Certificates, award verification and transcripts

Oxford Brookes University is a higher education institution that is authorised by statute to award its own degrees, certificates and diplomas at undergraduate and postgraduate level. Oxford Brookes achieved its status of “University” from the Further and Higher Education Act 1992.

Student Records and Curriculum Management is responsible for the production and dispatch of award certificates for enrolled and registered students.

Certificates are posted to the students' correspondence address on Student Information. If there is no correspondence address registered on Student Information, the home address will be used. Certificates will be dispatched via Royal Mail tracked service, within twelve weeks of the date that the award was conferred (ie the examination committee date). It is the student's responsibility to ensure that the correspondence/home address is correct on Student Information prior to leaving the University.

There are a few exceptions to the general dispatching of certificates. In the case where a course leading to an Oxford Brookes University award is being managed by a host institution, there may be an agreement that the award certificates are sent to the host institution and they arrange for the award certificates to be dispatched to the graduates.

Certificates are normally posted out via recorded delivery or international signed for delivery within three months of the award date. If your certificate has not arrived within four months of your award date, please contact us.

We are unable to track postage after six months. If you contact us after six months of your award date, and your certificate has not been returned to Student Central, an application for a re-issued certificate will need to be made. This will incur a charge.

The University can reissue certificates to students who studied at Oxford Brookes University from 1992 onwards and who have lost their original certificate.

To request and pay for a replacement certificate, please go to the Student Central online shop. If you are an ACCA graduate, please go to the ACCA online shop.

For information regarding Oxford Polytechnic awards prior to 1992 or for Westminster College, please see below and look at Regulations for Study.

Student Central can certify photocopies of your original award certificate.

You will receive three certified hard copies. Please place your order by going to the Student Central online shop. If you are an ACCA graduate, please go to the ACCA online shop.

Once you have paid you will need to email us a good quality scan of your award certificate- we do not accept photos, along with your order number. The scan needs to be emailed to our online shop email address (amo-onlineshop@brookes.ac.uk) with your order number in the subject line.

Student Central does not hold copies of your certificate - if you have lost your original you will need to request a re-issue certificate from our online shop.

All requests for verification of awards and dates of attendance are now processed by Higher Education Degree Datacheck (HEDD). HEDD is UK Higher Education’s official service for candidate verification and university authentication. HEDD is for employers, agencies, universities, embassies and councils who wish to verify whether a candidate is a current or past student of a university or college, the award and grade they received, and their dates of attendance.

To create an account and submit a request for verification, please visit the HEDD website.

Please note that any qualification achieved prior to 1992 must be verified by going to 'Validation' on the The Open University website rather than using HEDD.

Student Records and Curriculum Management keep returned award certificates for one year before they are destroyed. We will not automatically resend certificates. Students who have not received an award certificate within the timescale detailed previously should contact studentrecords@brookes.ac.uk. If the certificate has been returned, arrangements can be made to re-send the award certificate. This may incur a charge.

Your official name

The name must be your official name, including your middle name(s), and must match formal documentation such as your birth certificate or your passport.

Name on certificate

Oxford Brookes University issues one certificate for each award conferred on an individual student.

The name used on the certificate will be the name recorded on the University's student records system at the time of conferment. A student's name cannot be amended on either the University's student records system or on the award certificate once the award has been conferred at the examination committee unless there are exceptional circumstances. 

You must email Student Records and Curriculum Management from your Oxford Brookes email account and explain your exceptional circumstances so that we can consider your request: 

• If you are an on-campus or distance learning student, you must email studentrecords@brookes.ac.uk.
• If you are studying at one of our collaborative partners, you must email partnershiprecords@brookes.ac.uk.

If the request is accepted within six months of the award date, you will be issued a new certificate free of charge.

Name error corrections during your studies

If your name has been incorrectly recorded on your student record, such as a typographical error, you should provide evidence of your exact name details by way of your birth certificate or passport. 

• If you are an on-campus or distance learning student, you must email studentrecords@brookes.ac.uk.
• If you are studying at one of our collaborative partners, you must email partnershiprecords@brookes.ac.uk.

If you have British nationality or a settled status confirmed by the UKVI, the University requires a copy of your passport as evidence of your name change. For students who require a visa to study in the UK, it is particularly important that the University’s record of your name matches the name on your passport.

Legal name during your studies (degree certificates, transcripts)

If you wish to change the formal, legal name held by Oxford Brookes University, please email the Registry from your Oxford Brookes email account providing the name currently on your record, your student number and the legal name you now wish to use.

• If you are an on-campus or distance learning student, you must email studentrecords@brookes.ac.uk.
• If you are studying at one of our collaborative partners, you must email partnershiprecords@brookes.ac.uk.

You will also need to provide a copy of evidence that confirms your new legal name. 

If you have British nationality or a settled status confirmed by the UKVI, appropriate documentary evidence to support a request to change your name on your student record could include:

• Marriage certificate / civil partnership certificate and decree absolute / final order (for name changes following marriage / civil partnership or divorce / ending a civil partnership)
• Deed poll (or change of name deed)
• Birth certificate
• Gender recognition certificate
• Passport
• Driving licence

For students who require a visa to study in the UK, it is particularly important that the University’s record of your name matches the name in your passport therefore you will need to submit your passport as your supporting evidence.

An award certificate is an official document, for the use of a third-party, to verify that an award has been conferred on an individual. Award certificates include a number of security measures in order to protect the value of the certificate.

• Award certificates include the following information:
• Date award was conferred
• Name of student who has received the award
• Type of award, ie award, posthumous award, honorary award
• Title of the award (Inclusion of an oral distinction in the relevant language, if applicable)
• Classification if applicable

Award certificates do not include detailed information relating to individual subjects and marks or an overall mark. An award transcript provides this detailed information, which can be obtained from Student Central.

Oxford Polytechnic awards were validated by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). The CNAA no longer exist but their records are held by the Open University Validation Services. Students should go to their CNAA Pro-Forma Verification page for information on how to proceed, and to download the appropriate forms.

Exceptions to the above are the Polytechnic Diplomas which were awarded by Oxford Polytechnic itself. Replica certificates are not available however the University can provide a verification of your award, subject to the availability of records, on a new certificate. Contact Student Central (studentcentral@brookes.ac.uk).

Applications for BTEC certificates awarded in 1992 and before must be made to Pearson Qualifications. Students should go to Pearson Qualifications and use the online form.

Please see the Regulations for Study for further details.

Westminster College, Oxford, merged with Oxford Brookes University in 2000 to create the Westminster Institute of Education. Awards made in 1978 and before were validated by the Oxford Delegacy who no longer exist. Replacement certificates are not available, however the University can provide a verification of your award subject to the availability of records. Contact Student Central (studentcentral@brookes.ac.uk). 

Awards made between 1979 and 1992 were validated by the Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA). The CNAA no longer exist but their records are held by the Open University Validation Services. Please visit this page to apply for a certificate.

Awards made in 1992 onwards were validated by the University of Oxford. Students should go to the Oxford University website and follow the directions on how to proceed.

The BA Contemporary Studies degree which ran between 1995-2000 was validated by the Open University Validation Services. Students should go to the Validation Services website for information on how to proceed, and to download appropriate forms.

Please see the Regulations for Study for further details.

Within six weeks of the date that your award is conferred (ie the examination committee date) we will email you a link to your official transcript, so keep an eye on your Oxford Brookes and personal email account for this link. If you wish to purchase a hard copy transcript you can do so via the Student Central online shop. If you are an ACCA graduate, please go to the ACCA online shop.

If your transcript link has not arrived within six weeks of your award date, please contact us and we will arrange for the link to be resent to you.

If your award date is in 2020 or before, please note that we cannot resend you a link to the free transcript. Instead, you will need to purchase a copy of the transcript from the Oxford Brookes Online Shop.

You can request an electronic or a physical, printed transcript at any time during or after your studies, which will incur a fee. Please visit the Student Central online shop and follow the instructions. If you are an ACCA graduate, please go to the ACCA online shop.