THE University of Guyana wishes to clarify the technically incorrect headline appearing in a local newspaper dated November 19, 2020, titled, ‘UG fails to certify graduates over a year’.
This is not factual. All UG graduates are generally certified within three months of their final exams. This confusion stems from the inappropriate use of the word, certify, in the context of the article. The University is, therefore, asking the public to kindly note the difference between certification for a programme of study at UG, and collection of certificates. A student who has successfully satisfied the requirements for a programme of study is certified, and, therefore, deemed a graduate of the University of Guyana.

Collection of certificates, on the other hand, refers to the issuance of the official document that proves that one is a graduate of the university. In order for a certificate to be issued, clearance must be made with the Faculty, Bursary and Library; graduation fees must be paid, and reading room tickets and graduation gowns returned, if issued. The graduate should also not be indebted to UG. Thereafter, clearance is automated via the Students Records Management System (SMRS), and certificates can then be generated for release. There are also other ways for the University to provide graduates with proof of their competed studies; for example, through the issuance of Transcripts and Letters of Completion. UG, in October 2020, broke with its 57-year-old tradition of handing certificates directly to graduates upon clearance, and began mailing certificates by registered mail. However, graduates must request this service, and verify their mailing addresses in the SRMS, before this can be triggered. The University is, once again, advising all graduates who require their documents now to use the avenues made available to them, and to allow a 10 to 15 working days for processing.