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Graduations

We take great pride in sharing this opportunity to celebrate and publicly acknowledge your achievement in a graduation ceremony.

2025 Graduation dates

Round 1 (May - June)

Graduation ceremonies

Round 1 (Darwin, Katherine and Alice Springs)

Ceremony dateCeremony start timeFaculty and study areas

Tuesday 20 May 2025

Gulwa | The Austin Asche Hall,
Red Building 2, Casuarina campus

Darwin, NT

TBCTBC

Wednesday 21 May 2025

Gulwa | The Austin Asche Hall,
Red Building 2, Casuarina campus

Darwin, NT

TBCTBC

Thursday 22 May 2025

Gulwa | The Austin Asche Hall,
Red Building 2, Casuarina campus

Darwin, NT

TBCTBC

Thursday 29 May 2025

Godinymayin Yijard River Arts & Culture Centre

Katherine, NT

TBCTBC

Thursday 12 June 2025

Alice Springs Convention Centre

Alice Springs, NT

TBCTBC

Please note:

  • All 2025 Graduation Ceremony dates are subject to change. Please do not book flights or accommodation until you have been officially completed and received your invitation to RSVP.
  • Faculties and CDU TAFE will be allocated six weeks prior to the ceremonies.
  • Attending numbers may be capped and guest tickets restricted. 
Round 2 (September - November)

Graduation ceremonies

Round 2 (Darwin, Sydney and Nhulunbuy)

Ceremony dateCeremony start timeFaculty and study areas

Tuesday 16 September 2025

Gulwa | The Austin Asche Hall,
Red Building 2, Casuarina campus

Darwin, NT

TBCTBC

Wednesday 17 September 2025

Gulwa | The Austin Asche Hall,
Red Building 2, Casuarina campus

Darwin, NT

TBCTBC

Thursday 18 September 2025

Gulwa | The Austin Asche Hall,
Red Building 2, Casuarina campus

Darwin, NT

TBCTBC

Thursday 16 October 2025

Wesley Conference Centre,
220 Pitt St

Sydney, NSW

TBCTBC

Thursday 6 November 2025

Nhulunbuy Town Hall

Nhulunbuy, NT

TBCTBC

Please note:

  • All 2025 Graduation Ceremony dates are subject to change. Please do not book flights or accommodation until you have been officially completed and received your invitation to RSVP.
  • Faculties and CDU TAFE will be allocated six weeks prior to the ceremonies.
  • Attending numbers may be capped and guest tickets restricted. 
Conferral of awards (Graduate in-absence)

Conferral of awards

Conferral of awardsDateIncludes students completed byCeremony
Council
meeting
27 March 20257 March 2025 - request onlyNo ceremony - testamurs will be sent in the two weeks following the conferral date
Council
meeting
28 May 20258 May 2025 - request onlyNo ceremony - testamurs will be sent in the two weeks following the conferral date
Council
meeting
25 
September 2025
5 September 2025
request only
No ceremony - testamurs will be sent in the two weeks following the conferral date
Council
meeting
4 December 202514 November 2025
request only
No ceremony - testamurs will be sent in the two weeks following the conferral date

Graduation documents

When you're ready to graduate, there are a bunch of different graduation documents you'll receive. We've provided a rundown of the documents you'll get, depending on if you're a Higher Education or CDU TAFE student.

 
Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) (HE)

The Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) is a secondary transcript issued to students when they graduate. AHEGS provides a snapshot of your achievements at university and has been designed to make Australian qualifications more recognisable to employers and institutions worldwide.

Students graduating from a combined degree course will receive two statements, one for each award.

For more information on AHEGS please refer to the Department of Education, Skills and Employment website or email graduation@cdu.edu.au.

The replacement fee for a hardcopy AHEGS is $40 or $20 for a digital copy.

Requests for AHEGS can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

My eQuals (TAFE and HE)

My eQuals is a platform that allows Higher Education and VET students to securely access graduation documents. These documents can be securely shared with anyone, such as employers or other universities. Access to your My eQuals doesn't expire.

You will receive an email with a link and instructions on how to access My eQuals. You can share this link with employers or other institutions as you choose.

If you graduated before May 2018 you can request a digital transcript via eQuals. This incurs a fee and you must submit an Academic Document Request eForm.

Testamur (TAFE and HE)

A Testamur is a legal document that you receive when you graduate to certify that your degree has been completed. This is provided to you free of charge at your graduation ceremony or posted to you afterward.

A replacement fee for a hard copy Testamur is $100 for each completed course, capped at $300.

The fee for a digital copy is $50 for all completed awards. A request for a Testamur reprint must be accompanied by the original Testamur or by a statutory declaration stating what happened to the original Testamur.

In the case of a change of name, you must complete a Personal Details Amendment eForm.

Requests for a Testamur can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

Academic Transcript (TAFE and HE)

An Academic Transcript is provided to you free of charge when you've completed your course. This will detail the results for each unit you have completed.

Additional Academic Transcripts cost $40 for a hard copy or $20 for a digital copy. Please note that digital transcripts do not show the grading system as the original hard copies do. You can refer to the CDU Official Grading System for this information.

Requests for an Academic Transcript can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

Unique Student Identifier Transcript (TAFE and HE)

You can access your Unique Student Identifier (USI) transcript by visiting USI Transcript/Training Record. Here you can view and download a USI transcript with all of your qualifications from 2015 onward.

If you think your transcript is incorrect, get in touch with Student Central.

Please note: you will not be able to request a transcript of your qualifications from the USI registrar without a USI. CDU will not be able to issue you a qualification or a Statement of Attainment until you provide a USI, or show us your Confirmation of an Exemption from the USI office. Find out how to get a USI.

Completion Certificate (TAFE)

A Completion Certificate is provided to you free of charge when you've completed your TAFE course.

Additional Completion Certificates cost $30 for a hard copy. Digital copies are not currently available.

Requests for Completion Certificates can be made through the Academic Document Request eForm. Please allow up to one week for processing.

Memorandum of Grades (TAFE)

A Memorandum of Grades is a printed record of units and results within a course. This is provided at the end of each teaching period for the duration of your TAFE course.

A Memorandum of Grades is not provided when fees remain outstanding. For a replacement copy of your Memorandum of Grades, contact Student Central.

Students are encouraged to view their results on MyStudentInfo.

Statements of Attainment (TAFE)

A Statement of Attainment (SOA) is used as a record of successfully completed units. An SOA is issued under the following conditions:

  • if a student has successfully completed one or more accredited units or an accredited short course that does not meet the requirements for a full qualification within 30 days of completing the training program*
  • if a student has withdrawn from a course they are to receive an SOA for any completed units within 30 days of withdrawing from the course.

A Statement of Attainment is initially provided free of charge at the time of completing your study unit/s.

To be eligible for an SOA, students must be debt-free with CDU and hold a valid Unique Student Identifier (USI).

If you need a replacement copy of an SOA, a $35 fee will be charged for each request. Contact Student Central to organise this.

Please note: the replacement Statement of Attainment will clearly state 'This document is a reprint of the original' and show the date the original document was issued.

For more information, get in touch with Student Central.

Getting ready to graduate

 
Completing all requirements

It is your responsibility to ensure you have completed all the requirements for your course before you are eligible to graduate.

If results are outstanding, you must ensure these are completed in the semester before you graduate. For example, students who graduate in May will usually have completed all the requirements for their course by December of the previous year.

Outstanding credit transfer or RPL 

You will need to make sure that all advanced standing applications have been processed. This includes any prior study you have done at CDU that you believe should contribute to your current course. This process doesn't happen automatically. You need to apply for advanced standing (credit transfer or RPL) by submitting an advanced standing eForm (login to the CDU Portal, select eForms and select advanced standing eForm)

Unpaid fees, fines or loans

Before graduating, make sure you pay any outstanding fees, loans or fines. This might include:

  • unpaid parking fines
  • overdue library books
  • overdue Student Services and Amenities fees.

Non-completion of course requirements

Before you graduate, you need to successfully complete all of your course requirements. To check up on your course progression, you can email graduation@cdu.edu.au.

Unique Student Identifier

You'll need to make sure you have a Unique Student Identifier (USI) before you graduate. Once you have registered for your USI, please forward it to graduation@cdu.edu.au for verification.

Do I need to apply to graduate?

You do not need to apply to graduate. CDU run reports to check what students are eligible to graduate each teaching period. If you believe you have completed your course requirements and haven't been contacted within two weeks after your final grade has been released, please complete a Nomination to Graduate eForm (login to the CDU Portal, select eForms and select Nomination to Graduate eForm).

What if I decide not to attend my graduation ceremony?

If you decide not to attend your graduation ceremony, log in to MyStudentInfo to register to graduate in absentia. We also recommend checking that your personal details are up to date.

If you elect to graduate in absentia, you will be sent your testamur by mail approximately two weeks after the ceremony. Please allow for postal delivery times from this date.

Overseas students will be sent their testamur via courier.

All students will be sent their testamurs in a special cardboard folder to protect against damage in transit.

If your testamur gets significantly damaged in the post, please contact us to arrange a replacement by emailing  graduation@cdu.edu.au or contacting Student Central.

Fees and academic dress

The only fees you'll need to pay is for the hire of your academic dress.

When you attend your CDU graduation ceremony, you'll need to wear academic dress over your regular clothing. This varies between types of degrees, but is typically is made up of a gown, hood or stole and trencher.

Type of degreeAcademic DressCost
Certificates I, II and IIIGown, Stole and Trencherpre-paid fee of $75.00
Certificate IV, Diploma, Undergrad Certificate and Associate DegreeGown, Stole and Trencherpre-paid fee of $75.00
Bachelor degree and aboveGown, Hood and Trencherpre-paid fee of $80.00

Once you have received your ceremony invitation, please follow the link to RSVP, and purchase your gown hire on the GFP website.

Photography

GFP Graduations are contracted by CDU to take photographs during the graduation ceremonies held in Darwin. They also have studios available for portraits before and after each ceremony.

You can pre-book your photography package at GFP Graduations.

 

Guest invitations

Due to COVID Safety plan requirements, graduand numbers will be capped and guest tickets restricted to three (3) for each attending graduand. This can include children.

Your guest tickets will be sent out to you when we receive your invitation response.

Disabled access

If you or any of your guests have special access requirements, please email graduation@cdu.edu.au or contact Student Central.

Name on your testamur

It is your responsibility to ensure that we have your name correct prior to your graduation. The name that appears on your invitation is what will appear on your testamur.

If you've had a change to your name or address, you can complete a Personal Details Amendment eForm or contact Student Central.

Alternatively, you can complete the 'change of address' section on your invitation.

Graduation ceremony

On the day of your ceremony

Here's a rundown of what you need to do on the day of your graduation ceremony.

  1. Let us know, even at the last minute, if you are unable to attend.
  2. Arrive early and register at least 1.5 hours before the start of the ceremony.
  3. Remain in your allocated seat, as seating will be arranged in the order in which you will be called up to collect your testamur.
  4. Move quietly and promptly when your row of graduates is called to come forward.
  5. Move quietly and promptly back to your seat after receiving your testamur to avoid congestion along the aisles.
  6. Respect other Graduands and remain in your seat until the ceremony is finished.

Ceremony livestreams

Graduation Ceremonies for Darwin and Sydney can be viewed on the day in real-time. Missed out on the livestream? Watch past ceremonies on YouTube.

Casuarina Campus map - graduation ceremonies

Find your way around the Casuarina campus so you can prepare for your Graduation journey.

Explore the map

 

map of campus

Affiliated and merged institutions

Over the years, Charles Darwin University has been affiliated and merged with other educational institutions.

Not all information for these other institutions is available.

Listed below are the institutions we have merged or affiliated with and an indicative date as to how far back our records go.

  • University College of the Northern Territory (1974)
  • Darwin Institute of Technology (1984)
  • Darwin Community College (1985)
  • Northern Territory University (1988)
  • Centralian College (November 2003).
 

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