Degree classifications and awards

Degree classifications and awards

Undergraduates

For details on how your degree classification is calculated, see Part 5, Section 17 of the Handbook of Academic Regulations.

Postgraduates

For details of awards, see Part 5, Section 18 of the Handbook of Academic Regulations.

Award certificates

Upon completion of your course and conferral of your award, you'll be issued with the following documents:

• Degree certificate – this is the official award document, confirming your degree.
• Transcript – this is a record of your academic history. It lists the titles and marks of the modules you studied in each academic year, and gives your period of registration as a student, your degree date, and classification.

Graduates from 2022 onwards – University of Westminster Verification Service (UoWV)

Students who graduate in or after June 2022 will have access to secure, validated electronic versions of their award documents, through the new University of Westminster Verification Service (UoWV).

Your documents will first be released via the UoWV Service portal - this will normally take place 10 days after the publication of your results. 

To use the service, you’ll be invited to register for an account via email when your documents are ready for you to access.

You can use the UoWV Service portal to:

• View secure electronic versions of your award documents - your degree certificate, transcript, and verification letter (confirms your award and period of registration at the University). 
• Share your electronic documents with a third party by creating connections (eg a prospective employer) – you choose what to share, who to send a link to, and how long they have to connect and view. Third parties will be charged a connection fee.
• Order and pay for hard copies – if required, a re-issue degree certificate if yours is lost or destroyed (only one can be in circulation), additional transcripts, and verification letters. Pricing and delivery options are listed in the portal.

For more information on using the service see the:

• UoWV Service - account registration and login guide (PDF)1.21 MB
• UoWV Service - sharing documents with third party guide (PDF)1.14 MB
• UoWV Service - ordering hard copies and reporting issues guide (PDF)1.32 MB
• University of Westminster Verification Service FAQs page

Will I receive hard copies of my documents?

If you are a new graduate, you’ll receive in the post a hard copy of your degree certificate and transcript.

Your printed degree certificate and transcript can be verified via a QR code printed on the documents.

You should receive your documents within 6–8 weeks following the publication of your results. However, some overseas addresses can take 8–12 weeks depending on the postal services for the destination.

If you are still waiting for your hardcopy documents to arrive after these timescales, contact us via the Library and Student Centre. Please do not order documents through the UoWV Service portal if you are waiting for your documents as this will invalidate any copies posted to you already. Please note that re-issued items are chargeable.

Documents will be posted to your home address. To avoid losing your documents in the post, please ensure that your name and home address are correct on My Student Record, as we will use these details to prepare and post your certificate.

We will contact you by email once your results are published with information about the dispatch of your degree certificate and transcript. You must ensure your home address is correct by the date specified in this email. A fee will be incurred for replacement documents if you fail to update your address by the date specified.

Your name on your award documents

We cannot make any changes to the name on your certificate after it has been issued. Please ensure that your name is correct on My Student Record. However, there are some exceptions to this which are detailed on the Change of personal details page under the section Degree certificate and academic transcripts.

Outstanding tuition fee debts

If you have any outstanding tuition fee debts to the University, we will not be able to send your certificate until you have resolved these debts. Please contact the relevant finance office.

Graduates from 2021 or before

If you graduated before 2022, your award documents are not currently available to access through the University of Westminster Verification Service (UoWV).

You can get details on how to order copies of your documents on the Transcript and certificate requests page.