• Section 1 - Purpose and Context
• Section 2 - Definitions
• Section 3 - Policy Statement
• Part A - Graduation
• Eligibility
• Applying to Graduate
• Deferring Graduation
• In Absentia Graduation
• Award of Honours
• Part B - Cumulative Grade Point Average
• Calculation
• Table 1
• Part C - Academic Excellence
• University Medal
• Graduation with Distinction
• Dean's Medal
• Criteria for Award of Dean's Medal
• Method of Selection
• The Medal
• Method of Award
• Dean's Merit List
• Criteria for Recognition on the Dean's Merit List
• Method of Selection
• Method of Recognition
• Section 4 - Procedures
• Section 5 - Guidelines

Section 1 - Purpose and Context

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

Section 2 - Definitions

(2) For the purpose of this policy:

1. Graduand - means a student who has completed their award and been deemed eligible to graduate.
2. Graduate - means a graduand who has had their award conferred on them by the University.
3. Graduation in absentia - means when a degree is conferred on a student without their presence at a graduation ceremony.

Section 3 - Policy Statement

Part A - Graduation

Eligibility

(3) 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; and
5. they have not already graduated from that award.

Applying to Graduate

(4) All undergraduate and postgraduate students must register 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 graduation registration will be published on the University's website for each session.

(5) 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.

(6) If a student has not registered 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

(7) 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

(8) 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

(9) 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; or
4. Honours Class III.

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

Part B - Cumulative Grade Point Average

(11) The University of Western Sydney (UWS) 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.

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

Calculation

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

Table 1

(14) 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); and
4. Aegrotat Pass (Z)

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

(16) The formula for calculating the GPA is:

(17) 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); and
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.

(18) 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:

Part C - Academic Excellence

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

University Medal

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

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

(21) Where the honours degree candidate has obtained their undergraduate pass degree at another institution, the candidate's academic transcript will be reviewed by the School Academic 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.

(22) Recommendations, endorsed by the Dean, and by the School Academic Committee are received in the Assessment and Graduation Unit and are referred to Academic Senate for approval.

(23) All documentation relating to recommendations, including School Academic Committee minutes, must be accompanied by an endorsement from the Dean.

Graduation with Distinction

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

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

(26) School Academic Committee will recommend to Academic Senate that students who have achieved a GPA of 6.000 or above should be awarded their degree "With Distinction".

(27) 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

(28) The Dean's Medal will be awarded annually to students eligible for awards of undergraduate pass bachelor 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.

(29) Dean's Medals are not awarded to students taking a Bachelors (Honours) degree or an embedded honours program, or postgraduate degrees other than coursework masters.

(30) Students enrolled for undergraduate pass bachelor 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

(31) 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 of 6.000 or greater.

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

1. of an undergraduate pass bachelor course offered by the School of at least three or more years duration; and
2. have studied for at least one year full-time equivalent (80 credit points) at UWS in the course from which they are graduating; and
3. be in the top 2% of the completing School students in the relevant undergraduate cohort.

(33) 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 School; and
2. have studied at least half of the credit points required for the course from which they are graduating at UWS; and
3. be in the top 2% of the completing School students in the relevant postgraduate cohort.

Method of Selection

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

The Medal

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

Method of Award

(36) The 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 School.

Dean's Merit List

(37) 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

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

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

(40) Students must be within the top 10% of their overall School cohort and have a GPA of not less than 6.000.

Method of Selection

(41) Once final grades are entered, students' GPAs for the current academic year will be calculated.

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

Method of Recognition

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

Section 4 - Procedures

(44) Nil.

Section 5 - Guidelines

(45) Nil.