‘I’ve lost two job offers’: UoN students on the delayed graduation certificates

Hard-copy certificates might not be sent out until September


The University of Nottingham has delayed providing graduation certificates for the Class of 2021, which students say has cost them job offers and is putting their further study at risk.

With the already devastating news that graduations will be postoned until 2022, the delay in receiving certificates has been yet another blow.

The Class of 2021, who received their degree classifications on 15 July and officially finished on 4 August, are yet to all receive their official documentation. Some students say they understood that e-certificates would be sent out on the day of graduation. However, it became apparent this was not the case with all students’ inboxes remaining empty on the day. Then the uni said they were aiming to send them all by 18 August — before apologising when this did not happen.

The Tab Notts spoke to some of the grads affected by this delay. Here’s what they had to say:

‘I have lost two job offers as a result of the delays’

Cheyenne was planning planning on teaching in South Korea but claims that both of her offers were withdrawn, saying they could not wait any longer for her certificate as the teaching semester had already began.

“UoN’s communication has been nothing short of awful. Once again students are being forced to simply accept the decisions made, even if it jeopardises our future careers and plans,” Cheyenne said, reflecting upon the situation.

‘There is a risk my student finance for my masters will be delayed, which I am completely dependent on’

“I’m doing a PGCE with another university and my first day is 31 August. It’s now 11 August and I still can’t prove my degree,” says Jess.

Jess told The Tab Notts that she has no clue when her certificate will arrive and now has to explain to her new university why she hasn’t submitted a certificate when everyone else has.

“The later I submit it, the more risk there is that my student finance will be delayed, which I am completely dependent on. I’m stressed, upset and angry. I was offered a letter of confirmation if my certificate doesn’t arrive on time, but I have to pay for it,” she added.

‘I now have 10 days left to provide a degree certificate’

Emily says that she has only 10 days left to provide a degree certificate or else she will lose the MA place that she worked so hard to get.

“We’re constantly pushed to meet deadlines throughout our university life, and yet the institution itself has failed to meet the deadline to send us a digital certificate. We haven’t received any communication about it,” she said.

“Seeing other universities provide certificates on time, while witnessing my own friends lose out on opportunities due to Nottingham’s poor organisation and communication has been nothing short of utterly disappointing and upsetting.”

‘The only barrier to me registering on my masters course is the lack of certificate’

Hannah is hoping to start a masters at the University of Birmingham, however, says that the only barrier to her registering on her masters course is the lack of a certificate.

“Despite several emails back and forth, the university simply won’t accept responsibility for the delay. You would have thought that they could have started prepping certificates back in July when we received classifications,” she said.

“I’m really unhappy with the fact that we are regularly fobbed off by the university. They haven’t provided adequate support all year, so to end on this note is extremely poor as these certificates are crucial for those of us applying for postgraduate courses or jobs.”

Email sent by The English ESE Team after an individual asked for information

Upon reaching out for comment, the university confirmed that students who urgently require their certificates for visas or employers can now use the duplicate certificate service. This service comes at a cost, however, the university says these students will be reimbursed.

A University of Nottingham spokesperson said: “We have been emailing e-certificates to 9,000 graduates as planned, but have temporarily halted the service while we address technical issues. We are extremely sorry for the delay in issuing certificates and for any resulting anxiety or inconvenience.

“We will resume the service as soon as possible. In the meantime, summer 2021 graduates who need certificates urgently for employers or visas can use our online duplicate certificate service. While this is a charged service, we will reimburse graduates who need to use this for urgent certificates at this time.”

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