What is the meaning of a provisional certificate?
If you have just finished your course, the provisional is often the first paper you get. It says you met the course rules and that the formal award is still to come.
The degree is the award itself. It comes into being when it is conferred at convocation, a ceremony most universities hold once a year. Until then, the provisional is your proof that you finished.
The two papers do different jobs. The provisional covers the gap between your results and the ceremony. The degree is the record you keep for life. In the months between the two, the provisional is the paper you will show.
- ProvisionalShows you finished the course, while the award is still to come.
- DegreeThe award itself, given at the ceremony, often months later.
What the degree adds
The 2020 UGC rules do not cover the provisional, so what it shows is up to each college. The degree is different. The rules set what it must carry, and that is what makes it the stronger record.
So when the degree comes, check that these details are on it. They are the parts a provisional may not have.
- Its own IDA unique ID number, your photo and your Aadhaar or other ID, under Regulation 16(1).
- The backHow you studied, when you joined and finished, and where you sat exams, under Regulation 16(2).
How long a provisional certificate lasts
No UGC rule sets how long a provisional stays good. In fact, the 2020 UGC rules do not cover it at all. So the only sure answer is what your own college prints on it. Read it before you need it.
The wait for the degree has a plain cause. Most Indian universities hold the ceremony once a year, so a gap of six to eighteen months is normal. No UGC rule sets a deadline. If your provisional has an end date, ask the college in writing what happens if the ceremony falls after it.
If it has no end date, keep it safe until the degree comes. If it has one, put that date in your diary.
Where a provisional certificate is accepted
You will often hear that a provisional is no good for jobs. That is wrong. WES asks for the degree or the provisional. Anna University's office checks either one for a visa or for joining a firm.
A firm may still ask for the final degree before it confirms you. That is its own policy, not the law.
Bring every year's marksheets with it. The provisional says you finished. The marksheets show what you studied and how you did.
| Purpose | What happens |
|---|---|
| Joining a company | Verification cells check it, though an employer may ask for the degree |
| Visa | Verification cells check it for visa purposes |
| Evaluation abroad, such as WES | Accepted, with every year's marksheets sent by the university |
| Admission to further study | Set by the college you apply to, so ask it |
| Government job verification | Widely accepted; the notice for the post decides |
Sources: WES, Anna University verification cell
If an employer insists on the degree
Some firms will not confirm a new hire without the final degree. That is their policy, and you cannot argue it away. You can make the gap easy for them to accept.
- Ask what it accepts, and by whenGet the answer in writing, with a date.
- Show the provisional with your marksEvery year's marksheets, so the record is complete.
- Give the convocation dateAsk your college for it in writing and pass it on.
- Offer a check through the collegeIts verification office checks a provisional for joining a firm.
Using a provisional for further study
Admission to another course is set by the college you apply to. Ask it in writing whether it will take a provisional, and what it wants by when.
If you move to a different university, you may also need a migration certificate. At the University of Delhi it costs ₹500 within ten years of your last exam, and ₹1,000 after. It is a paper for joining another university, not for a job.
If a PhD is your plan, note that a PhD cannot be taken online or by distance. The college that admits you sets the rest of the rules.
Using a provisional abroad
An evaluator such as WES does not make you wait for the degree. It takes the provisional, as long as the rest of the set comes with it, sent by the college.
Order the sealed set early, since each one takes time to arrive.
- Sealed by the collegeThe provisional and every year's marks, sent by the college, not by you.
- Your bachelor's papersA master's cannot be assessed without them.
- AttestationSome countries also want an apostille or attestation, done on the paper.
From provisional certificate to degree
Most of the wait can be managed. The step people miss is the payment, because paying for the ceremony, not going to it, is what gets the degree issued.
Some colleges give no choice about going. Pondicherry University's distance unit posts the degree to its distance students instead of handing it over at the ceremony.
- Watch for the noticeIt goes to the email on your student record, so keep that up to date.
- Sign up and pay the feeAt IGNOU it is ₹600 for a master's, whether you go or not.
- Go, or get it by postWhere your college gives the choice. Some only post it.
- Check the degree when it comesName, course, dates, and the details on the back.
If the wait runs long
A long wait is normal, but a few habits keep it from costing you.
Keep the provisional safe as well. Until the degree arrives, it is the paper most checks will ask for.
- Keep your marksFirms that assess degrees want every year's marks with the provisional.
- Ask in writingIf your provisional has an end date, ask what happens after it.
- Do not miss the windowMost hold the ceremony once a year, so a missed payment means a year's wait.
Check the provisional the day you get it
A mistake on the provisional is easy to fix early and slow to fix later. Read it against your ID and your marksheets as soon as it comes, and ask for any fix in writing.
- Your nameSpelled exactly as on your ID and your admission papers.
- The courseThe full title, as on your admission letter.
- Any end dateIf there is one, ask what happens if the ceremony comes later.
Questions to ask your college
Five questions, asked in your last term, take most of the doubt out of the wait. Ask by email so you have the answers on record.
- When will the provisional be issued?And how: by post, by email or from the office.
- Does it carry an end date?And what happens if the degree comes after it.
- When is the next convocation?And what the fee is, if it is not in your course fee.
- How will the degree reach me?In person, by post, or both, and from which office.
- Will the degree go to NAD?If it does, you can fetch it into DigiLocker later.
