Please read this information carefully to ensure a smooth graduation. 

PLEASE NOTE: This is official information about graduation and any other information should be disregarded. The university will not be held liable for students following incorrect information.  Official graduation communication only comes from the Student Records Office.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT CONFER DATE AND GRADUATION CEREMONY DATE

• Confer Date: This indicates the graduation session that you are eligible to graduate (provided you have no outstanding fees or disciplinaries). Once added as a qualifier on system, the confer date is reflected on your academic record.  UCT's student system records one confer date per graduation session which means that the first date of the graduation session is used for all students and all qualifications. 

• Graduation Ceremony Date: This is the date when the formal graduation ceremony takes place, where you will have the opportunity to celebrate your achievements with friends, family, and fellow graduates. Please note that while the graduation ceremony date may differ from the confer date, it will always occur on or after the confer date and never before.

Please keep this in mind as you prepare for graduation.

SPRING 2026 GRADUATION

Please note that, as per the 2026 graduation notice which has been available since January 2025 under the ‘Notices’ sub-heading on this page’s side-column, only students who are added as qualifiers on system and clear fees by 7 July 2026 are eligible for the Spring 2026 graduation.  Provisional dates for the Spring 2026 graduation are 7-11 September 2026. The approved schedule with ceremony splits will be available in July 2026.

AUTUMN 2026 GRADUATION

Please note that, as per the 2026 graduation notice which has been available since January 2025 under the ‘Notices’ sub-heading on this page’s side-column, only students who are added as qualifiers on system and cleared fees by 18 December 2025 are eligible for the Autumn 2026 graduation. 

The Autumn 2026 graduation ceremonies will take place in the Sarah Baartman Hall for all faculties as follows:

As Friday 3 April 2026 is a public holiday (Good Friday) it was necessary for the Autumn 2026 graduation session to commence on Saturday 28 March 2026.

RSVP FOR GRADUATION BEFORE 8 MARCH 2026

Log into PeopleSoft and click on the ‘Meeting Attendance’ tile.  Check that your qualification details are correct and note the date and time of graduation ceremony. Click on the drop-down arrow under status and select ‘Will Attend’ or ‘Will Not Attend’. The default is ‘Invited’ and this status must be changed. Attendance at the ceremony is not permitted without an RSVP. 

CHECK YOUR ACADEMIC RECORD BEFORE 1 FEBRUARY 2026

Log into PeopleSoft and check your Academic Record carefully to ensure that your qualification, any specialisation, award/distinction text and/or your dissertation/thesis title is correct. If it is not, contact your faculty office urgently.

View your Academic Record on PeopleSoft: click on the ‘Academic Records’ tile then click ‘View Academic Record’.  Ensure Academic Record Self-Service is the Report Type then click ‘Submit’. Enable pop-ups as the Academic Record will open in a new window.

CHECK THAT YOUR NAME IS CORRECT BEFORE 1 FEBRUARY 2026

By law, your degree documentation must reflect your full name exactly as recorded on your ID document or passport at the time of graduation.               

Check your name on PeopleSoft: click on the ‘Profile’ tile and click on the ‘Names’ link under ‘Personal Details’ to view your full name. Your ‘Primary Name’ is what will appear on your certificate (please note that titles don’t appear on the certificate). You can also view your full name on your Academic Record.

If your name is reflected incorrectly on UCT’s records, please request that your name record is updated by e-mailing a certified copy of your ID document or passport to reg-records@uct.ac.za. Do not attempt to update your name record on Peoplesoft yourself. 

Should you fail to verify your name and require a corrected certificate to be printed after your graduation you will be charged a fee of R400.00.

OUTSTANDING FEES

If your fee account has not been settled you will not be able to access your academic record or graduate in the Autum 2026 graduation. Any qualifiers who had outstanding fees, fines, interests or dues as of 18 December 2025 have no guarantee of receiving their qualifications in the Autumn 2026 graduation, and their names will not appear in the graduation programme. Please contact the Fees Office (fnd-feeenq@uct.ac.za) if you have any queries regarding your fee account.

Check your fee balance via PeopleSoft by clicking on the ‘Student Finance’ tile and then click ‘View Account Details’. If a payment is made on or near the cut-off date, proof of payment must be forwarded to the Fees Office marked ‘Graduation’, or the payment may not be noted in time. Do not rely on a bursar, sponsor, or employer to make last-minute payments on your behalf, as the Fees Office may not be able to get this credit onto your fee account in time to qualify for graduation.

SETTLE LIBRARY AND DISCIPLINARY MATTERS BEFORE 1 FEBRUARY 2026

Ensure that you have a clear library record and owe no library fines or outstanding books. Ensure that you settled all pending disciplinary matters with the Student Disciplinary Tribunal. You will not be permitted to graduate in the Autumn 2026 graduation if you have unpaid disciplinary fines or incomplete community service. 

NETWORK ACCESS AFTER GRADUATION

Students’ network accounts give them access to UCT services which you will lose access to upon graduation; it is important that you carefully follow the instructions by ICTS on what to do before leaving: http://www.icts.uct.ac.za/leaving-UCT.  Your student email account remains active, which you may continue to use permanently, if you wish. An alias will be created following the format of name.surname@alumni.uct.ac.za. You may use either this alias or your original student email address.

SUPPORT FOR GRADUANDS, STAFF AND GUESTS WITH DISABILITIES

The Disability Service provides support at all UCT graduation ceremonies. Persons with various disabilities including physical/mobility disabilities, Deaf people who require the services of a South African Sign Language Interpreter, or other disabilities may contact the Disability Service (disabilitygrad@uct.ac.za) no later than 2 weeks before the graduation ceremony to request assistance. Please note that if you do not indicate that you require assistance timeously, the Disability Service will be unable to prioritise your request for assistance on the day of the graduation ceremony as there are limited resources available. 

GRADUATION DOCUMENTATION

You will receive the following documentation: 

• Your original hard copy certificate and one hard copy of your official transcript.  

• One electronic certificate and one electronic transcript. This will be emailed to your @myuct account after graduation i.e., between 21 April 2026 and 22 May 2026.

If you have not received your electronic documents and don’t follow up within three months, you will only be able to receive an electronic transcript through the Student Records Office. If a certificate received after graduation is subsequently lost, damaged or stolen, graduates may apply for a duplicate certificate through the Student Records Office. The fee for a duplicate certificate is currently R800.

IF YOU WILL BE ATTENDING YOUR GRADUATION CEREMONY

• Prebook your academic attire through House of Graduates and your photography through Gordon Harris Photographic. You may only wear the gown and hood of the qualification that will be conferred upon you at the graduation ceremony. Wearing gowns and hoods of previous qualifications will not be permitted.

• Please only wear the academic gown into the Hall. The academic hood will be placed on you on stage during the ceremony.  For PhDs, please ensure the tassel of the bonnet is on the right for purposes of the stage photo.

• Graduands will be issued with 2 guest tickets which must be collected the day before the ceremony as per the schedule below. 

The day before your ceremony:

• Collect your name card, 2 guest tickets, and academic attire from the Molly Blackburn Hall, Otto Beit Building between 09h00 and 18h00 as per the schedule below. No third-party collections will be permitted. You must present a valid photo identity (i.e., SA ID document, passport, drivers license or student card ) when collecting your tickets. 

On the day of your ceremony:

• Graduands should enter the Sarah Baartman Hall at the side South Entrance wearing their academic attire, with their name cards and ensure that they are seated no later than 30 minutes before the ceremony commences. 

• You must bring your name card with you to the ceremony (the name card is collected at the same time as your academic attire) as you will hand this to the Dean on the stage for your name to be called. You must sit in the numbered seat indicated on your name card. It is very important that you be seated correctly and on time. Please note that no flowers or large bags etc. will be permitted to be kept with you at your seat.

• Guests should present their tickets at the front entrance to the hall and ensure that they are seated no later than 15 minutes before the ceremony commences. All guests require a ticket, regardless of their age. 

• Promptly 15 minutes before the ceremony commences the procedure for the ceremony will be explained. 

• During the ceremony you will receive your official graduation documentation and have your graduation photographs taken.

• After the ceremony you may have your group/family pictures taken in the Maths Building. 

• Return your academic attire to the Molly Blackburn Hall no later than 1 hour after your ceremony.

IF YOU WILL NOT BE ATTENDING YOUR GRADUATION CEREMONY

• It is not possible to elect to attend a different ceremony. If you are not able to attend the graduation ceremony, you will graduate in absentia. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the deferment of graduation.

• You will be able to collect your certificate from the Student Records Office (Masingene Building, Middle Campus) or request courier delivery via reg-records@uct.ac.za from 13 April 2026 onwards. It will not be possible to receive your certificate before this date under any circumstances.

USEFUL CONTACTS

Kindly include Graduation; faculty and student number in the subject field: e.g., Graduation-Commerce XYZXYA001. Always include your full name and student number in correspondence with the University.

STUDENT RECORDS OFFICE:

Graduation queries: graduation@uct.ac.za

General enquiries: reg-records @uct.ac.za

FEES OFFICE: fnd-feeenq@uct.ac.za

POSTGRADUATE FUNDING OFFICE: pgfunding@uct.ac.za

ICTS: icts-helpdesk@uct.ac.za

FACULTY OFFICES:

Commerce: com-faculty@uct.ac.za

Engineering & the Built Environment: ebe-faculty@uct.ac.za

Health Sciences UG: fhs-ug-admiss@uct.ac.za

Health Sciences PG: fhs-pg@uct.ac.za

Humanities UG: hum-ugrad@uct.ac.za

Humanities PG: hum-postgrad@uct.ac.za

Law: law-studies@uct.ac.za

Science: sci-science@uct.ac.za

DOCTORAL DEGREES BOARD OFFICE: ddb@uct.ac.za

STUDENT DISCIPLINARY TRIBUNAL: legaloffice@uct.ac.za

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

How do I know that I am graduating?

The only way to confirm that you are graduating is to check that your academic record states ‘Qualifies for award of degree’ with the 28/03/2026 confer date. Please note that the confer date must not be confused with the graduation date. UCT’s student system records one confer date per session which means that one date is used for all students and all qualifications. The actual date on which a student graduates might differ. The schedule of graduation ceremonies is published at the top of this webpage.

How do I request a formal invitation to be used for visa purposes or to request time off from my employer?

Invitation letters may be requested from reg-records@uct.ac.za. Kindly note that there is a turnaround period, therefore please submit your requests timeously. 

How do I request extra tickets?

If you are attending the ceremony, you will be issued with 2 guest tickets. It is not possible to receive additional tickets. It is not possible to request the tickets of someone who will not be attending the ceremony. No correspondence will be entered into regarding the request for additional tickets.

Are children allowed to attend the ceremony?

Yes. Please note that all guests require a ticket, regardless of their age. 

Where do I collect my name card, tickets and academic attire?

Collect your name card, tickets and academic attire from the Molly Blackburn Hall, Otto Beit Building the day before your ceremony as per the table above. No third party collections will be permitted. Ensure that you present a valid form of photo identity (SA ID document, passport, drivers licence or student card) when collecting your tickets. 

How long will the ceremony be?

We are unable to confirm the exact duration. You can expect the ceremony to be approximately 2 hours in duration.

Will the ceremony be livestreamed?

Yes. The graduation ceremony will be livestreamed from the UCT website and social media channels. 

Can I attend the ceremony and receive my certificate if I have outstanding fees?

No. Students with outstanding fees are not permitted to graduate or receive their academic documents. Once you have settled your outstanding fees, you will be allocated to the next graduation session.

Is it possible to receive my certificate before the ceremony?

Legally, it is not possible to receive your certificate before the qualification has been conferred upon you at the graduation ceremony (in person or in absentia). A qualification confirmation letter is available for download via PeopleSoft Self-Service to use in place of the certificate in the interim. 

Can I request electronic copies of my academic documents?

Electronic copies of your certificate and transcript will be emailed to your @myuct email address between 21 April 2026 and 22 May 2026.

Can I elect to attend a different ceremony?

Students may not elect to attend a different graduation ceremony except on documented religious grounds. Students who do not attend their graduation ceremony for any other reason must graduate in absentia.

Will I still have access to my @myuct email address after graduation?

Yes. Please follow the instructions on the ICTS website to ensure that you retain your email access: http://www.icts.uct.ac.za/leaving-UCT

Downloads

Autumn 2026 Graduation Schedule 

Autumn 2026 Graduation Notice 

Academic Attire 

Photographic Services 

Graduation Checklist

Accommodation

UCT visitors looking for accommodation, please consider:

All Africa House

Protea Hotel Mowbray

Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge

Contact us

Graduation queries