Graduation

Graduation and Conferment

The University confers awards three times a year, in April, July and September, and holds two congregations annually: the Summer Congregation in July/August and the Winter Congregation in November/December. There is no award ceremony for certificate programmes.

If you will have successfully completed the appropriate number of relevant credits and will have satisfied the requirements for the award, you can apply to the University for graduation after sitting for the examination of your last course.

Please refer to the details in Graduation Arrangements, late application or application for graduation over the phone will not be
accepted.

Certificates

The University shall mark the conferment of a degree by the presentation of a certificate of conferment to each graduate. The certificate shall be in English and Chinese and will include the graduate’s full name, degree awarded, degree programme completed, where applicable, and classification (if any). Where no appropriate name in Chinese exists for a graduate, the name in English will be used throughout. Such a certificate shall be issued free of charge once in respect of each conferment.

The University shall provide each graduate with a transcript of courses taken (including any courses from which the graduate was excused), including all the information given on the certificate of conferment, the name of the programme of study where applicable and also for each course the level, the result (including Withdrawal, Deferment, Fail, Fail-Resit, etc.), the number of credits obtained and the month and year of registration on the course. The transcript shall be issued free of charge only once in respect of each conferment.

Please note that it is the University's policy to retain award certificates and transcripts for collection up to 31 December of the following year after graduation (e.g. for 2021 graduates, the deadline for collection is 31 December 2022). After that date, all uncollected award certificates and transcripts will be confidentially disposed without any further notice. If you wish to get these documents afterwards, you will need to submit relevant applications with a fee.

About Classification of Degree with Honours

– Classification of Degree with Honours (5-credit System)

– Classification of Degree with Honours (3-credit-unit System)

Classification of Degree with Honours (5-credit System)

Each Degree with honours shall be conferred with a classification of First Class, Second Class (Upper Division), Second Class (Lower Division) or Third Class save that exceptionally a degree may be conferred without classification.
The grade point for each course grade shall be as follows:

Course Grade	Grade Point
A	4.0
A-	3.7
B+	3.3
B	3.0
B-	2.7
C+	2.3
C	2.0

Numeric Course Grade	Converted Grade Point
Pass 1	4.0
Pass 2	3.3
Pass 3	2.7
Pass 4	2.0

For the purpose of assessing a degree classification, the weighted grade point average (GPA) will be calculated for the best 80 credits (in terms of course grade) of courses at the Higher or Middle level as specified in the programme requirements. 40 of the best 80 credits will be from Higher level courses defined as 'Group (a) courses', and the remaining 40 from Higher or Middle level courses defined as 'Group (b) courses' which have not already been counted towards Group (a) courses. Group (a) and Group (b) courses may be given different weights in the calculation of the weighted GPA by the programme concerned. The formula for the calculation will be as follows:

In the case of a student who has completed less than 80 credits of courses in accordance with a prescribed Block Credit Transfer top-up list, the weighted grade point average (GPA) will be calculated for the best 40 credits of Group (a) Higher level courses and the remaining credits of Group (b) Higher or Middle level courses which have not already been counted towards Group (a) courses.

To qualify for the award of a particular class of honours, students are required to achieve the required weighted grade point average for the required number of credits of the Group (a) and Group (b) courses listed in the programme requirements:

Honours Classification	Weighted Grade Point Average
First Class	3.50 – 4.00
Second Class (Upper Division)	3.00 – 3.49
Second Class (Lower Division)	2.50 – 2.99
Third Class	2.00 – 2.49

Classification of Degree with Honours (3-credit-unit System)

A degree with honours, a double degree with honours or the degree part of the mixed-level dual award shall be conferred with a classification of:
- First Class Honours
- Second Class Honours (Upper Division)
- Second Class Honours (Lower Division)
- Third Class Honours
- Pass (without classification)

The grade point for each course is as follows:

Course Grade	Grade Point
A+	4.3
A	4.0
A-	3.7
B+	3.3
B	3.0
B-	2.7
C+	2.3
C	2.0
C-	1.7
D	1.0
Fail	0.0

For the purpose of assessing a degree classification, the award grade point average (aGPA) will be calculated based on the minimum number of credit-units required to fulfill the programme requirements for graduation, selecting the courses with the highest grades for inclusion in the calculation.
If a student is permitted to take a course multiple times, only the Grade Point from the final attempt, regardless of whether it results in an improvement or decline in the grade, will be included in the aGPA calculation.
The formula for the computation of aGPA shall be as follows:

*final attempt of the course

To qualify for the award of a particular class of honours, a student is required to achieve the required award grade point average as follows:

Honours Classification	aGPA
First Class Honours	3.50 – 4.30
Second Class Honours (Upper Division)	3.00 – 3.49
Second Class Honours (Lower Division)	2.50 – 2.99
Third Class Honours	2.00 – 2.49
Pass (without classification)	1.70 – 1.99