Graduation and conferment

Find out what needs to happen before you can apply to graduate, and the steps to have your qualification conferred.

Eligibility to be conferred and graduate

Conferment is the process of the University formally granting your qualification. It is the final step before you receive your official qualification documents and, if you choose, attend a graduation ceremony.

To be eligible to have your qualification granted, you must:

  • pass your viva;
  • complete any required amendments and have them approved by your School (through the Amendments form in Panoho, usually by the internal examiner);
  • deposit the final version of your thesis in the University Library;
  • submit the Degree Completion form in Panoho;
  • be marked "degree complete".

When you deposit your thesis in the Library, the FGR Exams team will receive a copy of the library receipt. The Exams Team will match this with your Degree Completion form and then update your Student Record including marking your degree as complete.

You will then receive a confirmation email from Panoho and be able to download a letter from the Dean, Faculty of Graduate Research, confirming that you have met the requirements of your doctoral degree and are eligible to apply to have your qualification granted.

Apply for conferment

After your degree is marked complete, you will receive an automatic email (at your preferred email address in your Student Record) with a link to the Online Conferment Application form.

You can also access this form through the Student Records tool in Pūaha.

In the conferment application, you will tell the Graduation Office whether you would like to:

  • attend a graduation ceremony
  • receive your certificate by post, or
  • collect your certificate from the Kelburn campus.

Once your conferment application has been approved, the University will formally grant your qualification at the next University Council meeting.

Conferment of the degree

You do not need to attend a graduation ceremony to have your qualification granted. All Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington qualifications are granted by the University Council, who meet approximately every six weeks between February and November.

You do not attend this meeting.

The date printed on your qualification certificate is the date the qualification was awarded by Council.

For more information, including dates, visit Apply to graduate.

Graduation ceremony

If you choose to attend a graduation ceremony, you will be formally presented with your qualification certificate then.

To attend a graduation ceremony, your Online Conferment Application must be submitted by:

  • 7 March (for a May graduation ceremony)
  • 1 October (for a December graduation ceremony)

Doctoral graduands are asked to provide a 50 word “summary” of their theses, which will be read out by the Vice-Chancellor at your graduation ceremony. The description should work well when read out loud and clearly explain to a lay audience the relevance of the research or communicate one exciting thing about your work in a way that a lay audience can understand.

You can get some ideas of what is required by reading these example summaries.

View the Graduation and careers webpages for more information.

Getting a copy of your certificate

You can access a digital copy of your certificate and also receive a hard copy.

Read more about accessing your University documents through eQuals and getting a copy of your qualification certificate.

After completing your degree

After you have had your qualification granted, you are encouraged to remain involved in the life of the University.

You will be automatically enrolled on the Register of the Court of Convocation, which elects five members to the University Council.

You may join the Alumni community, which will help you keep up-to-date with news and events at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington.

You may also be interested in the Victoria University of Wellington Foundation, a charitable trust which raises funds for a variety of projects with the help of graduates.

Wellington Careers and Employment will be able to provide you with advice about employment and career options.