To:          All Postgraduate Students (excluding PCLL and Associate Students)

With effect from the academic year 2021-22, degree conferment has been decoupled from the Congregation/graduation ceremonies in November/December.  There are three specified dates for conferment of Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctoral degrees awarded by the University in a calendar year, namely 31 March, 31 July, and 15 October.  Under this new arrangement, students who have fulfilled all graduation requirements will have their degree conferred at an earlier date, which will facilitate their further studies or employment needs.  For degrees conferred on 31 March and 31 July, the dates printed on the degree certificates will be the corresponding degree conferment dates.  For degrees conferred on 15 October, graduates will be given two options regarding the date to be printed on their degree certificates: (i) 15 October and (ii) 15 November.

As the degrees will be conferred after the completion of the graduation assessment, students are reminded to plan their studies carefully and to fulfill all graduation requirements by the end of the specified academic term.  Students should proactively follow up with the course teachers concerned for any pending grades after the grade release date.  For students with pending grades, outstanding credit and unit exemption applications, unresolved disciplinary matters, etc. at the end of the graduation-assessment period, their degree conferment will be postponed to the next degree conferment date.

Research postgraduate and taught doctoral students should also observe the timeline to declare the intention to submit a thesis at least four months before actual submission.  In particular, students are required to submit the final thesis before the deadline as stipulated below in order to have their graduation included in the degree conferment date concerned.

Option to Defer, Applicable to Students Graduating in 2023-24 

Students with an expected graduation date in 2023-24, please observe the email with the subject “Important! Preferred degree conferment date and certificate print date 2023-24” that we shall send in due course and complete the Online Form as required, if they wish to postpone their degree conferment date.   The degree certificates will be available for collection around one month after the degree conferment date concerned.  Students will be individually notified by email about the collection arrangements.  Also, details will be posted on the GSO website nearer the time.

Nearest Degree Conferment Date as Default Date w.e.f. 2024-25

From the 2024-25 academic year onwards, there will not be any arrangement for deferral of degree conferment date.  Following the University’s degree conferment arrangement, once a student has satisfied all graduation requirements, the nearest degree conferment date in the year concerned will be taken as the default degree conferment date.

Students’ graduation certificates will be dated the corresponding degree conferment dates.  For degrees conferred on 15 October, students can choose either 15 October or 15 November as the date to be printed on their graduation certificates.

For more information, feel free to visit our website at: https://www.gs.cuhk.edu.hk/page/Graduation.  If you have further enquiries on the subject, please contact the Graduate School Office.

With best regards,

Graduate School Office

10 January 2024