Graduation ceremonies

Historically, the ceremonies in April have been held during mid-session recess. With two public holidays during that week (Easter long weekend and ANZAC Day), despite our lengthy efforts, the scale of the event and logistics meant that we were unable to run ceremonies at this time. The week in July was confirmed as the next available opportunity in the year. 

We consistently receive feedback about the impact of the UOW ceremonies; how celebrated and recognised students felt during their ceremony, and the quality of the event, the staging and the atmosphere. None of these elements will change – graduates will continue to experience the same, high-quality ceremony that UOW graduation has come to mean. Ensuring graduands continue to receive this level of recognition and experience remains a priority for UOW.

Dates beyond 2025 are yet to be confirmed, please continue to check the graduation key dates webpage for updates on future graduation ceremonies.

In 2025, all ceremonies will be held in a single graduation round rather than across two rounds in mid-year and at the end of the year.  

Like all universities and organisations, UOW regularly reviews its operating practices. Holding all 2025 ceremonies within a single week means that graduands can continue to enjoy the current high standard of UOW graduation ceremonies while managing event costs, without increasing the graduation fee for students.  

Dates beyond 2025 are yet to be confirmed, so please continue to check the graduation key dates webpage for updates on future graduation ceremonies. 

Students who cannot change their plans from April to July will be invited to attend the campus in April for a graduation photo occasion. You will have the opportunity to receive the same certificate distributed at graduation ceremonies, dress in an academic gown, take photos around campus, and enjoy the occasion with your friends, family and supporters. More details will be sent directly to eligible students.

Yes! If you can’t attend a ceremony in July 2025, you’re welcome to celebrate at a future ceremony. Dates beyond 2025 haven’t been confirmed but you can check the graduation key dates webpage for future announcements. 

Absolutely! Your degree will still be conferred at the same time, and you can access your digital academic documents immediately. Hard copies will be posted to you in the weeks after your conferral.

As always, if your ceremony date is outside your current visa expiration, you may need to apply for a new visa. In Australia, migration advice for people who wish to enter or stay in Australia can only be provided by registered authorities. For more information, please refer to the Department of Home Affairs website, or contact their general enquiry line on 131 881. 

Despite our lengthy and best efforts to confirm logistics for the April ceremonies, it was not possible to confirm dates sooner.  

We understand that some students may prefer to plan before invitations are sent and we apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused. Your feedback is important and UOW welcomes feedback as an opportunity to continually make improvements. You can submit a formal complaint via this form. 

We understand how important guests are to your graduation experience! As always, you can bring three guests. If more tickets become available, you’ll be notified in the pre-event reminder email. Additional guests are also welcome to watch the ceremony via live stream in the Sports Hub foyer or from an off-campus location. The live stream link will be available on the graduation website on the day of the event.

The 2025 regional graduation ceremonies were held in January. Graduation dates beyond 2025 are yet to be confirmed for both regional and Wollongong campuses, you can check the graduation key dates webpage for future announcements. 

We expect each ceremony will go for approximately 2-2.5 hours. You can find out more about ceremony proceedings here.

If you are eligible to attend a ceremony, your invitation will be sent to the email address you nominate for My eQuals.

Make sure to check your junk/ spam folder.

You will be invited to the ceremony for the Faculty who owns the degree you have graduated from.

If you have graduated with multiple degrees you will be invited to attend the graduation ceremony for your highest degree. 
 
For example:

• If you've graduated from both a Bachelor AND Honours degree, Honours is the higher degree
• If you've graduated from both a Graduate Certificate and a Masters, Masters is the higher degree

The graduation fee covers the following:

• Hire of official academic dress
• Trencher or Bonnet which you can keep (if you don’t already have one)3
• 3 x guest tickets
• Light refreshments post ceremony

If you have paid for your ceremony but cannot attend, please email askuow@uow.edu.au with ‘Graduation’ in the subject line and attach a copy of your original payment receipt as well as your student number. 

A refund will depend on how much notice is provided; 

• More than 10 business days notice prior to your ceremony: a full refund 
• Less than 10 business days notice prior to your ceremony: no refund unless in exceptional circumstances  

If you request a refund with less than 10 days notice, a refund will be considered on a case by case basis with supporting evidence that you are unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances outside of your control.

Your refund will be credited to the same payment details that were provided when registering. 

If your guests intend to travel from their home country to attend your graduation ceremony, they will need to ensure they have the correct entry requirements. Please refer to the Department of Home Affairs.

During the ceremony registration process, international students have the option to generate, save and/ or print a copy of a Graduation Invitation Letter for guests to use for travel and visa purposes.

If you did not request a letter during registration but now require one, please contact askuow@uow.edu.au with ‘Graduation’ in the subject line in order to have one sent to you. You will not be able to generate a letter by modifying your registration.

Save or print: Log back into your account and select ‘view registration’. A link to view and/or save your Graduation Invitation Letter for overseas guests will be available on this page. 

Amend names:  If you need to amend the names of your guests please email askuow@uow.edu.au with ‘Graduation’ in the subject line stating the changes required. A revised letter will be sent to you via email as soon as possible.