Complete and confer your degree

Find out what happens when you complete your course.

Completing and conferring

1. Complete your degree

After your results have been published on my.unimelb, we will confirm with you via email if you have passed all your course requirements. If you have passed all your course requirements and cleared all applicable sanctions, you will be eligible to complete and confer your degree and graduate.

If you have any outstanding fees, debt or fines, you will receive a notification and a sanction will appear on my.unimelb. You will need to make payment to be eligible to graduate.

2. Check your name and address details

Before conferral, it’s important to check your name and address details we have on file are correct.

  • Change of name: Your formal name will appear on your graduation certificate (testamur) and be published on the Verify a Qualification webpage. You can submit a Change of personal details request if you need to change your name or change the order that your names will appear on your graduation certificate (testamur). All name changes must be submitted no later than the response date. If you change your name after your graduation, don't worry: you can still purchase a replacement graduation certificate.
  • Preferred name: While your graduation certificate (testamur) must have your legal name written on it, your preferred name can be read out on stage at your graduation ceremony.   Please submit an enquiry to the graduations team to request this.
  • Change of address: Please check your preferred address details in ‘Contact’ tab of my.unimelb. Your certificate will be sent to this postal address. If you need to update your address details, please follow these updating contact details instructions.

3. Pay any outstanding fees, debt or fines

If you have any outstanding fees, debt or fines, you will receive a notification and a ‘sanction’ will appear on my.unimelb. You will need to make payment to be eligible to have your degree conferred.

4. Confer your degree

  • Bachelor and Masters students do not need to do anything to confer their degree. You will be automatically conferred and contacted via email to confirm your conferral date, which is the date that will appear on your graduation certificate (testamur).
  • PhD and Doctoral students must confirm your choice to be conferred. You can do this by following the instructions sent to you in your conferral options email. If you do not respond by the deadline outlined in your conferral email, your conferral will be automatically deferred until the next main round.
  • Certificate or Diploma students will not be invited to attend a ceremony, as there are no ceremonies for these awards. We will post your graduation certificate to you once you have completed your course. If you have completed a degree at the same time as your Certificate or Diploma, you will still be invited to a graduation ceremony for the degree. If you are a Fine Arts and Music student, there are separate arrangements in place and you will be contacted according to the information outlined for Bachelor degrees.

On your conferral date, you will be able to claim your qualification and receive access to your digital graduation certificate (testamur), academic transcript and Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS).

Conferral dates usually take place at the end of each month. You can check your conferral date below.

Conferral dates

After your degree is conferred

  1. You will receive an email invitation to attend the next available graduation ceremony.
  1. A physical copy of your graduation certificate (testamur) will be posted to you in the month following your conferral. The Graduations Office will email you a tracking number once your testamur has been posted.
  1. You can access your digital graduation certificate (testamur), academic transcript and AHEGS via My eQuals.

Complete your degree FAQs

  • I have been deferring my conferral and I haven't been invited to a graduation ceremony. Why can't I attend Graduation ceremony?

    If you have not had your degree officially conferred yet, you are not eligible to attend a graduation ceremony. The first step of your graduation experience is to have your degree officially conferred. After your degree has been conferred, you will be eligible to receive an invitation to attend an graduation ceremony.

  • I will be undertaking an Honours year, when will my award be conferred? When can I attend a graduation ceremony?

    If you are about to undertake Honours, you should still have your Bachelor award conferred at the first available conferral round. Your Bachelor degree and Honours year are separate awards, and you will receive a  testamur for each. Once you have been conferred for your Bachelor degree, you can attend a graduation ceremony, or wait until you have completed Honours.

  • Once my results come out, how will I know if I am eligible to graduate?

    After your results have been published in my.unimelb, we will confirm with you via email if you have passed all your course requirements. You will need to pass all your course requirements and clear all applicable sanctions to be eligible to graduate.

  • Can I defer my conferral?

    There might be practical reasons to defer your conferral, such as the eligibility requirements for further study at specific institutions, which may only accept applications from students who have graduated within a specific time period.  You may defer your conferral for up to 12 months from completion date.  If this doesn’t apply to you, then we recommend you choose to have your degree conferred at the earliest opportunity to confirm your qualification, receive your graduation certificate (testamur) and other academic transcripts.

  • What evidence can I use to prove I have completed my degree for job applications or further study?

    You can download an evidence of qualification for free via my.unimelb, after the final results release date. This is a useful document if you are waiting for your conferral and testamur, as it is evidence that you passed your degree. The evidence of qualification will not list your conferral date until after your degree is conferred.

    After your degree is conferred (i.e., once you graduate) you will receive your testamur (graduation certificate) and qualifications.

  • Can I collect my certificate instead of it being posted?

    We are currently unable to offer an option for you to collect your certificate (testamur) in person.

    We post to domestic addresses and most international locations via Australia Post. Please note there are some countries who are not permitting international delivery at the moment.

    To ensure your certificate is sent to the right postal address, please check and update either ‘contact’ or 'home' address details in my.unimelb (after clicking this link, you will need to click ‘Contact’ in the left menu to see your address details). Please ensure that you nominate your preferred address for postage by selecting Make preferred and saving changes. If you need to update your address details, follow these instructions.

    The Graduations team will email you prior to your testamur being posted with an opportunity for you to update your address within a tight timeline.

  • Will my testamur have 'with Distinction' printed on it?

    Students completing the following degrees will have 'with Distinction' printed on their testamur if eligible:

    • Master of Engineering (Master of Biomedical Engineering, Master of Chemical Engineering, Master of Civil Engineering, Master of Digital Infrastructure Engineering, Master of Electrical Engineering, Master of Environmental Engineering, Master of Industrial Engineering, Master of Mechanical Engineering, Master of Mechatronics Engineering, Master of Software Engineering, Master of Spatial Engineering)
    • Master of Environment
    • Master of Computer Science
    • Master of Information Systems
    • Master of Information Technology
    • Master of Science (Bioinformatics), Master of Science (BioSciences), Master of Science (Chemistry), Master of Science (Computer Science), Master of Science (Earth Sciences), Master of Science (Epidemiology), Master of Science (Mathematics & Statistics), Master of Science (Phyics)
    • Doctor of Dental Surgery
    • Doctor of Physiotherapy
    • Doctor of Veterinary Medicine

    You can find more information regarding your testamur here.

  • Can I postpone attending my graduation if I can’t make it to the upcoming ceremony?

    Yes, you may postpone attending your graduation ceremony by up to 12 months from your conferral date if you are unable to attend the original date.

Step 1, complete your degree. Step 2, ceremony dates. Step 3, invitations. Step 4, book tickets and gown. Step 5, graduation day!

Need help with graduating?

Submit an online enquiry to Stop 1 and we'll get back to you within 10 business days.

Submit an enquiry
Can't access the enquiry form? Please contact us here.