Graduation Date
- The Examination Board determines the graduation date.
- The graduation date is the date you officially completed your program and received your diploma. This date is on your diploma. The graduation date is not the date of your graduation ceremony.
- The graduation date is based on the date of the last result obtained. Each month has one graduation date. With the exception of December, this is always the last working day of the month. Sundays and holidays are excepted.
- If you are allowed to postpone graduation, the examination board will set a postponement date. The deferral date becomes your new graduation date. This date is then also listed as your graduation date on the diploma.
The graduation date is important for your deregistration in Studielink, the tuition fees, and the public transport card
Graduation Ceremony
- Each year, one graduation ceremony per program is organised.
- When you are about to graduate you will receive an email with a link to a form where you can indicate if you want to come to the graduation ceremony. Everyone who graduates between September 2024 and August 2025 and indicates at the time of graduation that they would like to be present at the award ceremony of the respective programme will get an invitation. The graduation ceremony always takes place in the fall of the following academic year.
- You will receive the invitation to the ceremony in mid-September via the email address you provided. The invitation will include the location, the exact start and end time of the ceremony, and the number of guests you can bring to the ceremony.
The 2025 graduation ceremonies are scheduled for:
- Monday, 13 October: BA Theology and Religious Studies en BA Theology Joint Degree
- Thursday, 16 October: MA Theology and Religious Studies (1 year), RMA Theology and Religious Studies en MA Theology and Religious Studies (3 year)
Unsubscribing from the graduation ceremony
Did you register for the ceremony, but are unexpectedly unable to attend? Then please cancel as soon as possible by sending a response to the invitation email.
Diploma pick-up
- If you indicate that you will not be attending the graduation ceremony, you can pick up your diploma from the School’s Student Affairs Department between November and June. You will have to make an appointment for that. This can be done via a link you will receive by email. Please note you can only start making an appointment from mid-November 2025 onwards.
- You will be notified as soon as your diploma is ready for you.
- You can only make an appointment when you have received notice from us that your diploma is ready to be collected.
- Bring valid identification (driver's license, passport, or ID card).
You can make an appointment on one of the dates below in study year 2025-2026:
- Monday 24 November 2025
- Thursday 4 December 2025
- Monday 15 December 2025
- Friday 16 January 2026
- Monday 26 January 2026
- Friday 13 February 2026
- Monday 23 February 2026
- Thursday 19 March 2026
- Monday 30 March 2026
- Friday 10 April 2026
- Monday 20 April 2026
- Friday 8 May 2026
- Monday 18 May 2026
- Friday 12 June 2026
- Monday 29 June 2026
Please note you can only make an appointment if you have received an invitation from us to do so!
If you graduate between June and September, you will receive the invitation for an appointment after the graduation ceremony.
Receiving Diploma
After your graduation has been processed and sent to DUO, your physical diploma will be made. The diploma and the supplement with the grade list are prepared carefully. Before you can receive these documents, they need to be signed by the examination board. This can take several weeks, especially during the summer period. Therefore, you can only receive your physical diploma from the end of September if you graduate in June, July or August.
If you have indicated that you want to attend the graduation ceremony, you will receive your physical diploma during the official ceremony.
If you have indicated that you do not wish to attend a graduation ceremony, you can collect your diploma during a specially organised pick-up moment.
For both the graduation ceremony and the pick-up event, you will receive a personal invitation. Please note: you can only participate in the ceremony or the pick-up moment if you have received an invitation!
If you graduate in the months of June till September, you will receive the invitation for the next pick-up moment after the graduation ceremony.
Proof of graduation
Do you need a proof of graduation for applying to another study programme or for a job application? From the moment you have received a notification of graduation from VU Amsterdam you can download a digital copy via DUO diploma registry. This extract has the same value as the official diploma and is free of charge. If you don't have a DigiD, you can apply for a graduation statement here.
Graduation regulations summer 2025