Graduation dates and times

Graduation ceremonies in December 2026 are planned to take place on campus between Wednesday 9 December and Friday 18 December 2026.

This page lists the official dates and times for our graduation ceremonies. All finalists are required to register a graduation choice from Monday 12 October 2026 onwards. You will need to register your choice before the deadline to guarantee you can attend a ceremony in December.

In-person graduation dates

If choosing an in-person graduation, you can only attend the ceremony of your parent school. The schedule differs from previous years, as it doesn’t follow a fixed pattern.

For schools with more than one ceremony, information on the allocation of graduates across these ceremonies will be available as a breakdown for each school. It is not usually possible to switch to an alternative date and time if you are unable to attend.

Virtual Graduation and Relaxed Graduation dates

The next Virtual Graduation will take place on Wednesday 9 December 2026. If the number of students registering for virtual graduation is higher than expected, we may schedule additional virtual ceremonies on another day in December to accommodate everyone.

The next planned opportunity to attend Relaxed Graduation will be in July 2027. The date will be confirmed nearer the time. Whether it goes ahead will depend on how many students express interest during the registration period.

Register your graduation choice

To register to attend your ceremony, or let us know you can’t attend, see our Register your graduation choice page. Once you’ve registered your graduation choice, we’ll send you a confirmation email.

We’ll do everything possible to offer you the ceremony date and time shown on this page. However, in rare cases, operational requirements may mean we need to offer an alternative. If that happens, we’ll contact you promptly and offer support to help you celebrate your graduation.

If you can’t attend your ceremony

If you’re not available on the date and time for your ceremony, you can choose a later graduation to attend (usually the next July or December).

Depending on the time of year, there may also be the option to join a virtual graduation instead. Alternatively, you have the option to not attend any graduation. 

You must register your graduation choice, even if you can’t attend.

Future graduation dates

Ceremonies in July 2027 are planned to take place on campus on dates from Monday 12 July to Thursday 29 July 2027, with the full schedule usually published on this page in March or early April.

Graduation dates for December 2027 have not yet been confirmed, so please check back for updates nearer the time. Information about graduation dates beyond then will be made available later.

Disclaimer

If the graduation ceremony cannot take place, if it is delayed, or the date/time needs to change due to circumstances beyond our control, the University will not be liable for any losses direct or otherwise incurred by graduands or their guests. 

Circumstances beyond our control can include fire, explosion, terrorist act (or threat of terrorist act), act of God, pandemic, national mourning (any member of the royal family), or as a result of any industrial action or dispute involving the University of Leeds.