By Immaculate Bazira
If you have finished your course and are excited about graduating next year (January 2025), it will help if you are aware of the procedure on what to do to get cleared so as to actually graduate. We share the steps you need to follow for both graduate and undergraduate students.
According to Mr. Daniel Kiganda, the registrar at Makerere University’s College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHUSS), particularly the School of Social Sciences, students can start the process of clearing for graduation because the process has been made easy.
A graduand tries on her gown before the 74th graduation earlier this year
“Previously, undergraduate students needed around 12 stamps but according to the new general clearance form, graduands need only two stamps and that is from the library and the financial department,” he says
As of last year, Mr Kiganda added, graduands can now even get their transcripts before they get conferred by the University Council so there is more reason to start the clearing process as early as possible. Certificates however can be issued only after about 6 months after graduation.
Below is the step by step process of clearing with the University as shared by the registrar.
Undergraduate process
You must have passed all your papers according to the graduation load you are supposed to do.
You must fulfill the financial obligations with the university. That is, you must clear all the tuition, functional relevant fees such as the National Council for Higher Education fee (Shs20,000 per year) and Uganda National Students Association fee (Shs2,000) per year for the entire duration of the course.
Graduation gown pick-up point
Once the administration puts out the graduation list, billing for graduation on the Academic Management System (ACMIS), an online portal is done. At that point a Ugandan / East African student gets an invoice that shows graduation fees that totals to about Shs110,000 and $160 for an international student. These are the fees included.
For a Ugandan/ Eas Student: For an International Student
Convocation UGX 10,000 US$10
Graduation UGX 40,000 US$60
Certificate UGX 30,000 US$30
Transcript UGX 30,000 US$30
In order for a student to pay the graduation fees, they must initiate a reference number with which they take to any bank to pay.
Payment of the graduation gown is an integral part of the requirements to be cleared to participate in the graduation ceremony. Ugandan students pay Shs90,000 while international students pay $30 for the graduation gown. Graduation gown fees ought to be paid directly to the Makerere University Endowment Fund (MakEF) DFCU Bank account number, 01083553520471.
The book bank or unit library (mini libraries at the colleges where students access reading resources) clearance is also required in case students have borrowed and retained books from the unit library. After clearance with the unit library They then proceed to clear with the main library. One cannot clear with the main library before having cleared with the unit library or book bank
Lastly, the undergraduate student is required to take the clearance form to the college registrar. This step applies to all colleges because the college registrar delivers the form to the examinations division of the academic registrar’s department. At the academic registrar’s department, they process and call files from the Records department who then send them to the Examination and Transcripts’ Division for printing of the transcripts. Once they print and record the transcripts, they send them to the respective college for issuance to the graduands.
A graduand picks up his gown ahead of his Graduation
Graduate process
You should have performed all the academic obligations
The College Registrar then works on your minutes, books (theses) and the results and ensures the student is eligible for their results to be in the system.
Your books must be ready. You must have done the Viva and the corrections and done the printing of the book to submit to the college.
Thereafter, you must present your financial statement, and duly recorded extensions (when the allotted time of the course has been exceeded) if any.
The college registrar then sends the books to the Directorate of Research and Graduate Training (DRGT).
You must also clear with the relevant book banks of your unit, and acquire a clearance note to be delivered to the main library for the second stamp.
You then proceed to the University Bursar who double checks and verifies that all academic and financial obligations are fulfilled.
You then deliver the form to the college registrar who then delivers it to DRGT which later sends the file to examinations division for printing and processing the letter of award.
Then they send the file to the Examinations Division to process the transcript.
It is only after this process, Mr Kiganda says, that a student is eligible to get all their academic documents from Makerere University.
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