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Graduation and Award

All the information herein is also available as a downloadable Word document

At the University of Aberdeen awards are not automatically issued at the end of a programme of study. Instead, students can choose when and how to graduate. It is therefore the responsibility of the student to complete an Application to Graduate, or Application for Award of Certificate/Diploma, as appropriate. Those applying to graduate can choose to do so either in person at a formal ceremony or in-absentia when the degree certificate is posted out in the mail. Students applying to receive a Certificate or Diploma can only do so in-absentia.

When do I register to graduate to appear at a ceremony?

• For Summer ceremonies – by Friday 27 April 2012
• For Winter ceremonies – by Friday 12 October 2012

If you apply after the deadline an extra late fee of £30 will be charged. No applications will be accepted, for whatever reason, after 4.30 p.m. Friday 1 June 2012 (Summer) or on Friday 2 November 2012 (Winter) .

Deadlines for those not appearing at a ceremony (in-absentia) click here.

Don’t wait until you receive your results, assume you will pass. Apply now!

Graduation In Person (at a ceremony)

If you wish to print a copy of this information but do not have access to a printer, please contact the Registry who have a small number of hard copies available.

Contact details for the Registry:

Tel: +44 (0) 1224 273505

Fax: +44 (0) 1224 273386

E-mail: graduation@abdn.ac.uk

Address: Registry Student Services, University of Aberdeen, The Hub, Elphinstone Road, Aberdeen, AB24 3TU

In Absentia Graduation and Award

Applying

Who should register?

Final year degree students wishing to graduate in absentia (rather than attending a ceremony in person) and students exiting with a Certificate or Diploma award should register to receive their award by completing the appropriate application which you should print via your Student Portal. If you no longer have access you can collect a form from the InfoHub or e-mail graduation@abdn.ac.uk with your full name and ID number. Make sure that you check the following:

Students applying in-absentia should note that it will take about a month after the published date to prepare and post out the award Certificates. Please do not phone or email during this period as it will delay the process and checking procedure that we undertake.

When do I register?

In-absentia Graduation and Award take place at meetings of the Senate between November and April each year.

Dates of Senate meetings and deadlines by which to apply are given in the table below.

* Please allow 3 weeks after this date to receive your certificate

If the Application is not received by the stated deadline the Application will be carried forward to the next meeting of the Senate. It is therefore strongly advisable to submit an Application before the deadline even if the results are not known: assume that you will pass! If a student completes a programme of study in (say) June 2010 but does not get round to submitting an application to receive the award until February 2011, the Award Certificate will state the latter date. If you do not achieve passes as expected, your Application will be held-over until such time as you do satisfy the requirements of your programme of study.

What does it Cost?

From 1 August 2012, the fee to graduate in absentia will be £10.

What if I owe money to the University?

If a student owes the University money for any reason (fees, rent, library fines for unreturned books, etc.) the student will not be permitted to graduate or receive an award so they should ensure all debts are cleared. If University records show that money is owed it will normally be displayed on the Application Form. If you receive a letter saying that you owe money or have unreturned library books please do not ignore if if you think the information is wrong. Contact us immediately to resolve the issue (tuitionfees@abdn.ac.uk)

What if I decide not to Graduate in-absentia after all?

If, after having registered to graduate in-absentia you decide not to do so, or to change from in-absentia to in-person you must inform the Registry in writing or by e-mail (graduation@abdn.ac.uk) as soon as possible. A student cannot graduate in-person if s/he has already graduated in-absentia and vice-versa, therefore if you have already applied to graduate in-absentia it may be too late to change to in-person if your application has already been processed.