She was one of 4378 students who graduated in absentia in December as coronavirus restrictions put a halt to the large events.

"I watched my brother [graduate] and shake the chancellor's hand and it was a big family event and I just got mine in the post," Ms Plowman said.

"It was like a bit of a letdown. I'd done my time and I was really looking forward to that."

Ms Plowman was thrilled to find out the university would be hosting a grand graduation where she could attend a COVID-safe event at Llewellyn Hall.

The event was livestreamed online for graduates, friends and family members who couldn't be there in person and other reception events were held in Perth, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Shanghai and Beijing.

On Monday, she finally had the opportunity to don the academic gown and mortarboard with 600 other graduates.

"I really enjoyed today ... it made me feel like I've graduated and I've actually achieved my degree, rather than just receiving in the post," she said.

The graduates' final year of study was marred by bushfires and the pandemic. Despite the great efforts made in switching to online delivery, Ms Plowman struggled with remote study.

"You'd get up and go to the computer, do six hours of classes, and then turn off the computer and you were back in your room. It was very lonely and I'm a people person," she said.

For Indian international student Apoorva Raghubanshi, who studied a master of environmental economics, the online learning had some benefits.

"I think it is a positive experience because we get to have guest lectures from all over the world which was really interesting," she said.

Yashaswi Khandelwal, also an international student from India, struggled with group tasks in the final year of his master of engineering in mechatronics with some team members working from China.

Both of the graduates have been stuck in Australia since the pandemic started and were sad that their families had to miss out on the significant milestone.

"[I was] looking at everybody hugging and kissing their family and having a graduation with them ... and I could just send the link to them, that's it," Mr Khandelwal said.

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The overseas graduates were focused on gaining permanent residency so they could stay in Canberra.

"We have very limited opportunities right now but I hope for the best and I'm very optimistic after the lecture of vice-chancellor," Ms Raghubanshi said.

For philosophy and sociology honours graduate Eleanor Armstrong, the grand graduation made her university journey feel complete.

"I think it hasn't felt real that I finished university, officially, until I put on this cap and gown."

Master of national security policy graduate Nirupama Verma said the graduation ceremony made her reflect on all of the people who helped on her education journey.

"It felt really special to me sitting there in the room with a lot of people who've gone through the same thing.... there's a sense of camaraderie there," she said.

Despite all the obstacles 2020 had thrown up, Ms Verma said she felt optimistic about the future.

"I think how quickly we've learned to adapt and how quickly we've made things happen has been a real testament to our ability to to move forward."

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