Graduation FAQs

Graduation FAQs

We are pleased to be hosting this year’s Graduation Ceremony in September at The Grand Hotel, where you can celebrate your achievements with your friends, family and tutors and also to create some memories to treasure.

This year’s Graduation Ceremonies will be held on Friday 22nd September. There will be four ceremonies during the day, the details of these can be found at the bottom of this page. You will find all of the details you need below about graduation and your ceremony. You can book your tickets, robes and photo packages here.

If you are unsure which ceremony you are due to attend, please check the table below.

If you have any questions or queries please contact the Graduation team at [email protected].

The Lead Up to Graduation

Registering to Attend

In order to attend your Ceremony you will need to book tickets for yourself and any guests as well as your academic dress through Marston Robing.

The ceremony is free to you as a UCSD student. There is a charge of £20.00 per ticket for each guest which includes a souvenir programme and entrance to the ceremony reception where canapés with a welcome drink will be served. Please note that initially a maximum of two guest tickets per student are available. If you think you might want more than two tickets then please add as many as you would like to the waiting list at the time of your initial booking. Tickets for children aged 5 to 15 are available at £12.50 each. Tickets for under 5’s are free and need to be booked but they will need to sit on a lap as no seat will be allocated.

When do I have to book by?

Tickets for you and your guests will be available to order online via Marston Robing. Booking will open on Thursday 13th July 2023 . Tickets will be available to purchase until  Sunday 27th August 2023. 

Please ensure you order both  Graduate and Guest tickets at the time of ordering. To guarantee you receive your desired number of tickets, you must book early as tickets are allocated on a first-come first-served basis.  

Additional tickets can be requested at the time of booking, and you will be added to a waiting list. If tickets become available, you will be emailed on Tuesday 29^th August 2023 with a link to complete your purchase. Additional tickets are not guaranteed.  All purchases including waiting list tickets must be made before Sunday 3rd September 2023. 

What should I wear?

Graduands must wear a formal hood, gown and mortar board in order to graduate on the day. The appropriate dress can be purchased but in order to make sure that you are wearing the correct attire for your qualification and to prevent waste we would recommend hiring them from our graduation provider Marston Robing. Your hood, gown and mortar board will cost £30 in total to hire for your ceremony. Marston Robing also offer a selection of photography packages which can be purchased in advance or in the day of the ceremony. The link for robing and photography can be found at the top of this page.

On The Day

When and Where

Your Graduation will be held at The Grand Hotel, Torquay, TQ2 6NT. Please arrive promptly and register your arrival at the desk in the foyer. You and your guests will then be directed to the reception room.

You will be invited to collect your academic dress from the robing room and have any professional photos taken. There will also be a a selection of canapés and a welcome drink for you and your guests and the opportunity to meet and celebrate with your friends, peers and tutors. Our MC will guide you through your Graduation with regular announcements.

How will the ceremony work?

Your Graduation will last around three hours. The formal part of the ceremony will last for approximately 30-40 minutes. There will also be a reception at which refreshments will be served and you will have the opportunity to catch up with friends and have any professional photographs taken.

All Graduands will be called through to the ceremony room before their ceremony begins for a short briefing. Guests will then be invited to take their seats.

Guests

Please note that initially a maximum of two guest tickets per student are available. Additional tickets can be requested at the time of booking, and you will be added to a waiting list. If tickets become available, you will be emailed on Tuesday 29^th August 2023 with a link to complete your purchase. Additional tickets are not guaranteed.

Schedule on the Day

• Arrival and Registration Robing
• Photographs and Refreshments
• Student Briefing
• Graduation Ceremony 

How do I know which ceremony to attend?

The qualification you have achieved will determine which ceremony you will be attending, please see the list below. When you book your tickets and academic dress you will be asked which course you are graduating from and automatically allocated to the correct ceremony.

Please be aware that we have made an amend to the below ceremonies due to high attendance. There are now four ceremonies, please check which of these you should be attending and the alternate timings.

Friday 22nd September 2023

You will receive further information about your graduation day once ticket sales have closed. In the meantime please feel free to contact the graduation team with any questions via [email protected].