Graduation ceremony

120 minutes – 90 minutes prior to ceremony

Arrival: Once at Whiteknights campus, you’ll be shown where to park and directed to the free shuttle bus down to the London Road campus. Our Graduation Ambassadors can assist you to the buses and the marquees on the lawns.

This is your chance to find the toilets, chat to the Alumni team, browse our retailers and have a cup of tea!

90 minutes – 60 minutes prior to ceremony

Collect your guest tickets and robes: You should collect your guest tickets from the ticket desk in the main marquee. You can ask about extra tickets, if you need them, when you collect your guest tickets.

You need to collect your robe from building 22. It may help to bring along your robe hire confirmation email.

This area is for Graduands only so you may want to leave your guests in the marquees or on the lawns and then return to them.

60 minutes – 45 minutes prior to ceremony

Relax! You now have the time to walk around the beautiful London Road grounds and have pictures taken– if you have left enough time you can also take the opportunity to have your official Ede & Ravenscroft photo taken, though you may also choose to do this after your ceremony.

You can browse the souvenirs available and have refreshments in the marquees, and don’t forget to talk to the Alumni team and collect your free gift!

45 minutes prior to ceremony: the student procession

You should go to the procession marquee at London Road at least 45 minutes before your ceremony starts, after collecting your robe. You should leave your belongings (coat, bag, mobile phone etc.) with your guests as you will not be able to carry them into the Great Hall.

Marshalls will arrange graduands into four procession groups, ordered by course and then alphabetically by surname. A marshall will lead each procession of graduands through the cloisters and into the Great Hall.

The doors to the procession marquee close 30 minutes before the start of each ceremony. If you arrive later than this for your scheduled ceremony, you will not be able to enter the procession marquee. You should report directly to the information desk, who will then attempt to include you in a later ceremony that day. If yours is the last ceremony of the day you should still report to the information desk, and the Marshalls will liaise with the graduation organisers to attempt to include you in your ceremony.

If you are not wearing the appropriate academic dress you will not be allowed to enter the Great Hall and you will graduate in absence, unless you purchase the correct academic dress from Ede and Ravenscroft, paying their increased on-the-day hire rate.

The ceremony itself

Students

Each ceremony lasts approximately one hour. Your procession will be seated at the front of the Great Hall and when it is time you will process to the stage and the University Orator will then present graduands individually by name and in the following order:

• Higher degrees (Doctors, Masters)
• Postgraduate Diplomas and Certificates
• Bachelor degrees
• Foundation degrees  

Your degree classification will not be mentioned.

You will ascend a short flight of steps, with a handrail, on to the platform as your name is called by the Orator. You will shake hands with the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor and descend the steps by the same route. You will then be directed to collect your certificate and go back to a seat for the remainder of the ceremony.

Guests

Guests with tickets for the Great Hall should make their way to the north-west doors of the Great Hall at least ten minutes before the start of the ceremony. There may be a queue for a short time while the Hall is prepared between ceremonies.

As space is limited in the Great Hall, it may not be possible to take large items such as prams inside. If guests arrive late or do not have tickets, they will only be admitted if space permits and at the discretion of the Ceremony Director.

Guest seating is allocated on a “first come first served basis”. Guests should stay in their seats throughout the ceremony and should avoid taking photographs and video recording inside the Hall, as this can cause disruption.