Graduation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Preparing for your Ceremony - The Graduation Services Portal

What do I need for the Graduation Services Portal?

You will need your student number, date of birth, and your height estimated in cm’s.

Once you enter your student number and date of birth, you will see you are provided with your award title, ceremony date, time and location automatically.

How do I make sure my name is pronounced correctly?

A field is available in the Graduation Services Portal for you to either type your name out phonetically or to upload a voice recording so that our speaker can make their best efforts to get it right for you.

What are my gown colours?

Your correct colours and gown size will be automatically selected for you. If you would like to check what they are before your special day, you can check what they are here.

What if I want to keep my gown?

If you would like to purchase a gown to keep rather than hire one, simply select Hire Gown – No in the Graduation Services Portal and visit The Shop to make your purchase. You can have your shop gown sent to you in advance, or you can pick up from The Shop on the day.

Hired gowns are available for collection from 8am on the day of your ceremony at Dixson Library.

Can I order gifts and graduation merch at the same time?

Yes, you can. Once you have made your gown, catering and guest selections you will be shown an order summary page. You can continue browsing and shopping at any point before you finalise your order by clicking the Continue Shopping button. Proceed to Checkout when you have everything you need.

All Graduation Merchandise such as teddy bears and clothing can be collected on your graduation day from The Shop. Just present your order confirmation to collect. An array of graduation, UNE merch, flowers and giftware will also be available to purchase on the day from The Shop and other stalls.

What do I do if I have any issues selecting or processing my order?

Reach out and get in touch with the friendly and helpful staff at Reed Graduation Services. Phone:1300 361 806 or Email: hello@reedgraduations.com.au

How do I finalise my order?

Once you have confirmed your cart, proceed to Create an Account. Follow the simple prompts to create your account and you will see the Checkout page to finalise your order.

How do I know my order has been finalised correctly?

You will be emailed an order confirmation directly to the email you created your account with.

Glossary of terms

Academic Record 

An official document issued by the University as a record of a student's completed units and results. A student can purchase official copies of their academic transcript through Onestop.

AHEGS

Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) is a document provided to graduates, in addition to a Testamur (certificate of attainment for a degree). The AHEGS provides information about the qualification that has been awarded to the graduate. Find out more about AHEGS

Alumni

Once you graduate with an award from the University you become a member of our alumni community. ‘Alumni’ is a Latin plural form, referring to more than one former student. Find out more about our Alumni Community

Award

Completion of a course will typically result in an award. This is the formally recognised outcome of completing a course's requirements, such as an award of Bachelor of Arts.

Bachelor's degree

A qualification awarded at university after completion of an undergraduate course of at least three years, full-time, e.g. Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts.

Campus

The area in which the university grounds and buildings are located, e.g. Booloominbah Building.  Find out more about UNE Campuses

Completion

Being completed in your program means that you have met the academic requirements of your award, and this will appear on your transcript as a completion statement. This is not the same as conferral, as you may still have outstanding financial obligations to the University.

Conferral / Conferred

Conferral is the act of bestowing an award, where your academic achievement is recognised at a public ceremony. Conferral generally occurs at a graduation ceremony, either in your presence or in absentia, or at a scheduled meeting of University Council.

Encumbrance

If you have an outstanding debt to the University, an encumbrance will be placed against your student record. An encumbrance will prevent Enrolments and Progression from assessing you for graduation until it has been resolved. In addition to this, an encumbrance will also prevent Enrolments and Progression from producing any official copies of your academic transcript or other relevant graduation documents.

Graduand

A person who has completed the requirements for their award course, but the award has not yet been conferred at a graduation ceremony.

Graduate

A person who has completed the requirements for their award course and had the award conferred on them at a graduation ceremony.

Graduation

Once a student has met the requirements of their course, they will be eligible to graduate. Students may choose to attend a graduation ceremony and will receive an official copy of their award (Testamur) from the University Chancellor.

In absentia

When an award is conferred on a graduand without their presence at a graduation ceremony they are graduated in absentia. During the Covid-19 pandemic when no public gradation ceremonies were able to be held, all graduands were graduated in absentia.

Major

A major is an area of focus in your degree. During your studies, you’ll choose an area that interests you, and then study a group of units related to that area. Not all courses will offer majors. Please see the relevant Course and Unit Catalogue entry for your course. Find out more at What is a Major?

Testamur (Award Certificate)

The hard copy of the certificate or award that you are given when you complete your award course and graduate. A Testamur lists your graduation name, course and that date it was conferred.  Testamurs are legal documents issued by the University Council under the Common Seal, the University Council must give explicit authority for the Common Seal to be applied on a specified date (which occurs on the date of the graduation ceremony). Find out more about Testamurs

Transcript

See “Academic Record” above