Graduation

All ceremonies are open to all eligible students of the University.

Frequently Asked Questions

Read our Graduation Guide and FAQs to find out more information about the upcoming ceremonies, how/when to register, how/when to order regalia, photography and guest tickets.

This information is specific to the upcoming ceremonies, so the page is only accessible during the University’s graduation season (19 November – 22 March).

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Academic Dress (Regalia)

Reed Graduation Services (Reed) is the preferred supplier for regalia at all University of Divinity ceremonies. Alumni of the University can contact Reed (Tel: 1300 361 806) to purchase the regalia for their award outside of upcoming graduation ceremony dates.

Academic Dress Policy

View the Academic Dress Policy for details on regalia for current and former awards of the University.

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About Your Graduation

What is graduation?

The ceremony of conferring degrees and awarding diplomas and certificates is a time-honoured ritual performed at academic institutions throughout the world. It is the moment when awards are formally made, and as such is a celebration of the academic achievements of the graduands.

Graduation ceremonies at the University of Divinity honour the University’s academic excellence, collegiate structure and Christian traditions. At the ceremony, each attending graduand’s name and award is read out and the graduand is presented with their academic documents by the Chancellor or a deputy. Ceremonies are normally held each year in Melbourne (March) and Adelaide (November/December), as authorised by the University’s Council. Both ceremonies are open to all students of the University.

Why do I need to graduate?

Students must graduate in order to receive their awards, to begin using the letters denoting their awards after their 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.

Who do I contact for help?

Please direct all enquiries about graduation to your home College. Students who believe they have completed the requirements of their award, or will complete the requirements during the current semester, must contact their home College in the first instance. The College will advise the Office of the Vice-Chancellor of the names of candidates who have completed awards for certification by the Academic Board. 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.

Please ensure your College is informed at all times of a change of email or postal address or a change of name. It is vital that your email address is current. If you wish to defer your graduation ceremony please advise your College.

What must I do to graduate?

You must first contact your College to seek advice on whether you have completed the requirements of your course, or will do so in the near future on successful completion of your remaining units. You may then ask your College to apply to the University for you to graduate.

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 then be sent an email from the Office of the Vice-Chancellor inviting them to register online for a ceremony. Only students wishing to attend a ceremony need to register; students who do not wish to attend will graduate in their absence automatically.

How do I register for the upcoming Graduation Ceremonies?

• Melbourne: 7.30pm on Friday 22 March 2019 at St Paul’s Anglican Cathedral, Melbourne.
  In late February, once the Academic Board has confirmed eligibility of students to graduate at this ceremony, eligible students will be invited by email to register to attend the ceremony. Students will have until early March 2019 to register to attend the ceremony. The invitation email will include the dates when online registration will be open, as well as information for options to hire or purchase regalia (academic dress), book guest tickets, book photography sessions and other related services.

May I invite guests to the ceremony?

Yes. The total number of guests you may invite varies from ceremony to ceremony and depends on the size of the venue and the number of students accepted for graduation. When you register online you will be asked to confirm the number of guests you are bringing. If tickets for guests are required, this will be advised through the online registration service. Guests are admitted free of charge in all cases.

Punctuality and Academic dress

Those who arrive later than the assigned time on the day of the ceremony will not be permitted to participate in the ceremony in person and will receive their academic documents by mail. The graduation ceremony is a formal academic occasion. Graduands must wear correct academic dress as prescribed by the Regulations of the University of Divinity. Anyone not wearing correct academic dress will not be permitted to participate in the ceremony. Academic dress can be purchased or hired during the online registration process and collected on the day of the ceremony. All hired dress must be returned immediately after the conclusion of the ceremony.

Graduating “in absentia”

Students who do not to attend a ceremony graduate “in absentia” and are sent their academic documents by post following the graduation ceremony. Students are responsible for advising their College of any changes of address. Students who have not received their academic documents within four weeks of their Graduation ceremony should contact the Office of the Vice-Chancellor.

Changes of name

Whether or not students attend the graduation, they must inform their College Registrar of any changes of name, including how they wish their name to appear on the testamur. Academic documents will be in the name of the student as supplied at the time of enrolment, and must be the full legal name as prescribed in a birth or marriage certificate, passport, or other certified identity document. The name used on a testamur may omit one or more of the student’s legal names, or may present the name in a culturally appropriate order. Colloquial names including nicknames or abbreviations may not be used.