FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

FACULTY OF MEDICINE AND HEALTH SCIENCES PLEDGE CEREMONY

The pledge ceremony is arranged by the faculty where all new graduands can take the interprofessional Health Professional’s Pledge.

This is a pledge made in public to uphold the values of the faculty and the profession that they are joining. This pledge is one of the most important commitments made by an individual entering a health profession. Graduands’ participation in this ceremony allows them to make a commitment to be a health professional who respects people, cares for themselves and treats others with dignity, integrity and compassion.

Graduands will be invited to stand and read the pledge together with a senior health professional, whereafter they will sign the faculty’s pledge book.

The pledge book remains in the safe keeping of the faculty.

All graduands receive a copy of the pledge in the three official languages of the Western Cape, English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa, which they are welcome to sign afterward and keep.

Graduands who qualify for graduation for the undergraduate nursing, MBChB, health sciences programmes, as well as graduands of the HonsBSc (Biokinetics) programme may take the health sciences pledge. All health professionals attending the ceremony are also welcome to take the pledge with the new graduands.

Graduands listed above and their guests.

There are two ceremonies. The December Pledge Ceremony is for graduands who qualify for the December graduation and the March/April Pledge Ceremony is for graduands who qualify for the March/April graduation.

The Pledge Ceremony is held the day before the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences’ graduation ceremonies.

The December Pledge Ceremony is held at the Tygerberg Student Centre, Tygerberg Campus.

The March Pledge Ceremony is held at the JN De Villiers Auditorium, Clinical Building, Tygerberg Campus.

For the Pledge Ceremony only gowns are required.

For the Graduation Ceremony at Coetzenburg, gowns and hoods are required.

Graduands must hire their gowns and hoods directly from Dippenaar & Reinecke at telephone 012 343 2945/7 or e-mail: admin@diprei.com.

Dippenaar & Reinecke will have a stall on Tygerberg Campus for the collection of gowns and hoods (the venue is confirmed in the official communication to graduands preceding the Pledge Ceremony).

The return of gowns and hoods occurs at Dippenaar & Reinecke’s stall at Coetzenburg, Stellenbosch, following the graduation ceremony.

Official communication will be emailed to graduands from October onwards, for the December Pledge Ceremony, and from mid-February, for the March Pledge Ceremony.

You can also access the information on the dedicated Stellenbosch University Graduation website by clicking here.

An RSVP link will be made available on the official pledge ceremony invitation.

For the December Pledge Ceremony graduands can invite two (2) guests to attend the ceremony in the Tygerberg Student Centre.

Graduands are welcome to invite additional guests, who will be accommodated in the over-flow venue where guests can follow the proceedings via live streaming.

For the March pledge ceremony, four guests per graduand are allowed in the JN de Villers Auditorium. This is an in-person ceremony with no live streaming.

For the December Pledge Ceremony two tickets will be e-mailed to graduands as a Quicket-link a few days before the ceremony.

The tickets are for guests attending the ceremony in the TSC. Guests seated in the overflow venue do not require tickets.

For the March Pledge Ceremony, no tickets are issued for guests.

Please advise us as soon as possible of your cancellation of attendance. Please send an email to tygstudentadmin@sun.ac.za.

Yes, a pledge certificate can be emailed to you. Please send a request to tygstudentadmin@sun.ac.za.

Your name printed on the Pledge and Graduation Certificates is derived from the University’s Student Information System.

If your name is spelled incorrectly on your student profile, it will print incorrectly on the Pledge Certificate, as well as your Graduation Certificate.

It is each graduand’s responsibility to ensure that their name is spelled correctly on the University’s system. If you need to correct your details, please send an email to vbj@sun.ac.za.

Requests for changes must reach us 2 weeks before the graduation and pledge ceremonies.

Stellenbosch University’s official photographer will take photographs during the handing over of the scroll, as well as at the signing of the pledge book.

An order form will be sent to graduands via email after the ceremony.

Unfortunately, photographers hired by families cannot be accommodated during the ceremony. There will be time available after the ceremony for families and friends to take photos at the pledge book.