51²è¹Ý¶ù

Students who are awarded a Postgraduate Certificate exit award are not eligible to attend a graduation ceremony. You will automatically be removed from the graduation ceremony and your certificate will be made available by Student Services.

Cancelling your registration to attend

If you register to attend your graduation ceremony and are no longer able to attend, you should cancel your place via our contact form. If you don’t cancel your place in advance, we will be unable to issue your certificate. 

Your name

Your printed name

Your name, which is taken from your student record, will be shown on the registration form. This is the name that will be printed in the graduation programme and will also be listed in the digital programme, and printed on your certificate. Names are printed following the naming convention at the University and will appear as forename, middle name(s), surname as held on the record. If this is incorrect, you need to change it before you register. 

To do this, contact the Student Information Desk with documentary evidence (eg passport, birth certificate). Student Information Desk has more information on (Student hub access required).

Once this is completed, you can then register for graduation when invited.

How your name will be read out at the ceremony

As you cross the stage at your ceremony your name will be announced by the presenter. Please note only your forename and surname will be read out (no middle names).

Visas to attend graduation

The Graduation Team don't provide visa invitation letters but you can generate a Certificate of Student Status, which includes confirmation of your invitation to the graduation ceremony and can be used to invite guests. To generate your certificate, please use the  (Student hub access required).
 
If you encounter any issues while generating your certificate, please contact Student Information Desk directly.

For information regarding visas for your guests, please refer to the Visit visa page.

Tickets and seating 

If you are having your award conferred at the ceremony, we will contact you on Thursday 7 January with the information on how to download your e-tickets.

If you have already received your certificate following an in absentia conferment, your e-tickets will be emailed to you on Wednesday 6 January.

• Your e-ticket shows seat numbers for you and your guests. Bring this with you on the day and make sure your guests know their seat numbers too.
• You are guaranteed 2 guest tickets. 
• It is unlikely that further tickets will be available, however, if they are you will be notified via email on 26 or 27 November (depending on your ceremony date - further information to follow). Additional tickets will not be available before this date. 
• Requests for additional tickets cannot be processed via email. 

Special seating and access arrangements

You must inform us of any specific access requirements or special assistance that you or your guests may need in advance of the ceremony. There is a dedicated section of the registration form to do this.

Once tickets have been allocated, we may not be able to accommodate special arrangements, but we will do our best to meet these requirements.

If you require the loan of a wheelchair for the day, visit the website.

Children

Children over the age of three will require a ticket for the ceremony.

Due to the length and formal nature, we do not recommend bringing young children to the ceremony. Guests with young children may wish to watch the ceremony live in the auditorium in the Students’ Union, where the atmosphere is informal and tickets are not required.

Children are not permitted on the platform at any time.

Robe hire and photography

Robe hire

It is a University Regulation that graduands wear the correct academic dress. You can hire or purchase these directly from the official robe makers for the University, Ede & Ravenscroft, or an alternative supplier that provides University Regulation compliant academic dress.

You can order your robes via the Ede and Ravenscroft Robe Hire Hub from Friday 9 October. 

The deadline to order robes is Friday 18 December.  If you have any queries regarding pre-ordering robes for the January ceremonies please contact .

Robe collection/drop-off on the day of your ceremony will be from Uni Central on Level 4 of the Students’ Union Building.  

All robes must be returned on the day of hire. If you are no longer able to attend your ceremony, you can cancel your order using the 'Review/Amend/Cancel' option on the Ede & Ravenscroft website. For security reasons, cancellations cannot be made over the phone.

Robe types and hood colours

View examples of the different types of robes and hoods (PDF, 743 KB) for each level of study and faculty.

Official photographs

The official photographers are , located on Level 4 in the Students' Union on each day. You can pre-book photography packages when you order your robes through Ede & Ravenscroft or you can turn up on the day.

Opening times: 7.30am to 6pm on all days.

Register for your free graduation clip

Your personalised GraduationClip has been funded by the University of Sheffield and is the perfect gift to share your big moment centre stage with the world.

If you have any questions or experience any issues with your video, please contact clips@mygraduationfilm.com for assistance.

School receptions

School receptions allow graduates, their guests and school staff to celebrate together on the day of your ceremony. You should receive an invitation directly from your academic school.  

will be provided here nearer to the time.

Travel and venue

All ceremonies take place in the Octagon Centre, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN.

We recommend using public transport or to get here, as parking on campus is limited. Find out more on our maps and travel page.

We suggest using the following car parks if you are travelling by car: 

• , across from the Octagon
• , approximately half a mile from the Octagon Centre
• Any of the

Disabled parking spaces for blue badge holders are available in QPark, Durham Road. Blue badge holders can also park on double yellow lines for a maximum of three hours providing there are no loading restrictions and the vehicle is not causing an obstruction. Please ensure the blue badge and parking clock are displayed. See for more details.

Security

The safety of visitors to the University is our highest priority. With this in mind, the following procedures are in place at the venue:

• Bags will be searched. No bag larger than a small handbag will be allowed into the building. Please do not bring large bags or suitcases to the Octagon Centre. There will be person searches on entry.
• Anyone who appears to be under the influence of alcohol will not be permitted entry.

You should arrive at the Octagon as close as possible to the published opening times, bearing in mind that security checks take place.

Accessibility and support

We are committed to making graduation inclusive and accessible for all our graduands and guests. If you have accessibility or support requirements, detail these in the appropriate section of the registration form and we will do our best to ensure suitable arrangements are put in place. 

Alternatively, you can contact us and we will be happy to talk through the options available to you.  Please give us sufficient notice to put arrangements in place.

Full details can be found on the accessibility and support for graduation page.

Dining and activities on campus

Students' Union

Sheffield Students’ Union building will be open to offer Graduands and their families space to relax, eat, drink, and enjoy their day.

Inside you can have your official Graduation photo taken, pick up a souvenir or bouquet of flowers, and enjoy a drink at their bar.

Coffee Revolution and Bar One will be serving food and drink throughout the day and ‘Our Shop’ will be supplying all the essentials to ensure everything goes smoothly. They even have a Graduation Kids’ Zone for keeping children entertained!

Find a full list of the University's cafes.

Please note: the majority of University of Sheffield catering outlets are cash-free.

Fuller information on campus activities will be available shortly. 

Live stream