What do I need in order to Graduate

Important Notices

• The graduation guide booklet is handed out to all students when they register for their FINAL year of study.
• Please note that Faculties allocate students to their respective ceremony dates.
• All potential graduands must have fulfilled all the requirements to graduate 30 days prior to each ceremony, failing which you will be allocated to a later ceremony date.
  (The deadlines for qualifying for the degree do not apply to Health Sciences students in the July and December cluster and the Engineering students in the December cluster. The fees deadline remains 30 days. Please consult your Faculty for the deadlines in this regard)
  
  Requirements:
  • The Faculty office must have entered your name on the system that you qualify for the degree
  • All your fees/fines/interest and/or dues must have been paid
  • All postgraduate students must have submitted a hard copy, as well as an electronic copy of their Thesis, Dissertation and/or Research Report. These copies will be recorded in our Central Records Office.
• Please consult your Faculty to confirm your graduation status. Where appropriate, request to be placed on the list for the next available graduation date.
• Your graduation status can only be confirmed once all the requirements above have been fulfilled and consequently your name appears on a graduation list. Please check with your Faculty.
• A FINAL list of graduands will be uploaded onto the internet at least 3 weeks prior to each ceremony: www.wits.ac.za/Students/Graduations/Graduation Dates. (This deadline will not apply to Health Science students in the July and December cluster and the Engineering students in the December cluster. Please consult your Faculty for the deadlines in this regard)

YOUR GRADUATION REPLY FORM IS IN THE CENTRE OF THE GRADUATION GUIDE BOOKLET. DETACH/PRINT, COMPLETE AND RETURN TO US NO LATER THAN 30 DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR CEREMONY DATE.

Have I qualified?

Receipt of this booklet does not mean that you have qualified. You must fulfil all requirements for your diploma/degree; if you are uncertain, check now with your Faculty office. Administrative errors do happen and the onus is on you to check with your faculty that you have been marked on the student system as qualified. All students, and especially PhD students, must submit the reply form even though you may still be waiting for your results. Please check with your Faculty.

Where can I check my results?

Faculties publish their students’ examination results on different days. Please check with your Faculty the exact date on when to access your results. Download your examination results from:http://www.wits.ac.za/students/exams/3647/results.html Please consult your Faculty should you not be able to access your results.
IF YOUR FEE ACCOUNT HAS NOT BEEN SETTLED YOU WILL BE UNABLE TO ACCESS YOUR RESULTS.

What about my UNISA results?

If you are completing some outstanding credits through UNISA your results from UNISA must be submitted to your Faculty well in advance (at least one month prior) to the ceremony date. Please consult your Faculty Office in this regard.

What if I have conditional matriculation exemption?

If you hold a certificate of conditional exemption, check with your Faculty Office whether you have met the conditions and if your exemption is still valid (a renewal is easily obtainable). If you do not check this, you may not be able to graduate.

What will happen if I have any outstanding fees, fines, interest or dues?

If your fee account has not been settled in full and on time, at least 30 days prior to the ceremony date, you will not graduate. If you have not checked your curriculum, please do so as curriculum changes could change your fee account. If in doubt, contact the Fees Office. Any student who has outstanding fees, fines, interest or dues at 30 days prior to the ceremony date will NOT be listed in the graduation programme. If payment is made by direct deposit, a copy of the deposit slip must be forwarded to the Fees Office. Do not rely on a bursar, sponsor or employer to make last minute payments on your behalf, as this credit may not reflect on your fee account in time for graduation. Please inform your Faculty once fees have been settled. The Faculty will in turn advise (EGO) whether your name should be added to a graduation list. In addition please ensure you have returned all outstanding library books and paid any fines incurred in this regard.

Do I have any outstanding matters with the University?

If you have a disciplinary case pending, an unpaid fine and/or community service yet to be performed, you may not be allowed to graduate. Direct your queries to the Legal Office. Also inform your Faculty should your name be cleared. The Faculty will then advise EGO whether your name should be added to a graduation list.

What about the name on my certificate and in the graduation booklet?

By law, your degree, diploma or certificate must reflect your full name exactly as recorded on your birth certificate, and ID document or passport. If your name is reflected incorrectly on WITS records, or you have subsequently changed your name (legally), please submit a copy of your ID document or passport to your Faculty to process the necessary amendments. This must be done at least 30 days prior to the ceremony date. Please consult your Faculty Office should there be a discrepancy in the details of your names.
Your official name at the time of graduation will appear on your certificate.

When do I return my graduation form?

Kindly return this form no later than 30 days prior to the ceremony date to ensure that tickets are prepared for you and your guests.

How do I know that my name is on the graduation list?

Your Faculty will confirm the list of names on each graduation list. The list will be checked, finalised and signed off by the Faculty Registrar 30 days prior to the ceremony. Thereafter it will be formatted and uploaded onto the internet at least 3 weeks prior to each ceremony date. see: http://www.wits.ac.za/students/graduations/3887/graduation_dates.html You will note that each Faculty has more than one graduation ceremony date. Students are distributed across these ceremonies as instructed by the faculties. You may be allocated to graduate at any one of your Faculty specific graduation ceremony dates. Once you have met all the requirements to graduate (confirmed) and allocated to a ceremony, you will not be moved to another ceremony date.
Please check the date of your graduation ceremony with your Faculty.