What? 

For your discretionary space you can choose from the following options: 

• An approved minor offered by Leiden University
• An approved minor offered by Erasmus University Rotterdam
• An approved minor offered by Delft University of Technology
• An internship combined with courses offered by Leiden University and/or another educational institution
• An individually compiled set of courses offered by Leiden University and/or another educational institution

If you wish to select another option than an approved minor offered by Leiden University, Erasmus University Rotterdam or Delft University of Technology, you need to obtain approval from the Board of Examiners. 

The Board of Examiners will judge your request on consistency and academic level.

How? 

Digitally complete the Approval of bachelor's discretionary space form and print it out. Use the remarks section to motivate your choice in terms of coherence. 

Discuss your plans with your Coordinator of Studies and ask him/her to sign the form as seen. Complete the online form here.

If your Discretionary Space includes courses offered by institutions other than Leiden University, you should also submit a request for following ‘ External education ’ in uSis. On the basis of this request, your study results can be validated afterwards. 

When? 

Submit your request before the start of the courses in your Discretionary Space, preferably at the end of the semester preceding the semester in which you plan to follow these courses. 

Proof 

If your Discretionary Space include courses offered by institutions other than Leiden University, you must provide prior proof of the level and study load of these courses (how many ECs the course represents). In most cases, a course description is sufficient. If the courses are taught abroad or offered by a non-partner institution, you should also include information on how to translate the credits to ECs.

What? 

You can apply for an exemption if you believe that you already possess the knowledge/skills being taught in a given course, for instance as a result of your previous education. 

An exemption implies that you will be exempted from following the course in question and that you will automatically be granted the relevant number of ECs. 

If you wish to apply for an exemption for your Discretionary Space, please follow the steps listed under Discretionary Space. Please specify explicitly that you are applying for an exemption for your Discretionary Space on the basis of previously obtained study results. You can do so under ‘motivation’. 

How? 

Submit your request for exemption from a specific course in uSis no later than six weeks before the examination, but preferably much sooner. Use the remarks section to explain why you believe that you should be granted an exemption from the relevant course. Hand in, as soon as possible, after submitting your request the required proof, at the departmental student office See the for a specification of the documents required. Your request can only be processed once the departmental student office is in possession of all supporting documents.

Supporting documents 

• Copy of your diploma or list of grades / statement listing the courses on the basis of which you are applying for an exemption. The copy of your list of grades can be authenticated by the staff of the Faculty of Humanities’ Student Information Desk .

• Course description of the course(s) on the basis of which you are applying for an exemption.

What? 

If, after the resit you did not pass a a course due to exceptional circumstances, you can apply to the Board of Examiners for an additional resit in the current academic year.

How? 

Complete the alternatives to regular testing form. Indicate on this form as clearly as possible your motivation for asking the Board of Examiners to make an exception in your case.

Make sure that your motivation includes the following:

• Why you did not complete the course (exceptional circumstances)

• Why it is important for you to be allowed to take an additional resit in the current academic year

When? 

Submit your request within four weeks after the resit results have been announced.

What?　

Extracurricular courses are courses that do not appear on your diploma, but that you followed and you want included in your diploma supplement. These courses are listed as extracurricular courses on your diploma supplement. Extracurricular courses do not count towards your average grade or distinction. Nor can extracurricular courses be used to graduate from another study programme. 

How? 

No later than eight weeks before your planned graduation date, submit a request for an extracurricular course in uSis under ‘Extracurricular’ in your study requirements by choosing one of the following visible components, for example:

ALG 9999EXCUB2                     Extracurriculair studiedeel
ALG 9999EXCURM                   Extracurriculair studiedeel

Then click ‘submit request’.

If you wish to have a Leiden University study component to be listed, choose at ‘Petition type’: 3 Extracurricular course.
Indicate which study component you wish to have listed. You can use the search button (magnifying glass) to find the catalognumber of the relevant course in the prospectus. You can use a single request to include more than one course by using the ‘add extracurricular course’ button. 

If you wish to have external education included as extracurricular courses, that is courses followed outside of Leiden University, during your status as an enrolled Leiden University student, choose at ‘Petition type’: 5 External education.
Please clearly indicate in your explanation that this is an extracurricular course. 
Make sure you hand in all supporting documents to the Education Administration Office as soon as possible after submitting your request. Your request can only be processed once the Education Administration Office is in possession of all the required supporting documents.

See also: Request for following external courses

Support for filling out request forms

Supporting documents 

Extracurricular courses offered by Leiden University as regular courses:

• No supporting documents required

Extracurricular courses not offered by Leiden University but offered elsewhere as regular courses ( External education ):

• List of grades including course, number of study credits, and grade

• An explanation of the assessment system of the relevant educational institution (only if the educational institution in question has no exchange agreement with Leiden University)

What? 

Following courses at other educational institutions than Leiden University. You may under certain conditions be allowed to include courses you followed elsewhere in your Leiden curriculum. A request for following External education is first given preliminary approval (before the course starts); a final assessment follows once all supporting documents have been handed in. 

These rules only apply to courses that are not included in your fixed curriculum. For compulsory stays abroad, please contact your Coordinator of Studies. 

If you wish to apply for External education as part of your bachelor’s Discretionary Space, please follow the steps listed under bachelor’s Discretionary Space. 

Note that Leiden University students are only allowed to follow courses in regions that have been declared safe by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this context, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs uses the following classification: Green (No safety risks) and Yellow (Beware! Safety risks). 

How? 

No later than six weeks before the start of the External education , submit a request to replace a course by External education in uSis. Under ‘external organisation’, specify the name and location (including the country) of the educational institution where you plan to follow the External education. Under ‘replace by’ include a description of the course you wish to follow both in Dutch and in English. Also indicate the number of study credits. You can use a single request to include more than one course by using the ‘add courses to be replaced’ button.

The Board of Examiners has set a deadline for these requests of six weeks prior to the start of the course. Note that other procedures (grant applications, Erasmus+, admission to external educational institutions, selection periods, etc.) may be subject to different deadlines.

If you are going to study abroad as a free mover, please contact the Humanities International Office to discuss your options. You could reach them by mail studyabroad@hum.leidenuniv.nl 

Hand in the supporting documents to the departmental student office (see required supporting documents) as soon as possible after submitting your request. Your request can only be processed once the departmental student office is in possession of all required supporting documents. 

Supporting documents 

Prior to the start of the course:

• Course description including entry requirements and study load

• Document explaining the study load per full-time academic year. This is only necessary if there is no exchange agreement between Leiden University and the host University

• If applicable, a decision regarding the safety of the country of destination

Afterwards:

• Copy of list of grades listing course, number of credits, and grade. The copy of your list of grades can be authenticated by the Faculty of Humanities’ Student Information Desk.

What? 

Replacing a standard component in your curriculum with another course from the Leiden University prospectus. 

If you wish to apply for a replacement within your Discretionary Space, please follow the steps listed under bachelor’s Discretionary Space . 

How? 

Before the course starts, you should submit a request for ‘replacement’ for the course you wish to replace in ‘My Academic Requirements’ in uSis. Use the search button (magnifying glass) to enter the catalog number of the replacement course. You can use a single request to replace more than one course by adding courses with the ‘course’ button. For example if you want to replace a 10 EC course with two courses worth 5 EC each.

Clearly indicate in your explanation why you wish to follow the replacement courses. 

Supporting documents 

No supporting documents required.

What? 

If you wish to include an internship in your study programme, please first contact the internship coordinator. 

The internship coordinator will help you find a suitable internship and create an internship plan and internship agreement. 

You can include an internship in your curriculum in one of the following ways:

• As partial or full use of your discretionary space (BA)
• As an optional course within your master’s or research master’s programme, on condition that your programme allows for it
• As an extracurricular course
• As a replacement for an optional or compulsory component of your curriculum
• As a compulsory component of your curriculum

In all of the above cases, the Board of Examiners must first approve the internship. 

If you plan to follow an internship abroad, note that Leiden University students are only allowed to follow courses in regions that have been declared safe by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In this context the Ministry of Foreign Affairs uses the following classification: Green (No safety risks) and Yellow (Beware! Safety risks). 

How? 

Formulate an internship plan (in consultation with the internship coordinator). See for more information the the internship plan webpage. 

Once the internship coordinator has approved your internship plan, this plan is submitted for approval to the Board of Examiners. 

If you wish to replace a component in your curriculum with an internship, you should submit a written request to this end together with your internship plan. This request should specify your motivation for wanting to replace the relevant component with an internship and how the internship meets the learning outcomes of the relevant component.

If you wish to follow an internship as a partial or full completion of your discretionary space, you should submit the Approval of bachelor’s discretionary space form to the Board of Examiners together with your internship plan. 

In this case, you should hand in the additional request together with your internship plan so that the Board of Examiners can assess your request as a whole. This can be done via the Career Service. 

If the internship forms part of your compulsory curriculum, or if it is an optional or extracurricular course, you only need to submit your internship plan for approval to the Board of Examiners. Once your internship is approved, it is also automatically approved as an optional or extracurricular course.

If you are going abroad for your internship, please apply for a decision regarding the safety of your country of destination via the Humanities International Office. 

When? 

The internship plan should be submitted for approval to the Board of Examiners no later than two weeks before the start date of your internship. The internship plan should be signed by the following parties:

• Intern
• Internship coordinator
• Internship tutor
• Internship supervisor

Supporting documents 

• If applicable: Decision regarding the safety of your country destination

What? 

Some curriculum components are subject to entry requirements. These entry requirements usually specify that another course must be completed before a student is allowed to follow the relevant course.

The Board of Examiners may in special cases, and following a motivated written request by the student, agree to an alternative sequence

How? 

Send an e-mail to the Board of Examiners explaining why the Board should allow you to follow the relevant courses in a different order. 
Make sure that your motivation addresses the following:

• Why you are unable or unwilling to follow the relevant courses in the prescribed sequence

• Why it is important for you to be allowed to follow the relevant courses in a different sequence

• Your reasons for believing that you will be able to successfully complete the relevant course despite not meeting the entry requirement

When? 

Submit your request no later than four weeks before the start of the course for which you do not meet the entry requirement.

What?

The Course and Examination Regulations specify for each course the manner in which assessment should take place. As a student, you can request the Board of Examiners to allow you to conclude the course through an alternative method of assessment. 

How? 

Complete the alternatives to regular testing form. On the form, specify your motivation for asking the Board of Examiners to make an exception in your case.

When? 

Submit your request no later than four weeks before the start of the course.

What? 

If you are unable to meet a deadline for handing in a paper due to exceptional circumstances, you can ask the Board of Examiners to postpone the deadline. 

How? 

Complete the request for postponing a deadline form. On this form specify your motivation for asking the Board of Examiners to make an exception in your case. 

When? 

Submit your request no longer than four weeks before the deadline.

What? 

You can apply for a different number of credits if you wish to obtain a different number of study credits for a given course than that listed in the e-prospectus. 

Note that if a course does not have a pre-determined number of study credits (the prospectus states ‘5 or 10 EC’), you do not have to submit a separate request. You should however make agreements about this matter immediately with the staff of your study programme, as specified in the e-prospectus. 

How? 

Discuss the possibility of adjusting the number of study credits of the course with the relevant lecturer. Without permission from the lecturer, the number of study credits cannot be modified. 

Before the course starts, and as soon as possible, submit a request for a ‘divergent number of study credits’ in uSis. Make sure you explain why you wish to obtain more EC for the course in question. Also explain what you will do to justify these additional credits. This may for example involve writing an additional paper. 

Hand in the required supporting documents to the Student Affairs Department as soon as possible after submitting your request. Your request can only be processed once the Student Affairs department is in possession of all the relevant supporting documents. 

Supporting documents 

Proof of agreement with the lecturer

What? 

The Board of Examiners is responsible for appointing a supervisor for the master’s thesis and the bachelor’s thesis. 

How? 

Every study programme has its own procedure for appointing supervisors. Please consult the course description of the master’s thesis or bachelor’s thesis in the e-prospectus. 

When? 

Every study programme has its own procedure for appointing supervisors. Please consult the course description of the master’s thesis or bachelor’s thesis in the e-prospectus.

What? 

Some bachelor’s programmes allow students to compensate for a fail in the first-year phase (propaedeuse) with a pass in another course. 

If this is the case, this option will be listed in the e-Prospectus under more info 
This also specifies which courses are subject to the compensation regulations and what conditions have to be met. 

Note that if you use the compensation regulation your final diploma will contain a fail. 

How?

Complete the application for compensation regulation form. 

Mention in this form the course that you failed and your grade. Also include the course you wish to use to compensate for this fail, and the grade you obtained for this course. 

When? 

Submit your request to apply the compensation regulation before 1 July of the academic year in which you wish to make use of the regulation.

What? 

On the basis of the graduation form, the Board of Examiners assesses whether you meet all the requirements for obtaining your final diploma.

How? 

Each study programme has its own procedure regarding graduation and how to apply for it. Please consult the graduation page of your own study programme.

When? 

Submit the graduation form no later than on the last working day of the month preceding the month in which you plan to graduate.

What?

If you receive a message from uSis entitled ‘You can graduate’, but you don’t yet want to graduate because you are taking additional courses or an internship that you want to be mentioned on your final transcript, you can request postponement of graduation.

The maximum duration of postponement you can request is until you have been registered on your study programme for the official programme duration plus one additional year. For Bachelor’s programmes this is 3+1 years, for most Master’s programmes this is 1+1 year. If you are more than a year behind in your studies your request will not be granted.

How?

Complete the 'Request for postponement of graduation' form.

When?

Within five days after receiving the prompt in uSis.