Before the day - undergraduate ceremonies
Make sure you're ready for everything your graduation day has in store by reading all of the information on this page, which includes how to register and key deadlines.
Also see our Frequently Asked Questions
Eligibility and registration
Eligibility
You need to register for graduation (attending or graduating in absentia) before results are published. You need to meet the criteria below:
- Be in your final year and have an 'Expected End Date' of June 2025
- Register your graduation intentions by the deadline of Thursday 17 April 2025.
- Successfully complete your programme of study
- Your examination results must have been submitted to the Student Administration Service by their deadline of 1 July (your department or the Student Administration Service can provide you with information relating to their deadlines)
- Have no outstanding debts to the University
You should complete the registration process on the assumption that you will successfully complete your studies. Receiving an invitation to register does not imply you have completed your course; we invite all students who may successfully complete in time so they can make arrangements in advance. Don’t wait until you receive your results to register for the ceremony because this is after the registration deadline. If you have not successfully completed when we receive the examination results, we will automatically remove you from the attendee list.
Registration
Registration for the summer graduation ceremonies is now closed. The deadline to register was Thursday 17 April.
Graduating in person
When you register for graduation, you will be able to apply for guest tickets and advise us of any special seating or access requirements that you or your guests may have. The registration also serves as confirmation of your personal details (eg: confirmation of your name as it will appear in the ceremony programme and on your certificate).
For more information on your name, please refer to the Your Name section.
Graduating in absentia
If you are not attending in person, the registration process enables you to confirm your personal details (eg: confirmation of your name as it will appear on your certificate) and to provide the address your certificate should be posted to. You should also ensure that you have read the information relating to the postage of certificates.
Cancelling your place following registration
If you are no longer able to attend graduation, cancel your place. If you don’t cancel your place in advance, we will be unable to send you your certificate.
Your name
Printed name
Your name, which is taken from your student record, will be shown on the registration form. This is the name printed in the graduation programme and on your certificate. If this is incorrect, you need to change it before you register.
To do this, contact the Student Services Information Desk (SSiD) with documentary evidence (e.g: passport, birth certificate). SSiD has more information on how to change your name.
Once this is done, you can then register for graduation.
Name pronunciation
At graduation, your forename and surname (as held on your student record) will be announced as you cross the platform. If you have a name that is frequently mispronounced, you may wish to provide guidance on how your name should be pronounced correctly.
Complete this form to provide guidance on name pronunciation.
Please complete this form by the deadline of 13 June.
Examples
| Name | Guidance notes |
|---|---|
| Roisin | Ro-sheen |
| Ionita | Yo-ni-tza |
| Swietochowski | Sventa-hoski |
| Grau | Rhymes with cow |
| Lishen | Lap-Sun |
Visa Information
Information and support on visa applications for yourself or for your family or friends.
If you’re an overseas student and want to invite your family or friends to your graduation ceremony in Sheffield, they’ll require a Certificate of Student Status.
This certificate confirms your status as a student, and it also includes a sentence confirming that you and your guests have been invited to a graduation ceremony.
Certificates
Attending graduation
If you attend your ceremony you will receive your certificate on the day.
Not attending graduation
If you are not attending graduation you need to register your intention to graduate in absentia. This allows you to confirm your personal details and to provide an address for us to post your certificate to following the ceremonies. We are unable to send your certificate if you don't complete this process.
Please note, it is not possible for someone to collect your certificate on your behalf at the graduation ceremony.
Postage of certificates
Certificates to the UK
Certificates sent to addresses in the United Kingdom are sent by second class mail as standard. However, if you would like your certificate sent by a tracked service, we can send it using Royal Mail Special Delivery. The deadline to purchase this service is 13 June.
If you would like to purchase this service, please visit the online store. The deadline to purchase this service is 13 June.
Certificates to overseas addresses
Royal Mail is unable to provide a tracking service for most overseas countries. Certificates are therefore sent by standard airmail.
However, if you would like to have your certificate sent using the DHL Express Worldwide service we can arrange this for you. The cost for this service is dependent on the destination country and is available to more than 220 countries worldwide.
If you would like to purchase this service, please visit the online store. The deadline to purchase this service is 13 June.
You can view the full list of countries that DHL services for more information.
Certificates lost in transit
Occasionally some items will get lost in transit. In order to guarantee the delivery of your certificate, we would strongly advise you to use one of the guaranteed methods above. If your certificate doesn’t arrive using these methods please contact us. If you choose a standard service for delivery, you will need to order a replacement certificate (for which the usual fee will be charged) from Student Services.
Digital certificates
Following graduation, your digital certificate will be released in Gradintelligence. .
Tickets
A maximum of 2 guest tickets are guaranteed, along with your own graduand ticket.
Additional tickets
It is unlikely that tickets over the two guaranteed will be available. However, if further tickets are available, you will be notified via email as detailed below.
| Date of Ceremony | Notification of extra tickets |
|---|---|
| Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 July | Tuesday 3 June |
| Wednesday 23 July | Wednesday 4 June |
| Thursday 24 July | Thursday 5 June |
| Friday 25 July | Friday 6 June |
Additional tickets will not be available before this date. Requests for additional tickets cannot be processed via email.
Please note, we cannot guarantee additional tickets being available.
Downloading e-tickets
Your e-ticket (containing seat numbers for you and your guests), along with your statement of final results, will be available via myResults from 2pm on 11 July.
On your statement of final results, you will see a link to 'Graduation Information'. Your e-ticket will show the seat numbers allocated to you and your guests and this will be required on the day. You need to download this information and have it available electronically or printed out, in order to gain entry to the ceremony. Please ensure you also provide your guests with a copy so they can find their allocated seats.
Special seating arrangements/access requirements
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 requirements where possible.
If you require the loan of a wheelchair for the day visit your local British Red Cross Association
Children
Children over the age of three will require a ticket for the ceremony.
Due to the length and formal nature of proceedings 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 aren’t required.
Children are not permitted on the platform at any time.
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.
How to hire
Robes can be hired from Ede and Ravenscroft. Please use your personal email address when placing your robe hire order as University accounts are closed during graduation week. The deadline to hire robes is 27 June.
Robing opening times
Robes will be available for collection from Uni Central on Level 4 of the Students’ Union Building, following the timetable below:
| Time of ceremony | Ceremony Robe collection open |
|---|---|
| 9.30am ceremonies | 7.30am to 8.45am |
| 12.00pm ceremonies | 9.30am to 11.15am |
| 3.30pm ceremonies | 12.15pm to 2.45pm |
| 6.00pm ceremonies | 3.30pm to 5.15pm |
All robes must be returned by 6pm Monday/Tuesday/Friday and 9pm Wednesday/Thursday.
Cancelling robe hire
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 for each level of study and department here:
Academic dress examples (PDF, 743kb)
Worried about the cost of hiring a graduation gown?
We understand that the cost of graduation attire can be a barrier for some students. To help ensure everyone can celebrate their achievement, we have a limited number of gowns available for free. These are intended to support graduands from underrepresented groups, graduands who may be facing financial hardship or graduands with personal circumstances that make the cost difficult to manage.
If you would like to be considered for this support, please complete this form. A member of the Student Experience and Support team will review your request and get back to you.
Please note that, as availability is limited, we do assess applications on a case-by-case basis to ensure gowns go to those who need them most.
Schedule
The full ceremony schedule is now available to view.
Photography
The official graduation photographers are Ede & Ravenscroft Photography and you will find them in the Students' Union. You can pre-book photography packages when you order your robes through Ede & Ravenscroft or you can order on the day.
Opening Times
- Monday, Tuesday, Friday - 7.30am to 6.00pm
- Wednesday, Thursday - 7.30am to 8.30pm
Checklist
Task | Deadline |
Register to confirm if you wish to graduate in person or in absentia | 17 April |
Ensure the name pronunciation form has been completed (if relevant) | 13 June |
Inform the Events Team if you do not want your name to appear in the graduation programme | 6 June |
All debts to the University must be cleared | By completion of your course |
Ensure you have read all information on visas (if applicable) | |
Order your robes from Ede & Ravenscroft | 27 June |
Pre-order photography from Ede & Ravenscroft | 27 June |
Download your e-tickets containing seat numbers for you and your guests | From 2pm on 11 July |
Ensure you've read the 'graduands instructions' for detailed instructions about the ceremony | Day before your ceremony |
Terms and conditions
Cancellation or postponement of the event
While every effort will be made to host graduation ceremonies as planned, the University may cancel, delay, or postpone its graduation ceremonies due to circumstances beyond its control or where ceremonies can no longer reasonably or safely take place.
In the event of any postponement or cancellation, the University will communicate this clearly on its website and will contact each attending student directly with as much notice as is reasonably practical.
The University will not be liable for any costs incurred by either the graduand or guests due to postponement or cancellation of the event. This includes, but is not limited to, travel, accommodation and subsistence costs or any loss of business or earnings.
Therefore, the University strongly advises that graduands and their guests ensure they have sufficient insurance protection to cover any losses they may incur as a result of postponement or cancellation of ceremonies and book flexible rates for travel and accommodation wherever possible.
Academic robes
By confirming your attendance at graduation, you the graduand confirm that you agree to wear official University of Sheffield academic robes provided by our robing company Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd, or an alternative, University Regulation compliant supplier at the ceremony.
Data Protection
Publication of names
The names of graduating students will be printed in the graduation programme which is available to all ticketed guests on the day. If you would like your name removed from this publication, you must advise the Corporate Events Team in writing by using our Contact Us form, giving your full name, student registration number and award title and clearly confirm that you wish to be removed from the programme by 6 June.
We do not print degree classifications in the graduation programme.
Digital media
Graduation video - the ceremony proceedings are filmed and the recording is available to watch online after the ceremony. By electing to take part in the ceremony proceedings, you are giving permission for your image to be recorded.
Graduation live stream of the ceremony - the graduation ceremonies are live streamed on the website. By electing to take part in the ceremony proceedings, you are giving permission for your image to be recorded and broadcasted.
- Photography - professional photographers will be on campus during graduation and their photographs may be used in the university's future promotional literature. By electing to take part in the ceremony proceedings, you are giving permission for your image to be photographed and used.
Graduand and guest conduct
Graduands and guests are expected to behave in a manner fitting for the occasion. Any person who becomes disruptive will be asked to leave the hall.