• Section 1 - Key Information
• Section 2 - Purpose
• Section 3 - Scope
• Section 4 - Key Decisions
• Section 5 - Policy Statement
• Section 6 - Procedures
• Part A - Requirements for all Certification Documentation
• Part B - Academic Transcripts
• Part C - Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement
• Part D - Testamurs
• Testamurs for Vocational Education and Training (VET)
• Distribution of Testamurs
• Replacement of Re-issued Testamurs
• Part E - Certification of Different Types of Qualifications
• Part F - AQF Qualifications Register
• Part G - Posthumous Awards
• Coursework Award
• Graduate Research Award
• Conferral of Award
• Section 7 - Definitions
• Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

Section 1 - Key Information

Section 2 - Purpose

(1) This Policy sets out the principles and procedures to ensure that La Trobe University complies with the Higher Education Threshold Standards and that graduates receive the academic certification they are entitled to, ensuring that the contents and issuance are accurate and authentic pertaining to:

1. academic transcripts
2. Australia Higher Education Graduate Statements (AHEGS)
3. testamurs

Section 3 - Scope

(2) This Policy applies to:

1. students who have completed all or part of the requirements for a qualification listed in the La Trobe University Statutes, including single subjects, and nested, double and joint qualifications; and
2. Vocational Education and Training (VET) students who have met all or part of the requirements for a qualification that is listed on the Registered Training Organisations (RTO) Scope of Registration.

Section 4 - Key Decisions

Section 5 - Policy Statement

(3) The University is committed to ensuring the accuracy and authenticity of all University issued documents that record details of students' academic information, in the interests of the University, its students, and graduates.

(4) The University will issue relevant academic certification to students according to the level of attainment of all or part of the requirements for a qualification recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework.

(5) Testamurs issued by the University for the conferral of awards and honorary degrees are produced in accordance with the Higher Education Threshold Standards.

(6) The University will maintain a register of all AQF qualifications it is authorised to issue, and all AQF qualifications issued to graduates.

(7) The University may posthumously grant an award in the event of the death of a student who was admitted to, or on leave from the relevant course of study at the time of their death.

Section 6 - Procedures

Part A - Requirements for all Certification Documentation

(8) Prepared in a format aligned with the Higher Education Threshold Standards and the AQF Issuance Policy, all academic certification will contain the following:

1. the name of the University;
2. the full name of the person to whom the documentation applies;
3. the date of issue;
4. the name and office of the person authorised by the University to issue the documentation;
5. a marker to show authenticity of the document in a form to reduce fraud such as the University’s organisation’s seal, corporate identifier, or unique watermark; and 
6. if the qualification is recognised in the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF), any graduation statement is certified with either the logo of the AQF or the words ‘This qualification is recognised within the Australian Qualifications Framework’. This requirement does not apply to testamurs.

(9) Academic certification will not include the Unique Student Identifier (USI) to ensure there is no disclosure as per the Student Identifiers Act 2014.

(10) All required subjects for the qualification must be successfully completed and assessed as Passed prior to their issue.

(11) No academic certification will be issued to a student who has a debt to the University.

(12) All final academic certifications will be issued as digital versions via an online platform within 30 calendar days of the student their course or course status being set to passed.

(13) Academic transcripts, AHEGS and testamurs are prepared under the authority of the Director, Student Administration.

(14) A scheduled fee to cover the costs of printing, replacing or re-issuing academic certification will be set annually by Student Administration and is approved by University Council. The fee will be published on the Fees pages of the University website.

Part B - Academic Transcripts

(15) An academic transcript will detail a student's entire enrolment record at the University including:

1. the University student identification number;
2. academic awards conferred and/or awards completed and yet to be conferred;
3. a record of all enrolled subjects at the University and their results, including any failed subjects, incomplete subjects and subjects withdrawn after census dates;
4. all incomplete courses in which the student has been, or is currently, enrolled;
5. completed or enrolled majors;
6. a full record of any credit granted for previous formal study or recognised prior learning; and
7. award of the University Medal and other commendations where relevant.

(16) Hard copy Academic Transcripts may be purchased at any stage of a subject or course at: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/your-course/results/transcripts

Part C - Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement

(17) The Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) is available for any courses completed post 1 November 2012 and will comply with the Australian Government Guidelines for the Presentation of Australian Higher Education Graduation Statements to include the compulsory items of:

1. the AHEGS logo
2. the Australian Government statement on the AHEGS
3. certification by the person authorised by the higher education provider to issue the documentation
4. family name, given name(s) and student number
5. name and summary details of the award
6. a brief description (preferably one or two sentences) of the institution including provider category, date of founding, and legislation of establishment (if applicable)
7. course details and a key to grading

(18) An AHEGS will be issued on the authority of the Director, Student Administration, who may also approve the inclusion of any optional information, provided it is centrally recorded, verifiable, and relates to activities during the candidature of the graduating student.

(19) Hard copy AHEGS may be purchased for a prescribed fee at the time of course completion at: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/your-course/results/ahegs

(20) Approval must be sought from the Office of Quality and Standards for any proposed changes to professional recognition or accreditation statements outside the course lifecycle prior to a change being made in AHEGS.

(21) For a course to be deemed eligible for professional recognition or accreditation, an approved recognition statement(s) must be sought from the Office of Quality and Standards prior to submitting course proposals for approval.

Part D - Testamurs

(22) The approved number of testamurs conferred will be:

1. one testamur for a single qualification
2. two testamurs for a double, dual or a combined qualification (one for each accredited award)
3. one testamur for a joint qualification (jointly badged)

(23) In addition to the requirements outlined in Part A, testamurs will include the following:

Testamurs for Vocational Education and Training (VET)

(24) In accordance with the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) (2010) Condition of Registration, VET testamurs must:

1. meet the AQF requirements
2. identify the RTO by its national provider number from the Training.gov.au website
3. include the Nationally Recognised Training (NRT) logo in accordance with the current conditions of use.

(25) Please refer to the VET Policy for further details regarding the standards that apply.

Distribution of Testamurs

(26) Student Administration is responsible for printing of a testamur for presentation upon graduation, as well as the re-issue or replacement of a testamur upon the receipt of a complete application, along with the secure control and reconciliation of academic transcript blanks for printing. Refer to further details here: https://www.latrobe.edu.au/students/admin/graduations/testamurs

(27) Testamurs will only be presented in the following circumstances:

1. where students graduate at an approved ceremony; or
2. where students do not attend a graduation ceremony and receive their award in absentia; or
3. in the case of a posthumous award (subject to the terms of this policy); or
4. where honorary degrees are conferred (which must be accompanied by the approved citation).

(28) A testamur may be presented in absentia where a graduand has chosen to graduate in absentia or has not responded to a graduation invitation. When a graduand has not responded to a graduation invitation, the testamur will be printed and mailed to the nominated address upon request.

(29) The presentation of testamurs or facsimiles for appreciation, service, merit or other recognition is not permitted.

Replacement of Re-issued Testamurs

(30) Replacement or re-issued testamurs will be issued via mail or collection only in the approved format in effect at the time of application/re-issue with a statement indicating it has been replaced or re-issued on a particular date.

(31) Requests for testamurs in a different name should be submitted to Student Administration with evidence of the the new name (certified copies). The original testamur will need to be returned to the University and securely destroyed. Students may not hold multiple testamurs for the same award in different names.

(32) The University may request and require the return of a hardcopy testamur and revoke digital access in the instance of it being obtained improperly through fraud or dishonesty, a replacement testamur due to legal name change or where the testamur was presented erroneously or contained incorrect details i.e. University error.

(33) Records of testamurs will be kept by the University for graduands receiving testamurs at a graduation ceremony, in absentia, and any re-issued or replacement testamurs.

Part E - Certification of Different Types of Qualifications

Part F - AQF Qualifications Register

(34) In accordance with the AQF Qualifications Register Policy, the University has an auditable-quality register that contains and provides sufficient information to identify:

1. the holder of the qualification
2. AQF qualification by its full title; and
3. date of issue/award/conferral

Part G - Posthumous Awards

(35) The University may posthumously grant an award in the event of the death of a student who was admitted to, or on leave from the relevant course of study at the time of their death, and who has:

1. completed all of the required work that would entitle the granting of a research or coursework award;
2. successfully completed more than 80% of the total requirements of a coursework award in which they were enrolled (an aegrotat pass); or
3. completed sufficient papers, reviews, laboratory work or other verifiable evidence to indicate that, had the student lived, there was a reasonable expectation that the student would have successfully completed an award by research (an aegrotat pass).

(36) Where the above criteria have not been met, cases will be considered in exceptional circumstances and on a case-by-case basis.

(37) Academic Board sets and approves the prescribed posthumous award criteria.

(38) In all cases the wishes of the deceased student’s representatives/family must be respected, and communication conducted with a high degree of discretion and sensitivity. Care must be taken to avoid giving an unreasonable expectation of the final outcome of an application for the award of a posthumous degree.

Coursework Award

(39) An application to the relevant School for conferral of a posthumous award may be initiated by the representatives /family of the deceased student; or the School responsible for the coursework degree in which the student was enrolled. 

(40) The relevant School must complete a review of the deceased student’s eligibility for the conferral of the coursework award and if all conditions have been met recommend that the award be conferred with the Dean’s approval.

(41) Upon receiving the School’s recommendation, the responsibility for managing the remainder of the award granting process moves to Student Administration to make the recommendation to Academic Board for approval.

Graduate Research Award

(42) An application for conferral of a posthumous award may be initiated by:

1. the representatives/family of the deceased student; or
2. the School responsible for the graduate research degree in which the candidate was enrolled.

(43) Once the application is initiated, the posthumous award process is managed by the Graduate Research School.

(44) The following steps must be undertaken to determine the deceased student’s eligibility for the conferral of a Graduate Research Award:

1. Preliminary review: two assessors (only one of whom may have been a supervisor) perform a review of available work and form the unanimous view that the student has produced a sufficient body of research for an examination to take place.
2. Submission of material for examination: the deceased student’s supervisor/s will provide the GRS with the material for examination, including:
   1. the thesis or other written work prepared by the student
   2. any other relevant research artefacts for practice-based degrees
   3.  supplementary and/or explanatory material prepared by the supervisor/s to assist in the understanding of the examiners of the research work conducted by the deceased student
   4. a statement detailing any work undertaken by the supervisor/s on behalf of the deceased student.
3. Examination: the appointment of examiners and conduct of the examination will be guided by the provisions of the Graduate Research Examinations Policy, with the examiners assessing whether there exists a reasonable expectation that the student would have satisfactorily completed the requirements of the degree.
4. Recommendation of award: the Director of Graduate Research from the student’s school reviews the examiner reports and if all requirements have been met, makes the recommendation for the posthumous award to the Board of Graduate Research, who will then make the recommendation to Academic Board.

(45) A two-tier review process must be undertaken to determine the deceased student’s eligibility for the conferral of a Research Award, including:

1. preliminary review: Two assessors (only one of whom may have been a supervisor or member of the progress committee) perform a review of available work and examination of the thesis: and form the unanimous view that the research requirement has been met substantially or there exists a reasonable expectation that the student would have completed satisfactorily the requirements of the award.
2. School review: if all the conditions have been met, the relevant School makes their recommendation for the granting of the posthumous award to the Board of Graduate Research, in keeping with degree requirements.

(46) After the recommendation, the responsibility for managing the remainder of the process of granting the award moves to the Graduate Research School to make a recommendation to Academic Board for approval.

Conferral of Award

(47) Following approval by Academic Board, the decision regarding the method to be used for conferral of the Award is wholly the responsibility of the representatives/family of the deceased student. The Award may be listed for conferral as a posthumous award in one of three ways:

1. at a graduation ceremony
2. in Absentia

(48) Student Administration is responsible for confirming all arrangements about the conferral of the award with the representatives/family members of the deceased student.

(49) The deceased’s name will appear in the attending section of the graduation program followed by the word Posthumous.

(50) A member of staff will be invited from the relevant School or Recruitment and International Operations, where appropriate, to be seated with the representatives/family members of the deceased student at a ceremony.

(51) Where the award is conferred in absentia, the testamur will be forwarded to the Executor or Administrator or nominated representative by registered mail.

Section 7 - Definitions

(52) For the purpose of this policy and procedure:

1. Academic Transcript: An official record of studies at La Trobe University and contains all course attempts, subjects undertaken and any advanced standing/credit that has been granted. The academic transcript reflects enrolment at La Trobe at the time it is printed or accessed via the online platform and is available at any time during the completion of a course or subject. Final Transcripts are issued on completion of an individual course. See also ‘Statement of attainment’.
2. Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS): A static document that describes a Higher Education qualification in an easily understandable way and includes descriptions of the nature, level, context and status of the studies and is only issued upon the completion of that course.
3. Combined Qualifications: A combination of two La Trobe University qualifications of different AQF levels (eg. Bachelor/Master).
4. Conferral: The act of granting an award to a student by authority of the Academic Board after completion of their course requirements.
5. Double Qualification: Where two La Trobe University qualifications of the same AQF level (eg Bachelor/Bachelor) are completed concurrently, and in less than the minimum time required to complete each qualification separately. Also known as Double Degrees, these are considered one course of study.
6. Dual Qualification: Where two qualifications of the same type (eg Bachelor/Bachelor) are completed at La Trobe University and another higher education provider (most commonly an overseas provider as a form of Transnational Education) and in less than the minimum time required to complete each qualification separately.
7. Joint qualification: Where a single qualification is undertaken with more than one institution under a formal arrangement between the institutions. Variants are ‘cotutelle’ or ‘multi-badged’.
8. Qualification: A degree, diploma or course that comprises approved studies at La Trobe as prescribed by the Academic Board.
9. Skills set: A group of units of competency from an endorsed Training Package that meets a licensing or regulatory requirement or a defined industry or professional need.
10. Statement of attainment: A form of academic transcript that confirms that an accredited short course or a group of units/modules/subjects from an AQF qualification that form a skills set have been completed. See also ‘Academic transcript’, ‘Skills set’. Statements of attainment are issued only to students undertaking VET courses.
11. Testamur: An official document issued on graduation that includes the full title of the qualification awarded along with any subsidiary components, majors not represented in the award title and any specialisations. In the case of VET courses, this document may be called a ‘certificate’.
12. Transcript: see ‘Academic transcript’.

Section 8 - Authority and Associated Information

(53) This Policy is made under the La Trobe University Act 2009.