Employers seeking references
Academic references for students and alumni are provided by the Student and Alumni References Team.
Commercial organisations
Requests for academic references from commercial organisations (including private companies and referencing agencies) are priced at £10 per student / alumnus whose information you would like to verify.
When requesting a reference, you will need to make a payment and provide information about your request through our Online Shop, following the instructions on the webpage to submit your request.
Once we have received your order and signed consent from the student / alumnus whose information you would like to verify, the Student and Alumni References Team will aim to process your request in 7 working days.
Please be aware that references for students who graduated before 1997, or reference requests submitted during peak times in the academic calendar, may take a little longer for us to process.
Non-commercial organisations
Requests from non-commercial organisations (such as other institutions, local authorities, embassies or other government bodies) will not incur a charge. Please email your request to references@contacts.bham.ac.uk or click the contact us button below, ensuring that you include signed consent from your applicant, and it will be processed. The team aim to process your request in 14 working days.
What is included in an academic reference?
We can provide a reference to confirm:
- Dates of attendance
- Course(s) of study
- Result(s) obtained
- Graduation date(s) (if applicable)
We cannot provide verification of marks or comment on the student’s academic ability or character, although staff from the student’s school or department may be able to assist with requests such as this.
Data protection
Please be aware that in most cases, we will require signed authorisation from your candidate before we release any information. Please ensure that you include their signed authorisation with your reference request.
Any queries?
Should you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the Student and Alumni References Team by clicking the contact us button below.
Thank you. We are glad this answered your question