Below is an overview of the key timings for each graduation ceremony. Carefully check the timings that relate to your ceremony and please ensure you follow them on the day. Please note that this information is subject to change.   

Following your graduation ceremony, you are invited to join us in the Graduation Hospitality Zone for refreshments. 

Please note that due to varying ceremony sizes, the duration of ceremonies and celebrations may vary.  An overview of these times is below; please note timings are subject to change:

Approximately one week before your graduation ceremony, anyone who has booked to attend graduation will be e-mailed final instructions and details about the day.

Below you will find some information to help give you an idea of what you will need to do on the day. Please note, at this stage, the information is a guide and is subject to change. 

On the day you need to arrive at our High Wycombe Campus. Please note there is no parking on campus. Further information and directions can be found on our travel webpage. 

We recommend that you arrive at the University two hours before the start of your ceremony as Registration and gowning can become extremely busy.

The ceremonies usually start at 11.00am or 2.30pm. Each ceremony will last around an hour. You must be registered, gowned and seated in the Wycombe Swan Theatre 30 minutes before your ceremony is due to start so that university staff can explain the ceremony proceedings to you. Your guests must be seated 15 minutes before the ceremony commences. 

The ceremony itself will take place in the Wycombe Swan Theatre, a short walk from the High Wycombe Campus. The celebrations after the ceremony will take place in the Graduation Hospitality Zone at our High Wycombe Campus. 

Due to space restrictions please note guests will not be allowed access to these areas, access is only for those who will be graduating.

The registration desk will usually be open two hours before your ceremony start time. The registration desk will close 30 minutes before your ceremony is due to start. Please remember students must be seated in the ceremony 30 minutes before it begins and guests 15 minutes beforehand. 

On arrival, you must go to the registration desk first, which will be signposted on the day, so we know you have arrived and are to be presented on stage during your ceremony. You can collect your tickets at registration and will then be directed to the gowning area.

At registration you will be given a Wycombe Swan Theatre ticket for yourself and separate tickets for your guests (if you ordered guest tickets). 

If you arrive in plenty of time, we would encourage you to get your photographs taken before the ceremony as photography can be extremely busy after the ceremonies and we wouldn’t wish for anyone to miss their celebration time.

Due to space restrictions please note guests will not be allowed access to this area, access is only for those who will be graduating. 

Following registration, you will be directed to the gowning area where our designated gown supplier staff will fit your academic gown that you should have ordered in advance. Please remember to bring your gown hire confirmation with you on the day. 

If you have not hired a gown, there may be some available to hire on the day but please note this is not guaranteed so we strongly recommend you hire your gown at the same time you book your tickets. Please note that you must be correctly gowned and dressed appropriately to take part in your ceremony. You cannot graduate if you are not correctly gowned. 

Please be aware that the University retains the right to refuse you entrance to the ceremony if it is considered you are inappropriately dressed.

Your graduation is a celebration of your achievements and a formal occasion. Therefore, you need to wear the appropriate academic dress (consisting of robe, hood and mortarboard, which collectively we call the gown). This is mandatory for the ceremony and can be hired via the Ede and Ravenscroft website.

A graduating student must wear a Buckinghamshire New University gown appropriate to the level of qualification for which they are being presented, even if the student already holds a higher qualification. 

PhDs are awards of Staffordshire University and the gown hire will reflect this. Students are not entitled to wear a University hood or attend graduation unless they have been made an award of the University by the Board of Examiners.

This is a formal event and we ask that you please dress appropriately and smartly for the occasion. It is advisable to wear suitable footwear as there is a short walk between the High Wycombe Campus and The Swan Theatre and you may have to negotiate steps up to and down from the stage. Hair grips and safety pins are often useful to help keep your mortarboard in place, so if you think you will need them please bring them with you.

Military uniform or national dress can be worn by graduating students as long as the academic robe, hood and mortarboard are able to be worn with it.

Nothing can be added to the gown or worn over the gown. 
 

Additional tickets, above the initial allocation may be available for your ceremony but please note this is not guaranteed. If extra tickets are available, they can be purchased on a first come first served basis on the day of your ceremony during your registration period. 

As you collect your tickets from registration, you can ask if there are additional tickets available to watch the ceremony live in the Wycombe Swan Theatre and/or in the Live Streaming Room at the High Wycombe Campus. 

If you would like to purchase additional guest tickets for the Wycombe Swan Theatre and they are still available, once you have registered (and we recommend collecting your gown hire), please make your way to the Box Office at the Wycombe Swan Theatre. You will need to show your graduating student ticket (for the stalls) to ensure you are eligible to buy guest tickets and then, subject to availability, you will be able to purchase additional guest tickets. You will be given refreshment tokens alongside your tickets so please keep your tickets and tokens safe. 

If you would like to purchase additional guest tickets for the Live Streaming Room at the High Wycombe Campus, you will be directed to a member of the staff in registration who can help with this. You will request how many tickets you require, which will be marked on a slip and you will be directed to our main reception to make payment. Once you return to the member of staff at registration with your receipt to evidence payment, you will be given your tickets. You will be given refreshment tokens alongside your tickets so please keep your tickets and tokens safe.

If you no longer require tickets you have purchased, the University cannot resell these for you. If you are unable to attend, please see our refunds information.

The ceremony in the Swan is not recommended for infants and young children under the age of 5 years old. We recognise you may wish your children to attend your graduation but the ceremony is not aimed at children so they may find it challenging to sit through the speeches or become overwhelmed with the loud noise during the clapping/cheering. Please think carefully about if your child(ren) will be able to sit through the ceremony, which will be approximately an hour.

We recommend that the live streaming room is more appropriate than the Swan for children under the age of 5 years old. If you decide your child(ren) will be able to sit through the ceremony (be it in the Swan or in the live streaming rom), they must hold a guest ticket if they are over 18 months or a lap seat ticket if they are under 18 months. All children under the age of 16 years old must be sat with an adult guest who also holds a guest ticket. 

Guests are seated separately from the graduating students (this applies to tickets in the Swan and the live streaming room) and children must be supervised by a responsible adult guest throughout the ceremony (both in the Swan and in the live streaming room). 

Children cannot be supervised by or sit with graduating students. If a graduating student attends on their own with children who must be accompanied by an adult (so children under the age of 16 years old), they will not be able to attend their ceremony as the children cannot be left unaccompanied and we do not offer a childcare facility.   

Graduating students are seated together in the theatre stalls, in a specific order for each course. This is the order you will cross the stage in and graduating students must sit in the seat they are allocated and must not swap seats. You cannot change the tickets allocated to you. Theatre staff and University staff will ask to see your ticket, potentially more than once, to help you find your seat and to ensure you are in the correct seat.

Graduating students are strongly advised not to take bags or personal belongings with you into the theatre as you cannot take these on stage with you. All possessions are your responsibility to keep safe. You are not allowed to take any open topped beverages into the auditorium (e.g. cans or cups).

Graduating students must be in their seats 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Announcements will be made in plenty of time in the gowning and photography areas, in the Wycombe Swan theatre foyer and outside the entrance.

Seats for guests are pre-allocated separately from the graduating students. Tickets are issued for the rear stalls, side stalls, circle and upper circle. Theatre staff will ask to see valid tickets and will help your guests to find their seats.

Guests must be in their seats 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Announcements will be made in plenty of time in the gowning and photography areas, in the Wycombe Swan theatre foyer and outside the entrance.

Guests are asked to remain in their seats at the end of the ceremony until the academic procession have left the auditorium.

For more information on tickets, please see the your attendance and your guest tickets  section of the website.
 

Graduating students will be seated in the stalls in strict alphabetical order within each course. This is the order you will cross the stage in. You will be directed to your allocated seat as soon as you enter the auditorium and should then remain seated. University staff and the theatre ushers will be in the auditorium to assist you and ensure that you find the right seat and you may be asked to provide your ticket more than once so please keep it safe and on you.

Graduating students must be seated 30 minutes before their ceremony begins. This is so we can ensure you are correctly seated and so you hear the important information announced ahead of your ceremony. 

Graduating students are strongly advised not to take bags or personal belongings with you into the theatre as you cannot take these on stage with you. All possessions are your responsibility to keep safe. You are not allowed to take any open topped beverages into the auditorium (e.g. cans or cups).

When the ceremony starts everyone who is able to will be asked to stand while the academic procession enters and takes to the stage. The academic procession consists of University officials and the academic staff from your School or partner college. Once the procession has reached the platform and the ceremony has been declared open, everyone will advised they may sit down.

The ceremony is not recommended for children under the age of 5 years old; please see the information above on children attending graduation. 

University staff will direct you during the presentation so please don’t do anything until you are instructed to. At the appropriate moment you and others in your row will be asked to quietly form a line to the side of the auditorium. 

Do not change seats or position in the line-up for the presentation as you will not be in the correct order for the presenter to read out your name and you may miss your opportunity to cross the stage. The University staff can remove you from the ceremony script if you are not in the right seat or move positions in the line.

Please do not carry anything with you on to the stage. 

When it is your turn to be presented on stage, you will be advised when you are able to ascend the stairs. The presenter will read out your name and staff will confirm you can cross the stage. You will cross the stage, stop in the middle of the stage to shake hands with the University official(s) and then continue across the stage, descend from the stage and will be directed to return to your seat.

You must return to the same seat after you have crossed the stage. 

At the end of the ceremony, those who are able to, will be asked to stand and wait for the procession party to exit the stage and process out of the auditorium. Graduates will then process out of the auditorium one row at a time. Guests will then follow. Please remain at your seats until staff tell you to leave.

You must wear your gown and mortarboard throughout the ceremony and when processing out of the auditorium.

University staff will direct you during the presentation. At the appropriate moment you and others in your row will be asked to form a line to the side of the auditorium. Do not change seats or position in the line-up for the presentation as you will not be in the correct order for the presenter to read out your name and you may miss your opportunity to cross the stage. The University staff can remove you from the ceremony script if you are not in the right seat or move positions in the line.

Please do not carry anything with you on to the stage. When it is your turn, the presenter will read out your name and you will cross the stage, stop in the middle of the stage to shake hands and/or to bow your head to the University official(s) and then continue across the stage and exit back to your seat.

You must return to the same seat after you have crossed the stage. At the end of the ceremony, you will be asked to stand up and wait for everyone on the stage to process out of the theatre. Please remain at your seats until staff tell you to leave. Graduates will then process out of the auditorium one row at a time. Guests will then follow. 

You must wear your mortarboard throughout the ceremony and when processing out of the auditorium.

After the ceremony you are invited to join us at a post-ceremony celebration in the Graduation Hospitality Zone at our High Wycombe Campus. You must have a valid ticket to enter the Graduation Hospitality Zone and your ticket came with tokens, which you can redeem for the refreshments. 

The celebration is optional and lasts approximately two hours, but you don’t have to stay for the full duration. Once the Graduation Hospitality Zone closes, any remaining guests who are looking to continue celebrating can take advantage of our High Wycombe Campus being based in the Town Centre, where there are various venues within walking distance you could visit. 

There will be no additional tickets to purchase just for the Graduation Hospitality Zone. 
Please visit the catering  page to find out more about the refreshments available during the celebration in the Hospitality Zone. 
 

Please note there is no car parking on campus. There are public car parks within a short walking distance of the campus, or the park and ride service is available. Further information can be found on our travel webpage.

Information on the format of programmes for your ceremony will be available from the registration desk when you register your arrival.

The photography studios of our official supplier will operate on the day of each graduation ceremony. Photography can be pre-booked at the same time you book your gown. If you arrive in good time, you are strongly encouraged to have your photographs taken before the ceremony.

There will be a photographer taking photos of each graduating student as they cross the stage. These photos can be purchased after the ceremony in the Graduation Hospitality Zone.

Please see our gown hire and photography page for more information on professional photography. 

We are planning to have various pop-up photography locations across campus. These can be utilised by all to take your own photographs with your own camera. You do not need to book slot; they are available throughout the day to use at your convenience. 

Please note these are not manned and no camera is provided. It is intended that you will take your own photographs with your own camera.   

Certificates are sent out either in advance of or after your graduation ceremony depending on the date you were made an award of the University by the Board of Examiners

No certificates are presented at graduation. 

Event stewards will be on duty throughout the day at our High Wycombe Campus and at the Wycombe Swan Theatre to assist and direct you. They can be identified by their gowns or sashes.