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Before You Graduate

There are a few things you'll need to check to find out if you're eligible to graduate at a particular ceremony and some dates that you should take into account when planning your graduation.

How will I know that I'm eligible to graduate?

Course work qualifications

If you are completing a coursework qualification (degrees, diplomas and graduate and postgraduate diplomas and certificates) you will become eligible to apply to graduate on completion of your academic course requirements. This is usually in your final semester of study at Lincoln.  If you plan to finish your qualification by adding transfer or cross credit from another institution, please email graduation@lincoln.ac.nz to let us know and keep in touch.

Research qualifications

For research qualifications such as Bachelor's with Honours, Master's or PhD, you will become eligible to apply to graduate once your thesis or dissertation has been marked and you are sent a letter advising of your academic completion and (if applicable) any Honours or Distinction that is to be awarded. 

Lincoln University regulations

There are a couple of regulations that apply. Lincoln University will not award your qualification unless all University regulations have been complied with. These regulations include payment of all outstanding fees and completion of all practical work (if applicable to your qualification). 

Applying to graduate

Your invitation to graduate email is not sent automatically after results are released.  Individual records are checked and have to be confirmed as completed before the invitation email is sent. If your qualification can be awarded with Distinction or Honours the calculation and approval process takes place after the release of results and it will take a little longer for your invitation to graduate email to be issued.  

Approximately one to two weeks after the release of examination results, if you have completed all academic requirements for your qualification, an email will be sent to your Lincoln University email account inviting you to log into LUCAS and apply online to graduate.

Practical work and graduation

If practical work requirements are part of your qualification, then those requirements will be specific to your programme.  Please make sure that you understand what you will need to complete before you will be able to graduate.    

Practical work is usually undertaken in the summer breaks while you are studying.   

During your final year we recommend you check with the Practical Work Coordinator to make sure you will meet your programme requirements.  If you have any problems contact us as soon as possible. 

The Practical Work Coordinator is available to help you, email practicalwork@lincoln.ac.nz. 

Completing practical work in time for the annual ceremony date (In Person or In Absentia)

If you’re looking at attending the ceremony in May or have your qualification conferred In Absentia you must have any outstanding reports that are still due, submitted by the by 1 February if you may need an opportunity to resubmit a failed report. The final deadline for these reports and employer records is the 20 February in the year in which you have applied to graduate.

Completing practical work in time for graduation in Council

If you choose to have your qualification conferred from Council, you will need to have your practical work completed by the Council application date in order to be included for that meeting. 

If you have not completed by a particular meeting date, you will be put forward for the next available meeting.  

Please stay in touch with the Practical Work office and let them know your plans so they can assist you to make any deadlines. 

2024 Council meetings and application deadlines 

  • Practical work completed and applied by Friday 1 February for Council on Tuesday 27 February
  • Practical work completed and applied by Monday 12 August for Council on Tuesday 27 August
  • Practical work completed and applied by Monday 30 September for Council on Tuesday 29 October
  • Practical work completed and applied by Friday 8 November for Council on Tuesday 17 December (date TBC).

Common Questions

Your graduation checklist

Now, unless you’ve decided to continue on at Lincoln to study for another qualification, your access to LEARN will be discontinued at soon as you have completed and been issued with your invitation to graduate. 

Of course, you still have access to your student email, MyLinc and LUCAS but you won’t be able to access these systems via LEARN, so you will need to log into them directly instead.

Checklist item Explanation
Bookmark LUCAS and your student email 

Log into your student email and LUCAS account and bookmark both. Please make a note of your passwords for future reference. 

We recommend you forward your student email to a personal email account so that you do not miss out on any emails about graduation. 

Contact IT Help: +64 3 423 0100 ithelp@lincoln.ac.nz for login resets and access issues. 

Complete any outstanding practical work

You MUST apply to graduate by 1 February to secure your place. If you wait to know your practical work results before applying to graduate you’ll miss out and we wouldn’t want that.  

Please be aware that only practical work reports submitted by 1 February in the year in which you have applied to graduate will have an opportunity to resubmit if required. No extensions to the practical work and employer report submission deadline of 20 February will be possible. 

Check that your phone and address contacts are up-to-date in LUCAS

Please log into LUCAS to check and make sure your personal email and mobile number are up to date, and that your address information is correct.  

This is important because: 

  • Your personal email is required for issue of your documents after graduation (into My eQuals). 
  • Your mobile number will be used for any wet weather notification messages for graduation (if you are attending the ceremony). 
  • Your address will be used for dispatch of either your graduation tickets or your parchment (certificate).
Read through the information about graduating In Person

Please read through the information in the Graduation Ceremony section to find out: 

  • If you will be graduating in the morning or afternoon ceremony (if your qualification is not listed please email graduation@lincoln.ac.nz and we will confirm). 
  • What to expect on the day, the procession and venue locations and tips to help you have an amazing, memorable experience. 
  • Information regarding regalia hire, wear and return. 
  • Details about ceremony tickets, car parking, live streaming of the ceremony; the professional photographer and frames for your parchment. 
  • About other graduation events: the Graduation Ball, Rā Whakamana, and Future Leaders and Sports Scholars Graduation Celebrations.