Eloise Parry, 21, from Shrewsbury, died in April 2015 after accidentally overdosing on drugs she bought online.
She had been studying families and childhood studies at Wrexham Glyndwr University.
Ms Parry would have gained a degree but her mother, Fiona, was given a diploma in recognition of work she completed.
An inquest in July 2015 heard how Ms Parry, who had suffered from bulimia, messaged her lecturers apologising for "being so stupid".
In the text, she said she had "screwed up big time" and "binged" on four diet pills, that were later found to contain an industrial chemical called dinitrophenol.
The inquest found she died of an accidental drugs overdose, with the cause given as dinitrophenol toxicity.
The diploma was presented to her mother in a ceremony at the William Aston Hall.
Mrs Parry had described it as "an awful way to die" and warned others about the dangers of taking the drug.
She said her daughter was "a complex and vibrant individual".
Mrs Parry added: "Remembering and celebrating her achievements is immensely helpful. It gives her life meaning."
She also described her daughter's time at university as "positive", saying Ms Parry's qualification was going to help her "follow her dreams".
Her lecturer Ruth Davies described Ms Parry as "intelligent, diligent and kind".
She said: "She should have been here today celebrating a first class honours degree, which I am certain she would have achieved."
A student who died after taking "highly toxic" diet pills has been given a posthumous award by the university she would have graduated from this week.