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Student Hub: Graduation

Graduation

One student placing a graduation cap on another student's head

Am I eligible?

To be eligible to graduate, you will need to have successfully:

  • Completed the total number of subjects (core and electives) required to complete your award.
  • Provided all documents required for graduation, for example, your verified USI or placement completion documents (IF your award requires these documents).
  • Updated your personal contact information at the Student Portal, such as
    • Mailing (Residential)address
    • Personal e-mail address
    • Mobile phone.
    • Full legal name
  • Paid all your fees with the university including Library fees. 

You need a USI!

From January 1st 2023, all students studying must hold a Unique Student Identifier (USI) if studying onshore within Australia.

A USI is also required for students to gain their qualification when they complete their studies.

This means any students who do not have a USI at the time of completion will not be eligible to graduate.

If you do not have a USI, or haven’t provided one to us, please do so as soon as possible.

Find out how!

Approval process

The eligibility to graduate assessment and approval process involves the review by the Examination Committee (VET/Vocational AND Higher Education students) and ratification by the Academic Board (Higher Education students only) prior to the conferral of the award to ensure that the student met all course requirements.

Graduation and Certification Policy

Please refer to the 'Graduation and Certification Policy' or contact Student Services for further information.

What will I receive when I finish my study?

Higher Education graduands

  • Completion Certificate (Official Testamur)
  • Academic Transcript (at a graduation ceremony or sent to you if graduating in absentia)
  • Graduation Statement

Vocational (VET) graduands

You will receive your graduation documents 30 days after you've been approved by the exam committee. We will post your documents to you after this date. It will include:

  • Academic Transcript
  • Statement of Attainment
  • Testamur

More details about completion documents are available on the Results page.

 

If I already have my academic documents, what do I receive on the day?

If you have already received your graduation documents, you will receive a congratulatory letter inside a graduation folder at the city-based ceremony.

Graduate receiving documents at a ceremony

Receiving academic documents

Higher Education graduands

In order to receive your final documents, we need to ensure you have been through all the appropriate approvals from our Examination Committee and Academic Board. Once approved your award will be conferred on Graduation Day and your official documents will be available for you to collect after your ceremony concludes.

Vocational (VET) graduands

Once you have finished your final subjects, our Examination Committee will finalise your results and determine the successful completion of your course. If successful, they will confirm your completion. Your official documents will be posted to you within 30 days of approval.

When will I be invited?

Your invitation and academic documents are dependent on your graduand approval and university fees being fully paid. Once this has been confirmed, you will be invited.

Pre-graduation notification

  • We notify all eligible graduands with a pre-graduation notification outlining all the information you need to know before you receive your official invitation.
  • The communication will be sent to both the student email address and personal email address registered on our system. Please make sure your contact details are up to date.

Official invitation

  • The invitation to your Graduation Ceremony will be sent to your personal email address registered in the Student Portal six (6) weeks before the graduation day.
  • You will also receive an SMS notification.
  • You will be allocated to the graduation ceremony in the city closest to the residential address registered with us. If you wish to attend an alternative ceremony, in a different city, you must lodge this request to the Events team no later than 4 April 2023. Any requests received after this date cannot be accommodated.

 

Please note:

Students wishing to defer to a later graduation ceremony (eg. a future ceremony in 2024) may do so once only. This option can be selected in the formal RSVP to your emailed invitation.

If you do not wish to attend a ceremony and would prefer to graduate in absentia (with your documents mailed to you 30 days after the graduation ceremony) you may select this option when you RSVP to the formal email invitation.

Any potential graduands that do not RSVP to the invitation by the RSVP date will automatically graduate in absentia.

 

Yellow paper with a question mark on it, sticking out of an envelope
If I do not reply to the graduation invitation, how do I get my academic documents?

If you are a Higher Education student, you will be graduated in absentia. Please check the Graduate Absentia link below.

If you are a Vocational student who has been approved as Graduand and you have not received your documents yet please contact Student Services

Person with a thoughful look on their face
Why haven't I been invited to the ceremony?

Please check the personal email address you have registered in the Student Portal. Your invitation might have landed in your spam/junk/promotional/social folder.

If you didn't find it in there continue with the checklist button below.

Ticket fee

For city-based graduation ceremonies, the ticket fee is $145 AUD per student (the online ceremony is free.).

The ticket fee includes:

  • your place at the ceremony;
  • a digital booklet outlining the graduation program;
  • a digital photo of you, taken by a professional photographer;
  • two guests - children between 0-3 years old may attend in addition to the allocated guest tickets

Regalia hire

Graduands are required to hire the official regalia for the day. The cost for this is $110 AUD and it includes:

  • hire of academic regalia;
  • fitting on the day of your graduation
  • a trencher/graduation hat for you to keep;

If you are having trouble making payment of my graduation fee please contact the National Events Team.

*The graduation fee is only paid if you confirm your attendance at the face-to-face graduation ceremony.

Students seated at a graduation ceremony
How do I reserve my place and pay my graduation ceremony fee?

The link on the official invitation e-mail will take you to the registration site of your ceremony. Follow the steps within the email to proceed with the payment of your graduation fee.

  • Follow the steps within the email to proceed with the payment of your graduation fee.
  • Please pay the graduation fee on the link provided in the official invitation e-mail. Do not pay on the University portal, otherwise, the payment won't be transferred to your graduation fee.
  • Please be aware that you need to register before the deadline otherwise you won’t be allowed to attend the ceremony.
  • On the day of the event, you will need to show the confirmation e-mail of your registration and/or QR code sent after you confirmed attendance and paid the graduation fee.
A graduate with their family
How many guests can I invite and how do I register them?
  • You can register a maximum of 2 guests to attend (children between 0-3 years old may attend in addition to allocated guest tickets).
  • You will be required to provide the Full Name (First and Last Name) of each guest attending in the link given in your official invitation e-mail.

Please note: Due to venue capacity limits we can only offer two (2) Guest Tickets per Graduand. Graduands will be emailed closer to the time if additional Guest Tickets are available to purchase for your Ceremony.

Next Ceremony Dates - 2023

Adelaide

Thursday 20 April

Melbourne

Friday 28 April

Sydney

Thursday 8 June

Brisbane

Friday 21 July

Online

Saturday 29 July

BMIHMS

Various dates

What happens at a typical graduation day?

The schedule of the day will be sent after the RSVP has closed, however, you can read more about the usual routine of the day.

Ceremony dress code

As this is a formal event, we suggest you wear smart casual attire that allows you to be comfortable the whole day with the academic regalia on top.

Please note that the graduation venue has varied surfaces and there are a number of ramps and stairs to negotiate during the ceremony, so please wear appropriate footwear. No thongs/flip flops allowed.

Back view of people wearing graduation gowns and hats
What is academic/graduation regalia?

The academic regalia is the academic dress you will wear to receive your award at your Graduation Ceremony. The robe is called a gown and the hat is called mortarboard, the hood and stoles are to distinguish your faculty and degree.

Academic regalia for your course:

  • All Vocational courses, Higher Education Associated degree, and Diplomas: Black gown and black mortarboard. View here.
  • Bachelor's degree: Black gown and black mortarboard and colour hood. View here.
  • Graduate Certificate & Graduate Diploma degrees: Black gown and black mortarboard and colour stole. View here.
  • Master's degree: Black gown and black mortarboard and colour hood with white trim. View here.

Can I leave the venue to have pictures taken with my family?

You may, but if you want to leave the venue, you will need to return the academic regalia you have rented for the day.

Graduate wearing a purple sash
Which colour identifies my faculty?

Torrens University is very proud to have programs in five (5) different verticals/faculties. The colours that identify each are:

  • Business - gold
  • Design & Creative Technology - pink
  • Education - blue
  • Health - purple
  • Hospitality - teal
Close up of aboriginal graduation stole
Can I wear my cultural attire with my academic/graduation regalia?

Graduates are welcome to wear cultural attire that represents their cultural traditions and beliefs. Make sure you wear the academic regalia as well.

We encourage any graduand the identifies as being of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander origin to wear a cultural stole. You can request this to be provided to you during the registration process for your Graduation Ceremony.

Will the ceremony be live-streamed?

Yes, the complete ceremony will be live-streamed as well as recorded for your families to watch in real-time or at a later date.

If you want to watch the ceremony live stream, please visit the Torrens University Australia Facebook or YouTube page on the day of your ceremony.

2021 Graduation Booklet
Graduation Ceremony recordings and booklets

Graduation ceremonies are live-streamed and provide an accessible way for families and friends to experience the ceremony, no matter where they may be located. Re-live and share your special moment on the Torrens University Australia YouTube channel.

Sydney 2022
Adelaide 2022
Brisbane 2022
Online 2022

Related information

In absentia words represented by wooden blocks

Graduate in absentia

Graduates holding rolled up certificates

Alumni

FAQ