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Graduation Information
Graduation is one of the most important occasions in the University’s academic calendar where students, both undergraduate and postgraduate, receive their hard-earned degrees and diplomas. Indeed, graduation marks the culmination of many years of personal sacrifice and hard work that have laid the foundation for successful and inspiring careers.
At graduation, Honorary Degrees are also conferred to distinguished individuals who have made significant contributions to society, both in South Africa and at a global level. In addition, University Fellowships are conferred on outstanding academics for research excellence as well as The Distinguished Teachers’ Awards are presented to academics for teaching excellence.
*EACH GRADUAND WILL BE GIVEN A MAXIMUM OF 2 GUEST TICKETS*
*NO LATE COMERS WILL BE ADMITTED INTO THE HALL*
What do I need to graduate?
Students are encouraged to visit Student Central for purposes of checking and verifying the correctness of their biographical and registration information. Degree/diploma certificates and graduation programmes are printed and posted, if necessary, using the information captured and stored in our database.
Please ensure that your NAMES are correct and same as on your Identity Documents/Passport.
Ensure that your record shows the correct QUALIFICATION.
If either of these are incorrect or need to be amended, please contact your College URGENTLY and before 20 April 2023, for these to be updated.
College Contact Details: COLLEGE CONTACT NUMBERS
What to wear?
The official academic dress must be worn for the ceremony, namely gown, hood and mortar board for the degree that will be conferred.
Please note that the academic attire should be worn over formal clothing
The correct academic dress must be obtained from House of Graduates, who are the official service provider responsible for the provision of the appropriate regalia in the correct colours for your qualification. Please note that House of Graduates will be based at Hall 2 at the Royal Showgrounds and at the Squash Courts, Sports Centre on the Westville Campus for hire, collections and return of the academic dress.
Please find attached Price List + Order
Guests Tickets and Seating
Unreserved seats are available for guests. Due to limited seating-space inside the graduation hall, only 2 GUESTS per graduand may attend the ceremony.
Your seat card and guest tickets will be available for collection at the venue, from two hours prior to the commencement of graduation ceremony. The seat card will also be used as a receipt for your degree certificate; please sign it and have it ready for the collection of your certificate. Children under the age of twelve years will not be admitted.
IMPORTANT NOTES PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
No extra tickets are available (EACH GRADUAND WILL BE GIVEN A MAXIMUM OF 2 GUEST TICKETS)
Graduands and guests should be seated 20 minutes prior to the commencement of graduation ceremony
No late comers will be admitted
Children under the age of twelve years will not be admitted
Our graduation venues are gun-free zones. No guns and other weapons are allowed
No unauthorized photographs to be taken during the ceremony
Smoking is not permitted in the hall
Cellphones to be switched off during the Graduation ceremonies
No food or drink may be brought into the hall
What to do on stage?
1. Staff from the College will assist you in going onto the stage at the right time and will ensure that you leave your mortar board on your seat. Your hood should be draped by the neckband on the left arm, and your card held in readiness for handing to the Dean to announce your name. The Dean will hand the card back to you.
2. The card will also be used as acknowledgment of receipt for your degree certificate. Please sign it and present it to the College Officers issuing degree certificates.
3. Graduands proceed towards the Chancellor and kneel with your right knee upon the stool. The Chancellor will then confer the degree on you. A photograph will be taken on stage at the time of the capping, so please look up at the Photographer.
4. Proceed to the Robing Officer and hand the hood to him/her. Then turn and face the congregation, so that your hood can be draped over your shoulders. A photograph will again be taken, so please look ahead at the Photographer.
5. Leave the stage and go to the back of the hall and collect your certificate before returning to your seat. The College Officers will ask for your signed card when issuing certificates.
6. Don your mortar board.
7. Diplomates follow the same procedure, except that they do not kneel on the stool, since they are not capped, but proceed to the Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Head of College who will congratulate them by shaking their hands.
Parking
In Durban parking for graduands and guests will be available at the soccer grounds, which is in close proximity of the Sports Centre, Westville Campus where the graduation ceremonies will take place. No parking will be available at the Sports Centre.
Should you have disabled guests kindly arrange with the security officers on duty at the Sports Centre to allow you to drive into the drop-off area to drop off such guests. You must then drive out of this area immediately to make way for other motorists and park in areas allocated for this purpose.
In Pietermaritzburg parking for graduands and guests will be available at the Voortrekker High School Grounds (opposite the Royal Agricultural Show Grounds).
Please ensure sufficient time to arrive at your graduation venue, park and walk to the venue, collect your seat card and collect you academic gown.
Order of Proceedings and Protocols
-The Chancellor will constitute the congregation.
-Welcome Address.
-Presentation of graduands and diplomates.
-The Chancellor will dissolve the congregation.
-The procession leaves the stage, followed by the graduates and diplomates.
-Guests leave the venue.
Graduation is a formal occasion at which many courtesies and traditions are observed and it has its own terminology. Graduands are those who are about to have a degree conferred on them, after which they are called graduates. Diplomates are those who are about to be, or have been, awarded a diploma.
Courtesy includes graduands, diplomates and their guests all being seated before the procession enters the venue and remaining in the venue throughout. Graduands, diplomates and guests (congregation) should rise when the procession enters the venue. No-one should resume their seat until the Chancellor signals to do so. When the ceremony is at an end, the congregation should rise again and remain standing until the procession has left the venue. The graduates and diplomates will join the procession two rows at a time, starting from the front two rows (the most senior degrees) until the most junior diplomates form the end of the procession. As a mark of respect, guests should not leave the venue until the last graduate has departed.
PLEASE NOTE: Graduands, Diplomates and guests are not permitted to leave the Hall until all the formal proceedings for the graduation ceremony have been concluded and the academic procession has left the hall.
Photographs
The official Photographers appointed by the University for the 2023 Autumn Graduation is:
Mazidlekhaya Photo Studio
-who will take graduation photographs of each graduate during the ceremony;
-located at the Photographer’s marquee at the graduation venue. Studios will be set up where photographs can be taken before or after the ceremony.
-Pre-orders of photographs (stage and family photographs) can be made via their respective websites:
-However you are under no obligation to order these photographs.
-The contract you enter into is between you and the photographic studio. The University has no part in the contract.
-No unauthorised photographs to be taken during the ceremony.
Certificates and Transcripts
All qualification certificates not collected by the graduates during the graduation ceremonies (excluding withheld certificates) must be collected from the Central Student Records office, [a University-wide office located in Rooms 225 and 226, Administration Building, Westville Campus, during the following hours only: 08:00-13:00 and 14:00-15:30 (weekdays)], provided you make a booking to collect or post the certificate via this link: https://gradcertbooking.ukzn.ac.za Your Username is: student number and your Password: ID or passport number.
For queries, please email one of the following persons:
(Email: Mofokengn@ukzn.ac.za or Naickerka@ukzn.ac.za or MoengT@ukzn.ac.za)
In the case where graduation certificates have been withheld on account of outstanding matriculation exemption/fees/library books, the graduates are advised to contact their College or Campus Fees Office or Campus Library to clear their records or student accounts. Once their records/student accounts are cleared/settled, they may book via the link to collect or post the certificate.
Please note a certificate will only be issued upon producing a stipulated form of identification and a confirmation email/letter received after a successful booking.
GRADUATE SURVEY
As our graduate, your opinion plays a pivotal role in understanding your overall study experiences at UKZN. Your feedback can provide us with pertinent information which the university can use to enhance and improve on student experiences and provide a focus for planning, budgeting, and management for the future.
We encourage you to complete the Graduate Opinion Survey and let us know about your perspective on the quality of your educational experiences at UKZN.
The survey can be accessed online, an email will be sent to you with a link to the survey.
YOUR VOICE COUNTS AT UKZN
For more information please send an email to qpasurvey@ukzn.ac.za
Complete the survey and stand a chance to win 1 of the R500 vouchers we are giving away
SURVEY ATTACHED: Graduate Opinion Survey