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.
Applying for your diploma as a master student
To apply for your master diploma you have to submit the following documents to the OSC:
- First upload a pdf version of your master thesis in the thesis repository. Uploading your master thesis in pdf is separate from the files you handed in with your thesis supervisor, and is a mandatory part of the diploma application process. More information on the repository can be found below.
- The diploma registration form including the consent form for the publication of your thesis in the Student Repository; link can be found on the right-hand side of this page.
- Thesis evaluation and programme evaluation; you will receive a link to the digital evaluation forms from the OSC after you have sent in your application.
- If applicable: proof of dispensation or compensation from the Board of Examiners in case these do not show up in the list of study results.
If you have any questions you can contact the OSC at osc.fgga@fgga.leidenuniv.nl.
Please do not apply for graduation via uSis. This function is not available for FGGA. You also do not have to wait for the message ‘You can graduate’ from uSis before you send the OSC your application.
What happens after your application?
After applying, the board of examiners will make a decision. The processing of the application will take about 4-6 weeks and students will receive a confirmation by e-mail.
If necessary the OSC can give you a written statement that you have fulfilled all the obligations of the Master's examination on request. Students of the class of September 2012 and earlier can use an earlier system of graduating. Please contact your study advisor for more information.
The 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). At Leiden University we treat BSc and BA theses confidentially unless supervisor and student agree to make the thesis publically available. Master theses are made publicly available unless supervisor and student agree (in exceptional circumstances) to make the thesis not publicly available.
Do not forget to fill out the consent form (part of the graduation application form). For more information and a manual for uploading your thesis pdf, please see the Student Repository Website.
The Master thesis
Writing a thesis is seen as a practical exercise in which you make use of educational facilities. During the thesis writing enrolment is required until the moment assessment takes place. Enrolment as extraneous is not allowed in principle. The final version of the thesis is assessed by the supervisor on plagiarism and then read by the second reader. After approval of both the supervisor and the second reader the master thesis is assessed and graded.
The front of your thesis should contain the following information: Student ID, name, master (Public Administration), name track (within the master Public Administration), name of supervisor, name second reader, date and title. Please note: be careful with personal information when you upload your thesis to the repository (for instance remove your student number from the title page before uploading).