Graduation ceremonies cancelled in 2020

We’d like to share some further information following on from this week's announcement about the cancellation of graduation ceremonies in 2020, and what measures we are taking to celebrate this important milestone for our completing students.

We are following the Universities Australia principles and protocols for reducing the risk of COVID-19 at universities, which recommends restriction of large gatherings of people, and the advice of government and health authorities in each state and territory where our campuses are.

The safety and wellbeing of our community is our greatest priority, which is why we have decided to cancel our graduation ceremonies. With the escalating restrictions and health and safety risks presented by COVID-19, cancelling ceremonies was the only responsible decision for the health of our graduates, their families, our staff and our communities.

The fluctuating limitations on gatherings, border closures and restrictions across our ceremony venues has severely impacted all facets of graduation day and reduced capacity by up to 80 per cent.

This announcement aligns with decisions across the higher education sector to cancel events for the remainder of 2020.

The Graduations Office is working on alternative on-campus professional photography opportunities to allow graduates to have photos in academic regalia with their loved ones. These on-campus photography sessions are planned for late 2020 in Ballarat, Brisbane, Canberra, Melbourne and Sydney. More information will be shared with graduates in September as these events are also subject to evolving public health orders.

If students come to you with enquiries, please direct them to the graduations section of our COVID-19 student FAQs page or the team at AskACU.