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Graduation Policy

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Section 1 - Purpose and Context

(1) This policy covers matters relating to student graduation.

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Section 2 - Definitions

(2) Graduand: A student who has completed their award and been deemed eligible to graduate.

(3) Graduate: a graduand who has had their award conferred (bestowed) on them by the university.

(4) Graduation in absentia: when a degree is conferred on a student without their presence at a graduation ceremony.

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Section 3 - Policy Statement

Part A - Graduation

Eligibility

(5) A student is eligible to graduate from the award in which they are enrolled if:

  1. all course requirements have been met;
  2. there are no conceded passes if a postgraduate award or no more than two conceded passes if an undergraduate award. (Note: the use of the conceded pass grade was discontinued from 1 January 2006; units completed in 2005 or earlier may have conceded passes).
  3. no financial debt is owed to the university;
  4. there is no current suspension, exclusion or expulsion penalty on their record;
  5. they have not already graduated from that award.

Applying to Graduate

(6) All undergraduate and postgraduate students must apply to graduate during the last session of their course of study as defined by the relevant rules of the course in which they are enrolled. The deadlines for submission of applications to graduate will be published on the Web for each session.

(7) Failure to lodge a form or failure to pay any fees or charges owing will result in the graduand not graduating at the next available round of graduation ceremonies.

(8) If a student has not applied to graduate within six months of completing the award requirements, they normally will be automatically graduated in absentia at the next graduation ceremony. This clause does not apply to students in double degrees who have completed the requirements for one degree and are seeking to graduate from both degrees in the same set of ceremonies.

Deferring Graduation

(9) Students eligible to graduate may elect to defer their graduation by notifying the Assessment and Graduation Unit in writing. The maximum period of deferral is until the next set of graduation ceremonies.

In Absentia Graduation

(10) Students eligible to graduate may choose to graduate in absentia. Students who elect to graduate in absentia are not permitted to participate in any future ceremony as a 'presentee' for that award.

Award of Honours

(11) The classes of Honours which may be awarded to a candidate who has completed satisfactorily the requirements of a bachelor honours degree shall be:

  1. Honours Class I
  2. Honours Class II Division I
  3. Honours Class II Division II
  4. Honours Class III

(12) The requirements will be specified by the College offering the degree and published as associated information to the Honours in Bachelor Awards Policy.

Part B - Cumulative Grade Point Average

(13) The University of Western Sydney uses a cumulative Grade Point Average (GPA) to measure the academic performance of individual students, in order to acknowledge excellence and determine recipients of Excellence Awards.

(14) The cumulative GPA will be calculated over the duration of a student's enrolment in a course.

Calculation

(15) Each final grade is awarded a numerical value as shown in Table 1 below:

Table 1

Grade Numerical Value
High Distinction 7
Distinction 6
Credit 5
Pass 4
Conceded Pass (the use of the conceded pass grade ceased from 1 January 2006) 3
Fail (F), Fail-discontinued (E), Unsatisfactory (U), and Absent Fail (AF), Practicum Fail (PF), Compulsory Fail (CF) 0

(16) The following will not be counted in the calculation of a GPA:

  1. A grade of Satisfactory (S)
  2. Withdrawn Without Academic Penalty (W)
  3. Advanced Standing - Specified (K) and Unspecified (L)
  4. Aegrotat Pass (Z)

(17) Where a student has repeated a unit, both grades will be counted towards the grade point average, and both results will remain on the official academic transcript.

(18) The formula for calculating the GPA is:

GPA = The sum of (Credit points for the same specific unit x Grade points for specific unit) / Total number of credit points attempted.

(19) The elements of the above GPA formula are:

  1. Grade points for specific unit refers to the numerical value allocated to particular grades (e.g. H = 7; see table above);
  2. Credit points for same specific unit refers to the credit points allocated to the unit studied (e.g. 10 cp);
  3. Total number of credit points attempted refers to the credit points for all units attempted including credit points for units where the grade achieved was F, AF, E and U and excluding the credit points for S grades.

(20) For example, a student takes four units. Three were 10 credit point units and the student achieved grades worth 7, 6 and 5. One was a 40 credit point unit and the student achieved a grade worth 7. The GPA was worked out as follows:

[(10x7) + (10x6) + (10x5) + (40x7)] / (10 + 10 + 10 + 40) = 6.571

Part C - Academic Excellence

(21) The University of Western Sydney chooses to acknowledge academic excellence in coursework awards.

University Medal

(22) To be eligible for the University Medal, a candidate must have achieved:

  1. Honours Class 1, requiring a cumulative GPA of 6.000 or greater in the units that form the honours degree component of the course; and
  2. A cumulative GPA of 6.000 or greater in the units that form the ordinary degree component of the course.

(23) Where the honours degree candidate has obtained their ordinary degree at another institution, the candidate's academic transcript will be reviewed by the College Education, Assessment and Progression Committee. If the Committee determines that the standard achieved is the equivalent of the University's cumulative GPA of 6.000 or greater, the candidate will be deemed to be eligible.

(24) Recommendations, endorsed by the Executive Dean, and by the College Education, Assessment and Progression Committee are received in the Assessment and Graduation Unit and are referred to the Academic Senate for approval.

(25) All documentation relating to recommendations, including College Education, Assessment and Progression Committee minutes, must be accompanied by an endorsement from the Executive Dean.

Graduation with Distinction

(26) Graduands may graduate "with distinction" from undergraduate pass degrees and postgraduate coursework masters degrees (or graduate diploma where no extension to a masters coursework award is available).

(27) Excellence will be measured by Grade Point Average (GPA) calculated from a graduand's performance in the units undertaken while enrolled in the award. See Part B Cumulative Grade Point Average for further information about how the GPA is calculated.

(28) College Education, Assessment and Progression Committee will recommend to Academic Senate that those students who have achieved a GPA of 6.000 or above should be awarded their degree "With Distinction".

(29) The Academic Registrar has the authority to determine the eligibility of students to graduate under former UWS Member Rules for academic excellence and maximum time, and the approved policy on graduation. Nothing in this policy statement should act to undermine the discretion of the Academic Registrar to deal with individual matters that present as extraordinary cases of hardship or special circumstances outside the terms of this statement and according to law.

Dean's Medal

(30) The Dean's medal will be awarded yearly to students eligible for awards of ordinary bachelors degrees of three years or four years full-time (or part-time equivalent) duration, or coursework masters degrees of one or more years full-time (or part-time equivalent) duration.

(31) Dean's Medals are not awarded to students taking a Bachelors (Honours) degree or an embedded honours program.

(32) Students enrolled for double degrees and eligible for awards of the two degrees can be awarded the Dean's Medal for both degrees.

Criteria for Award of Dean's Medal

(33) The following criteria will be applied once per calendar year for the total number of eligible graduating students, in each of the undergraduate and postgraduate cohorts, and who have a cumulative GPA.

(34) To be eligible, as an undergraduate, the student must be a graduand:

  1. of a three or four year undergraduate course offered by the College; and
  2. have studied for at least one year at UWS; and
  3. be in the top 2% of the completing College students in the relevant undergraduate cohort.

(35) To be eligible, as a postgraduate, the student must be a graduand:

  1. of a one to two year postgraduate course work degree offered by the College; and
  2. have studied at least half of the credit points required for their course at UWS; and
  3. be in the top 2% of the completing College students in the relevant postgraduate cohort.

Method of Selection

(36) At the end of each calendar year, the relevant yearly undergraduate and postgraduate graduation cohorts will be finalised by ARO Assessment and Graduation Unit, and two lists will be generated by ARO for each College, showing the top 2% of the relevant undergraduate graduands and the top 2% of the relevant postgraduate graduands based on their GPA.

The Medal

(37) Each medal will be engraved "for Academic Excellence" with the student's name and year of award.

Method of Award

(38) The Executive Dean will write to each student advising they have been awarded the Dean's Medal and that it will be presented at a yearly awards ceremony organised by the College.

Dean's Merit List

(39) The Dean's Merit list will be compiled at the end of each academic year once final grades have been processed. The merit list will contain students who satisfy the following criteria.

Criteria for Recognition on the Dean's Merit List

(40) To be eligible, the student must be enrolled in a course offered by the College.

(41) To be eligible, the student must have completed at least four units or 40 credit points in the current academic year.

(42) Students must be within the top 10% of their overall College cohort but have a GPA of not less than 6.000.

Method of Selection

(43) Once final grades are entered, students' grade point averages for the current academic year will be calculated.

(44) The Executive Dean's Unit will generate a list of all students who fall within the top 10% of their course cohort.

Method of Recognition

(45) Students identified as per the above criteria will be sent a letter from the Executive Dean recognising their outstanding achievement.

(46) Letters will be sent within three weeks of grades being finalised.

Part D - Replacement Testamur

(47) Where an original testamur has been lost, damaged or destroyed, or where the recipient's name has changed, a replacement testamur may be issued, if one is requested using the Replacement Testamur Application form. The application form for the replacement, together with appropriate accompanying documentation, must meet the requirements specified in the Associated Information, "Replacement Testamur - Application Details."

(48) The testamur will indicate it is a replacement by inclusion of the following:

"Replacement testamur issued ... (dated)" and signed by the Academic Registrar.

(49) A fee will be charged to cover administrative and certified postage costs associated with providing the replacement testamur.

(50) A graduate issued with a new testamur as a result of a change of name will have all key administrative records held by the University amended to reflect the new name.

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Section 4 - Procedures

(51) Nil.

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Section 5 - Guidelines

(52) Nil.