115 minutes prior to ceremony start time
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 on arrival at London Road and show you where to go to collect your academic robes and guest wristbands (if arriving directly to the London Road campus and not using our shuttle bus). Any guests without wristbands will need to remain at the Whiteknights campus and will be directed to our Celebration Zone, where they will be able to watch the livestream of your ceremony in the Ceremony Livestream room.
90 minutes prior to ceremony start time
Collect your guest wristbands: If you are arriving by car, you will collect your colour-coded wristbands upon arrival at the Whiteknights campus, after you have parked in Car Park 1A. The wristbands will entitle your allocated guests' entry into the Great Hall, as well as access onto the shuttle bus to London Road. If you are arriving via another mode of transport directly to the London Road campus, you will be able to collect your guests’ colour coded wristbands from the Information Desk, situated on the central quad of this campus. Wristbands can only be collected by the student to whom they have been allocated, so please bring your student card or a form of photo I.D. with you when collecting them.
60 minutes prior to ceremony start time
Collect your robes: You will be able to collect your robes from Student Gown Collection in Building 22 on the London Road campus. Please arrive here in plenty of time to allow for your gown to be fitted correctly by our academic robe suppliers from Ede and Ravenscroft.
45 Minutes prior to ceremony start time
Student Processions: All Graduands must be present in the Student Processions Marquee 45 minutes before their ceremony starts. The doors to the Processions Marquee will be closed 30 minutes before the ceremony and anyone arriving late will not be able to take part in their ceremony. You will be given a short health and safety briefing and then organised into the correct order for how your names will be read out during your ceremony. The ceremony itself will be between 40 minutes to 1 hour in length.
After the ceremony
Celebrate your success! The rest of the time is now yours! You should now make your way back up to the Whiteknights campus in your robes via the free shuttle bus and head to the Celebration Zone on the Palmer Quad. Now is a good time to have the official Ede & Ravenscroft photo taken. You will also be able to chat to the Alumni team, browse our retailers and have a well-deserved complimentary celebration drink (for you and up to two guests). The only thing you need to do is to remember to return your robes at the Palmer Building before leaving the campus for the day.
The ceremony itself
Graduands
Each ceremony lasts approximately 40 minutes to 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 doff your cap to the Chancellor or Vice Chancellor, who will doff their cap to you in return, and you will descend the steps by the same route. You will then be directed to collect your graduation pack (this will include your degree certificate) and go back to a seat for the remainder of the ceremony.
Guests
Guests with wristbands 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 being 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, 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.
Guests without wristbands will need to make their way to the Ceremony Livestream room on the Whiteknights campus. There may be a need to queue for a short time while the Ceremony Livestream room is prepared between ceremonies. Seating will be allocated on a “first-come first-served” basis. The Ceremony Livestream room will be located in the Palmer building.