Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement

The Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement (AHEGS) provides information on a student's higher education qualification, the institution at which the qualification was obtained and the Australian higher education system in one easy to read document.

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Guidelines for the presentation of an AHEGS were developed in consultation with the higher education sector to provide information for institutions intending to implement the AHEGS. These guidelines define the principles of the AHEGS in terms of its purpose, relationship to other documentation, content and style, issuing and authentication.

It is recommended that these guidelines be read in conjunction with the Proposal for an Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement – Final Report. Pages 10 and 11 of the proposal outline the Guiding Principles for the AHEGS. It is essential that these Guiding Principles are followed when developing the AHEGS.

Important Information for Higher Education Providers

Please contact the department at AHEGS@education.gov.au prior to implementing the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement. Use of the words and logo is licensed to the Department and you must enter into a licence deed prior to issuing Statements. The licensing process is free of charge.

History of the AHEGS

In 2007 a consortium of universities was commissioned to develop a single agreed template for an Australian version of the European Diploma Supplement. The consortium represented 14 universities and in May 2008 delivered a proposal for the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement. Key recommendations from the report were that the Graduation Statement be provided without cost to all higher education graduates and that implementation of the AHEGS in Australian universities be on a voluntary basis commencing as soon as possible.

On 4 September 2008 it was announced that the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement would be introduced "...to make Australian qualifications recognised and renowned throughout the world". The Australian Government committed $3.7 million to assist publicly funded universities to implement the Graduation Statement. Australian universities were invited by the Australian Government to apply for grants of $100,000 to assist in the implementation of the Graduation Statement.

In October 2011, the Department revised the AHEGS to reflect changes to the Australian higher education system. Section 5 of the AHEGS - Description of the Australian Higher Education System - was revised in January 2013 and in December 2020 to reflect changes to the AQF.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Frequently Asked Questions document provides a series of frequently asked questions and answers on the Australian Higher Education Graduation Statement and is regularly reviewed.

If you should require Rich Text File versions of any of the above documents, please contact the Department via the AHEGS mailbox at AHEGS@education.gov.au.