Arranging graduation
You're about to graduate. That means there’s a lot to be arranged. The university expects you to take certain steps, as does your faculty and/or institute. Your faculty has various regulations and procedures in place that you need to follow carefully when arranging your graduation.
Steps towards graduation
Graduation means there’s a lot to be arranged. Below you will find a general overview of the steps to be taken. Make sure to first read the information provided by your faculty and department, as regulations and procedures can vary.
- You receive the final grade needed to fulfil your examination requirements.
- You request graduation: look under the faculty/study programme tab to find out exactly what steps your programme requires you to take to arrange graduation. You may receive a message from uSis entitled ‘You can graduate’. This message will explain the options available if you wish to delay graduation.
- Your student registration will not automatically be cancelled when you graduate. You have to cancel your registration yourself via Studielink. However de-registration is not compulsory if you have a reason for not wishing to do so. Make sure to carefully read the information on de-registering or re-registering.
Requesting postponement of graduation
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. Look under your faculty or study programme tab for more information.
Conditions of postponement
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.
Official regulations on postponing graduation
The regulations and agreements concerning the postponement of graduation have been laid down by Leiden University Executive Board in the Leiden University Regulations on Postponing Graduation.
Graduation procedure
Have you nearly completed your Bachelor or Master and is graduation on your mind? Fill in your graduation form no later than on the last working day of the month preceding the date of the exam.
Graduation September until June
The graduation date is always the last working day of the month in which all components of the programme are completed. The form needs to be handed in no later than on the last working day of the month preceding the date of the exam. If you have completed all components, but you are awaiting your grade for one or more of those, please specify so on the form for each component.
Graduation in August
Students who graduate on the last working day of August need to hand in the form no later than June 1st. If you have completed all components, but you are awaiting your grade for one or more of those, please specify so on the form for each component. Note that all the results should be available in uSis by the 31st of August 16:00 hours.
Bachelor graduation form
Follow the steps described in the Graduation Form Bachelor Exam. Hand in the filled in form together with the required supplements at the Secretary's Office of your programme. In the form you will also find more information about deregistration.
Questions about the form or the procedure? Contact your Coordinator of Studies.
Master graduation form
Follow the steps described in the Graduation Form Master Exam. In the form you will also find more information about deregistration.
Questions about the form or the procedure? Contact your Coordinator of Studies.
Student repository
In the Student Repository, Leiden University programmes are building an online archive that makes Bachelor and Master theses easily searchable and publicly available (if desired). This is also a useful tool for future graduates. Uploading your thesis to the student repository is part of the graduation procedure. Please note that you will have to upload the final and approved (marked with a passing grade) version (in PDF) of your thesis yourself.
The thesis itself can only be made publicly available if the student and the supervisor have given their consent. You can indicate this when filling out the graduation form. If one of the parties does not agree with publication, your thesis stays under embargo. For more information and an FAQ, please see the Student Repository Website.
Please note that the repository accepts only one upload per student. Consequent revised versions will therefore not be accepted, make sure to only upload the approved (marked with a passing grade) thesis. The thesis grade (in order to be able to graduate) can only be registered after a copy of the thesis has been uploaded into the Repository.
Requesting postponement of graduation
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. To do so, please fill out this form.
Conditions of postponement
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.
Official regulations on postponing graduation
The regulations and agreements concerning the postponement of graduation have been laid down by Leiden University Executive Board in the Leiden University Regulations on Postponing Graduation.
Graduation procedure
Before 15 October/15 March:
1. As soon as one of our staff members confirms to act as your Thesis supervisor and has proposed a second reader, fill out the (Res)MA History Thesis Application Form. Make sure to select 'external reader' and write down Oxford when asked for the second reader. Continue to step 2 below.
Before 1 December/1 July:
2. Submit the ‘Graduation Form Master Exam’. Leave the box ‘grade Thesis’ empty. Continue to step 4 below.
3. Hand in Thesis correctly, by completing the following two actions before the deadline agreed with your supervisor:
- one .pdf-version of your Thesis by uMail to both of your readers.Make sure to add MAthesis@hum.leidenuniv.nl in cc of this e-mail;
- Check with your readers whether a printed version of your Thesis is required. If so, hand it in at the pigeon hole of both your readers (Huizinga building, between room 001 and 004);
Do note: after 1 December/1 July, it will still take the administration six weeks to go through the graduation procedure. This means that, if your thesis is handed in after 1 December/1 July, graduation before February/September cannot be guaranteed. Continue to step 4 below.
After you have received your grade:
4. Depending on your grade:
i. 6,5 or higher: continue to step 5 below.
ii. between 6.0 - 6.5: When the first and second reader graded your Thesis a 6 – 6.5, the Board of Examiners will appoint a third reader. The third reader will check whether the Thesis meets the criteria from the Prospectus, and grades the Thesis a final time:
- Pass? Please continue to step 5 below.
- Fail? Please continue to the step 4.iii below.
iii. Insufficient: If the Thesis is graded as insufficient, the student is given the option to individually correct the thesis based on the feedback from the grading form and/or instructions from their supervisor. Please submit the revised Thesis according to the procedure in step 3.
Do note: after 1 December/1 July, it will still take the administration six weeks to go through the graduation procedure. This means that, if your thesis is handed in after 1 December/1 July, graduation before February/September cannot be guaranteed. Return to step 4 above.
Do note: If this revised Thesis of a student is graded insufficient as well, the student must contact the Coordinator of Studies (mahistory@hum.leidenuniv.nl) to discuss further possibilities.
5. Submit .pdf-version of your Thesis to the Student Repository according to the instructions on this website. Continue to step 6 below.
6. Agree upon a date and format (online or on campus) for the Defence with both your Thesis supervisors. Continue to step 7 below.
7. When agreed upon a date, notify osz-oa-huizinga@hum.leidenuniv.nl of the date and names of your supervisors. Continue to step 8 below.
8. Help us improve the programme! Fill out the Exit Evaluation Form. Continue to step 9 below.
9. Last but not least: Enjoy your graduation, and do not forget to deregister through Studielink! All the best for the final stretch!
Notification of extracurricular courses, external courses, exemptions
On the Graduation Form master Exam all courses and grades are listed. For all extracurricular courses, external courses, possible exemptions or adjustments of a curriculum, students need to submit a request to the Board of Examiners of their study programme. Note that it is very important that you follow the correct procedure.
Deadlines application Final examination
For students of the Master and Research Master it is possible to graduate every month. Six weeks before the planned date of graduation a student has to start the Graduation procedure to apply for the Final examination
Towards the end of a semester there are different deadlines to take into account:
- Graduation before 1 September: start procedure before 1 July
- Graduation before 1 February: start procedure before 1 December
Graduation date
During the teaching period final exams can take place on Monday till Friday between 9.00 till 17.00.
Students who wish to graduate within the academic year, but after June, can only do so in the last two weeks of August.
Final examination
The final examination takes place in the Academy Building. The exam takes about 45 minutes, in which students have to defend their MA thesis and be able to discuss additional scholarly literature.
The final examination is a public ceremony, meaning that friends and family (maximum of 10 people) are welcome to attend.