All students graduating from the University of Birmingham receive a certificate and transcript. Whether graduating in person, or in your absence, the following page answers the most common questions asked by our graduates.
Does everyone receive a certificate and transcript?
Yes, all students graduating from the University of Birmingham will receive a certificate and academic transcript. In the event that on-campus graduation ceremonies cannot take place the award will instead be conferred in absentia by Special Warrant and you will be issued with your certificate and transcript by post.
How will I receive my certificate and transcript?
Students who attend a graduation ceremony will be able to collect their certificate and transcript on campus on their graduation day. Students who have not booked to attend their ceremony (and are due to graduate in absentia) will be sent an email after invitations close, asking them to confirm how they would like to receive their documents.
Those students opting to collect their documents in person without attending a graduation ceremony, will be emailed details of how to collect their documents in December. To ensure you receive this email please reply to your invitation and choose to graduation in absentia.
Those students opting to receive their documents by post will be asked to confirm a delivery address for their documents via an online form emailed to them by the start of the ceremonies in December. This email will contain a link to a personalised reply form, which you need to complete by 23:59 (GMT) on 31 December (if you graduated in December) or 23:59 (GMT) on 31 July (if you graduated in July) in order to be included in the first postal run of documents. Please note that no documents will be posted until this form has been completed and that it is the only means by which we can accept your address data. So please complete the form, even if you have already updated your address in the Student Gateway or emailed us about it.
When choosing your delivery address please remember that it can take several weeks for the documents to reach you, so please ensure you can receive post at your delivery address until the end of February (if you graduate in December) or the end of September (if you graduate in July). When asked to confirm the delivery address for your certificate and transcript you will be given the following postage options:
- Free standard delivery (dispatched via Royal Mail 2nd Class within the UK, or standard airmail outside the UK).
- DHL delivery (secure tracked delivery via courier at a cost of £20 payable by the graduate).
If you choose DHL delivery for your documents then you will receive an email from DHL providing your tracking number once the documents have been dispatched by the University. Unfortunately it is not possible to track standard delivery.
When will I receive my documents?
How long it takes for your documents to arrive will depend on whether you provided us with your address before the deadlines stated above. Delivery times following our December graduation ceremonies can take much longer to arrive thanks to the disruption caused by Christmas. The ongoing pandemic is also causing issues, particularly for international post.
As a general rule, if you graduate in July and confirm your delivery address with us by the deadline given in your personalised email then you should expect to receive your documents by the end of September at the latest. If you graduate in December and complete the delivery address form on time then you should receive your documents by the end of February at the latest. Please do not chase us for an update on your documents before the lost certificate process opens as this merely causes further delays for the processing team.
Can I change the delivery address for my documents?
You can change the delivery address for your documents until the submission deadline, by resubmitting your personalised reply form. It is not possible to change the delivery address once the submission deadline has passed as your documents will have already been released for processing, so you will then need to wait until we open the lost certificate process (please see below).
I didn't want to graduate in my absence - what can I do?
If you did not intend to graduate in your absence, and wish to attend a graduation ceremony at a later date, you must contact us at graduation@contacts.bham.ac.uk by 23:59 (GMT) on 31 December (if you graduated in absentia in December) or by 23:59 (GMT) on 31 July (if you graduated in absentia in July), to request to defer your graduation. If you miss these deadlines for deferring your graduation then you will not be able to attend a future ceremony.
Please note that, if you defer your graduation, you will not receive your documents until you attend the next round of graduation ceremonies and the date of conferral on your certificate will be the date of the later graduation ceremony.
Lost certificates: I haven't received my documents, what should I do?
If you have provided a delivery address but have not yet received your documents then we ask that you allow enough time for delivery before you report your documents as lost. December graduates will be able to report their documents as lost from 1 March until 31 March. July graduates will be able to report their documents as lost from 1 October until 31 October. Once the form has opened, you will be able to report your documents as lost via this link.
Can I access a copy of my documents online?
You can view, download and share an electronic copy of your certificate and transcript online via our Secure Documents website three working days after your graduation ceremony has taken place. Current and potential employers can also register with us, allowing them to directly verify your qualifications with us while you wait for the physical copies of your documents to arrive.
I haven't graduated yet, can I get my documents early?
No, this is not possible as your award will not have been made yet. We can only issue your certificate and transcript once your award has been made.
Can I collect my documents in person?
Students who attend a graduation ceremony will be able to collect their certificate and transcript on campus on their graduation day. Absentia students can also book to collect their documents from campus on the day of their graduation ceremony. Bookings for July will open shortly.
Can I order additional copies of my certificate and transcript?
For information about ordering replacement certificates please visit the replacement certificates page.