Apply to graduate

Check your eligibility to graduate, know how to apply, and choose to graduate at a ceremony or in absentia.

How to apply to graduate

Read these steps carefully to understand your eligibility and graduation options. 

Step 1. Check your eligibility to graduate

All students

You're eligible to graduate when you have:

  • met all academic requirements of your program
  • no missing results or credit transfers
  • no outstanding debts to the University
  • provided your verified USI to RMIT (higher education students only).

Additional requirements for some students

If you belong to one of the student groups below, click on the arrow to check for additional requirements.

If you have been discontinued from your program, please contact your RMIT School or College.

To be eligible, you need to have:

  • received a passing outcome at examination
  • completed any required amendments as a result of the examination process
  • had your final archival and amendments document approved by the ADVC, RTD
  • completed all mandatory coursework courses (e.g. research methods) or had a credit transfer processed, where eligible
  • provided your 50 word citation to the School of Graduate Research, if you are a PhD student.

You may apply to graduate before meeting these conditions.

For questions about your academic progress and eligibility to graduate, contact the School of Graduate Research via the RMIT Student Connect portal.

Undergraduate and postgraduate students who have completed relevant studies through other providers, or are eligible for any other recognition of prior learning (RPL), need to apply for credit for prior study or experience.

Once you've completed the above and met all program requirements, you can apply to graduate.

 

Melbourne Graduation Ceremony

If you're enrolled in undergraduate study period 3 or postgraduate session 3 you may not be eligible to graduate at the Melbourne Graduation Ceremony the year that you finish your studies. This is because the ceremony will be held before the results release date for these periods. You may apply to graduate at a future ceremony.

Melbourne Graduation Ceremony

Graduating students in standard undergraduate/postgraduate programs due to complete their final course(s) in Teaching Period 4 will not be eligible to attend the Melbourne Graduation Ceremony. This is because your result release date is after the ceremony.

If you’re applying to graduate from an intermediate award, for example you’re enrolled in a Masters degree but want to graduate with a Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma instead, you’ll need to contact your RMIT School or College before applying. Once your school has admitted you to the intermediate conferring program, you can apply to graduate.

If you completed a higher education program more than 10 years ago, we're unable to confer your award or issue a testamur. However, you can still be issued with a transcript confirming that you completed the requirements of your program. Read more in the Conferral and graduation policy.

Melbourne Graduation Ceremony

You won't be able to attend the Melbourne Graduation Ceremony if you:

  • have a deferred or supplementary assessment scheduled on or after the official result release date
  • have an outstanding placement on or after the official result release date
  • are enrolled in undergraduate study period 3 or postgraduate session 3 (for OUA students)
  • are enrolled in a standard undergraduate/postgraduate program and due to complete your final course(s) in teaching period 4 (for RMIT Online students).

Step 2. Choose your graduation option

When you apply to graduate you can choose to graduate (be conferred) at a ceremony or in absentia. These options affect when you'll get your Statement of Academic Completion and other academic statements

Please also note that you will lose access to all RMIT systems on the day you graduate.

Graduating at a ceremony 

If you choose to graduate at a ceremony, you'll officially graduate (be conferred) at the ceremony. This means that your conferral date and ceremony date are the same.

Find out about the different RMIT graduation ceremonies.
 

Graduating in absentia 

'In absentia' means that your award is conferred without you attending a formal graduation ceremony.  

If you graduate in absentia, you’ll usually graduate (be conferred) at the end of the month in which your School marks you as complete. There are some exceptions – click the dropdown arrow below to see all 2024 in absentia conferral dates. 

Eligible students who graduate in absentia will be invited to celebrate their achievements at the Melbourne Graduation Ceremony in December.

Month Conferral date
January 31 January
February 29 February
March 28 March
April 30 April
May 31 May
June 28 June
July 31 July
August 30 August
September 30 September
October 31 October
November No conferral
December 18 December

When you'll get your Statement of Academic Completion and other statements

You'll get your digital Statement of Academic Completion and other statements at different times depending on when you graduate. 

When your school has marked you as 'complete' in your program, you’ll be given access to your digital Statement of Academic Completion (SAC) and completion transcript via My eQuals. You'll be notified by email to your personal email account, so please check this account regularly (including your junk and other folders).

Your remaining digital academic statements, including your testamur or VE Qualification Statement, will be uploaded to My eQuals one week after you graduate (your conferral date). For students who choose to graduate at a ceremony, this will be one week after the date of your ceremony. 

Step 3. Apply to graduate in Enrolment Online

To apply to graduate:

  1. Log in to Enrolment Online with your RMIT email address and password. Forgotten your password? Reset it.
  2. Select My Student Record.
  3. Select Graduation details.
  4. Select Apply to graduate/Change graduation option.
  5. Follow the instructions to select your graduation option and complete your application.

After you've applied, you can continue to log in to change your graduation option and other details until the deadline. 

Step 4. Check and update your personal details

Check that your personal details in RMIT's records are correct, including your personal email address. We’ll send all further communications about graduation to your personal email*, not your RMIT student email, so it's important your details are accurate. 

 

To view and update your details:

  1. Log in to Enrolment Online.
  2. Select Update my details.
  3. Update your details as necessary.

*If you're studying at the Singapore Institute of Management (SIM), communications will be sent to your SIM campus email account (xxxxx@mymail.sim.edu.sg).

What happens if I don't apply to graduate?

If you're enrolled in Australia, you will automatically graduate in absentia. 

If you're enrolled outside Australia, you will automatically be included in the next local graduation ceremony.

Your access to RMIT systems will be removed on the day you graduate

Once you graduate, RMIT is legally required to deactivate your student email account and cancel your access to all RMIT systems and software (including third-party software and apps available to you as an RMIT student).

Unless you’re continuing your studies, you’ll lose access to all RMIT systems and software on the day you graduate.

Please save any information stored in your student email or on RMIT systems to your own personal device or cloud storage before you graduate.

USI requirements for higher education students in Australia

All higher education students enrolled in Australia must provide RMIT with a verified Unique Student Identifier (USI) to graduate. You were asked to create a USI when you enrolled. If you haven't yet created one, do so now on the Australian Government website.

To have a verified USI, your name and date of birth must match exactly between your RMIT student record and USI registry record. If any details don’t match you must update them and re-verify your USI.

To check and update your USI registry record:
To check and update your RMIT record:

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Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.