Student Record Cards

UMA holds the student records in the form of cards for students enrolled at University of Melbourne dating from the university's inception in 1853 up until 1986.

Access is permitted under the following conditions:

  • If the last date on the card is over 75 years ago: a scan of both sides of the card will be provided
  • Less than 75 years: written permission of the former student or their next of kin, or proof of death (such as a published obituary) required
  • No permission or proof of death obtained: UMA can confirm some details, such as degree conferred and date, but cannot provide a scanned card

  • Place an online request through Aeon, the Reading Room’s request management system. Select the Student Card Request Form.

    Scans of student record cards are provided by email – there is no need to attend the Reading Room.

  • Information recorded on student cards began to be compiled shortly before World War I in response to requests for confirmation of results or other reasons. In the late 1970s, a staff member worked systematically through all available primary records (Matriculation Roll, Examination Books and Degree Book) held by Student Administration.  The cards can show, full name, enrolment number, subjects passed in public examinations, date of signing the Matriculation Rolls, subjects enrolled for with results, years of completing each stage of the course, dates of conferrings, exhibitions and prizes and (on later cards) date of birth. The amount of information on each card can vary.

    After 1986 student records have been retained electronically.

  • Most students who studied at the University of Melbourne can be found in the “main series” of student cards, compiled from existing University records: [UMA-SRE-19880051] Student record cards to 1957 and [UMA-SR-000002564] Student record cards 1958-1986.

    For some disciplines, however, students may only appear in a separate series of student cards created and maintained by their faculty or affiliated institution:

    If Archives and Special Collections staff can’t find a person’s record in the sets of student cards above, it generally indicates that this person did not study at the University of Melbourne.

    A small number of students may not be represented in the records held at Archives, particularly if they were studying a single subject or not formally enrolled at the University. Faculty and institution-specific card sets may also not encompass the complete date range that this place of study operated.

    Researchers can also consult the University of Melbourne calendars collection for further confirmation of students who completed their degree at the University. Each volume lists graduates from the previous year in a section typically titled “degrees conferred”.

  • For example, B.A. = Bachelor of Arts

  • The detail on student cards is primarily about coursework degrees at Undergraduate level. Higher degrees undertaken principally by research, such as Masters and Doctorate may only be recorded on the card with a date for conferral. If you wish to find a copy of a person’s thesis, please consult Minerva Access.  Not all theses are included in the catalogue, contact the Reading Room for assistance.

  • PPass 
    P E (capital ‘E’ smaller than the ‘P’)meaning unknown 
    N Failed 
    AbsAbsent (did not sit examination) 
    W Passed well (only used in matriculation results)
    H Passed with HonoursH1 = First Class Honours; H2 = Second Class Honours;H2A, H2B = Second Class Honours, A or B Division; H3 = Third Class Honour
    Cl. (placed on the Class List -Passed with Honours) 
    S/s Single subject enrolment (not part of the candidate’s degree program) 
    CS Civil Service Examination, which ran in conjunction with the matric examination from c.1870 
    Enrolment number, e.g. 18780026 26th person enrolled in 1878; later, only the last two digits of   the year were entered, e.g. 050026 
    Matriculation Roll number, e.g. 30 thirtieth person to sign the matriculation roll 
    Matriculation Roll date Date signed, not the date on which qualified to matriculate. The roll  was usually signed when the person enrolled as an undergraduate at University.  The matriculation rolls are collection 1992.0107 and may be accessed by request. 
    ‘Remarks’ section on obverse, below date of signing Matric rollMay contain something like ‘4th Term 1904’: the date when the person completed the requirements to be eligible to matriculate. Number on degree line, e.g. B.A. 35 = 35th person to be awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree from Melbourne 
    'Ordinary Examination’not an Honours Examination 
    ‘C.R.T.S.’Commonwealth Reconstruction Training Scheme [a scheme initiated during WWII to provide financial assistance to ex-service and other students starting or returning to university studies, especially in the immediate postwar years 
    C.T.’ (as in ‘B.A. as C.T.’) Certificated Teacher of   the Education Department (and subject to certain Regulations, to be found in UniversityCalendars) 
    Abbreviations of sources referred to in the Remarks section Cl. Min.’ = Council minutes; ‘PB Min’ or ‘PB’ = Professorial Board minutes; Fac. Min. = faculty minutes

  • A degree ad eundem (of the same rank) recognises qualifications earnt elsewhere and confers academic standing. The notation ‘a.e.g.’ on student cards refers to this recognition.

    Honorary degrees and other honors gained after graduation are rarely noted on student cards.  Usually considered as an award, an honorary degree is given without any of the usual requirements. Typically a doctorate or, less commonly, a master's degree, these degrees are known by the phrases honoris causa (for the sake of the honour) or ad honor em (to the honour).

    All honorary degrees awarded by the University of Melbourne are listed here

  • [UMA-SR-000001780] Minute books of Council record the proposals for both ad eundem and honoris causa degrees and the volumes up to 1901 can be found online in the UMA catalogue.

    [UMA-SRE-19920107] Matriculation Roll Books, vols 1-3: degrees granted ad eundem from the 1850s-1944

    [1997.0063] Extracts from minutes of Professorial Board Extracts from minutes of Professorial Board February 1855-December 1861 and from minutes of Council February 1856-March 1895, concerning Ad Eundem degrees: applications, decisions, statutes etc. From p.501 are notes on various universities, what courses are recognized, etc.

    [UMA-SRE-20000191] Minutes of the Veterinary Science Credentials Committee. In October 1964 the Veterinary Science Faculty established a Credentials Committee to consider ad eundem applications and evaluate credits sought for previous subjects. It comprised the Dean, ex officio, plus three other members. This accession is comprised of Credentials Committee minutes, 1967-1972

  • If you publish a student card, please include an acknowledgement of the University of Melbourne Archives as the source. Information about citing archives can be found here.

For more recent records, please contact STOP 1.

The cards are not a formal transcript, nor proof of qualification.  For these types of  records, refer to results and academic statements.