Section 12: Award of Degrees

Published for 2025-26.

The degree awarding regulations cover the publication of results, the conferment of UCL qualifications and the issuing of transcripts and certificates.

Contents

12.1 Overarching Principles

  1. Education Committee, on behalf of Academic Committee, is authorised to award UCL taught degrees.

12.2 Authority to Award a UCL Taught Degree

  1. The Board of Examiners is responsible for recommending a student for a taught degree to UCL Education Committee for formal approval.
  2. UCL Student Records is responsible for the scrutiny and confirmation of qualifications under authority delegated from UCL Education Committee to make decisions on its behalf.

12.3 Date of a Degree Award

  1. The date of the award will be the 1 July or the first day of the month after UCL Education Committee has confirmed the award.

12.4 Field of Study

  1. The field of study on the degree certificate should match the title of the degree programme on which the student is registered.
  2. The Board of Examiners may recommend a qualification with an alternate field of study under the regulations in Section 10.2.

12.5 Publication of Results

Formal Publication of Degree Outcomes

  1. Students will be informed by email of the date when their formal results will be published on the student records database, Portico.
  2. The proceedings of the Board of Examiners, and the final degree outcomes, should not be communicated to students ahead of the formal publication of results by UCL Student Records.
  3. Exceptionally, the Chair of the Board of Examiners may permit the disclosure of results before the formal publication date if the results are needed for an application for, e.g. Research Council Funding.

Release of Provisional Marks

  1. Boards of Examiners are permitted to release unconfirmed provisional component and module marks to students, prior to the formal publication of degree outcomes by UCL.
  2. In the case of coursework, markers are permitted to release unconfirmed provisional marks and feedback to students, prior to formal consideration by the Board of Examiners.
  3. Any marks released before confirmation by the relevant Board of Examiners are provisional and therefore subject to change.
  4. To comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) tutors must ensure that, when returning work, marks and comments remain private to the student concerned unless, in the case of tutorials etc., it is agreed by the students present that such data can be disclosed.
  5. For further guidance see Annex 4.3.4: Protocols for the Release of Provisional Results.

Retention of Assessed Student Work

  1. UCL’s policy on the retention of records is laid out in its Records Retention Schedule.
  2. More information and guidance on records management can be found on the Records Office web pages. The Records Office can be contacted by email: records.office@ucl.ac.uk.

Release of Examination Scripts

  1. Examination scripts will not routinely be returned to students.
  2. To comply with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), students may request to see comments on examination scripts in a legible form, although the original scripts themselves do not have to be made available. Any queries should be made to UCL Legal Services.

12.6 Certificates and Transcripts

Degree Certificates

  1. A degree certificate will be sent to each successful student awarded a UCL degree.
  2. Further information is available from UCL Degree Certificates.

Transcripts

  1. All graduating students will be sent an official transcript, detailing their marks and award.
  2. Further information is available from UCL Student Transcripts.

Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR)

  1. Honours Degree students first enrolled from September 2011 onwards will receive a Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR).

Affiliate Student Transcripts and Certificates

  1. Affiliate students are entitled to receive a transcript of their achievement produced by UCL.
  2. Requests for any other certification, such as certification of UCL module credits/ ECTS for affiliate students, must be submitted to UCL Student Records via askUCL. 

12.7 Academic Robes

  1. All UCL graduands must wear academic robes, obtained from the appropriate UCL supplier, to the graduation ceremonies.

12.8 Students with an Outstanding Tuition Fee Debt to UCL

  1. All students who will, if successful in their examinations, qualify for the award of a degree should note that UCL will withhold the award in the case of any student who is in debt to UCL in regards to tuition fees.
    1. No report will be made on the student’s results record until the tuition fee debt has been settled in full, and attendance at a Graduation Ceremony will not be permitted unless all tuition fees have been settled by the due date.
    2. All other students who hold a debt to UCL in relation to tuition fees will have their official results withheld and/or not be permitted to enrol at any future session until that tuition fee debt has been settled in full.
    3. For the avoidance of doubt, the term ‘tuition fees’ does not include, without limitation: accommodation charges, charges for childcare services, library charges, examination and submission fees, student loans and other fines and penalties.

12.9 Revocation of Degrees

  1. UCL may revoke any degree if any of the following circumstances are discovered and proved to the satisfaction of UCL at any time:
    1. There was an administrative error in the award made under the procedures required by UCL, including an error in calculating results.
    2. Subsequent to award, a Board of Examiners, having taken into account information which was unavailable at the time its decision was made, determines that a Classification should be altered.
    3. The award has been cancelled owing to Student Academic Misconduct.

12.10 Requesting a Review of a Board of Examiners’ Decision

  1. Students cannot contest the decision of a Board of Examiners on academic grounds, such as disagreeing with the academic judgement exercised in awarding marks or determining on outcome.
  2. Students can only contest the decision of a Board of Examiners on the specific grounds and within the timeframes set out in the Academic Appeals Procedure.