Frequently Asked Questions

All undergraduate students who started in September 2016 or later are eligible for the Stellify Award. This includes Direct Entry students, but does not include Study Abroad or Exchange students. Find out what you need to do to complete the Stellify Award. 

New for September 2023, we have launched the Stellify Award for Masters students, which can be completed by all postgraduate taught students. You can find out more here.

Instructions on how to record your activities can be found on the activity pages. All volunteering hours must be logged on Volunteer Hub, except for volunteering through the University Sports Volunteer Scheme, which will be logged separately. 

All undergraduate Stellify Award activities will be recorded on your Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR). You cannot currently check your own HEAR record, so you will need to contact the activity owner directly to check your progress. You can also send queries to stellify@manchester.ac.uk or attend a Stellify Award drop-in to ask questions - details of these will be on the Stellify homepage. 

Most HEAR uploads take place at the end of the academic year, so if an activity that you recently completed or are still completing is not showing on your HEAR report, that is normal. 

Closing dates for EGCs are as follows:

• Sustainability Challenge – 23:59 Tuesday, 3 June 2025
• Social Justice Challenge - 23:59 Tuesday, 3 June 2025
• Workplace Ethics Challenge – 23:59 Tuesday, 3 June 2025
  
  

All volunteering activities should be recorded in Volunteer Hub by 31 May 2025.

ALL Stellify activities must be completed by 31st May in your final year.

No. The Manchester Leadership Programme is a completely separate award. This involves completing a Leadership in Action course unit which is part of the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (UCIL) and either 15, 25 or 40 hours of volunteering to gain a bronze, silver or gold award. 

If you feel you have specific extenuating circumstances that have prevented you from completing Stellify,  contact the stellify team via stellify@manchester.ac.uk who will provide you with an Extenutating Circumstances application form. Once your form is received your case will be considered by the Stellify Award operations group on a case-by-case basis. Please note, queries may not be resolved in time to include the Stellify Award in the graduation ceremony. 
ALL extenuating circumstances applications must be submitted prior to the 31st May deadline.  We will be unable to consider any applications after this time.

Stellify Award confirmation emails will be sent out. If you think you have completed the Stellify Award but do not receive an email, please contact stellify@manchester.ac.uk. 

Stellify Award certificates will be awarded to both undergraduate and postgraduate students at graduation. 

You can still achieve the Stellify Award even if you don't successfully pass your degree. Your Stellify Award certificate would be posted to your home address.

If you are on a 4 or 5 year undergraduate course, your Stellify Award will be recorded on your HEAR but you won't receive your Stellify Award certificate until you graduate. 

The Social Justice Challenge is an interactive online activity on Canvas. It gives you an introduction to what social justice is and allows you to learn about a variety of themes including race, gender, higher education, homelessness, mental health and energy. It take around an hour to complete.

The Social Justice Challenge is currently available to all undergraduate and postgraduate taught students. You can find the Challenge through the ‘Organisations’ section on Canvas. All students need to self-enrol.

The Social Justice Challenge will be available to all students from Monday 22nd September 2025.  We will post the deadline for the Challenge shortly.   

Yes, if you are a final year undergraduate student, you can still self enrol to complete the Social Justice Challenge.

If you are unable to access the Social Justice Challenge on Canvas, please email egc@manchester.ac.uk.

Most Workplace Ethics Challenges are completed online through Canvas (approx. one hour), the only exception are the healthcare workshops which will are delivered face to face.

The face to face healthcare Workplace Ethics Challenge workshops will take place in February 2026. Dates can be found on the EGC Website.

The online Workplace Ethics Challenge is available to access on Canvas from Monday 22nd September 2025.  We will post the deadline for the Challenge shortly.   
This online activity includes interactive scenarios which will challenge you to reflect on your own, and others’, ethical responsibilities and decision making in relation to issues such as harassment, bullying and discrimination, privacy and confidentiality.

You must complete the Workplace Ethics Challenge for both the undergraduate and postgraduate Stellify Award.

You must undertake 25 hours of community-facing voluntering to complete the 'Making a Difference' component of the undergraduate Stellify Award, and 10 hours if you are completing the Stellify Award for Masters students. 

You must undertake volunteering that benefits the wider community, not just the student population, for it to count towards the Stellify Award. Volunteering roles must benefit the wider community, outside the student population. Roles which benefit other students and have a university focus may count towards 'Step Up and Lead' activities.  If you are in doubt contact: volunteers@manchester.ac.uk.

You can search for volunteering opportunities through Volunteer Hub. Alternatively, you can find your own opportunities and log your hours under the 'My additional volunteering' section on Volunteer Hub.

The 25 hours of volunteering can take place throughout the course of your undergraduate degree. You need to register all your volunteering on Volunteer Hub by 31 May in your graduating year.

Yes. All volunteer hours should be logged onto Volunteer Hub however, they will not count for more with your Stellify Award.

All volunteering hours must be logged on Volunteer Hub, except for volunteering through the University Sports Volunteer Scheme, which will be logged separately.  If you have any queries regarding the process for the University Sports Volunteer Scheme, please email sportsvolunteer@manchester.ac.uk

Hours logged on Volunteer Hub must be verified by a member of the charity or community organisation that you volunteer with. 

Yes, any hours you have logged on Volunteer Hub that you are using towards the Manchester Leadership Programme can also count towards the 'Make a Difference' section of the Stellify Award. 

To complete the Step up and Lead leadership component of the Stellify Award, you must complete two of the approved leadership roles for one or two years (if you are in the same role for two academic years). 

You can find a full list of the roles that count here

To make sure your leadership activities are recorded, you should contact the individual role owner for the specific role you are querying to ensure you have completed all the required training, activities and any internal processes they may require.  For example, if you are a Students' Union Club or Society Committee Member, you would email societies.su@manchester.ac.uk and copy in the Society Chair.

Yes. All active committee roles will count towards the Step Up and Lead element of Stellify.  The roles are not limited to Chair, Secretary and Treasurer.