Graduation
To graduate, you must meet the following requirements:
- You must meet all the requirements of your examinations programme.*
- All your results must be registered in OSIRIS.
- You must be enrolled at Utrecht University.
* Do you want to know what requirements of your examinations programme you still need to meet? Or is the information incorrect or incomplete? You are welcome to visit the walk-in hours of the student advisors for a graduation check.
If you meet all the requirements of the examinations programme you will receive a graduation message from the Graduation Office on behalf of the Board of Examiners. This graduation message will state that you are allowed to graduate. It will be sent halfway through or at the end of the month via your student mail. Keep a close eye on your student mail account.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not terminate your enrolment before you have received your graduation mail!
The graduation mail will contain a request to fill in and return the graduation form in OSRIS Case within two weeks, indicating whether you wish to:
- graduate, and would like to attend the graduation ceremony or would prefer to collect your diploma at the desk of the Student Information Point (see also step 4);
- apply for postponement at the Board of Examiners.
Examination date
After the graduation form has been processed, the Graduation Office will send you a confirmation mail. In Osiris Case you will find your examination date and the date of the graduation ceremony (or the date on which you can collect your diploma). Any results you achieve after your examination date will not be included in your International Diploma Supplement (IDS) or your cumulative average grade.
After the Board of Examiners determines that you meet all examination requirements, your final examination date will be set on the last working day of the same month. This date is also listed on your diploma.
The rules for determining the examination dates are part of the Education and Examination Regulations (EER). The Education and Examination Regulations are reviewed annually and apply to all students enrolled in the programme. If the Education and Examination Regulations are amended, the new regulations apply to everyone. Therefore, if you graduate in 2023-2024, the regulations of the 2023-2024 EER will apply.
No graduation mail?
If you have not received a graduation mail by 04:00 pm on the last working day of the month and you think that you should be allowed to graduate, you should contact the Graduation Office via examenbureau.fsw@uu.nl.
Graduating does not mean your enrolment at Utrecht University will end automatically. You have to terminate your enrolment as a student of Utrecht University via Studielink yourself. Also, you have to terminate your student grant and student travel product.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not terminate your enrolment before you have received your graduation mail from the Graduation Office!
You should terminate your enrolment in Studielink before the end of the month. It is not possible to do this with retroactive effect. You should therefore keep a close eye on when the last result was registered in OSIRIS.
Make sure to terminate your enrolment after receiving your graduation mail from the Graduation Office. It's not necessary to wait for the confirmation mail from the Graduation Office (which contains your examination date). Tuition fees will not be refunded if you terminate enrolment on 1 July or 1 August.
Attend a graduation ceremony
See the graduation ceremonies overview (pdf) for the dates, locations and times of the graduation ceremonies.
Collecting your diploma
You can also opt to collect your diploma from the Student Information Point (STIP) in the Sjoerd Groenman building. Make sure that you take valid identification with you when you collect your diploma.
See the overview of all collection dates (pdf).
Grading Table
With your diploma, an International Diploma Supplement (IDS) is included. This supplement lists your Grading Table.
Cum Laude
The result of your programme can be qualified with the distinction cum laude if you satisfy certain requirements. Please check the Education and Examination Regulations (art. 6.2) for the 2023-2024 cum laude requirements.
In certain cases, you can apply for postponement of graduation. The Board of Examiners assesses whether you are eligible for postponement of graduation. Within two weeks after you have received your graduation e-mail you should submit a written request to the Board of Examiners, accompanied by the necessary documentation.
You can apply for postponement if:
1. You are going to hold a management position for which a Utrecht University management participation grant is available.
Documentation: Specify which participation grant you are eligible for. No documentation necessary. The Board of Examiners will contact the deans.
2. You are going to attend a work placement, or a degree programme component abroad.
Documentation: A copy of the form showing that approval has been granted to attend a work placement, or a degree programme component abroad.
Internship: The internship must be an official education component, completed as part of the Master’s examination. The internship must be followed in the semester immediately following the semester in which the requirements of the examination programme are met.
Component abroad: The component abroad must be followed in the semester immediately following the semester in which the requirements of the examination programme are met.
Board of Examiners’ address
You can request a postponement by e-mail (examencommissie.fsw@uu.nl).
Evaluation of your request
If you submit your request for an extension before the deadline, there are two possibilities:
- If your request is granted, you will receive a new graduation date. Two weeks before this date expires you'll receive a new graduation mail, after which the normal procedure (steps 1 to 4) applies.
- If it's rejected, you will graduate as planned.
What to consider when you are (soon to be) graduating
When you are about to graduate, there are a few things you have to keep in mind:
If you have a DigiD and graduated after 1995, you can obtain certification of your graduation directly from the DUO diploma registry (only available in Dutch). If you don’t have a DigiD, or if you graduated before 1995, you can request certification of your graduation via this online form. Read more about verification of education.
Do you want to keep contact with alumni of Utrecht University?
- The Utrecht University Fund is the University’s alumni organisation. The fund runs events and activities for graduates of Utrecht University and supports the student experience by funding activities by and for students.
- Are you a recent graduate? Stay up-to-date on all activities for alumni.
If you are required to demonstrate that you have graduated to an employer or a subsequent education institution, you can obtain a proof graduation from the diploma register. Go to www.duo.nl, log in, and then choose Diploma register > My diplomas. You can then see the diplomas you have been awarded.
Please note: In order to see that you have obtained a diploma for a particular degree programme, it is important that you return the graduation form. This form is processed by the Graduation Office before DUO is informed of the graduation date.
After the graduation form is processed, you will receive a confirmation stating the date of the graduation ceremony or the date from which you can collect your diploma. Your diploma is usually visible in DUO from the second working day after the graduation date, provided the graduation form is processed properly.
If you graduate at the beginning of the month and (urgently) need a declaration of graduation, you can request one by a request in OSIRIS Case. Please log in OSIRIS Student and go to tab ‘Cases’, select ‘My cases’. Select the button ‘Start case’ and start the case ‘FSBS & GST - Request declaration of graduation’. The Graduation Office will then generate a declaration of graduation as soon as possible.