UKZN hosts virtual graduation ceremony

The University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) will host a virtual ceremony for its cohort of graduands on Friday, 29 May 2020, at 1:30pm.

The decision to host a virtual graduation has been made in accordance with the national lockdown and social distancing regulations to safeguard all South Africans from contracting COVID-19 (coronavirus).

The university's annual graduation ceremonies are at the heart of the academic calendar. For graduands, it is their proudest moment - a joyous and grand occasion shared with peers, family and friends. Although we are unable to host a traditional physical graduation ceremony, we are elated at the opportunity to gather in a virtual space and celebrate in a new and unconventional way.

The virtual ceremony will entail the conferring of qualifications on graduands who have succeeded in fulfilling their academic requirements and whose names appear on the graduation programme. The virtual ceremony will feature an address by UKZN's Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Professor Nana Poku and congratulatory messages by four Deputy Vice-Chancellors.

The event will be broadcast live on SABC3 (DSTV Channel 193) on Friday, 29 May 2020, at 1:30pm. Graduands will join via the link: https://virtualgraduation.ukzn.ac.za/. This link will only be active and accessible on Friday.

UKZN has also partnered with Ukhozi FM on its special graduation programme, which will be broadcast between 12pm and 3pm on the day.

The university is proud to announce it will be conferring a total of 9 963 degree certificates, 6 505 of which will be awarded to undergraduate recipients and 3 458 to post-graduates. There are 414 masters' (thesis) and 228 doctoral graduands.

Overall, there are 104 summa cum laude and 270 cum laude graduands.

As has been the trend in previous years, women graduands continue to excel, with women making up 70% of the summa cum laude graduands and 67% of the cum laude graduands.

The university is especially proud of the achievements of 80 graduands with disabilities, 31 of whom have completed post-graduate studies. Two exceptional achievers will graduate with PhDs and six with masters' degrees.

There are 276 international graduands, 217 of whom will graduate with post-graduate certificates.

Overall, 1 609 degrees will be conferred in the College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science, 5 087 in the College of Humanities, 2 254 in the College of Law and Management Studies, and 1 013 in the College of Health Sciences.