All graduands are encouraged to attend one of the Graduation Ceremonies but attendance is not mandatory. As a UWI graduand, you are free to attend whichever campus’ Ceremony is most convenient to you – at Cave Hill (Barbados), Open Campus (country varies each year), Mona (Jamaica) or St. Augustine (Trinidad and Tobago). However, as an Open Campus graduand, we encourage you to attend the official Open Campus Graduation Ceremony.

The following grades may be assigned but shall not be used in the calculation of the Grade Point Average (GPA):

AB – Absent No Penalty;
AM – Absent Medical;
EC – Exemption with Credit;
EQ – Examination Query;
FM – Failed Medical;
I – Incomplete;
IP – In Progress;
LW – Late Withdrawal;
NFC – Not for Credit;
NP – Not Passed

The following shall count towards the GPA:

DIS – Disqualified;
EI – Examination Irregularity;
FA – Failed Absent;
FC – Failed Coursework;
FE – Failed Examination;
FP – Failed Practical;
FT – Failed Theory.

The following resources are suggested for applicants preparing for the ELPT:

Grammar Texts
Hodge, Merle (1997) The Knots in English: A Manual for Caribbean Users. Massachusetts: Calaloux Publications.

Wilson, Paige & Glazier, Teresa (2008) The Least You Should Know About English. 10/E Wadsworth.

Reading & Comprehension Texts
Milson-Whyte, Vivette (2003) English for Tertiary Level Study Guide. Mona, Kingston: Department of Language, Linguistics & Philosophy.

Morgan, Paula (1998) Language Proficiency for Tertiary Level. St. Augustine, Trinidad: UWIDEC.

Essay Writing Texts
Kirszner, Laurie and Stephen Mandell (2000) The Brief Holt Handbook 3rd ed. Fort Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers.

Simmons-McDonald, H., Fields, L. Roberts, P. (1997) Writing in English: A Course book for Caribbean Students. Ian Randle Publishers.

Online Support
Online Writing Lab (OWL) of Purdue University offers free resources on issues related to grammar, punctuation, general writing and practice exercises: http://owl.english.purdue.edu

Yes, if you are not in good financial standing with the University your transcript request will not be processed.

Yes, by indicating such on the Transcript Request Form. However, the ability to collect your transcript will vary depending on local COVID-19 Protocols in respective countries.

The Assessment Regulations for First Degrees, Associate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas and Certificates state that re-marking shall apply to coursework where a single component counts for 40% or more.

No. A candidate who has recorded a pass in a course will not be permitted to re-register for that course. Even if you did, only the grade from the first sitting is counted towards your GPA. The second sitting will be regarded as “not for credit (NFC)”.

No, the consultation is requested first and after this process has been completed, you may request the re-mark within two (2) days of the concluded consultation.

Yes, by indicating such on the Transcript Request Form. The third party collecting on your behalf must present a valid form of photo identification. However, the ability to collect your transcript will vary depending on local COVID-19 Protocols in respective countries.

No. The Examinations Timetable for Global Campus students is different from those for students at our sister campuses.

Make sure that the Examinations Timetable from which you take your schedule is the Global Campus Examinations Timetable. You should also make sure that the document indicates that it is the “FINAL TIMETABLE” and not a “DRAFT TIMETABLE”.

Request that the Examinations Section of the landed Campus forwards your grades/transcript to the Global Campus' Examinations Section, so that your GC record can be updated.

On successful completion of your programme your Certificate will be issued to you via your Site as follows:

For students completing their programme at the end of Semester 1, certificates are available from April 1.

For students completing their programme at the end of Semester 2, certificates are available from September 1.

For students completing their programme in the Summer, certificates are available from November 1.

A valid form of identification must be presented, that is a Driver’s License, Passport or National Identification Card in order to receive your certificate.

If you are unable to collect your certificate in person, it may be collected by a third party on your behalf. However, you must provide a letter of authorization, a valid form of identification and the individual collecting the certificate on your behalf must also possess a valid form of identification.

Certificates are only issued to graduates who are in good financial standing with the University.

You may seek permission from the Chair, Board of Examiners, through the Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards and Records, to register to write “Examinations ONLY” in course(s) without attending classes, in the following circumstances:

1. You have failed one or two of the final courses needed to complete the degree/certificate/diploma requirements and obtained a mark between 45-49%.
2. You have obtained a medical excuse, certified by the UWI Medical Officer, for not having attempted an examination and have passed the coursework component.
3. In exceptional circumstances, the Chair, Board of Examiners may grant a deferral for cases such as special assignments overseas for an employer, part-time students only, or by virtue of being selected to represent the country on a national team. In both instances, formal representation will have to be made by the employer/national association.

Note: In the case of item 1 above, Examination Only is marked out of 100%, i.e. no coursework is considered. The grade is simply based on the re-take of the final examination.

If permission is granted, you will be advised in writing and will need to pay the requisite fee.

You are required to register online via the link that is provided on the MYGC Student Portal under the 'Forms and Booklets: Registration' section. After completing the online registration form you are required to pay the fee of US$25.00, or its equivalent, either at the Bank or at the Open Campus Site in your country. Proof of payment must be presented at the Open Campus Site in order for you to write the test.

To apply for a re-mark of your examination script, you must complete the specified online application form. The form can be found on the MyGC Student Portal Dashboard. Please note that you must submit proof of payment of BDS$130.00 via email to exams@open.uwi.edu, before your request can be processed.

You should complete the appropriate Transcript Request Form, available online through the MyGC Student Portal. Payment for the transcript(s) may be made via the student Payment Gateway or through your local Site office and the request, along with proof of payment, should be emailed to transcripts@open.uwi.edu. Additional payment options are available on the request form. Requests for transcripts will not be processed if there is a financial hold on the candidate’s record.

Grades can be viewed either via the “View Grades” or “e-Transcript” links under the 'Exams and Academic History' section of the MyGC Student Portal dashboard. Further guidance in the form of a video can be obtained via the “How to view grades” link under the same section.

A student may withdraw from a course during the official registration period. Additionally, students may apply for late de-registration after the official registration period has ended but before the end of the 6th week of teaching. Withdrawals are not permitted once grades have been posted for the semester. If a student has documentable, extenuating circumstances, a petition may be submitted for review.

Withdrawing from course(s) after the deadline does not relieve the student from financial liability.

The GPA is calculated by dividing the total grade points earned by the total quality hours for courses in which the student has registered, excluding courses taken on a pass/fail basis, audited courses, preliminary courses, not-for-credit courses and courses for which the designation I or IP is awarded.

The Cumulative/Overall GPA is calculated based on both Levels I, II, and III courses, failures included, and the Degree GPA is calculated based on Levels II and III courses only, failures included. The Degree GPA determines the Class of Degree to be awarded.

When your grades are posted to your account, your transcript is automatically updated.

Transcripts are usually processed within five (5) working days of receipt of the request and proof of payment.

Usually two (2) hours in duration.

A non-refundable administrative fee of US$65.00 or its equivalent is payable for the re-mark to be processed.

The consultation is free of cost.

Students are notified of examination results via the “View Grades” link under the 'Exams and Academic History' section of the MyGC Student Portal.

A student with a permanent or temporary incapacity or disability may apply to the Campus Registrar for special arrangements to be made to accommodate such incapacity or disability in relation to any examination, including an oral examination and/or coursework.

The arrangement desired should be specified and must be accompanied by a Medical Report as proof of such incapacity or disability submitted to the Campus Registrar, through the Assistant Registrar of Assessment, Awards and Records at exams@open.uwi.edu.

Yes, we would do our best to accommodate once you advise the Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards and Records in good time before the Ceremony. Such a request must be made in writing and sent via email to exams@open.uwi.edu.

Once completion is officially declared by the Board of Examiners, students in good financial standing with the University receive Completion Letters via the Site office, for use until Certificates are available. Necessary instructions are included in the letter for guidance.

Candidates who are absent from an examination owing to a mis-reading of the timetable shall be liable to the normal penalties for absence, i.e. will receive a grade of FA – Failed Absent, from an examination and will have to await the next officially scheduled sitting to re-register and take the examination. Note that FA grades reduce your GPA.

Once accepted, the designated grade will be reflected on your record, e.g. AM – Absent Medical; FM - Failed Medical.

The transfer of coursework marks is not applicable to courses being assessed by 100% coursework assessment. For some courses in which you were unsuccessful overall or absent from the final examination, you are allowed to carry forward the coursework marks to your next sitting of the course. However, the following criteria must be met:

1. The assessment for the course must not have changed.
2. The value of the coursework must not have changed.
3. You must have a passing grade for the coursework.
4. You have never brought forward the coursework marks before.
5. The request must be approved by Academic Board.
6. The request must be made by the end of the second week of the semester.

To apply to carry forward your coursework mark, you must complete the online application form on the MYGC Student Portal dashboard. The Academic Board reserves the right to decline any request.

Coursework marks are valid for two (2) academic years only. You will receive written notification of the status of your request.

In cases of illness the student should present to the Campus Registrar, through the Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards and Records, a medical certificate/report as proof of illness, signed by the Medical Practitioner. The name of the Medical Practitioner with all contact information must be clearly printed and affixed to the certificate.

The medical diagnosis and the requested period of medical coverage must also be clearly stated on the form. Medical certificates which state “Mrs./Miss/Mr. X was unfit for work/school on x days”, provide an illness code, or simply state “for medical reasons” are not valid and will not be accepted. Please bring this to the attention of your doctor.

The student must submit the completed original Medical Certificate Form indicating the examination(s) missed to the Campus Registrar within seven (7) days from the date of the examination. The form is located on the MYGC Student Portal and must be fully completed by both the student and the medical practitioner. Late forms will not be accepted.

If you cannot report your special circumstance to the relevant Campus Registrar through the Senior Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards and Records, Open Campus, the Board of Examiners shall not take cognisance of, nor give consideration to it.

This is unacceptable. You should note that you can:

1. Have someone submit the medical on your behalf.
2. Email exams@open.uwi.edu advising that you have a medical but due to incapacitation you are unable to submit at the time stipulated.

Late medicals are not normally accepted.

If a student has documented, extenuating circumstances, a petition may be submitted for the attention of the Academic Board Sub-Committee on Student Matters. This may be done via email to abscsm@open.uwi.edu. To assist the process, please ensure to attach supporting documentation to allow the Committee to make an informed decision when considering the case.

You can view the available dates for the ELPT test on the Academic Calendar. This can be found at https://www.open.uwi.edu/registry/academic-calendar

Students can also see this information on the MYGC Student Portal dashboard. A link will be placed under the 'Announcements' section coming closer to the time of the exam.

Yes. However, the replacement documents shall be embossed with the words ‘Replacement’ and endorsed “the original of this document was issued on (date)”.

Graduates requesting replacement certificates may request same by completing and submitting the replacement form.

If you are unable to write examinations at the Open Campus Site at which you are registered, you must formally make a request to write them at another Open Campus Site.

To do this you must make the request to the Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards and Records, Open Campus, through your Site Head or Site Coordinator by completing the required form at https://goo.gl/forms/8FyoIm4vg0FKF8Sd2 at least 21 days ahead of your examination(s) to make sure that you can be accommodated.

There is a late application fee of US$30.00 or the equivalent in your local currency for requests made after this date and no later than one week before the start of the examination period. We cannot accommodate requests made less than 7 days before your examination.

Students failing to make requests in a timely manner and who are subsequently absent from their examinations will be subject to the usual penalties for absence and will be deemed to have failed the examination.

If you wish to take your written examinations at a location other than a UWI Examination Centre, you are required to identify a proctor at an accredited post-secondary institution such as a University, Community College or Technical Institute and your examination must be supervised by a professor or instructor or otherwise qualified person.

Alternately, you may take your examination at an Embassy or Consulate that offers proctoring services to international students. The proctoring institution must be able to communicate in English in order for your examinations to be facilitated.

It is the student’s responsibility to identify a suitable proctor 60 days in advance of the examination. To do this, you must complete an External Proctor Form found on the MYGC Student Portal and submit it to the Senior Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards and Records for evaluation and approval of the proctor.

The Global Campus’ Graduation Ceremony is no different from those at the other UWI campuses, other than it may be a Virtual Ceremony. The Global Campus joins the other campuses in hosting a University Ceremony for the Presentation of Graduates with all the usual ‘pomp and circumstance’ of the other campuses.

The UWI does not charge an examination fee; however, students are required to cover the cost of couriering their examination papers to the proctoring institution and the cost of returning their completed scripts to The UWI for marking. The cost of this courier service is US$120.00 and must be paid 30 days in advance of your examination.

Upon receipt of your request to be proctored externally, and as soon as your proctor is approved, you will be billed for the courier cost. You should access the payment gateway and make the payment at least 30 days before your examination.

Your examination cannot be sent off until your payment has been made. Under no circumstances will examination papers be couriered less than 10 days before the date of the examination. Students should therefore make their payments on time.

Yes, there is a formal rehearsal for the Graduation Ceremony, details of which will be made available on the graduation website, https://www.open.uwi.edu/graduation, at the appropriate time. Transportation will be provided for non-resident graduands to and from the rehearsal.

In addition, on the day of graduation The UWI Queue Personnel (Marshals) will direct you to designated areas for robing in The UWI graduation gowns and hoods and will provide you with the necessary instructions. You will be assembled according to your country and your programme.

Yes, verification/completion letters are provided to graduands who are in good financial standing with the University as proof of their qualification until the Certificates are received.

Participation in all official UWI graduation activities requires that you wear appropriate academic dress. The traditional gown and hood appropriate to your faculty must be worn.

Submit a certified copy of your Birth Certificate, via email, to the Recruitment, Admissions and Registration department, admissions@open.uwi.edu, requesting the office to make the change in accordance with the information being submitted.

Submit a certified copy of your Birth Certificate, via email, to the Recruitment, Admissions and Registration department, admissions@open.uwi.edu, requesting the office to make the change in accordance with the information being submitted.

All written final examinations have sessions scheduled either for the morning (9:00 a.m. EC), afternoon (1:00 p.m. EC), or evening (4:00 p.m. EC) and are two or three hours in duration. In some exceptional cases, examinations may be scheduled on public holidays.

Mid-semester examinations are usually held from 5:00 p.m. EC.

The process involves a student meeting with the Examiner to discuss the script. During the Consultation the Examiner may disclose the marks/grade. A student who has had a consultation may request to have his/her script re-marked by an Independent Examiner, who was not involved in the examination process for the course, within two (2) days of the concluded consultation.

Any student may apply for a re-mark of his/her examination script. A new and Independent Examiner shall be appointed to re-mark the script. The name of the independent examiner and campus of residence is not revealed. The mark of the Independent Examiner shall be regarded as the final mark, whether higher or lower.

The current cost for each replacement certificate is US$175.00. This fee cannot be waived.

The cost of a transcript is US$5.00, or its equivalent, per copy. There is a separate transcript for each programme taken and a separate cost. Transcripts requested for a UWI sister-Campus are free of cost.

An official transcript carries the official University stamp, seal and signature and the name and complete mailing address of the institution processing the transcript must be included. Official transcripts are issued directly to Organizations, Agencies and/or Institutions.

An unofficial/student transcript is neither stamped, sealed nor signed and is intended for a candidate’s personal use only.

The University Graduation Ceremonies, at all of The UWI campuses, are the official events where the Chancellor of the University acknowledges recipients of The UWI certificates. It is a formal activity over which the Chancellor presides and the University Council and Academic Staff of the University attend in their formal academic regalia. An Honorary Degree is awarded at this event.

At your local Open Campus Site’s Recognition Event, your Head of Site chairs the function and you will be recognized as a graduate of The UWI. It is held after the last University Graduation Ceremony where the Chancellor declares all those present and all those not present as graduates of The UWI.

Please contact your local Open Campus Site to verify that you are indeed on the graduation list. You are eligible to attend if you receive a letter indicating that you have completed your programme and you are in good financial standing with the University.

In order to be eligible for the award of a First Degree, Associate Degree, undergraduate Diplomas or Certificates all students shall have a minimum GPA of 2.00.

A student who is dissatisfied with the results of his/her examination may apply for a review of his/her results in writing to the Campus Registrar. Such an application must be made to the Campus Registrar on the prescribed online form within two weeks of publication of results, and in the case of the Supplemental, Summer Session or re-sit examinations within five days of the publication of results.

The form, located on the Student Portal, is temporarily opened to receive applications from the deadline date for the release of results for a given semester.

The options available in requesting a review are as follows:

1. Any student may apply for a consultation with the Examiner of his/her script but, where the student has passed the examination, the consultation shall be at the discretion of the examiner.
2. Any student may apply for a re-mark of his/her examination. A non-refundable administrative fee of US$65.00 or its equivalent is payable to the Office of Finance for the re-mark to be processed.

You are advised to visit the MYGC Student Portal and access the document “Things You Should Know Before You Take an Examination”. You should also familiarize yourself with the Student Copy of The UWI Assessment Regulations for First Degrees, Associate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas and Certificates also located on the MYGC Student Portal.

The UWI Assessment Regulations for First Degrees, Associate Degrees, Undergraduate Diplomas and Certificates can be accessed here: https://myopen.uwi.edu/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=bfbbf071-9661-4…

Promptly after the Board of Examiners meet at the end of each Semester to officially declare examination results. Completion letters are issued prior to the distribution of certificates.

Examinations begin at the end of each Semester. You are informed of the dates and times of written examinations by means of the Examinations Timetable published on the official Notice Board at your Site and on the web through the MYGC Student Portal Dashboard.

Please note that all grades have not been released. Unfortunately, I do not have the exact date that the remaining grades will be released. However, the Exams staff are working as quickly as possible to process all grades as they are received. Please continue to check your Student Portal for the release of your grades.

The Student Copy of the document is located on the MYGC Student Portal under the “Regulations/Academic/Additional Resources” section.

All graduate degree, undergraduate degree, associate degree, diploma and certificate candidates who have met the requirements of their programmes as of September of the year under review are eligible to participate in the Graduation Ceremony.

You can contact the Site Office or Campus where your photos were taken.

Yes, the official photographer, hired by The UWI Open Campus, will be photographing each graduate prior to the virtual graduation ceremony.

Yes. The UWI Open Campus Graduation Ceremony is usually streamed live on the Internet on Graduation Day. Please inform your family members to visit https://www.open.uwi.edu to get the link necessary to see the live streaming of the event.

No, you must have a student identification number before you can take the test.

The English Language Proficiency Test is usually held each Semester. Notice of the dates of the test are placed on the Campus’ website and the Student Portal.

Your ELPT result can be viewed on the Student Portal by clicking the “ELPT Test Score” link under the 'Exams and Academic History' section.

Yes, you can. As long as you know your student registration number, available on your Acceptance/Offer Letter, you just need to take your national identification card and you will be admitted to the examination room.

You will be required to contact your local Global Campus Site to verify that your name is on the graduation list. You are eligible to attend if you receive a letter indicating that you have completed your programme and you are in good financial standing with the University.

If you are planning to attend the Global Campus Graduation Ceremony, you must notify the Assistant Registrar, Assessment, Awards & Records, Global Campus by completing the online Graduation Reply Form found on the graduation website: https://www.open.uwi.edu/graduation/how-do-i-participate

No, UWI undergraduate and graduate certificates do not bear the name of any campus as certificates are issued by the University as a single institution. Your certificate will be from The University of the West Indies.