Graduation

The forms of academic dress at the University enhance the reputation of its awards and
honour the academic achievements of its members.

If you are attending the ceremony to receive your award, you must wear the correct academic dress (regalia) for the award you are receiving, regardless of any other awards you may already have.

You can check the regalia for your award in the University’s Academic Dress Policy.

Where to hire/purchase regalia

About 3 weeks prior to the graduation ceremony, you will receive information from the University regarding options for hiring of regalia.

Regalia can also be purchased from a number of different providers, including G.H. Lilley.

Regalia for Alumni

Alumni of the University can contact G.H. Lilley to purchase the regalia for their award outside of upcoming graduation ceremony dates.

All graduates receive three academic documents. The testamur (degree certificate with University seal), academic transcript, and Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement. If you attend a ceremony, you will receive these documents from the Chancellor, during the ceremony. If you graduate in absentia, your documents will be posted to you following the ceremony.

Name Changes

Your graduation documents (Transcript, AHEGS and Testamur) will show your full legal name as it is entered in the University’s enrolment database.

On the Testamur (certificate), it is possible to apply to have one or more of your legal names omitted, or to vary the order of your names in a culturally appropriate order. Colloquial names including nicknames or abbreviations may not be used.

Once approved to graduate, if you would like to apply for any changes to be made to your Testamur, you must:

• contact the Student Services Team urgently on (03) 9853 3177 or email graduation@divinity.edu.au; and
• proof of identity documentation indicating your full legal name must be supplied with your request.

USI Requirements

All students from 1 January 2023, continuing or commencing new courses of study, are required to meet the USI requirements.

Domestic and onshore international students (with visa), including those who commenced prior to 2021, must have a USI in order to graduate and receive their award from 2023.

Postage of Academic Documents

If you graduate in absentia, your award will be acknowledged in your absence at the ceremony and your academic documents will be posted to you, following the date of the ceremony.

It is your responsibility to ensure that your home College has your current postal address.

Students who have not received their academic documents within four weeks of their Graduation ceremony should contact graduation@divinity.edu.au.

Academic Documents for Alumni

Students or graduates of the University of Divinity (or the Melbourne College of Divinity) may apply to the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at any time for copies of academic documents, on payment of the prescribed fee. Colleges may assist students with this process, but are unable to provide certified academic records to students. Find out more in Academic Records.

Once you’ve met the requirements for your course of study, your home College will apply to the University’s Academic Board for you to graduate.

If you believe that you have completed the requirements of your award, or will complete the requirements during the current semester, you can contact your home College in the first instance to check your status.

Formal confirmation of eligibility to graduate must be made by the University’s Academic Board. As soon as this has occurred, eligible students for each ceremony will be sent an email from the Dean of Academic Programs at the Office of the Vice-Chancellor, inviting you to register online for a ceremony. You should complete the registration process whether you intend to attend a ceremony or not.

The online registration will ask you to choose:

• Your preferred ceremony date and location from the options available
• Whether you will attend the ceremony, or graduate in absentia (not attend)

If you do not receive an invitation to graduate by email from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor at least four weeks before the ceremony you expect to attend, you should inform the Registrar, or other appropriate officer, at your home College immediately.

Keep your College informed at all times of your current email and postal address.

Why do I need to graduate?

You must graduate in order to receive your awards, to begin using the letters denoting your awards after your names, and to be entitled to wear the appropriate academic dress. Students are presented with three academic documents that constitute proof of the award and provide authorised details of the course of studies completed. These are the testamur (the certificate of the award), the academic transcript, and the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS).

There is no cost for attending a graduation ceremony, apart from hire or purchase of academic dress. All graduands are strongly encouraged to attend a ceremony.

Defer my graduation

You can apply to defer your graduation to a future ceremony in the following year. Please contact your College to begin this process.

Can I change my mind about which ceremony I will graduate at?

We encourage you to fully consider the ceremony options (noting dates and locations) before submitting your selection. However, if your situation changes, it is possible to request a change up to 21 days prior to the ceremony date you have selected. Please contact your College if you wish to apply to change your selected ceremony date.