GRADUATION - University of Western Cape INFORMATION BOOKLET 1. QUAlIfyING fOR GRADUATION 1.1. Have I qualified • You must fulfil all requirements for your certificate/diploma/degree,

G R A D U A T I O N INFORMATION BOOKLET

F R O M H O P E T O A C T I O N T H R O U G H K N O W L E D G E w w w . s t u d e n t . u w c . a c . z a

G R A D U A T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N B O O K L E T P A G E 1

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1. QUAlIfyING fOR GRADUATION 1.1. Have I qualified 1.2. Where do I verify if I qualify for Graduation 1.3. What about my UNISA results 1.4. What if I have conditional matriculation exemption 1.5. Is your name correct on the system as this will be reflected on your certificate?

2. OUTsTANDING mATTERs 2.1. What will happen if I have any outstanding fees, fines, interest or dues? 2.2. Loan Items 2.3. What happens if I have outstanding matters with the University?

3. COllECTION Of ACADEmIC ATTIRE 3.1 Undergraduate, Honours & Masters graduands 3.2 Doctoral Candidates

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4. GRADUATION DATEs 4.1 Personalised graduation information letters are sent to students which contains the date & times of the graduation ceremonies 4.2 Graduation Dates

5. CEREmONy PROCEEDINGs 5.1. Where do we enter 5.2. What time should my guests and I arrive at my ceremony? 5.3. Where do we sit? 5.4. What do I do during the ceremony

6. PhOTOGRAPhy 6.1 Will professionals photograph be taken?

NOT ATTENDING

7. GRADUATING IN ABsENTIA 7.1. What if I cannot attend the ceremony?

8. CERTIfICATEs 8.1. What happens if my certificate? 8.2. What happens if my certificate must be posted overseas? 8.3. What happens if my certificate is not ‘claimed’ from the post office? 8.4. Can someone else collect my certificate on my behalf? 8.5. What happens if my certificate ‘gets lost’?

9. ImPORTANT CONTACT NUmBERs

For more information please contact the Contact Centre at 021 959 3900/01/02

G R A D U A T I O N I N F O R M A T I O N B O O K L E T

1. QUAlIfyING fOR GRADUATION1.1. Have I qualified

• You must fulfil all requirements for your certificate/diploma/degree, in order to graduate.

• If you are uncertain, check now with the UWC Contact Centre (021 959 3900/01/02).

• Administrative errors do happen and the onus is on you to check that you fulfil all requirements.

1.2 Where do I verify if I qualify for Graduation?

• Verify whether you are scheduled to graduate by visiting the student portal. http://student.uwc.ac.za/.

1.3. What about my UNISA results?

• If you are completing some outstanding credits through UNISA your results from UNISA must be

submitted to your Faculty well in advance (at least one month prior) to the ceremony date.

• Please consult your Faculty Office in this regard.

1.4. What if I have conditional matriculation exemption?

• If you hold a certificate of conditional exemption, check with Student Administration whether you

have met the conditions and if your exemption is still valid (a renewal is easily obtainable).

• If you do not check this, you may not be able to graduate.

• Contact: Ms. M. October @ 021 959 2123

1.5. Is your name correct on the system as this will be reflected on your certificate?

• Please ensure that you have checked that your name and surname are spelt correctly for certification

purposes. Corrections are the graduation ceremony will be charged.

Click on the following link to access the student portal http://student.uwc.ac.za/

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2. OUTsTANDING mATTERs

2.1. What will happen if I have any outstanding fees, fines, interest or dues?

• When communicating with the University in any way please use your student number as reference in

the communication with the University.

• Do not rely on a bursar, sponsor or employer to make last minute payments on your behalf, as this

credit may not reflect on your fee account in time for graduation.

• The Examination and Graduation staff in the Department of Student Administration is responsible for

the graduation arrangements of all students. Should you have any general enquiries about the

graduation, please contact the UWC Contact Centre at +27 21 959 3900/01/02 or

email [email protected].

2.2. Loan Items

• In order to graduate, you must ensure that you have returned all library items still on loan.

2.3. What happens if I have outstanding matters with the University?

• If you have a disciplinary case pending, an unpaid fine and/or community service yet to be performed,

you may not be allowed to graduate.

• All disciplinary issues and queries should be directed to the Proctors Office.

• Also inform Student Administration whether your name should be added to a graduation list.

3. COllECTION Of ACADEmIC ATTIRE

3.1 Undergraduate, Honours & Masters graduands

• All graduands receiving certificates, diplomas or degrees are required to wear the prescribed

academic attire. The University has appointed Academic Apparel Industries, of 219, Voortrekker Road,

Bellville, for the issuing of academic dress from certificate to Master’s degree level. All graduands are

to make their own arrangements regarding the hire or purchase of academic attire by clicking on the

following link ORDER FORM.

Contact Details: +27 21 948 9127

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.academicapparel.co.za

• Please note that you must produce your identity document when collecting your academic attire, or

else you will have to pay an additional R750.00 as a deposit.

• Collection times for academic attire: Graduands must collect their academic attire on the dates

specified below in the foyer on the Lecture Theatre (GH1) adjacent to the Main Hall:

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3.2 Doctoral Candidates

• Doctoral graduands must please contact Mr Denver Ernest [email protected] (Tel: +27 21 959 2537)

to make arrangements for the hiring of their academic attire.

• An amount of R100.00 is payable at the cashiers in the Administration building, ground floor counter

1-4 between 09h00 – 15h00.

• Any additional arrangements pertaining to the academic attire can be made with Mr Denver Ernest.

The academic attire should be collected at the Main Hall (HR Training Room, Ground Floor) on the day

of the graduation, from 08h00- 08h45 and returned immediately after the ceremony.

• Graduands who are non-South African citizens will be obliged to hire their academic attire with their

passports and gown fee. No provision will be made whereby cash is presented as a means to obtain

the gown without having to produce his/her passport.

4. GRADUATION DATEs

4.1 Personalised graduation information letters are sent to students which contains the

date & times of the graduation ceremonies

4.2 Refer to UWC websites for Graduation dates.

• Graduands holding degree(s) from other institutions may wear the corresponding hoods at the

ceremony. If so, the appropriate hood(s) must be obtained by you from the relevant institution(s) well in

advance. UWC will not issue external institutions hoods.

• Graduands who are non-South African citizens, will be obliged to hire their academic attire with

their passports and gown fee, no provision will be accepted whereby cash is presented as a means to

obtain the gown without having to produce his/her passport.

• Academic attire must be returned immediately after the graduation ceremony at the foyer of the

Lecture Theatre (GH1) adjacent to the Main Hall.

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5. CEREmONy PROCEEDINGs5.1. Where do we enter?• Guests enter through two of the demarcated main doors of the Great Hall.

• Graduands enter through the third demarcated door. Ushers will be on hand to assist you.

5.2 What time should my guests and I arrive at my ceremony?• Graduands and their guests must be seated in the Great Hall at least 30 minutes before the ceremony after which the doors will be closed in preparation for the entrance of the Academic Procession.• Guests arriving late will be accommodated after the address of the Vice-Chancellor and only if seats are still available.• Guests arriving after that will be accommodated in an alternate venue.• Graduands who arrive late will also be seated after the address of the Vice-Chancellor as their seats have been reserved.

• Seating of ‘late-comers’ only take place once, after the speech of the Vice-Chancellor.

5.3. Where do we sit?• Reserved seats have been allocated for graduands.• Guests do not have reserved seats and will be requested to be seated in the Great Hall starting from the front of the hall. This is in order to minimise disturbance by ‘late-comers’.

• Ushers will be on hand to assist both graduands and guests to their seats.

5.4. What do I do during the ceremony?• Graduands will be seated in the order that the names appear in the ceremony booklet.• Student Administration staff will assist students in readiness for walking across the stage.• Graduands are urged to have their name cards ready and their hoods slung over their left arms before ascending the stage. Graduands will be prompted by the Dean to hand over their name card which the Dean reads out.• The graduand then walks across the stage, pauses in front of the podium to be capped by the Chancellor, proceeds to the Registrar to be hooded, and proceeds out the side door to be photographed. • Graduands then collect their degree from the certificate table, proceeds to the alumni table and thereafter return to their assigned seats.• When the Chancellor dissolves the congregation towards the end of the ceremony, all guests and graduates are requested to remain standing until the Chancellor leads the procession off the stage

and exited the Great Hall.

GRADUATION WAlKING PlAN

flOOR PlAN

Graduands rise from their assigned seats and start walking to the right side of the stage

At this point the graduand hands over their seating card to the staff at the bottom of the stairs who will hand it over to the speaker who calls out the graduand’s name.

The graduand then gets capped by the Vice Chancellor and the first photograph is taken

The graduand then proceeds a bit further to where the Registrar will hood the graduand and another photograph is taken.

The graduand then proceeds down the stairs and immediately out the door for the third photograph. Continue to collect their certificate down the passage and back in to the Great Hall

The graduand then takes their seat in the Great Hall

mAIN sTAGE

REGIsTAR sPEAKER

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BACK TO sEAT

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VICE ChANCEllOR

sTART

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6. PhOTOGRAPhy6.1. Will professional photograph be taken?• Photographs will be taken during and after the ceremony by the University’s official photographers,

currently Nickay Photography.

• They will be available to take portrait photographs from prior to the graduation ceremony and after

the ceremony.

• Graduands should deal directly with Nickay Photography once the photographs have been taken.

Contact Details: +27 21 949 2068

Email: [email protected]

Website: www.nickay.com

• To access the form required for the ordering of Graduation Photos please click on one of the links below

- Pre-graduation Letter

- Insert link address

- Family Order Form


- General Order Form


• Flash photography is not allowed in the Great Hall during the ceremony. Video cameras are

allowed to be used at specific places only and MUST be with prearranged permission from

Institutional Advancement.

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7. GRADUATING IN ABsENTIA7.1. What if I cannot attend the ceremony?• If you are unable to attend your graduation ceremony, you must nevertheless complete the

Graduation REPLY FORM.

• You will not be moved to another ceremony.

• You will therefore graduate in absentia.

• It is essential that you indicate whether you intend to be present or absent from the ceremony.

• If you indicate on the reply form that you wish to attend then fail to attend the ceremony you will still

graduate but in absentia.

8. CERTIfICATEs8.1. What happens with my certificate?• The onus is on you to inform Student Administration that you will be graduating in absentia. In this case

you must collect your certificate from Student Administration after your graduation date.

• Certificates will only be posted if the graduand resides outside of Western Cape. Please email

[email protected] with the postal address

• Graduands who reside in Cape Town and surrounds MUST collect the certificate from the Student

Administration Office.

8.2. What happens if my certificate must be posted overseas?• Student Administration will post your certificate via registered mail to your overseas address as informed

by email sent to [email protected]

• Receiving your certificate may take a while longer than local or national mail. You may have to check

with the post office closest to your place of residence (overseas) and alert them of registered mail for

which you are waiting.

8.3. What happens if my certificate is not ‘claimed’ from the post office?• Your certificate will then be ‘returned to sender’ which in this case is Student Administration.

The certificate must then be arranged to be collected at the Student Administration Office

8.4. Can someone else collect my certificate on my behalf?• You may ‘nominate’ someone to collect your certificate on your behalf.

• The request must be in writing to Student Administration, stating the person’s full details as well as Identity

Number. Please send a copy of your certified ID as well as the nominee’s details

• This person must produce their ID Document when collecting the certificate.

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9. ImPORTANT CONTACT NUmBERs

EXAmINATIONs AND GRADUATION OffICEEmail [email protected] Tel 021 959 2895

fACUlTy OffICE NUmBERs

fACUlTy Of ARTs021 959 2152

fACUlTy Of COmmUNITy AND hEAlTh sCIENCE021 959 2852

fACUlTy Of ECONOmIC AND mANAGEmENT sCIENCEs021 959 3164

fACUlTy Of DENTIsTRy021 959 3000

fACUlTy Of EDUCATION021 959 2276

fACUlTy Of lAW021 959 3291

fACUlTy Of NATURAl sCIENCEs021 959 3426

8.5. What happens if my certificate ‘gets lost’?• You may at a nominal cost apply for a reprint of your degree certificate should it have been lost,

damaged or destroyed.

• The certified reprint ‘looks’ like the original with typed names of signatories, but is endorsed with the

following wording, “This is a duplicate of the original certificate which to the best knowledge of this

University has been lost/destroyed.”

• A fee of R370 should be paid into the Universities Bank Account using your student number as a

reference:

University of the Western Cape

Absa Bank

Branch - Epping

Account Number: 4049 6047 40

• The online application form can be filled in by clicking on the following link REPLACEMENT CERTIFICATE

and proof of payment and a certified copy of your ID may be sent to Mr Maldwin Williams,

email [email protected]

For any additional information please call the Contact Centre for assistance at 021 959 3900/1/2/3

lIBRARy021 959 2073

sTUDENT sUPPPORT sERVICEs021 959 2299

sCm NUmBER021 959 3558

fINANCIAl AID021 959 9753

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GRADUATION - University of Western Cape INFORMATION BOOKLET 1. QUAlIfyING fOR GRADUATION 1.1. Have I qualified • You must fulfil all requirements for your certificate/diploma/degree,

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