Degree Certificate Not Issued by Your University? Use RTI to Get the Status and Reasons
If your university has not issued your degree (or is sitting on your application for it) months after you qualified, an RTI makes the examination/degree section answer on record: the status of your certificate, the reason for the hold, and the officer responsible. Universities are public authorities under the RTI Act (private deemed universities are covered to the extent they are substantially financed or controlled - state universities and central universities clearly are).
Try these official channels first
Try the university's own route first - your RTI is stronger for it. (1) Apply to the Examinations / Convocation section in writing (or on the university's student portal) for the degree certificate, and keep the acknowledgement. (2) Check whether a convocation (in-person or in-absentia) application and fee are pending on your file. (3) Escalate once to the university grievance cell or registrar in writing. If there is still no certificate, no timeline and no recorded reason, file the RTI below - and quote your application/acknowledgement numbers in it.
Why this usually gets stuck
- Convocation batches delayed for years with no individual communication
- Results withheld over dues/eligibility issues never intimated to the student
- Records stuck between an affiliated college and the university
- Name/DOB mismatches quietly parking the certificate
What an RTI gets you, on record
- The status of your degree certificate and where it physically sits
- The recorded reason for any hold (dues, eligibility, verification)
- The date your result was approved and the certificate prepared/dispatched
- The officer responsible and the applicable timeline
Where to file it
Address the RTI to the PIO of the university (examination / degree section). Central universities: file on the Central RTI portal. State universities: your state RTI portal or by post to the university PIO.
Sample RTI questions (edit the bracketed details)
Keep questions factual and specific to your own matter. Ask for records, status, dates, reasons and officer details - not opinions. Do not include anyone else's personal information.
Copy-paste RTI application
Fill the bracketed details and send to the PIO of the office named. Attach the RTI fee prescribed for that authority (Rs. 10 in many cases; BPL applicants attach BPL proof instead of fee). Do not include anyone else's personal information.
To, The Public Information Officer, [University / Board name], [City] Subject: Request for information under the Right to Information Act, 2005 Sir/Madam, Under Section 6 of the Right to Information Act, 2005, I request the following information regarding my degree certificate: 1. The current status of the issue of my degree certificate for [course], [year of passing], roll/enrolment no. ________, application no. ________ dated ________, including where it is presently held. 2. The prescribed timeline/citizen charter applicable to issuing the certificate, if any, and the reasons recorded for delay in my case. 3. The date my result was approved and the date the certificate was printed/prepared. 4. The name and designation of the official/section currently responsible. 5. Any recorded expected disposal date or timeline for issuing the certificate, if available on record, and copies of any objection or query recorded on my application. I am enclosing the RTI application fee as prescribed for this public authority by Indian Postal Order / court-fee stamp / online payment proof / other accepted mode. [If you hold a BPL card: I am below the poverty line, a copy of my BPL card is enclosed, and no application fee is payable.] Please provide the information within 30 days as required under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act, 2005. Place: ____________ Date: ____________ [Your Full Name] [Full Postal Address] [Phone / Email]
If there is no reply in 30 days
The PIO is ordinarily required to respond within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If there is no proper response, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority of the same public authority; if that fails, a Second Appeal lies with the Information Commission. See the Appeal Generator.
I only need help finding the correct PIO >
Frequently asked questions
Are private universities covered by RTI?
State and central universities clearly are. Private/deemed institutions are covered where substantially financed or controlled by the government, and regulators (UGC/AICTE) are always covered - an RTI to the regulator about the institution is an alternative lever.
Can RTI get the certificate itself issued?
RTI extracts the status and reasons on record; in practice, a specific RTI naming the desk and delay very often results in the certificate being processed rather than answered about.
What if there is no reply?
The PIO is ordinarily required to respond within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If there is no proper response, file a First Appeal with the First Appellate Authority of the same public authority (no fee for a first appeal in most states); if that also fails, a Second Appeal lies with the Information Commission. FileMyRTI helps with the First Appeal route.
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