On the day
Your graduation ceremony is a special time for you to recognise and celebrate your achievement and hard work.
Here's a run down of what you can expect to happen on the day itself.
Arriving on campus
We recommend you arrive 90 minutes before the ceremony start time.
Please allow plenty of time for extremely busy morning traffic. Unfortunately we can't postpone degree ceremonies; they must begin at the scheduled time. We also cannot admit students or guests to the Great Hall once the ceremony has begun.
When you arrive
Collect your tickets
You need to collect your tickets from the ticket desk in the foyer of the Parkinson Building. Only students can collect these.
Collect your gown
Once you have collected your tickets you can go collect your gown, this is in the Parkinson Building. Have your order number and tickets ready.
Before the ceremony
You need to be ready to enter the Great Hall via the Baines Wing 30 minutes before your ceremony start time. Ede and Ravenscroft will be on hand to check you are in the correct academic dress as you enter the Hall. You should be in your allocated seat 15 minutes before the ceremony starts.
The ceremony procedure
A formal academic procession will enter the Great Hall.
The Presiding Officer will address and welcome all students and guests in a short speech.
The Secretary will announce the degree type (for example, PhD, MA, BSc, BA) and will call upon a senior member of academic staff to present graduating students for that degree.
When it comes to your degree, you will be directed to the foot of the stage stairs, where the Key Marshal will check your name. When the presenter announces your name, you will move onto the stage and proceed forward to the presiding officer.
You then exit the stage and return to your seat.
When all graduates have been up on stage the Presiding Officer will declare the congregation closed, and the academic party will recess out of the Hall.
You will follow the procession as directed by the Key Marshals, who lead you all out of the Great Hall two rows at a time.
Parents and guests
If guests have joined you for your graduation ceremony, make sure they know what to expect on the day so things run smoothly.
All our degree ceremonies take place on campus in the Great Hall, a building of great importance and historic value.
Guest tickets
All our guests will need a ticket to enter the Great Hall - no one will be allowed in without one.
Students need to collect their tickets and their guests tickets from the ticket desk in the foyer of the Parkinson Building. Guests can't collect their own guest ticket the student will need to do this.
Guests entering the Great Hall
Guests should be ready to enter the Great Hall 30 minutes before the ceremony start time. Please queue along the Baines Wing. Guest seating is not numbered and staff in the Great Hall will show you to a seat.
Watching a live stream
If you want to bring more than two people to your graduation day but don't have any extra guest tickets for the ceremony, your guests can watch a live stream of your ceremony in the Rupert Beckett Lecture Theatre in the Michael Sadler Building or in Terrace in Leeds University Union. Tickets are not needed for the live stream venues.
The live stream of the ceremony is also available to watch online.
Guests with young children
All guests will need a ticket to the Great Hall even if they are young children.
“Sit on knee” tickets can be obtained from the ticket desk in the foyer of the Parkinson Building for children aged 5 years and under, subject to availability and capacity within the venue. The child should be present when requesting the “sit on knee” ticket.
Children aged over 5 years will require a guest ticket like every other guest attending a ceremony.
All children under 16 will need to be accompanied by an adult at all times.
The University is a family-friendly campus - see our information on facilities and access routes around campus for families with young children.