If you decide to withdraw from your programme of study, you may be eligible for an exit award. This will be dependent upon the specific credits you have gained during your studies. Your programme coordinator will be able to advise you on what exit award you may be entitled to, if any.
Should you withdraw from your programme with an exit award, you will receive your award at the next set of graduation ceremonies after you made this request. You must still register to graduate by completing graduation registration form during the specified graduation registration period. Please contact graduation@gcu.ac.uk if you need more information.
If you decide to transfer to another programme within GCU, without transferring your credits, you can graduate with an exit award from your original programme of study. If you use your credits for direct entry into another programme within GCU, you cannot graduate with an exit award from your original programme. You cannot use the same credits towards two different awards.
You cannot graduate from the same programme of study twice. If you decide that you want to return to continue with your programme of study, you must put your request in writing from your GCU email account to graduation@gcu.ac.uk by Thursday, 28 August 2025. When emailing, please remember to provide your full name, student ID and programme of study. If need to also return your graduation parchment to the Graduation team.
If you decide to transfer to a programme of study at another university, you can graduate from GCU with your exit award.
Please note, that if you decide to exit early this may affect any financial help you receive from SAAS. Please contact SAAS for advice.
You can’t choose when you graduate; you must graduate at the first ceremony for your school/programme after your award is confirmed.
Change of personal details: The graduation registration form is personalised with your biographical data. Your parchment will be posted out to your home address as it is recorded on your student record. Your home address is the address that you normally live at when you are not at university. Please check this data carefully and if you wish to make any changes you can do so via the change your personal details page. If you want your parchment posted to an alternative address please email the Graduation Team.
It is your responsibility to ensure that your personal information is kept up to date on the University’s student records system. You can view your details on the student portal.
Any student wishing to make changes to their name must provide legal documentation to support the change (passport/birth certificate/marriage certificate). To make a change to your name you must email your request along with a scanned copy of your original document(s) to
Student Records. Name changes must be received by us
before your award is confirmed at a Progression and Awards Board, no changes will be made after your award has been confirmed.
Any student graduating with an award from a previous academic year will graduate in the name recorded on the student record system at the time the Progression and Award Board confirmed their award and the name will not be changed. There will be no exceptions to this rule.
Assessment Board Result: If you submit an appeal against the level of your award, you can still choose to attend graduation; your name and level of award (at the time of graduation) will be included in the graduation programme and you will be able to formally graduate with your peers.
You will not, however, receive your award certificate at the ceremony, as the award is subject to appeal, but you will receive a letter in a presentation folder confirming that you have lodged an appeal which is currently under consideration. Once the final decision has been made at appeal, the Department of Governance and Quality will confirm the outcome in writing. Your award will then be posted to your home address.
Alternatively, you can choose not to graduate while your appeal is under consideration, but this needs to be confirmed in writing to the Graduation Team via an email from your GCU email account to ensure that your name and level of the award are not included in the Graduation Listings. If you take this option, your graduation request will be held on file until a decision is made on your Appeal.
If you, unfortunately, fail your assessments and therefore are not awarded a degree/certificate by your Assessment Board then we will withdraw you from the ceremony. If you don't achieve your award in the current academic year, you must complete graduation registration again the next academic year. If you have any questions on this, please email the Graduation Team.
If for whatever reason, your Assessment Board is unable to make a decision on your results, we will withdraw you from the ceremony. If no decision is made in that academic year you must complete graduation registration again the next academic year.
If you have registered to graduate but the decision of the Assessment Board is that you transfer to the Generic Award, we will withdraw you from the graduation ceremony. If you do not wish to take up the option to transfer to the Generic Award but proceed with graduation and graduate with an exit award - if you have eligibility for an exit award - you must contact the Graduation Team by providing your name and Student ID number.
Official photography is supplied through Ede & Ravenscroft. You can book and pay for your photography package at the same time as booking your gown hire using the Ede & Ravenscroft website.
There are a number of GCU branded backdrops throughout campus and the graduation venue should you wish to take your own informal photographs.
For Glasgow graduations – The photography studios are situated in the Strathclyde Suite at Glasgow Royal Concert Hall located on the first floor. Studios are open from 09:00 until 10:30 before the morning ceremonies and again from 12:30 until 14:45. They will then reopen again from 17:00 after the afternoon ceremony. Please note that graduands should ensure that they are checked in prior to going up to photography.
