• Section 1 - Purpose
• Scope
• Section 2 - Policy
• Eligibility to graduate
• Conferral of awards
• Award documentation
• Academic dress and post-nominals
• Award levels
• Bachelor (honours) award classes
• Awards with distinction
• Awards with a third party
• Graduation ceremonies
• Appeals and complaints
• Section 3 - Procedures
• Section 4 - Guidelines and supporting documents
• Section 5 - Glossary
• Section 6 - Document context

Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This policy sets requirements for the awards of Charles Sturt University (the University), ensuring they are conferred:

1. only on students who have met the requirements of the course that leads to the award
2. with proper recognition and celebration of students’ achievements
3. in accordance with requirements of the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) and Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021.

Scope

(2) This policy applies to awards issued by the University, graduands and graduates of the University, and to staff involved in the work of confirming students’ completions, graduation ceremonies and issuing award documentation.

(3) This policy does not apply to non-award offerings, except where the supporting procedures and guidelines make provisions for these.

Section 2 - Policy

Eligibility to graduate

(4) A student will be eligible to graduate with an award from this University when all requirements of the course in which they are enrolled have been fulfilled and any other conditions for graduation under the Graduation Procedure – Conferral and Ceremony are met.

Conferral of awards

(5) Awards are conferred separately to the graduation ceremonies. Conferrals occur throughout the year as students become eligible to graduate and are added to the lists of graduands, as per the Graduation Procedure - Conferral and Ceremony.

(6) The Chancellor, acting on behalf of the Council, approves the conferral of awards on the approved list of graduands.

(7) The University may confer a posthumous or aegrotat award for a student who has died or sustained an incapacitating illness or injury if they were close to completing the requirements of a course, under conditions stated in the Graduation Procedure - Conferral and Ceremony.

(8) The University may confer honorary awards in accordance with the Governance (Honorary Awards and Titles) Rule.

(9) An award of the University make be relinquished by the recipient or revoked by the University in accordance with the Governance (Relinquishment and Revocation of Awards) Rule 2023.

Award documentation

(10) The University provides graduates with the following documentation of their award:

1. a digital and a printed testamur
2. a digital Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS)
3. a digital transcript of their academic results.

(11) The form and content of award documentation is approved by the University Secretary or as otherwise authorised under Delegation Schedule E – Academic and Research Delegation and the Graduation Procedure - Documents for Completion of Study.

(12) The University implements measures to protect award documents and prevent fraudulent activity in accordance with the Fraud and Corruption Control Policy.

Academic dress and post-nominals

(13) Graduates and graduands of the University are eligible to wear approved academic dress as per the Protocols Policy and Protocols schedule - Academic and ceremonial dress.

(14) Graduates of the University are eligible to use approved post-nominals as per the Award Nomenclature Procedure.

Award levels

(15) The University may confer the following awards, consistent with the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) levels:

1. Doctorate
2. Master by research
3. Master by coursework
4. Graduate diploma
5. Graduate certificate
6. Bachelor (Honours)
7. Bachelor
8. Associate Degree
9. Undergraduate certificate
10. Diploma
11. Certificate IV

Bachelor (honours) award classes

(16) Bachelor (honours) degrees will be awarded with one of the following classes, based on standards and criteria approved through course approval processes, as per the Course and Subject Procedure - Coursework Design:

1. Class 1
2. Class 2, Division 1
3. Class 2, Division 2
4. Class 3

Awards with distinction

(17) Coursework awards with a volume of learning of 64 credit points or more, other than bachelor (honours) degrees, will be conferred with distinction where the graduand has completed at least 64 credit points for the award at Charles Sturt University and achieved a grade point average (GPA) of 6.0 or higher.

Awards with a third party

(18) A joint award may be offered where Charles Sturt University and another university or equivalent award-conferring educational institution offer a program accredited by both the University and the other body.

(19) An award of the University can only be offered jointly where the third party is accredited to offer such an award in its own right and:

1. Charles Sturt University has accredited the joint award through its normal course accreditation processes, before the course leading to the joint award can be delivered, and
2. the third party has accredited the award through its own and/or the relevant national accreditation processes.

(20) Third parties involved in a joint award or in the delivery of a Charles Sturt University award documentation will be acknowledged on award documents as per the Graduation Procedure - Documents for Completion of Study.

Graduation ceremonies

(21) Graduation ceremonies are conducted and managed through collaboration between relevant organisational units and the University Secretary, in accdorance with the Graduation Procedure - Conferral and Ceremony.

Appeals and complaints

(22) Where a student wishes to appeal an original decision made under this policy, or has a complaint about their treatment, quality of service or the conduct of staff, the following policies apply:

1. University Student Appeals Policy and University Student Appeals Procedure
2. Complaints Management Policy and Complaints Management Procedure.

Section 3 - Procedures

(23) See:

1. Graduation Procedure - Conferral and Ceremony
2. Graduation Procedure - Documents for Completion of Study

Section 4 - Guidelines and supporting documents

(24) See:

1. Protocols schedule - Academic and ceremonial dress
2. Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement

Section 5 - Glossary

(25) For the purposes of this policy:

1. Award – as defined in the policy library glossary.
2. Confer – means to admit a student to an award of the University, certified through the provision of a testamur.
3. Graduand – means a student who has been confirmed as meeting the requirements for completion of their course but has not yet been conferred with their award.
4. Graduate – means a student having met all course requirements and approval steps to graduate and having been conferred the award by the Chancellor.
5. Non-award offering – means a single subject or micro subject in which a student is enrolled without having been admitted to a course that leads to an award of the University.
6. Testamur – means the legal certification of a graduate’s award, containing the graduate’s name, the course completed, the date it was conferred, signatures of the Chancellor and the Vice-Chancellor, and the University Seal.

Section 6 - Document context