Preparing for your day

Tickets and seating

Tickets are free of charge for you and up to two guests in the ceremony hall and include post-ceremony refreshments (a choice of one complimentary alcoholic or non-alcoholic refreshment and a sweet or savoury treat per guest). If you want to bring extra guests they can watch a live stream from one of our lecture theatres, the Students' Union bar Lampworks or the Adelphi pub. You can have a maximum of four extra guests in addition to the two in the ceremony hall. Your extra guests will be able to join you at the post-ceremony celebration. Extra guests will unfortunately not be eligible for complimentary post-ceremony refreshments, however there will be the opportunity to purchase additional food and drink.

It may be possible to offer additional guest tickets closer to your ceremony date. However, this depends on the number of graduands who have confirmed their attendance per ceremony. We will inform you of any additional guest tickets closer to your graduation date by email. Please be aware that tickets are not posted to you. You simply collect them from the registration desk on the day of your ceremony.

Graduation eligibility

If you've not completed your course and achieved your target award by 10 November we will not expect you at December’s graduations. You will be invited to the next ceremony after you have been awarded. Students can view their results securely online by using myUCLan. If you have a query regarding your award or your results please email the Graduation Team for assistance.

Students who have requested to defer their attendance will be emailed by mid-October with booking information. If you don’t receive an email by Monday 21 October, please email the Graduation Team. If you are a graduate who did not ask to defer but now wants to attend please email the Graduation Team.

Advice for international students

If your student visa has expired and you will be living outside the UK during Graduation and wish to return with family or friends to attend, you may need to apply for a visitor visa to return to the UK. You will need your invitation email for your application and can find more information about the application process.

Tickets for children

Graduation ceremonies are formal, lengthy events and experience has shown that children become bored and restless. However, we appreciate that it is not always possible to make alternative childcare arrangements and exit points are clearly marked should you need to leave the hall. If you are graduating, please note children cannot be left unattended in the hall without adult supervision so please make necessary arrangements in advance of your graduation day.

Children under the age of two do not require tickets and may sit on an adult's lap, not on a seat. Children aged two and over require a guest ticket for entry to the ceremony. Please ensure children remain seated throughout the ceremony to avoid causing any disruption to the ceremony.

Where graduates are allocated an additional two guest tickets and one is for a child, the second ticket must go to a supervising adult.

Graduates sit separately to guests in the ceremony hall and so cannot supervise children at this time.

If a group of guests includes one adult and multiple children, then the group must go together into the Graduation Live Stream rather than the ceremony hall. This is because children cannot be left unsupervised at any time during the event.

Please note that prams and pushchairs are not permitted in the ceremony.

Seating arrangements

You will be seated in the hall and called up to the stage to receive your award. Don’t worry there will be plenty of staff showing you what you need to do. Graduands will be given a reserved seat number in front of the stage. It is important that you sit in the seat reserved for you so that we call the right name at the right time onto the stage. Don’t worry an usher will direct you to the stage at the right time and your name will be announced. You should then walk across the stage and shake hands with the Presiding Officer who will be giving you your award, before returning to your seat.

Guest seating surrounds the graduate seats in the hall.

Photography, filming, memorabilia and gifts

Smile – you’re on camera

Just to let you know graduation ceremonies are regarded as public events and the names of all graduates (including those graduands who don’t attend) are published in the graduation programme. The graduation ceremony will also be filmed and live streamed over the internet and will ultimately be available to view on the UCLan website so you and friends and family can watch again.

We’ll also be doing general filming and photography at the ceremonies and celebration event which may be used for corporate publicity. If you object to being filmed and/or photographed for this purpose, please email our Brand Team.

Studio photography

Our studio photography offers you the opportunity to have individual and family group (max 7 people) photographs taken by a professional photographer.

H Tempest Ltd is the appointed photography company. A wide range of products are available to view on the Tempest website.

On your graduation day you may have your photograph taken before or after your ceremony. Studios will remain open until 5pm each day.

Photos of your presentation

Presentation photographs will be taken of you on the stage as you shake hands with the Presiding Officer and will be available to purchase after the ceremony from the Tempest website.

Memorabilia and gifts

A range of University branded merchandise will be available to purchase from the Students' Union at every Graduation event with 7.5% of all sales going to the Harris Bursary Fund. This is a charitable fund established through the University Foundation to provide emergency help and support to students. You can also make purchases online from the Students' Union.

Luggage

Suitcases and large bags are not permitted at any part of the graduation event. Please do not bring luggage on the day.

Drones

Drones are not permitted at graduation for safety reasons. Please do not bring or use drones at this event.

Disability arrangements

The booking form where you confirm your intention to attend a ceremony asks whether you or your guests have any access requirements that require specific assistance or prior organisation. Please can you confirm details on the form and provide additional information if necessary. If you have any questions, then please email us.

The University of Central Lancashire campus is wheelchair accessible with lift access to all floors.