Graduation
Graduation procedure
In order to graduate you must go through the following steps:
You can graduate and receive a diploma if you meet all the following requirements:
- You must meet all the requirements of the examination syllabus (of both years in the Master’s programme).
- All results obtained must be processed in Osiris*.
- You must be registered at Utrecht University.
* Keep an eye on Osiris-Student after obtaining your latest results. If a result has not yet been registered in Osiris after ten working days, please contact the teacher who should submit the result.
Please contact the Student Desk Faculty of Science (STIP) if the result of a course or of the thesis is under the heading ‘Results - Other (these results are not part of this examination syllabus)’. As long as that result is there, the study programme progress overview will not be correct and you will not be included in the selection of students to receive the graduation message.
An incomplete examination portfolio will not be taken into consideration and leads to postponement of your graduation. This may also lead to having to pay an additional month of tuition fees!
If you meet all the conditions above, you will receive the ‘Graduation email Science Education and Communication’ message from the GST Graduation Office on behalf of the Examination Board, in the middle or at the end of the month. Keep a close eye on your student mail account.
This e-mail contains 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.
PLEASE NOTE: Do not terminate your enrolment before you have received your graduation mail!
PLEASE NOTE: If you do not respond (within two weeks), it will not be possible anymore to attend. The GST Graduation Office will then let you graduate and you will receive an email stating when you can pick up the diploma at the STIP desk.
Graduation 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).
Assessment of the examination portfolio is part of the final examination. The exam date will be considered the last working day of the month in which the GST Graduation Office determines on behalf of the Examination Board that the student has met the requirements of the examination syllabus (please see the Education and Examination Regulations).
The rules for the determining the examination dates are part of the Education and Examination Regulations. 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.
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.gst@uu.nl.
Terminate your enrolment as a student via Studielink. Do not terminate your enrolment until you receive the ‘Graduation email Science Education and Communication’ message from the GST Graduation Office.
PLEASE NOTE: We cannot let you graduate if you are not enrolled, so make sure you do not terminate your enrolment too early. You can only re-enrol from 1 September or thereafter only with explicit authorisation from your programme.
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 and when you receive your graduation e-mail. If you receive the ‘Graduation email Science Education and Communication’ message, you can terminate your enrolment. You do not have to wait till you receive a confirmation with your exam date from the Graduation Office GST. Tuition fees will not be refunded if you terminate enrolment on 1 July or 1 August.
As proof of graduation, you will receive a diploma as well as an International Diploma Supplement (IDS), which contains your courses, grades and average grade. In order to provide insight into your grades for foreign universities, we provide so-called Grading Tables.
You can either receive your diploma and IDS during a graduation ceremony or (let someone) pick up your diploma documents at the STIP office. In case of a diploma pick-up, make sure that you or the person authorised brings valid identification.
Graduation ceremony
- Ceremony date: 10 April 2026
- Location: University Hall
- Time: 9.30 – 15.30
- Deadline examination date: 27 February 2026
Collect your diploma
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 'with honours' (cum laude) if you satisfy certain requirements. Please check the Education and Examination Regulations (art. 6.2) for the cum laude requirements.
Points of note
In certain cases, you can apply for postponement of graduation. The conditions are laid down in the Education and Examination Regulations.
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. When submitting your request, you must indicate when you wish to obtain your diploma. Submit your request by mail (examencommissie.gst@uu.nl) or by post.
Board of Examiners GST address
Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences
Study Information Point Attn. the Board of Examiners GST
Padualaan 14
3584 CH, Utrecht
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.
If you have taken an educational master in science subjects you will receive the Master of Science degree (MSc). In the Netherlands, you can also use the title drs.
Contractors receive a certificate of competence (and therefore no diploma). This certificate certifies that the student meets the competence requirements of the completed programme.
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. International students who don’t have a ‘DigiD’ login can contact diplomaregister@duo.nl.
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.
Questions?
Do you have any further questions about the graduation procedure? Or have you already checked that your results are in Osiris, but you have not received a message that you can graduate? In this case you can contact the GST Graduation Office: examenbureau.gst@uu.nl. For course-specific questions, you can contact the programme itself: gst@uu.nl.