Information for graduands
We have comprehensive information about graduating including registration, important dates and academic dress for current students and students who have already received their parchment.
Information for guests
Tickets
Guest tickets for graduation ceremonies can be arranged by graduands at the time of registration.
All guests must have a ticket to attend the graduation ceremony.
Guest tickets are $40 and include a post-ceremony function. Guest tickets do not have assigned seat numbers.
What to expect on the day
Graduands are requested to arrive 90 minutes before your ceremony start time, ensuring there is adequate time for check-in, robing and graduand briefing.
Photo studios and candid photo opportunities are available before and after your ceremony.
Guests are invited to be seated about 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start time.
Guest seating is unassigned.
The graduation ceremony takes about 75 minutes, depending on the number of graduands attending.
Ceremony venue
Graduation ceremonies are held at The Star Brisbane Event Centre. Direct lift access to the event centre is via the George Street ground-floor entrance.
The Star Brisbane is surrounded by accessible public transport and is a short walk from QUT Gardens Point.
To access discounted visitor parking rates at QUT Gardens Point, validate your parking ticket at the information desk located in the event centre foyer. Regular QUT ID holder parking rates will be applied. Limited parking is available onsite at the Star Brisbane.
The Star Brisbane provides access and facilities to enable all visitors to attend events.
For accessibility information, contact ceremonies@qut.edu.au.
Surveillance and facial recognition technology are used at The Star Brisbane.
By attending the graduation ceremony, you agree to the venue's privacy notice and condition of entry.
Read The Star's privacy policy or contact privacy@star.com.au if you have further questions.
Chancellor's message to graduands
Graduation marks the successful completion of your university study at QUT and the transition to the next phase of your life.
We congratulate you on this great achievement and acknowledge also the wonderful support provided by your family and friends, and the commitment of the university's academic and professional staff.
You are graduating to a fast changing and uncertain world where we will see an even greater reliance on innovation, new ways of working and the importance of collaboration to address global challenges.
One of the keys to success in this world is the advanced thinking, creative and social capacities that we hope you have gained during the high-quality university education you have just achieved.
QUT is ranked among the world’s top young universities. We take pride in the fact that we place a premium on the international and national accreditation of our various professional degrees, and our graduate employment rate remains well above the national average for Australian universities.
QUT's links with industry, commerce and government - and our teaching and research excellence - are seen as a model by many
other universities. We are committed to strengthening our record of quality and achievement through academic and research advances.
Since its establishment, QUT has graduated more than 300,000 people. You now join them as a member of our alumni family. It's now 40 years since I undertook postgraduate study and graduated from QUT, and the knowledge, understanding and networks that came from that have been of value in all I have done since, in ways I would never have imagined when I sat in your place.
We encourage you to continue your relationship with QUT through the university’s active alumni network. As a member of that group, you will be able to access professional and social benefits that will help you throughout your professional life and beyond.
We are always interested in our graduates’ ideas and experiences and your input toward the further development of courses, teaching and mentoring is greatly valued.
While today marks the end of a chapter, it is also the beginning of a new and exciting chapter in your lives. We step into a world that is ever changing with all the excitement and challenge that poses.
Apply what you’ve learned and the values we've instilled to the next phase of your lives: stay inquisitive, keep learning, treat others with respect, be kind to yourself and others, and help change the world.
On behalf of QUT Council, I congratulate you on your graduation, wish you well and look forward to your continuing QUT connection.
About the ceremony
Order of proceedings
The ceremony commences with the procession of all graduands followed by academic staff and the official party.
The assembly is requested to stand for the academic procession and remain standing until the music concludes and the official party are seated.
The ceremonial host opens the ceremony.
The ceremonial host introduces the presiding officer who delivers the official address on behalf of the QUT Council.
The ceremonial host and presiding officer certify graduands have fulfilled the conditions prescribed for their awards.
Graduands are presented to the presiding officer to be awarded their degrees.
The presiding officer congratulates the graduates and acknowledges their achievements.
The special award presenter introduces the special award recipient and speaker.
The presenting officer introduces the ceremony student representative to provide an address to the students and guests.
The ceremonial host concludes the ceremony and asks the audience to stand as the academic procession retires.
The academic procession leaves the theatre, followed by graduates and audience members.
Academic dress
The gowns and hoods worn at QUT graduation ceremonies stem from a distinctive style of academic dress which emerged in the first universities in Europe in the twelfth centry. The style was influenced by the fact that masters and scholars at that time were usually members of the clergy.
Standard gowns of different shape, length and sleeve design indicate the degrees of bachelor, master and doctor. The robes of the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor signify the office rather than the award of the wearer.
The gowns worn by the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor of QUT retain a link with the style of academic dress in the older English universities. However, the QUT base material is a cooler wool blend rather than the traditional black silk damask or faille, and the blue colour is in keeping with the corporate identify of the university.
The embellishment used on the QUT ceremonial gowns (gold for Chancellor, silver for Vice-Chancellor) gives a distinct Queensland identify. Whereas traditional English festal robes are embellished with bullion braids in oak leaf or plate lace patterns, the Queensland floral emblem, the Cooktown Orchid, provides the theme for the QUT braids. The braids were manufactured in Australia on computer-controlled machines. The robes and trencher caps were also made in Australia.
Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait islander graduates may choose to wear an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander stole as part of their academic dress.
QUT's Indigenous Australian visual identify is used as the design for the stoles and represents the 'connected worlds' of our QUT community and the Turrbal and Yugara peoples, the First Nations owner of the lands where QUT now stands.
The design is further complimented by the use of both the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander flag colours.
Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander stoles are provided by QUT's Oodgeroo Unit, to celebrate student achievement and to proudly recognise the importance of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
QUT mace
QUT’s sterling silver mace, 80 centimetres long, is of simple design. It has three sections, each symbolising the different levels of tertiary education. The knob at the base represents the bachelor degree, the start of a professional career. The handpiece in the middle represents the master degree. The flame-shaped head, symbolising the torch of learning, represents the doctorate. The open top acknowledges that education is an ongoing process.
In the middle ages, the mace was preferred by soldier churchmen (in particular Odo, the Bishop of Bayeux, who was the half-brother of William the Conqueror) as it was a crushing instrument which did not draw blood. Over time the mace became a symbol of authority.
The QUT mace was designed and built by Mr Alan Place, a former part-time lecturer in fine arts.
Information for Indigenous Australian graduands
Graduating students of Aboriginal and /or Torres Strait Islander descent will be invited to a pre-graduation celebration, which will take place in the days preceding the official graduation ceremonies.
This event, featuring a formal dinner and entertainment, recognises and celebrates the achievements of Indigenous Australian students, outstanding alumni, and other highlights of the year for the Indigenous Australian community at QUT.
Graduands will be presented with a stole in cultural colours, which can be worn to their official QUT graduation ceremony.
Alumni community
As QUT alumni, you now join a global network of more than 300,000 professionals, each sharing in their lifetime connection with QUT. Our alumni will always be an integral part of the QUT community and the shaping of its future, and we look forward to staying connected and following your journey.
There are many ways to stay involved with QUT. You can share your expertise with current students through career mentoring, guest lecturing and work integrated learning opportunities, or update your own skills and education.
We’d love to keep in touch and hear about your exciting career updates and achievements. You can email the alumni team any time via alumni@qut.edu.au and tag #QUTAlumni on social media, so we can follow your success.
QUT Council
QUT Council is responsible for the effective governance and operations of the university, and the administration of graduation ceremonies.
There are 15 members on QUT Council in official, elected and appointed positions. Council's membership, composition, powers and responsibilities are governed by the Queensland University of Technology Act 1998.