Graduation
Find out all you need to know about the graduation process and the formalities involved with completing your course. At the end of your course, check your results to confirm you’ve completed all the required units.
Is graduation the same for everyone?
Just as your study experience has been unique to you, your graduation will be too.
If you’re finishing a Certificate IV or beyond, you’ll be invited to a graduation ceremony. If not, or if you can’t make it, then you can receive your qualification remotely and graduate in absentia.
Ceremony invitations are extended to students with an award of Certificate IV and above.
If you’ve completed your course, or you’re likely to complete it soon, you can start preparing for your graduation ceremony.
Upcoming ceremonies
Our plans are subject to change. Any changes will be reflected in the table on this page.
| Date | Graduate arrival time | Ceremony time | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 19 December 2024 | 8am | 10am |
|
| 12pm | 2pm |
|
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| 4pm | 6pm |
|
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| Friday 20 December 2024 | 8am | 10am |
|
| 12pm | 2pm |
|
| Year | Graduation ceremonies |
|---|---|
| 2024 | Thursday 18 April |
| Thursday 15 August | |
| Thursday 19 and Friday 20 December | |
| 2025 | Wednesday 30 April |
| Thursday 14 August | |
| Thursday 18 and Friday 19 December | |
| 2026 | Thursday 16 April |
| Thursday 13 August | |
| Thursday 17 and Friday 18 December |
Your path to graduation
- Check that your full name and contact details are up to date. If you're unsure how to do this, please contact studentHQ.
- Ensure your award(s) is completion-approved and conferred, or will be at least five weeks prior to the ceremony you wish to attend.
- When you’ve received an email from Swinburne saying your award has been conferred, log into My Swinburne and select CEREMONY as your attendance preference. Swinburne will automatically allocate you to the next available ceremony.
- Want to attend a ceremony but the next date doesn’t suit? When you log into My Swinburne, select POSTPONE as your attendance preference instead (you can only postpone once).
- You will also receive an email from My eQuals notifying you that your digital graduation documents are available. This means you are ready to graduate!
- Graduation ceremonies are held three times a year in March, August and December.
- To be invited to a given ceremony, your award must be conferred at least five weeks prior to the ceremony date. If not, you will be allocated the following ceremony.
- Keep an eye out for your invitation! Ceremony invites are sent to your Swinburne email AND registered personal email address approximately four weeks prior to the ceremony date.
- Follow the instructions in the invite to book your ticket through our event provider’s portal. Note that an invitation does not guarantee you a spot at the ceremony. You still need to book and pay for your tickets to confirm attendance.
- Your ticket cost covers two guest tickets, gown hire and light refreshments. You can secure additional guest tickets through the event portal.
- Ensure you book your ticket(s) before the deadline. It is important to note ceremonies do have a capacity limit, so it is first in, best dressed.
- There are several things to consider in preparation for the big day. It’s all covered in our guide on how to prepare for your ceremony.
- Ceremonies are held at Plenary One, Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC), South Wharf. The venue is easily accessible via public transport or there are also plenty of paid parking options; the MCEC website has information about this.
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Graduation documents
About to complete your course? Congratulations! It’s time to make it official. Learn more about the graduation documents you’ll receive including a testamur and academic transcript.
If you do not wish to attend a graduate ceremony, or you have completed a Certificate III or below, you can graduate in absentia.
Your path to graduation
- Check that your full name and contact details are up to date. If you're unsure how to do this, please contact studentHQ.
- Your award(s) must be completion-approved and conferred before you can receive your paper documents.
- When you’ve received an email from Swinburne saying your award has been conferred, log into My Swinburne and select MAIL or COLLECT as your attendance preference.
- You will also receive an email from My eQuals notifying you that your digital graduation documents are available. This means you are ready to graduate!
- Digital copies of your academic transcript and Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement are free via the My eQuals website. You can order additional paper copies for an additional fee.
- You can choose to have your testamur mailed to you or to collect it from the Hawthon campus. Mail-outs and collections occur roughly once a month. Wait times may be higher if there is an upcoming graduation ceremony.
I wish to have my testamur mailed to me
- Your paper testamur is free of charge, but if your wish for it to be posted to you, you will be required to pay an Australia Post shipping fee of $30 for domestic postage and $85 for international postage.
- When you select the MAIL option in My Graduation, a payment window will appear automatically. If the payment window does not appear, call us on 1300 794 628 and we can take your payment over the phone.
I wish to collect my testamur from the Hawthorn campus
- Select the COLLECT option in My Graduation and your testamur will be added to the next scheduled collection date, free of charge.
- You will receive an email notification when it is time to collect your testamur. Collections take place from Level 2, Library Building, Hawthorn campus.
- As we facilitate thousands of student graduations each year, testamurs are kept for collection for approximately four weeks. If you do not collect before the deadline, your testamur will be removed and you will need to contact us again to arrange postage.
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Graduation documents
About to complete your course? Congratulations! It’s time to make it official. Learn more about the graduation documents you’ll receive including a testamur and academic transcript.
Frequently asked questions
Graduation fees are:
- Timely graduation charge: $245
- Late graduation charge: $295
Your fee covers:
- your academic regalia hire
- a trencher (cap) to keep if you're graduating with a bachelor degree or higher
- two (2) guest tickets
- a graduation ceremony program.
Graduates who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander are eligible for a graduation ceremony fee waiver.
Current Swinburne staff should contact People and Culture to check their eligibility for staff benefits. Once confirmed, you must book your graduation ticket as outlined on this page.
Your ticket comes with two guest tickets. You can purchase up to five more guest tickets at $47 per ticket through the booking portal. If you wish to purchase more than this, please contact us at graduation@swinburne.edu.au and we can arrange additional tickets for you to purchase.
This does not mean you have failed to meet the requirements of your course.
We often send graduation ceremony invitations to students who are on track to graduate before their awards have been conferred. Awards must be conferred at least five weeks prior to the ceremony. If your award is conferred less than five weeks prior to the ceremony, you become ineligible and will need to attend the next ceremony instead.
If you're ineligible to graduate, Swinburne will advise the event partner and organise for them to refund the cost of your ticket and any guest tickets you may have already purchased. Once you are deemed eligible to graduate, you'll be allocated a new graduation ceremony date and you can commence the process again.
If you are informed that you're ineligible to graduate due to fees owing or an outstanding payment due to the university, and you have paid these, please email graduation@swinburne.edu.au to re-start the graduation process.
GFP is our event provider and manages event tickets. To request a refund, contact GFP via email at info@gfp.com.au.
Keep on exploring
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Preparing for your graduation ceremony
All your hard work and late nights have paid off, congratulations on completing your studies! Now all that is left is to prepare for your Graduation Ceremony. Learn all about what happens on the day.
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Confirm your graduation details
Log in using your student ID and password to confirm your graduation details.
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Hiring your academic regalia
Learn all about the full graduation regalia you will need to wear at your graduation ceremony. Remember, academic dress hire is covered in the graduation fee.
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Alumni
Stay connected to your alumni community and enjoy a range of services and benefits, including networking and professional development opportunities.
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Postnominals
As a Swinburne graduate, you are entitled to add postnominals, which identify your qualification(s) after your name.
Need graduation advice or course help?
If you have a question or need help with any aspect of completing your course or graduating, contact studentHQ. StudentHQ can help you if you haven’t received your graduation documents or need to get replacements.