If you’re graduating in November 2024, we’ll be holding a quieter, less formal graduation ceremony for any graduates or guests who may find an alternative format more comfortable.

When and where will the ceremony take place? 

The ceremony is on Monday 11 November at 10am at Ponds Forge. 

Can friends and family attend the ceremony?

Yes. During the registration process you can book up to two guest tickets. We have a limited capacity for the ceremony, but there may be an opportunity for you buy extra guest tickets nearer the time. Guests without tickets are still welcome to join you to celebrate outside of the ceremony itself.   

What about gowns and photographs? 

Gowning and photography are both optional. For this ceremony, they will take place at Ponds Forge rather than City Campus. We’ll send you information about how to book and where to go once you’ve registered. 

What should I wear? 

You don’t have to wear a gown during the ceremony. If you do want to wear one, you can order this online in advance. You can also hire a gown on the day, subject to availability. Under your gown, wear any clothes you feel comfortable and confident in. If you’re unsure what to wear, we recommend smart clothes, for example trousers and a shirt or dress, but it’s your choice. 

Is the venue accessible? 

Ponds Forge is an accessible building. Blue Badge parking is available on the top floor of the car park. Further information can be found on the venue page. Please make sure you follow the instructions as the car park is monitored by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR).  

Before the ceremony 

When you arrive at Ponds Forge, come to the Graduation Information Desk in the foyer to let us know you’re here. The information desk will be open from 8.30am. We’ll ask you to confirm whether you’d like to cross the stage and/or have your name read out during the ceremony. We’ll show you where you need to go and how to get to the Graduation Hall.  

If you’ve ordered a gown, you’ll be able to collect it from Ponds Forge from 8.30am. Dressing up can a fun part of the day, but you don’t have to wear a gown if you prefer not to. 

If you’ve booked photographs, you can have these taken before your ceremony, or after.  Don’t worry if you haven’t booked a photography package in advance, as you can do this on the day.  

Once you have your gown and official photographs, you can take your own photos and explore the venue with your guests. The café will be open throughout the day and there’s also a quiet room you can use.  

The Graduation Hall doors will open at 9.30am. Please head through no later than 9.50am. 

During the ceremony 

When you enter the Graduation Hall, you can choose where to sit. Seating won’t be allocated, so you can sit anywhere on the ground level seating (the tiered seating will be closed). You’re welcome to sit with your guests.   

All seats are accessible, but please let us know when booking if you or any of your guests have special requirements so we can make sure there’s appropriate space. We’ll send you more information on seating before the ceremony and staff will be around to help on the day.  
 
You’re welcome to stand and walk about during the ceremony. If you prefer to stand, there’ll be space at the back of the seating for you to do so without restricting other people’s view.   

The ceremony will start with a few speeches. The first speech will explain what to do during the ceremony. 

We’ll then present our graduates. This is where your name is read out and you can cross the stage and ‘doff’ your cap to the Presiding Officer in recognition of your award.  

We’ll ask all graduates who want to cross the stage to exit the hall briefly as we go through how it will work, make sure your gown is on straight, and that the public orator knows which names to read out.  If you decide at this point that you’d like your name reading out but don’t want to cross the stage, come and let us know. If you don’t exit the hall, your name won’t be read out. 

We’ll go through how this will work when you arrive, but if you have any questions speak to one of the staff in the hall and we’ll make sure you get what you want. 

There are accessible routes to all areas of your ceremony and our friendly stewarding team will be on hand to guide you. You’ll be able to recognise stewards as they’ll be wearing burgundy gowns. 

For the comfort of our graduates and guests at this ceremony there won’t be any applause or loud music.  

The ceremony won’t be live streamed, but it will be filmed so you can have a memory of the day. You’ll be able to buy the film from our sales desk in the foyer at Ponds Forge. You can also register for a free clip of your moment crossing the stage. 

The ceremony will last around 30 minutes. If there’s anything happening at the ceremony that affects your comfort or enjoyment, please let one of our stewards know and we’ll do what we can to help.  

If you don’t want to attend the ceremony  

You don’t have to! You’re still very welcome to come and celebrate. If the ceremony isn’t for you, you can still book a gown, relax in the cafés on campus and at Ponds Forge, take photos and celebrate your day as you choose.

After the ceremony 

Once the ceremony is over, you’re welcome to stay in the Graduation Hall for a short time, go outside to continue celebrating, or leave straight away.  
 
You’ll need to return your gown at the drop off point at Ponds Forge or City Campus before 6pm.  

Contact us  

We’ll email you with more information before your ceremony. If you have any questions in the meantime, please get in touch by emailing graduation@shu.ac.uk or calling 0114 225 5353.