2022 graduation ceremonies

In 2022 and beyond, there will be a shift in how UOW graduation ceremonies are delivered.

2022 in-person graduation ceremonies include elements such as commencement addresses and announcement of graduates, as well as some additional inclusions in recognition of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students:  

• a Smoking Ceremony 
• vibration sounds of the Yidaki will lead the Academic Procession  
• Aboriginal inspired art and music will feature throughout the ceremonies

Yes, graduates will dress in official academic dress and have the opportunity to take photos with their guests. You will receive your gown during registration on the day of your ceremony, and it must be returned to the gowning area at the conclusion of your ceremony at the following times:

• 1pm for morning ceremonies  
• 6pm for afternoon ceremonies 

The cost of hiring your academic dress is covered by the graduation fee.  If you would like to purchase your academic dress, please contact the Unishop, or buy online. Please note that if you purchase your academic dress, you are still required to pay the full graduation fee. 

Find out more about what to wear on the day

Each graduate is allocated up to four (4) guest tickets for their graduation ceremony.

More information about guest tickets

For information relating to when to arrive, travel, location and parking and well as other information information, please visit the Your Graduation Day page. 

Yes. All ceremonies will be live streamed - the link will be available via the graduation website on the day of the event.

A link to the video recordings for the ceremonies will also be available on the graduation website after all ceremonies have concluded.

We expect each ceremony will go for approximately 2-2.5 hours. 

November 2022 ceremonies will be the last ceremony you are able to attend if you were conferred prior to September 2022 (including graduates from 2019, 2020 and 2021 who had their ceremony cancelled due to COVID).

Students who are conferred in September 2022 will be invited to attend the November ceremonies, however, due to the tight timeframe these students can defer their graduation ceremony attendance to 2023. More information will be provided directly to these students.

All invitations have been sent and registrations for November ceremony have now closed.

If you have graduated from UOW with multiple degrees, congratulations! Graduates with multiple degrees will be invited to celebrate and 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

If you are still a little confused, please feel free to email askuow@uow.edu.au with ‘Graduation’ in the subject line and we will respond accordingly.

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)
• Graduation booklet
• Guest tickets

If you would like to purchase your academic dress, please contact the Unishop or purchase online. Please note that if you purchase your academic dress, you are still required to pay the full graduation fee. 

You will be required to pay your graduation fee during the registration process. If you do not pay the fee by the closing date, you will not be able to attend the 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 days notice prior to your ceremony: a full refund 
• Less than 10 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. 

The safety of graduates, guests and staff is our top priority. UOW will follow advice and guidelines from health and government authorities to ensure a COVID Safe event.

COVID Safe protocols will be in place to protect all visitors including:

• Hand sanitiser available for use
• Wearing of face masks optional for all graduates and guests
• Guests and graduates are asked to stay home if unwell

Please note that requirements will be subject to public health orders at the time of the ceremonies and may change.

Visitors to UOW campuses are currently not required to show their COVID-19 vaccination status.

Face masks are not a requirement, however NSW Health strongly recommends you wear a face mask if it is hard to maintain safe physical distance from others.

Face masks will be available for graduates upon request at the registration desk. All guests attending a graduation ceremony will need to provide their own face mask.

The wearing of face masks is subject to Public Health Orders at the time of the ceremonies and requirements may change. 

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

The Department of Home Affairs has comprehensive information about student visa requirements and application procedures. Please refer to the Department of Home Affairs.

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 registration process, international students should have generated, saved and/ or printed 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 the Graduation team via email at 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.

If you generated a Graduation Invitation letter during the registration process, 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. 

If you require your Graduation Invitation letter for overseas guests to be modified, please contact askuow@uow.edu.au with ‘Graduation’ in the subject line to have this corrected. A revised letter will be sent to you via email as soon as possible.