same faculty it should be no problem.
If you have been assigned to a group that is not from your faculty, please inform us as soon as possible!!
Practical issues
Yes, just let us know when you register for the week! We will make sure that you are in a group with guides that know how to deal with your disability. In addition, you can decide for yourself in which activity you participate or not. It is, however, important to let your guides know so that they know where you are. If you have any questions, you can contact participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
Yes! It is important to let us know when you are registering for the week so that we can take it into account when organizing the meals. We will try as much as we can to accommodate your allergy or diabetes. In the case we are not able to, we will find an appropriate solution. If you have any questions, you can contact us: participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
We try our hardest to accommodate for allergies/dietary wishes during the HOP week. If you have a serious food allergy you can let us know through the sign up form.
Yes, everyone has the freedom to practice their religion during the week. It is important, however, to let your guide know in case you cannot participate in certain activities. If you like us to know in advance or if we need to take into account special wishes, you can let us know in your registration for the week or you can contact participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
• Your group number and the emergency phone number of the HOP organisation.
• ID-card or Passport.
• Raincoat/umbrella/ warm clothes.
• Medicine (if needed).
Also to keep with you:
• Wristband (provided by us at the registration) – keep it on for the duration of the HOP Week: You will need to show it at several parts of the programme!
• The App contains lots of useful information about the HOP. A link to download it will be sent to you in August!
For those of you who unfortunately have not yet managed to arrange accommodation, do not fear! We are arranging sleeping spots for you in a sports hall in The Hague. In the registration form you can sign up for more information so the HOP Board can contact you about this during Summer. Did you already register but forget to sign up for the dorms information? Contact participants@hop.leidenuniv.nl to receive the info!
For parents
Yes! The HOPweek is for everyone who will start their studies at Leiden University in The Hague in September 2025. We will not serve alcohol to participants under the age of 18.
For general questions, you can contact us by email at info@hop.leidenuniv.nl. If you have more specific questions, we recommend you to contact the person responsible. The individual email addresses can be found on the contact page.
During the week, we serve low alcoholic drinks like beer and wine as well as a variety of non-alcoholic beverages. Also, we will not serve alcohol to participants under the age of 18 and we will check all identity cards when serving alcohol. In addition, we do not tolerate any drug use.
Volunteers
You can choose between becoming a mentor or a crew member.
As a mentor, you will be responsible for your own group of first-year students together with a fellow student.
As a crew member, your tasks will be very diverse and your hours will be flexible. You can decide for yourself how many shifts you do and with which activity you help.
The registration of new mentors and crew will open in April 2024. If you are interested in becoming mentor send us an email to hopweek2024@gmail.com.
If you want to be a crew member contact volunteers@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
As a mentor, we expect you to be available every day during The HOPweek (18-22 August 2025).
As a crew, we expect you to be available during certain activities.
In addition, there is a mandatory training day for mentors and crew members before the start of the week.
If you are available prior and after the HOPweek and want to help us out, that would be amazing! Please contact volunteers@hop.leidenuniv.nl to receive more information.
Mentors
HOP mentors, usually second- or third-year students at Leiden University, play an important role during HOP week. Two mentors accompany a group of students and help coordinate the activities of the group. They show you around the city, the university buildings and are right there with you when getting to know the associations! Being a HOP mentor only takes one (intensive) week.
Being a mentor is an important role that involves guiding and supporting incoming students as they transition into university life. Here are following key roles of being a mentor…
- Help new students navigate the university environment.
- Serve as a friendly and approachable point of contact for the new students.
- Guide the new students throughout various fun activities planned by the HOP.
- Build connections, play games together, do HOP activities together, party together.
- Show them the best bars, cafe’s and study spots in the Hague.
- Create a memorable FUN FIRE Week!
The training day will take place in the week prior to the HOP. The exact date will soon be announced. .
The groups will be around 15 people.
The acceptance emails will be sent out from the June 15th.
No, because that creates extra work for our board 🙂
You are responsible for them during all the events of the programme. Make sure to communicate well with your mentees. Create a group chat 😉
You will be provided with all the necessary contact numbers during the mentor training day. For pressing medical emergencies call 112 directly.
This depends on the type of emergency. You should always contact the HOP CT (Communications Team) if you see suspicious behavior or if an accident has occurred.
The CT will call and organize for the appropriate response team. The CT number will be provided during training day.
Yes, of course!
Yes you can! We will match you with another mentor 🙂
Yes! However, you must be physically present in the Hague for all the events including training day and during HOPweek itself!
Last chance to sign up is on July 5th! So sign up now!
You can find the link to apply for being a mentor here soon!
Unfortunately no! You can only be a mentor if you are a student at Leiden University.
Yes, you definitely can! But be prepared to be in the Hague for the entirety of the HOPweek 🙂
Attendance of the training day is mandatory! If you really cannot attend the training day, you need to inform us by sending us an email (at hopweek2024@gmail.com) with valid reasoning.
If you will not be able to attend the HOP week, please let the Mentor Committee know as soon as possible so that they can adjust the group assignment to the mentors.
The HOP maintains a strict alcohol and drugs policy to ensure the safety, well-being and inclusivity of all participants. The policy includes the following guidelines:
- Mentors are expected to drink responsibly and in moderation. Excessive alcohol consumption or any behavior that poses a risk to the individual or others will not be tolerated.
- The use, possession, or distribution of illegal drugs or substances is strictly prohibited during HOP events. Any participants or volunteers found to be in violation of this policy may face immediate removal from the program, and appropriate legal actions may be taken.
- HOP maintains a non-smoking policy during all official events and activities. Smoking is only permitted in designated smoking areas, outside HOP event locations.
There can only be a maximum of 2 mentors. With two mentors it allows for deeper engagement, more thorough guidance, better structure, communication and a stronger mentor-mentee relationship.
Yes, you will be put in a big group chat with all the mentors and the members of the Mentor Committee. You will also be able to contact them individually if you have any more specific questions.
You can contact us at hopweek2024@gmail.com.
Warm Welcome Service
We recommend you plan your arrival in The Netherlands taking this into account It will help you settle in quickly and support you with all the necessary (practical) arrangements for your stay in The Netherlands. If you arrive later, please know that you will have to arrange these matters yourself. If you have any questions about this warm welcome service check out their website for the latest information.
Note: this is a University service, it is not organized by HOP or OWL
Partnering Opportunities
Yes! You can find more information on the Contact page. You can also contact our Commissioner of Partners directly at partners@hop.leidenuniv.nl.
Privacy
The Hague Orientation Programme (hereafter referred to as the HOP), organiser of the official introduction programme of Leiden University in The Hague, is deemed responsible for the processing of personal data as mentioned in this privacy statement. This privacy statement pertains to participants and all (paid and unpaid) volunteers active during the Leiden University HOPweek.
The Privacy Statement of The Hague Orientation Programme can be found on this page.
Sustainability
We encourage the participants to use their bikes or public transportation to arrive at the HOPweek venues.
For the logistics of the week, we only use one van – for the rest, we use a bakfiets (bike with a trailer).
We encourage public transportation and travel by bike during HOP week.
Also, we communicated with the people living at the HOP venues to let them know a large amount people would be coming to their neighborhood.
We encourage the participants to limit and separate waste. Additionally, we were seeking minimal waste produced by the organization. We use Eco-cups during events to minimize waste. Also, the bags that the participants get are reusable and they can keep using them during their studies and beyond
In our registration, the vegetarian option was default – this way, we reduced the amount of meat consumed during the week. In general, the meals come with less packaging than usual.
Also, we teamed up with green organizations in The Hague to provide activities such as the recycling challenge, solar chargers, and other surprises!
Health & Safety
During HOP we will follow the government rules. If needed, we will adjust the programme to conform to those rules. We are working together in this with university, municipality and public health care organization GGD.
