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Applying to Graduate

In order to graduate, you need to fill in an application to let us know how you're planning to receive your qualification.

In order to receive your qualification, you will need to make an application to graduate in LUCAS and let us know how you would like your qualification to be awarded to you. 

The application process

Unless you are still studying at Lincoln, you will not have access to Akoraka | Learn, but you can still log into LUCAS. If you have access issues, please phone IT Help on +64 3 423 0100 or email ithelp@lincoln.ac.nz 

Log into your LUCAS Student Centre. After you have checked and updated your personal details, please return to the home screen, where you will see a Task tile. 
When you click into the Task tile, your graduation application link will be under your To Do list. Click on the application link to start your application.

If you find that any of your details are out of date when you are applying to graduate, please go ahead and submit your form. Once you receive a 'submit confirmation' email, reply and let us know which details need to change and we will make the updates. 

 

Your graduation options

On the online graduation application form, you will be given three options. You must choose one option when you apply to graduate, OR you can nominate to defer your graduation for 12 months. The options are as follows: 

  • In person: I will graduate at the Graduation Ceremony (attending). 
  • From Council: I will graduate at the next Council meeting (not attending). 
  • In Absentia: I will graduate without attending the next ceremony (not attending). 
  • Defer graduation: I wish to defer my graduation for 12 months.

If you choose to defer your graduation, you will be asked to specify how you would like to graduate when the time comes.

What is the difference between the options?

You have the option of either attending or not attending the graduation ceremony.   

  • Attending means you will go to the event, wear academic regalia and receive your parchment when you cross the stage.
  • Not attending means you will not go to the event, and your parchment (certificate) will be posted to you (or you can collect it on campus).  
  • Graduating ‘From Council’ is the same as graduating ‘In Absentia’, apart from the date on which the conferral takes place (you may receive your qualification more quickly if you choose this option rather than 'In Absentia'). You will not attend the Council meeting; your qualification will be posted to you afterwards. 
Graduation option What this means
In Person (attending)

Choose ‘in person’ if you want to graduate at the annual Graduation Ceremony.  The next ceremony will be held on 10 May 2024 at the Christchurch Town Hall. 

If you attend the ceremony, you must wear academic regalia. There is a cost of approximately $60 for diploma regalia and $80 for degree regalia. This is hired directly from GWC Regalia – you will receive instructions on how to do this, and when you place your order you will have the exact hire cost confirmed.

You order your ceremony tickets when you complete your graduation application and you can request up to four tickets for guests. You don’t need one for yourself and there is no cost for the tickets. 

From Council (not attending)

Depending on the time of year that you make your application, this may be the fastest way to get your parchment awarded to you - please see the dates below. 

Graduating in Council is identical to graduating in Absentia, apart from the date on which the conferral takes place. If you choose the in Council option, your degree will be conferred at the next available University Council meeting (you will not attend) and your parchment will be posted to you afterwards, or you can collect it on campus if you prefer. 

2024 Council meetings and application deadlines: 

  • Apply by Friday 1 February for the Council meeting on Tuesday 27 February
  • Apply by Monday 12 August for the Council meeting on Tuesday 27 August
  • Apply by Monday 30 September for the Council meeting on Tuesday 29 October
  • Apply by Friday 8 November for the Council meeting on Tuesday 17 December (date TBC).
In Absentia (not attending)

If you choose ‘in Absentia’, your qualification will be awarded on 10 May 2024. You will not attend the Graduation Ceremony and your parchment will be posted to you after the graduation date.   

Please check the information on the third option ‘In Council’, as this may be a faster way for you to graduate rather than waiting for the 'In Absentia' date. 

Deferring

You can choose to defer your graduation for 12 months until 9 May 2025.  

You might want to defer your graduation if you know you will not be able to complete practical work in time to meet the deadline for the 2024 Graduation Ceremony or if you want to graduate with two qualifications (such as the Diploma in Agriculture and Diploma in Farm Management, or Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Science with Honours). 

If you wish to defer your graduation, you should complete your graduation application and choose the option to defer (you will be asked to select a deferred graduation, either in person or in absentia, for 2025). 

If you choose to defer, please make sure you keep your contact details up-to-date so that you do not miss out on graduation information in the future. 

Not sure if you can attend the ceremony?

If you would like to come to the ceremony but are not sure if you will be able to attend, it is better to be safe than sorry. We recommend that you apply to graduate in person to secure your regalia and guest tickets.  

After your graduation application has been submitted, we can then manage any changes that need to be made on your behalf. 

What should I do if my situation changes?

If you have applied to graduate and find that you are no longer able to attend and want to make changes, email graduation@lincoln.ac.nz and we will update your graduation application in the system. 

Please be aware that changes may not be possible after 1 March for the May graduation ceremony, due to associated print and event deadlines.  The Graduation Office will let you know your options when you make contact.

Future graduation dates

Lincoln University holds its annual graduation in May each year. Future ceremony dates are listed below. 

  • Friday 10 May 2024
  • Friday 9 May 2025 
  • Friday 8 May 2026 
  • Friday 14 May 2027 
  • Friday 12 May 2028 
  • Friday 11 May 2029 
  • Friday 10 May 2030 

Updating your personal contact details

Once you are in the 'application to graduate' form, you will be able to see your contact and address information, but you won't be able to update it within the form.

Please check and update your personal email, mobile phone number and address information in LUCAS before you start your application form.

Updates after 1 March

If you are graduating at a May ceremony and need to make any changes to your contact details after 1 March, please email your updates to graduation@lincoln.ac.nz so that we can make sure we have your update. 

Checking your name is correct for your parchment (certificate)

The name on your parchment must be your full legal name (as it is a legal document).  

If your name is missing any details, such as your middle name, or if you have had a legal name change, please contact the graduation office so we can get that sorted for you. 

If you see the character “ ~ “ in front of your name, this will NOT appear on your parchment.

Check your double major or any minor in LUCAS

At this time, the graduation application form will only show one major. If you have a double major, you can check this directly in LUCAS. 

In your LUCAS Student Centre, choose Course History in the dropdown list under Academics and click on the >> icon to view your information. 

You will be able to see your Academic Programme and Plan and completed programme status.

Research qualifications - field of study on your parchment

The graduation application form does not show the field of study information that is recorded on the parchment for Master's and PhD qualifications. You will see information against the Major, but this is not the information that is recorded on the parchment. 

Please check with your supervisor and the postgraduate office if you have any questions regarding the field of study that will be recorded on your parchment.

Key contacts

Please help us by including your name and student ID into the subject line of any email you send. This helps us to give you a quicker response.

Contact Email
Finance (fees and fines) studentfinance@lincoln.ac.nz
Practical Work practicalwork@lincoln.ac.nz
Graduation Office graduation@lincoln.ac.nz
IT Help (LUCAS and email - login and access) ithelp@lincoln.ac.nz
MyLinc (login and accesss) mylinc@lincoln.ac.nz
Library (fines, depositing dissertations) askltl@lincoln.ac.nz