Graduations

Graduation ceremonies

Round 1 (Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs)

Students who are completed by the following dates will be eligible to graduate in these ceremonies:

• Darwin ceremonies 20-22 May - Deadline Friday 28 March 2025
• Alice Springs ceremony 12 June - Deadline Friday 2 May 2025
• Katherine ceremony 19 June - Deadline Friday 2 May 2025

Please note:

• All 2025 Graduation Ceremony dates are subject to change. Please do not book flights or accommodation until you have been officially completed and received your invitation to RSVP.
• Faculties and CDU TAFE will be allocated six weeks prior to the ceremonies.
• Attending numbers may be capped and guest tickets restricted. 

Graduation ceremonies

Round 2 (Darwin, Sydney and Nhulunbuy)

Students who are completed by the following dates will be eligible to graduate in these ceremonies:

• Darwin ceremonies 16-18 September - Deadline Friday 1 August 2025
• Sydney ceremony 16 October - Deadline Friday 29 August 2025
• Nhulunbuy ceremony 6 November - Deadline Friday 3 October 2025

Please note:

• All 2025 Graduation Ceremony dates are subject to change. Please do not book flights or accommodation until you have been officially completed and received your invitation to RSVP.
• Faculties and CDU TAFE will be allocated six weeks prior to the ceremonies.
• Attending numbers may be capped and guest tickets restricted. 

Conferral of awards

The speaker must demonstrate how they have embraced CDU’s core values during their journey:

• Courage – Perseverance through challenges, personal or academic, and a willingness to take bold steps toward success.
• Kindness – Acts of generosity, inclusion and support for fellow students and the CDU community.
• Openness – A commitment to lifelong learning, curiosity and collaboration across diverse perspectives.
• Innovation – Creative thinking, problem-solving and contributions that have had a positive impact on CDU or the broader community.
• Leadership – A proactive approach to making a difference, whether through student initiatives, mentoring or advocacy. 

• A compelling personal story or message that resonates with the diverse experiences of CDU graduates.
• The ability to articulate a vision of hope, growth, and contribution to society that aligns with CDU’s mission.
• Evidence of resilience, adaptability, and achievement in their CDU journey. 

• Clear and engaging storytelling ability.
• Experience in public speaking, debating, performing arts, or presentations is desirable but not mandatory.
• Ability to deliver a speech confidently and effectively to a large audience. 

• Self-nomination – A student may put themselves forward for consideration.
• Peer nomination – A fellow student may nominate someone they believe would be an outstanding speaker.
• Educator nomination – A CDU staff member (academic or professional) may nominate a student they feel represents CDU’s values and would deliver an inspiring speech. 

Nominators (peers and educators) must provide a brief statement of support (max. 200 words) explaining why they believe the nominee is a strong candidate. 

Nominees must submit an online application that includes the following:

• A written speech draft (max. 500 words) outlining the key themes of their address. The speech should reflect CDU’s values and mission.
• A short personal statement (max. 250 words) explaining why they want to be the graduation speaker and how they embody CDU’s values.
• A brief CV or summary of their contributions to CDU (optional but recommended). 

Submit your online application

• A selection panel comprising university staff, student representatives, and alumni will review applications.
• The panel will assess submissions based on the selection criteria and select one finalist to deliver the graduation speech.
• The chosen student will be notified. 

• The selected speaker will work with a university mentor to refine and rehearse their speech.
• The final speech must be approved by the selection panel before the ceremony. 

The Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) is a secondary transcript issued to students when they graduate. AHEGS provides a snapshot of your achievements at university and has been designed to make Australian qualifications more recognisable to employers and institutions worldwide.

Students graduating from a combined degree course will receive two statements, one for each award.

For more information on AHEGS please refer to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website or email graduation@cdu.edu.au.

The replacement fee for a hardcopy AHEGS is $40 or $20 for a digital copy.

Requests for AHEGS can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

My eQuals is a platform that allows Higher Education and VET students to securely access graduation documents. These documents can be securely shared with anyone, such as employers or other universities. Access to your My eQuals doesn't expire.

You will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to access My eQuals. You can share this link with employers or other institutions as you choose.

If you graduated before May 2018 you can request a digital transcript via eQuals. This incurs a fee and you must submit an Academic Document Request eForm.

A Testamur is a legal document that you receive when you graduate to certify that your degree has been completed. This is provided to you free of charge at your graduation ceremony or posted to you afterward.

A replacement fee for a hard copy Testamur is $100 for each completed course, capped at $300.

The fee for a digital copy is $50 for all completed awards. A request for a Testamur reprint must be accompanied by the original Testamur or by a statutory declaration stating what happened to the original Testamur.

In the case of a change of name, you must complete a Personal Details Amendment eForm.

Requests for a Testamur can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

An Academic Transcript is provided to you free of charge when you've completed your course. This will detail the results for each unit you have completed.

Additional Academic Transcripts cost $40 for a hard copy or $20 for a digital copy. Please note that digital transcripts do not show the grading system as the original hard copies do. You can refer to the CDU Official Grading System for this information.

Requests for an Academic Transcript can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

You can access your Unique Student Identifier (USI) transcript by visiting USI Transcript/Training Record. Here you can view and download a USI transcript with all of your qualifications from 2015 onward.

If you think your transcript is incorrect, get in touch with Student Central.

Please note: you will not be able to request a transcript of your qualifications from the USI registrar without a USI. CDU will not be able to issue you a qualification or a Statement of Attainment until you provide a USI, or show us your Confirmation of an Exemption from the USI office. Find out how to get a USI.

A Completion Certificate is provided to you free of charge when you've completed your TAFE course.

Additional Completion Certificates cost $30 for a hard copy. Digital copies are not currently available.

Requests for Completion Certificates can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

A Memorandum of Grades is a printed record of units and results within a course. This is provided at the end of each teaching period for the duration of your TAFE course.

A Memorandum of Grades is not provided when fees remain outstanding. For a replacement copy of your Memorandum of Grades, contact Student Central.

Students are encouraged to view their results on MyStudentInfo.

A Statement of Attainment (SOA) is used as a record of successfully completed units. An SOA is issued under the following conditions:

• if a student has successfully completed one or more accredited units or an accredited short course that does not meet the requirements for a full qualification within 30 days of completing the training program*
• if a student has withdrawn from a course they are to receive an SOA for any completed units within 30 days of withdrawing from the course.

A Statement of Attainment is initially provided free of charge at the time of completing your study unit/s.

To be eligible for an SOA, students must be debt-free with CDU and hold a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI).

If you need a replacement copy of an SOA, a $35 fee will be charged for each request. Contact Student Central to organise this.

Please note: the replacement Statement of Attainment will clearly state 'This document is a reprint of the original' and show the date the original document was issued.

For more information, get in touch with Student Central.

It is your responsibility to ensure you have completed all the requirements for your course before you are eligible to graduate.

If results are outstanding, you must ensure these are completed in the semester before you graduate. For example, students who graduate in May will usually have completed all the requirements for their course by December of the previous year.

Outstanding credit transfer or RPL 

You will need to make sure that all advanced standing applications have been processed. This includes any prior study you have done at CDU that you believe should contribute to your current course. This process doesn't happen automatically. You need to apply for advanced standing (credit transfer or RPL) by submitting an advanced standing eForm (login to the CDU Portal, select eForms and select advanced standing eForm)

Unpaid fees, fines or loans

Before graduating, make sure you pay any outstanding fees, loans or fines. This might include:

• unpaid parking fines
• overdue library books
• overdue Student Services and Amenities fees.

Non-completion of course requirements

Before you graduate, you need to successfully complete all of your course requirements. To check up on your course progression, you can email graduation@cdu.edu.au.

Unique Student Identifier

You'll need to make sure you have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) before you graduate. Once you have registered for your USI, please forward it to graduation@cdu.edu.au for verification.

You do not need to apply to graduate. CDU run reports to check what students are eligible to graduate each teaching period. If you believe you have completed your course requirements and haven't been contacted within two weeks after your final grade has been released, please complete a Nomination to Graduate eForm (login to the CDU Portal, select eForms and select Nomination to Graduate eForm).

If you decide not to attend your graduation ceremony, log in to MyStudentInfo to register to graduate in absentia. We also recommend checking that your personal details are up to date.

If you elect to graduate in absentia, you will be sent your testamur by mail approximately two weeks after the ceremony. Please allow for postal delivery times from this date.

Overseas students will be sent their testamur via courier.

All students will be sent their testamurs in a special cardboard folder to protect against damage in transit.

If your testamur gets significantly damaged in the post, please contact us to arrange a replacement by emailing  graduation@cdu.edu.au or contacting Student Central.

The only fees you'll need to pay is for the hire of your academic dress.

When you attend your CDU graduation ceremony, you'll need to wear academic dress over your regular clothing. This varies between types of degrees, but is typically is made up of a gown, hood or stole and trencher.

Once you have received your ceremony invitation, please follow the link to RSVP, and purchase your gown hire on the GFP website.

GFP Graduations are contracted by CDU to take photographs during the graduation ceremonies held in Darwin. They also have studios available for portraits before and after each ceremony.

You can pre-book your photography package at GFP Graduations.

Due to COVID Safety plan requirements, graduand numbers will be capped and guest tickets restricted to three (3) for each attending graduand. This can include children.

Your guest tickets will be sent out to you when we receive your invitation response.

If you or any of your guests have special access requirements, please email graduation@cdu.edu.au or contact Student Central.

It is your responsibility to ensure that we have your name correct prior to your graduation. The name that appears on your invitation is what will appear on your testamur.

If you've had a change to your name or address, you can complete a Personal Details Amendment eForm or contact Student Central.

Alternatively, you can complete the 'change of address' section on your invitation.