Apply to graduate

You need to apply to graduate and have your qualification conferred, whether you plan to attend a ceremony or not.

Conferment is the process of the University legally granting your qualification. It's the final step before receiving your official qualification documentation and attending a ceremony, if you would like to do so.

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

Trimester 2 completions

Students completing their studies in Trimester 2 are not able to attend the December graduation ceremonies. They are, however, eligible to attend the May graduation ceremonies.

Trimester 3 completions

Students completing their studies in the second half of Trimester 3 are not able to attend the May graduation ceremonies. They are, however, eligible to attend the December graduation ceremonies.

Deadline reasons

These deadlines are because the administrative process to allow students to apply to have their qualification granted can take some time to complete after their course of study has finished (up to three weeks), and all students must apply by 1 October to be included in the December graduation ceremonies, and by 1 March to be included in the May graduation ceremonies.

There are three main phases to the administrative process that need to be completed before a student can apply for graduation:

• courses need to have finished and all assignments/exams must be completed with final grades input
• following this the Student Success Teams complete a manual qualification audit, where they ensure the student has completed all the requirements of their qualification
• this triggers an automatic email to be sent to you.

“Degree complete”

After your final grades are released, your qualification must be marked as “degree complete” in the Student Records tool in Pūaha before you can apply to graduate and have your qualification conferred. There may be a delay of up to three weeks between the release of your final grades and this status appearing in your records.

If your qualification isn’t marked as “degree complete” in Student Records within that time frame and you think there might be a problem, contact your Student Success team.

Pay any money you owe to the University

Outstanding fees, debts, or fines need to be cleared before your qualification can be conferred. A delay in conferment can affect which graduation ceremony you are able to attend.

Check the details we hold are correct

Make sure that your details are correct, as recorded in the Student Records tool in Pūaha.

• Check that your name and qualification are correct as these are the name and qualification that will appear on your qualification certificate—the formal, legal record of your qualification.
• Check the email address is correct, as we’ll use this to contact you. You’ll also use this address to access your electronic transcripts.
• Check your contact details, including your postal address, postcode and phone number are correct. If you selected to have your certificate posted, this is where it will be sent. For international postage, we require an email, postcode and a domestic phone number.

It is better to update these details early as making changes while you’re applying to graduate can cause delays.

Find out how to update your contact details in Pūaha, and how to change your legal name in the University's records.

Apply to have your qualification conferred

In order to have your certificate legally conferred by the University—whether you want to go to a ceremony or not—you must complete the Online Conferment Application form.

When your qualification status is marked “degree complete” by your Student Success Adviser, an automatic email will be sent to your preferred address. This email may end up in your spam or junk folder.

Within this email, there will be a link to the Online Conferment Application form. You can also find the form in the Student Records tool in Pūaha.

Double check that all the information is correct and if it is not, follow the instructions on the form to get it updated.

You’ll also use this form to tell us whether or not you want to attend a ceremony, receive your certificate by post, or pick it up from Kelburn Campus.

Postgraduate thesis students

If you have completed a PhD or a Master's by thesis degree, you will need to have deposited your thesis in the Library before you can apply to have your degree conferred or attend a graduation ceremony.

The Faculty of Graduate Research website has more information:

• Graduation eligibility for PhD students
• Graduation eligibility for Master's by thesis students

Qualification conferment dates

The formal conferment of your qualification takes place at a meeting of the University Council. You don’t need to attend this meeting and it is not the same as a graduation ceremony.

University Council meetings are held approximately every six weeks between February and December. Look at the table below to find out when you can have your qualification conferred and when your digital certificate will be available.

Getting a copy of your certificate

Digital copies

We will issue you with a digital copy of your qualification certificate through myeQuals within five working days of the University Council meeting where your graduation is conferred.

Read more about accessing your University documents through eQuals.

Collect your certificate or receive it through the post

If you choose to attend a ceremony, you’ll get your certificate then.

If you have chosen not to receive your certificate at a ceremony, your hard copy certificate will be printed within five working days of conferment and will then be available for collection or to send by post.

Read more about getting a copy of your qualification certificate.