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Graduation Procedure - Documents for Completion of Study

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Section 1 - Purpose

(1) This procedure supports the Graduation Policy and Course and Subject Policy by:

setting out detailed information regarding official documents issued by Charles Sturt University (the University) for certifying the completion of award courses and non-award study, and
ensuring that the production and issue of official documentation is compliant with Higher Education Standards Framework (Threshold Standards) 2021 (HESF), and Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) requirements.

Scope

(2) This procedure applies to award courses and to non-award offerings by the University.

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Section 2 - Policy

(3) This procedure supports:

the Graduation Policy, regarding award documentation
the Course and Subject Policy, regarding non-award documentation.

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Section 3 - Procedure

Part A - Award and non-award document approvals

Document certification – format, content and design approval

(4) The format, content and design of documents issued by the University for the completion of award and non-award courses is approved by the following officers, subject to the requirements of this procedure, the AQF Qualifications Issuance Policy and HESF standard 1.5 requirements:

Testamur – approved by the University Secretary under delegation.
Australian higher education graduation statement (AHEGS) – approved by the University Secretary in accordance with the Guidelines for the presentation of Australian Higher Education Graduation Statements.
Transcript – approved by the Director, Student Administration.
Certificates/documents of completion for non-award study: approved by the University Secretary.

Document certification – approval to issue

(5) Documents for completion of award and non-award study issued by the University are certified by the following officers, in accordance with delegations and the Graduation Policy:

Testamur – certified by the Chancellor under delegation.
AHEGS – certified by Director, Student Administration.
Transcript – certified by Director, Student Administration.
Certificates/documents of completion for non-award study – certified as authorised by the delegated officer who approves the non-award course.

Part B - Award course documents

Award document details (testamur and AHEGS)

(6) Graduate and award details included on the testamur and AHEGS must meet the requirements set out in the AQF Qualifications Issuance Policy and standard 1.5 of the HESF, and will include:

the registered name of the University (and any third parties, where relevant)
the full name of the graduate
full title of the qualification and field of study
the language of instruction
the date of conferral
the name and office of the person authorised to certify and issue the document
the AQF logo or the words: ‘This qualification is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework’
for printed testamurs:
1. a unique security serial number (for traceability and authentication purposes)
2. a watermark and hologram (to prevent unauthorised reproduction), and
3. the University's common seal will be affixed, in accordance with Governance (Common Seal) Rule 2023.

Graduate names

(7) Award course completion documents are legal documents that must use the graduate’s legal name in the form that it appears on their student enrolment record.

(8) Graduands who wish to change the name that will appear must complete the change of student details process and provide supporting documentation as required under the Enrolment and Fees Procedure before the grade release date of their final session of study.

(9) Where the graduate’s name uses characters or an alphabet that is not replicable in the English alphabet, the name on the award documents will be an English transliteration of the graduate’s name.

(10) Graduate names will not:

include titles (e.g. Dr, Mr, Ms, Professor, Rev)
be followed by civic, military, academic, professional, or other similar honours.

Course information

(11) Course information provided on testamurs and AHEGS (where relevant) will be formatted as set out in the following table.

Component	Application	Format
Course title	Courses are titled in accordance with the Award Nomenclature Procedure	As approved by Academic Senate when the course was accredited
Major*	Course with one major (normally undergraduate courses)	Course title with a major in [Major Title as approved]
Majors*	Course with two majors (normally undergraduate courses)	Course title with majors in [Major Title as approved] and [Major Title as approved]
Specialisation*	Course with specialisation(s) (normally postgraduate courses)	Course title (Specialisation) or Course title (Specialisation, Specialisation)
Honours award class	Bachelor (honours) degrees (both one-year courses and integrated four-year courses)	Course title [Major(s) information as above] Class [honours class as per Graduation Policy]
Distinction	Coursework awards as per the Graduation Policy	Course title [Major(s)/specialisation information as above] With distinction
Minor	Not included on testamurs or AHEGS	N/A
Third parties (joint awards)	May be included where a University award course was delivered by: another institution or body the University and the third party jointly the University but the third party contributes significantly to the content of the curriculum, or the University to employees or members of the third party under contract with the third party. Does not apply to credit pathway agreements with another institution, where the other institution and the University both confer awards independently.	Text acknowledging the role of the third party will be consistent with the terms of the third-party agreement/contract, subject to approval by the University Secretary and relevant third-party approval authority.
*Specialisations and majors will only be included in award documentation if this information is provided on the student’s enrolment record before they complete their course, as per the Graduation Procedure – Conferral and Ceremony.

AHEGS content management

(12) Graduate and award details included on the AHEGS must meet the requirements set out for the testamur at clause 6.

(13) The Guidelines for the presentation of Australian Higher Education Graduation Statements provides details of all mandatory requirements. Optional details used by the University are set out in the Conferral and Graduation Schedule – Optional AHEGS Fields.

For course-specific fields:
1. Faculties enter the AHEGS text in the AHEGS Award Text fields of the Course and Subject Information Management System (CASIMS) (pre 2023) and Banner (2023 onwards).
2. Where a course has different versions so that different groups of graduates may require different AHEGS course information, the program code allocated in the AHEGS Award Text fields determines the version of the AHEGS course information.
For prizes:
1. The teaching faculty decides whether each prize, as defined by the Prizes, Scholarships and Grants Policy, will be included on the recipients’ AHEGS.
2. Prizes that are to be included on the AHEGS must be applied to the student record by the faculty.
3. For prizes awarded in the last session of a recipient’s enrolment, Student Administration will determine the due date for faculties to enter the details, to align with conferral/AHEGS document generation timelines.
4. Information entered by faculties in the AHEGS Award Text fields is only intended for use on the AHEGS and must not be altered for other uses.

Changes to the AHEGS template

(14) Student Administration maintains the currently approved versions of AHEGS and award documentation. Requests to amend the AHEGS template may be submitted to the University Secretary. Any amendments will be approved in-line with AQF and HESF requirements, and subject to consultation with Student Administration, faculties and divisions.

Transcripts

(15) Academic transcripts, or records of results, contain students’ enrolment history with the University up to the date on which that transcript was issued.

(16) Students can request a hard copy transcript for a fee at any time prior to completing their studies, and will be provided with access to a free digital transcript via My eQuals when they are conferred with an award for completing a course of the University.

(17) In accordance with AQF and HESF requirements, transcripts will include:

the registered name of the University
the full name of the graduate/student/learner
the date of issue
the name and office of the person authorised to issue the documentation
the full name of all courses and units of study undertaken and when they were undertaken and completed credit granted
the weighting of subjects within the course(s) of study
the grades awarded for each unit of study undertaken and, if applicable, for the course overall
where grades are issued, an explanation of the grading system used
a definition of course components such as honours, specialisations, majors and minors (where relevant)
any parts of a course, subject or assessment that were conducted in a language other than English (where relevant), except for the use of another language to develop proficiency in that language.

Honorary awards

(18) Any documentation issued to an honorary award recipient will be unambiguously identified as an honorary award. The Governance (Honorary Awards and Titles) Rule provides information about honorary awards.

Issuance of documents

(19) Award documents for completion of a University award are issued by:

registered mail for printed documents (see clauses 23-28), and
My eQuals for digital documents.

Protection of award documents

(20) The University implements strict control measures to prevent fraudulent activity in accordance with the Fraud and Corruption Control Policy and may request information such as proof of identification or address prior to issuing a testamur or replacement testamur.

(21) In accordance with AQF and HESF requirements, all award certification documents issued by the University will be:

unambiguously identified as Charles Sturt University awards
readily distinguishable from other certification documents issued by the University
traceable and authenticable using unique security serial numbers, designed with features such as watermarks and holograms to prevent unauthorised reproduction
protected against fraudulent issue through strict control measures (as described below), and
replaceable by the University through an authorised and verifiable process, (as described below).

Common Seal on testamurs

(22) The Governance (Common Seal) Rule 2023 states the authorities and form to be used when affixing the University's Common Seal on the testamur.

Printed testamurs

(23) Printed testamurs will be posted by registered mail to the graduate’s mailing address as per their student enrolment record, unless withheld under the Graduation Procedure – Conferral and Ceremony eligibility requirements.

(24) Potential graduands are responsible for maintaining their current mailing address details. Any changes must be made via the change of student details process using the Online Administration portal before the grade release date of their final session of study.

(25) The University will destroy printed testamurs 12 months after the conferral date if they are:

returned to the University (e.g. as undeliverable or uncollected) and the student does not make a claim of non-receipt (see clauses 26-27), or
withheld under the Graduation Procedure – Conferral and Ceremony or for any other reason.

(26) Graduates must contact the University to make a claim of non-receipt if they do not receive their posted testamur.

(27) The University:

will reissue or repost a testamur at no cost if the graduate makes a claim of non-receipt within three months of conferral and they had provided accurate address details as per clause 24, or
reserves the right to charge a fee to reissue or repost a testamur if:
1. accurate address details were provided but the claim of non-receipt is made more than three months after conferral, or
2. the testamur is returned to the University and accurate address details were not provided as per clause 24, and/or it is not collected (from the post office or other collection point).

(28) Graduates will be subject to the replacement testamur requirements and fees (as published online) if:

the testamur is lost and accurate address details were not provided, or
the testamur is destroyed by the University as per clause 25.

Correcting or replacing documents

Correction of administrative errors

(29) Once an award has been conferred and issued to a graduate, the details it contains cannot be changed except to correct an administrative error in recording the recipient’s name, title or other relevant information on the certificate, testamur or document relating to that award.

(30) The Director, Student Administration has the authority to approve a replacement testamur in these circumstances.

Replacement testamurs

(31) Graduates of the University, or a former institution that has been amalgamated with the University, may request a replacement testamur where theirs has been damaged, lost, stolen or destroyed, or the graduate has had a change of name. A replacement testamur will only be issued if:

the damaged testamur is returned to the University
a statutory declaration is submitted stating that the testamur was lost, stolen or destroyed with any evidentiary documentation provided, or
verified legal documentation as evidence of the change of name is submitted and the original testamur is returned to the University.

(32) When seeking a replacement testamur or other award documentation due to the document being lost, stolen or destroyed, the graduate must provide a statutory declaration that states in the following or similar words:

I, [name] do solemnly and sincerely declare that the documentation that attests to the conferral upon me of the [name of award or title] has been [lost/destroyed].

(33) Where the documentation has been lost, the following additional sentence will be added:

Should I locate any or all of the documentation at a later date, I will return it to the University.

(34) A replacement testamur fee will apply, as published by the University online.

(35) The Director, Student Administration may waive the fee in exceptional circumstances and will have the authority to approve a replacement testamur.

(36) Replacement testamurs will be in the style, format, and wording of current Charles Sturt University testamurs, but will state:

the conferral date of the original award, and
where relevant, the name of the former institution, and describe it as ‘a former institution of the University’.

Part C - Documents for completion of non-award study

Non-award study

(37) Faculties, schools and other academic or administrative units of Charles Sturt University may offer non-award offerings, including single subjects, micro-credential subjects and short courses (which may include micro-credential modules) and are responsible for providing the completion documents.

(38) Some non-award offerings may be credit bearing and/or provide recognised prior learning towards an award of the University, but do not themselves lead to an award.

(39) Qualifications that do not align with the Australian Qualifications Framework must not be described using the nomenclature of the AQF or imply to be a qualification recognised in the AQF or an equivalent qualification.

Certification of non-award study

(40) Certification of non-award study must include:

an auditable process to attest to a participant's completion of the requirements of the study, and
issue of any documents for completion, such as a statement of attainment, certificate or letter of completion or digital badge.

(41) The design for non-award documents for completion must be as approved by the University Secretary, after consultation with Brand and Performance Marketing.

(42) A document for completion will include:

the name of the recipient, as provided in the enrolment process
the name of the non-award course or offering and the date of completion
the name of the University's organisational unit awarding the certification
the signature of the delegated authorising officer or representative of the authorising body responsible for the course, and
a very brief description of the precise role of the University in relation to the offering (for example, whether the University has been responsible for all aspects of the offering, or has acted together with a partner, and if so, what its specific role was in the relationship, such as quality assurance, delivery etc.).

(43) Recognition may also be issued digitally using badging technology. Digital badges should comply with Charles Sturt branding, guidelines, and taxonomy and should be approved by the Associate Dean, Academic of the relevant faculty. See the ‘Micro-credentials’ heading for information about metadata requirements for digital badging.

(44) Co-branding of completion documents will only be allowed in accordance with the University's Communications and Marketing Procedure - Brand Governance and must be consistent with the legal relationship between the parties involved.

(45) A summary statement of learning outcomes or other description of the content of the non-award study may be provided with any completion documents.

Presentation of certification documentation

(46) The delegated approver for an offering of non-award study shall approve a method for the presentation of any completion documents.

(47) Under no circumstances will completion documents for non-award study be presented at one of the University's formal graduation ceremonies.

Validation and replacement of certification

(48) The University will have processes in place to validate completion documents and to replace such certification where it has been misplaced. Such processes may attract a fee, which will be specified in the University's fee schedule.

Single subjects

(49) A student completing only some components of a qualification, such as via single subject study, is undertaking non-award study if that study does not lead to an award of the University. Such students may also receive a statement of attainment, according to AQF requirements.

(50) Students who complete one or more subjects that do not lead to the award of a qualification have access to an authorised record of results for the subjects undertaken.

(51) Students who have completed an accredited unit in these circumstances are entitled to receive a statement of attainment. A record of results may also be issued.

(52) The statement of attainment must correctly identify the student, the accredited units by their full title and the date issued.

(53) The statement of attainment must be in a form that ensures it cannot be mistaken for a testamur for a full AQF qualification. It must include the statement: ‘A statement of attainment is issued when an individual has completed one or more accredited units’.

Micro-credentials

(54) Participants in a micro-credential will usually receive a micro-credential digital badge/certificate upon successful completion of the micro-credential.

(55) Each micro-credential badge must contain sufficient information to ensure that the learning the participant has achieved is appropriately described.

(56) The metadata should include the following information and be defined for each micro-credential:

Title and brief description
Issuer: Charles Sturt University and partner(s), where relevant
Learning outcomes or description of achievement
Mode of participation: online, face-to-face, blended
Effort required, including assessment, in hours, for typical learner
Complexity of main assessment task
Supervision and identity verification
AQF level aligned to or professional standard
Credit information (if micro-credential is credit-bearing).

Part D - Recordkeeping

(57) In accordance with AQF requirements, the University will maintain a register of:

all AQF qualifications that it is authorised to issue, and
all AQF qualifications that it has issued to graduates.

(58) University records related to certifying completion of study will be kept in line with the Records Management Policy and the Records Management Procedure, in compliance with the State Records Act 1998. See also the Student records register.

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Section 4 - Guidelines

(59) Guidelines for the presentation of Australian Higher Education Graduation Statements

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Section 5 - Glossary

(60) This procedure uses terms defined in the glossary of the Graduation Policy, and the following:

Non-award study/offering – means an offering, 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; that is, it does not align with a qualification that is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework.