Whakaritea kia whakapōtaengia Prepare for your ceremony

Get ready to attend your graduation ceremony — check deadlines, update your details, and find out how to prepare for the day.

Follow the steps below to prepare for your graduation ceremony.

Step one: Check your personal details

Make sure everything is correct before graduation:

• Full legal name: this appears on your certificate. Changed your name? Send certified proof to enrolment-enquiries@vuw.ac.nz.
• Preferred first name: this and your legal last name is used at the ceremony for announcement and in the programme. Check it’s right in Pūaha.
• Preferred email address: we’ll use this to send you ceremony information and your digital degree certificate.
• Postal address and phone number: important if your certificate is being mailed to you (especially for international postage).

Step two: Choose your ceremony—May or December

Most students attend the graduation ceremony that follows their study completion:

• Students who finish in Trimester 1 usually attend graduation ceremonies in December.
• Students who finish in Trimester 2 usually attend graduation ceremonies in May.
• Students who finish in Trimester 3 may be eligible to attend graduation ceremonies in May, depending on when final grades are submitted and a qualification audit is completed.
• International students on track to finish their studies in Trimester 2 will be contacted by the Student Success Teams during Trimester 2 to indicate their preference for attending graduation ceremonies in December.

Step three: Apply to graduate

Submit your application by the deadline to attend a graduation ceremony:

• 7 March for May ceremonies
• 1 October for December ceremonies.

Apply to graduate now

Find out about the reasons for graduation application deadlines.

Step four: Get ready for your ceremony

Name announcement

Your preferred first name and legal last name will be announced during the ceremony. You can check and update your preferred first name in Pūaha. The Graduation Office will email you a link where you can record the pronunciation of your name to ensure it is announced correctly on stage.

You can:

• confirm pronunciation of your preferred first and legal last name
• or request a different name to be read aloud.

Graduation programme

Your preferred first name and legal last name will be listed in the graduation programme. Check and update your preferred first name in Pūaha.

Tickets

The Graduation Office will email you when it's time to order guest tickets for ceremonies held at the Michael Fowler Centre.

• You do not need a ticket for yourself.
• You are guaranteed three guest tickets.
• You’ll receive a link to a form where you can request additional tickets or return some or all of your guaranteed tickets.
• If you only need your guaranteed three tickets, you do not need to complete the form.
  
  Please note: Additional tickets are subject to availability and venue capacity, and are not guaranteed. The Graduation Office will confirm the total number of tickets you’ll receive by a set deadline.

Accessibility and additional requirements

If you or your guests have additional requirements—including wheelchair access or other accessibility needs—a form will be sent to you via email. Even if your requirement is invisible, we still want to hear from you so we can support you on the day.

• Step-free access is available to all floors and to seating on the lower level of the auditorium.
• Guests requiring accessible seating are encouraged to arrive when auditorium doors open, 45 minutes before the ceremony.

Doctoral graduates

You will be asked to submit a short summary of your thesis. A form will be sent to you via email.

You'll need to fill out a form about your name pronunciation and submit an audio recording.

Livestream

All graduation ceremonies are livestreamed, so your friends, family, and supporters can watch you cross the stage—live or later via a recording.

Links to the livestream and recordings will be available on the Photos and Livestream page on the day of the ceremony.