31 January 2024

Perhaps you had already heard that after years of growth, the faculty’s financial outlook is currently rather less positive. In short, from 2024 we will have an annual budget deficit of some millions of euros. Rebalancing income and expenditure means that we need to take certain measures, starting with deciding together on what we can and cannot (or can no longer) do in the coming years.

Below, we explain more about the reasons for the budget deficit, the implications for our faculty and the course of action we plan to take.

Reasons for budget deficit
In the last two academic years, students have achieved substantially fewer credits than in previous years. This is partly due to the unusually high influx of students during the Covid pandemic. A decline in the number of credits achieved, however, was also visible in the years preceding the pandemic. The number of students in the bachelor’s law programme (Rechtsgeleerdheid) who leave without graduating has risen and the students who stay on achieve fewer credits on average than before the pandemic.

The university contribution, i.e. government funding for teaching and research, corresponds closely to the number of credits achieved and the number of students who graduate. Due to the poorer results of students, the available budget for 2024 is approximately five million euros less than expected and we see no signs of improvement for 2025.

Implications for the faculty
The Faculty Board's reserves, accrued over the years of growth, can be used to absorb the majority of the deficit of 2024 and this offers scope to carefully consider what measures to take. It is important that these measures are rolled out in such a way that from 2025 we will have rebalanced income and expenditure with as little negative impact as possible. We aim to do this by structurally lowering faculty expenditure for teaching, research and administration, while raising income through improvements in study success.

Course of action in the short term
We will start with a thorough analysis of certain key figures which will provide insights into how we can control finances (income and expenditure). This will provide information on where cuts need to be made and income can be improved. In addition, we will examine how income such as incentive grants and resources for quality agreements can be used as effectively as possible to soften the impact of possible measures. In the coming months, we will assess the financial implications of the options and weigh up the effects. The Faculty Board can then make choices in consultation with the academic directors and heads of department. Factors that will play a significant role when setting priorities will be work pressure and the well-being of staff in general.

Turning the tide
In addition to considering cost-cutting measures and using the various flows of income as effectively as possible, we are also exploring possibilities to structurally improve the study success of our students. Many ideas and measures have already been raised within the Kernvisie for the bachelor’s programmes and these should bring about these improvements.

Kernvisie
The measures arising from the Kernvisie will be implemented in academic year 2025/2026, and the impact of the full Kernvisie curriculum will therefore not be visible until the budget of 2027. With a view to the current financial situation, we will now examine which measures could be effective in the short term and could already be implemented in 2024.

Finally
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Gertjan Boshuizen, Director of Operational Management at Leiden Law School.

It will be no easy task to weather this difficult financial period. Nevertheless, the Faculty Board is confident that we can take significant steps to improve our financial position. Work pressure and the quality of our teaching and research will remain important focus points throughout this process. We will keep you informed on the next steps to be taken.