December 2023 graduation timeline
Get all the information you need to attend a graduation ceremony in December, and find out when your ceremony will be held.
Getting prepared for December graduation
Take a look at the calendar of dates below, add them to your calendar, and find out what you need to do next to be ready for your December graduation ceremony.
We will email you everything you need to know, so make sure your email address is up-to-date. Update your details by logging into Pūaha, or emailing info@vuw.ac.nz.
1 October
- Final day to apply to graduate and attend a December ceremony.
- Order your academic dress through Grad Gear.
- Email certified documentation of legal name changes to enrolments@vuw.ac.nz.
Week beginning Monday 2 October
- By the end of this week the Graduation Office will send you an email to advise you of your ceremony allocation.
Sunday 8 October
- Order your academic dress by this date to receive the earlybird discount.
Week beginning Monday 16 October
- By the end of this week the Graduation Office will send you an individual link to order your guest tickets for your Michael Fowler Centre graduation ceremony.
Tuesday 31 October
- Last day to confirm the number of guest tickets you need for your Michael Fowler Centre graduation ceremony, through the link emailed earlier in the month. You do not need guest tickets for Te Hui Whakapūmau.
- Last day to inform the Graduation Office you are no longer attending and to defer to another ceremony.
Week beginning 6 November
- By the end of this week the Graduation Office will confirm your guest tickets. Ticket allocations are final.
Monday 6 November
- Last day for PhD graduants to submit your abstract.
Sunday 19 November
- Last day to confirm the pronunciation of your name, through the link emailed by the Graduation Office.
- Last day to update your preferred name in Pūaha. Your preferred name and your surname will be read out as you cross the stage. If you have not indicated a preferred name, your legal name will be read out.
Wednesday 22 November
- A late fee will now be charged on academic dress orders.
Friday 1 December
- Academic dress orders will close at 11.59 pm.
- Final day to email the Graduation Office to advise if you or your guests have additional requirements (eg. a disability, require wheelchair access, a serious medical condition, etc.).
Monday 4 December
- First-day academic dress available for pick up at Murphy Building, Kelburn Campus–check your academic dress receipt for collection times for your ceremony.
Preliminary graduation ceremony dates
The preliminary dates for the Michael Fowler Centre graduation ceremonies and Te Hui Whakapūmau are below. These dates will be confirmed in early October. Any travel arrangements made before this time should be flexible.
Wednesday 6 December
- Wellington Faculty of Engineering
- Wellington Faculty of Science
- Wellington Faculty of Health
- Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation
Thursday 7 December
- Wellington School of Business and Government
- Faculty of Law
- New Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī
- Wellington Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
- Wellington Faculty of Education
Friday 8 December
- Te Hui Whakapūmau
Te Hui Whakapūmau is an official university graduation ceremony based on tikanga Māori (Māori cultural practices). Usually, this event is held at our university marae, however, redevelopment work being undertaken in that area means that for December 2023 the ceremony will be held in the 'Hub' at the Kelburn Campus.