FAQ's

You need an alumni card to access the libraries on campus, and some other areas. If you’re planning a visit, simply complete this quick form – we print alumni cards twice a month and can get them ready for your visit.

Email us with your name, course studied and the year you graduated, and we'll find it for you.

Graduates can access our Colchester and Southend libraries for life – to set up your account, please bring your Alumni Card to the library information desk with proof of address and valid photo ID.

If you are a new user, register for an account. We will then verify your details and you can access the site. If you already have a username but can't remember your log in details or password, contact us so we can reset it for you. Otherwise, if you know your details, you can log in.

Essex uses an online verification and reference programme called HEDD, this is the quickest way for you to verify your studies.

If you have any questions about using HEDD, contact the Graduation and Awards team at award-docs@essex.ac.uk or on 01206 872174.

If you require a personal reference, please contact your department directly. If you're not sure how to contact your department, email the alumni team and we'll pass on your request. 

For alumni document requests eg your certificate, replacement orders or external award verification requests please contact our colleagues directly: award-docs@essex.ac.uk

If your query relates to a transcript or certificate from 2017 onwards, this can now be accessed online as your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) via your GradIntelligence account. More details about HEAR can be found at: https://www.essex.ac.uk/student/awards-and-achievements/hear

However, if it relates to a transcript or certificate prior to 2017, you can order replacement or additional award document copies online: https://www1.essex.ac.uk/alumnidocuments

The Graduation and Awards Team manage all award documentation requests for alumni and can be contacted via email award-docs@essex.ac.uk or phone 01206 872174

The university is classed as an open campus – so you are free to walk around the campus anytime. If your visit is during our normal working hours and you would like to have a tour, we’d love to arrange for one of our team to meet with you, show you around and let you know what has been happening on campus since you were last here.

Alternatively, we have a self-guided campus tour that can be downloaded straight to your phone. Some parts of campus may require verification that you are a member of the university. Members are staff, students or alumni, and verification is via a photo card. Make sure you apply for your alumni card if you haven’t already got one – we can have it ready and waiting for you when you arrive. We’ve also got a few suggestions of things that you might like to do while you’re back on campus.

Our beautiful on-site hotel, Wivenhoe House, are now offering a 15% discount for graduates – use promo code UOE_ALUMNI at checkout to take advantage of this great offer.

Please contact our colleagues directly at graduation@essex.ac.uk.

Find out ways to get involved and register your interest – we’ll be in touch.

Take the first step and spend a couple of minutes sharing your story.

Your experience at Essex, career journey and life story can inspire current and prospective students, as well as fellow alumni. You could be featured in the prospectus or in social media campaigns celebrating the stories of our diverse global alumni community (always with your permission).

While we can’t share contact details for fellow graduates due to GDPR regulations, we do offer a Friend Finder service where we try to reconnect alumni. Send us an email with as much information as possible about the person you are trying to get in touch with (name at time of graduation, subject studied, year of graduation).

We'll check to see if we hold current contact details for them. If we do, we can send them an email or letter on your behalf and can include a personal message from yourself by way of re-introduction. We'll also need your written consent that you are happy for us to share your contact details with them.

You can also join our Facebook group. It has over 6,500 members and may help in your search.