Graduation and Commencement Ceremony

Commencement Ceremony

As most of you will have left Utrecht by the time all your results have been processed, we celebrate a Commencement Ceremony instead of a graduation ceremony. This means you will not receive your diploma’s on the day of the ceremony.

  • When: at the end of June (we will tell you the exact date by email)
  • For whom:  all students who have enrolled in the thesis track; if you prefer to join the commencement ceremony in a different year than the one in which you submit your thesis, please let us know (you can only join the commencement ceremony once).  
  • What: a Commencement Ceremony consists of some academic rituals and practices and students wear caps and gowns. 
  • Reception: at the end of the Ceremony a celebratory reception will be organised.  

Note that attending the Commencement Ceremony is no guarantee that you will graduate that summer. This depends on the results of your courses and study progress in general. 

When do you graduate?

You graduate when:

  • you meet the examination requirements from the Education and Examination Regulations (EER) of your programme.
  • all your study results have been registered in OSIRIS.

As soon as the grades you need have been registered in Osiris, you can terminate your enrolment via https://www.studielink.nl. You do not have to wait for the Board of Examiners to notify you of your graduation. Your enrolment will end on the 1st day of the following month. If you graduate in Summer, your enrolment will automatically expire and you will not have to do anything.

What do you need to do in order to graduate?

  • Regularly check your study progress overview in Osiris.
    • Are there any results under Other that should count towards your study programme? If so, please inform the Graduation Office.
    • If you have obtained results outside Utrecht University that are not listed in Osiris, please request approval from the Board of Examiners.
    • Honours minor courses do not count towards your graduation and are therefore listed in Osiris under Other. They will, of course, be listed on your diploma supplement.
  • Is it taking too long for a grade to be registered? In this case, feel free to contact your professor and indicate that you would like to graduate as soon as possible.  
  • Upload your thesis/dissertation to the UU digital thesis archive.

After you graduate

  • Graduated in the months of September to May? Terminate your enrolment as soon as possible via Studielink.
    • Would you like to continue studying? You can, but you will still have to pay tuition fees.
    • Do you want to postpone your graduation and do you meet the requirements? Then submit a request for postponement within 2 weeks of receiving the graduation email.
    • Are you not sure what you would like to do next? Our Career Services offer workshops and advice about future possibilities, jobs, etcetera.
  • If applicable, terminate your student grant and public transport card at DUO.
  • Do you need a graduation statement? Approximately 4 weeks after your exam date, you can request a statement that you have completed your programme at DUO's Diploma Register.

Graduation mail from the Board of Examiners

In the first half of the month following your exam date, you will receive an email from the Board of Examiners confirming that you have graduated.

What next?

Once you have finished your education, you can start looking for a job or continue studying. Are you not sure what to do next? Check our Career Services for tips, help or advice. And don't forget to register with the UU Alumni Office!

Other questions?

Do you think you have graduated and have you not yet received a notification? Did you obtain (foreign) credits in the past that are not yet listed in OSIRIS? Do you have another question about the graduation procedure? Then contact the Student Desk Humanities.

FAQ

Board of Examiners

  • Ido de Haan (History, chair)
  • Uğur Aytaç
  • Stefanie Beyens (Public Governance and Management)
  • Marc Schramm (Economics)

The Board of Examiners is assisted by the Board's executive secretary, Max de Kruiff

Contact

Board of examiners
Regarding: <name programme>
Drift 10
3512 BS  UTRECHT
Studiepunt.GW@uu.nl