Your graduation ceremony – what to expect on the day

Information for students and guests attending a graduation ceremony

Close up of students at a graduation ceremony

Your graduation ceremony – what to expect on the day

Information for students and guests attending a graduation ceremony

Your graduation day is a special occasion to celebrate your academic achievements with your friends, family, and the university community. To ensure everything runs smoothly, it’s important that you take time to read through the graduation preparation information ahead of the event.

The sections below outline everything you need to know about what to expect on your graduation day – from arrival times to gown hire and ceremony details. Please read through all the information carefully so you’re fully prepared for this memorable day.

Ceremony timings

All timings are approximate	10:00 ceremony – Please do not arrive before 08:00	12:30 ceremony – Please do not arrive before 10:30	15:00 ceremony - Please do not arrive before 13:00	17:30 ceremony - Please do not arrive before 15:30
TICKET COLLECTION - (Roland Levinsky Building, main campus: STUDENT ONLY)	08:00 – 09:45	10:30 – 12:15	13:00 – 14:45	15:30 – 17:15
GOWN COLLECTION (Levinsky Hall, Roland Levinsky Building: STUDENT ONLY)	08:00 – 09:45	10:30 – 12:15	13:00 – 14:45	15:30 – 17:15
PHOTOGRAPHY (The Gallery, Roland Levinsky Building)	08:00 – 09:45	10:30 – 12:15	13:00 – 14:45	15:30 – 17:15
ENTRY TO THE HALL – Plymouth Methodist Central Hall (Students and guests must be seated 15 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony)	09:30 – 09:45	12:00 – 12:15	14:30 – 14:45	17:00 – 17:15
CEREMONY	10:00 – 11:00	12:30 – 13:30	15:00 – 16:00	17:30 – 18:30
POST-CEREMONY RECEPTION (Rolle Marquee)	11:15 – 12:15	13:45 – 14:45	16:15 – 17:15	18:45 – 19.45
GOWN RETURN (Levinsky Hall, Roland Levinsky Building)	11:15 – 12:30	13:45 – 15:00	16:15 – 17:30	18:45 – 19.45

General information

On arrival (ticket/robes collection and photography)

Ticket collection (robing and photography located in the same building)

Tickets are available for collection up to two hours before the ceremony begins. Please come to the ticket table located on the ground floor of the Roland Levinsky Building, Main Campus, Plymouth PL4 8AA. Robing is located in the Levinsky Hall and photography can be found in The Gallery.

The graduand's seat number is provided at the ticket collection desk with some short instructions. The venue is a short walk across the road from the Roland Levinsky Building to Plymouth Methodist Central Hall.

Download our campus map (PDF)

Taking your seat

Doors for the ceremony will open 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start time. Please ensure you allow enough time to collect your robes and arrive to take your seat at this time.

Graduands have allocated seating with their name card on their seat and guest seating is unreserved.

It is important that you sit in the correct seat during the ceremony. If you have any difficulties finding your seat, please talk to an usher who will be on hand to assist. Please note that graduands and their guests do not sit together.

Ceremony accessibility

The ceremony venue is accessible. There is a limited amount of step-free access seating in the auditorium. Please speak to staff at the ticket desk if your guests are unable to manage steps. Ushers will also be available at the Methodist Hall on the day so please ask if you require assistance.

Order of ceremony

Each ceremony may differ slightly, but will broadly follow the format listed below.

Entry of the processions

The ceremony will begin with a short introduction from the Master of Ceremony with some general housekeeping information. Graduands and guests are asked to stand and remain standing until the academic procession has taken their place on the stage. The Vice-Chancellor (or representative) will ask the audience to be seated.

Opening addresses

The ceremony will be formally opened, followed by a welcoming address by the Vice-Chancellor (or representative).

Approaching the stage

When the Master of Ceremony calls upon the presenter to present the graduands for their award, the ushers will indicate each row of graduands to take the name card on their seat and make their way towards the stage. There will be ushers along the way to assist and make sure you remain in the correct order and to direct you towards the stage.

When your name is called

It can be a daunting prospect to cross the stage in front of everyone at the ceremony, but don't worry as there will be ushers on hand to assist. When the presenter reads your name, you will proceed across to the centre of the stage to be greeted by the Vice-Chancellor (or representative) who will shake hands with you. If you do not wish to shake hands, please find your graduation brochure to the stage and clasp it in your hands in front of you.

Leaving the stage

You will continue across the stage and then return to your seat. Ushers will be on hand to direct you. You will return to the same seat so you can leave any items, other than your name card, under your seat prior to going on stage. Should you require assistance in crossing the stage, ushers will direct and assist you accordingly.

Closing address

The Vice-Chancellor (or representative) will give a closing speech and formally close the ceremony.

Congratulations! You are now officially a graduate!

Food and drink

There is a cafe adjacent to the Plymouth Methodist Central Hall and other cafés are located in the Roland Levinsky Building on the main campus where you and your guests can purchase a selection of drinks and snacks prior to your ceremony. There are also several cafes/restaurants nearby the venue in the city centre and on the Barbican.

Post-ceremony reception

Your graduand and guest tickets include entrance to the post-ceremony reception located in Rolle Marquee, main campus, where a complimentary drink will be served following your ceremony.

Information for guests

Dress code

Graduation ceremonies are formal occasions and we recommend that you dress smartly. We welcome national dress for international students.

Venue, guest tickets and ceremony

Venue
The graduation will take place at the Plymouth Methodist Central Hall, Eastlake St, Plymouth PL1 1BA. Ticket collection, robing and photography will be located on the ground floor of the Roland Levinsky Building, University of Plymouth, PL4 8AA. Graduands must collect their tickets and gown before arriving at the Ceremony venue.

Tickets

Students can collect their guest tickets up to two hours before the graduation is due to start. Only those with tickets may enter the graduation ceremony hall and join academics for a post-ceremony drink in the Rolle Marquee, University of Plymouth following the graduation.

Ceremony
Doors to the ceremony hall open approximately 45 minutes before the start of the graduation. We ask guests and students to be seated at least 15 minutes before the ceremony begins. The timetable for each graduation can be found on the Graduation website.

With the exception of guests with wheelchair requirements, seats for guests are unreserved. You are welcome to sit in any seat without a reserved sign on it. Graduands have allocated seating in an area of the ceremony hall that is separate from the guests.

Children

Children are welcome to attend graduation celebrations. However due to the length of the ceremony and the formal nature of the event, the ceremonies may not be suitable for young children who may struggle to sit quietly for the duration of the event (approximately one hour). We recommend that guests with young children opt for seating near the entrances in case they need to leave the hall.

Your graduate community

Graduating from Plymouth means you're now part of a thriving alumni community making a difference across the world. We're incredibly proud of you and hope you feel the same way about us.

Your lifelong connection with us offers you many benefits, including careers support for three years after graduation and a host of alumni events around the world to help you to network and stay in touch with your old university friends.

Join the alumni community today

Contact the Graduation team

Email: graduation@plymouth.ac.uk
Telephone: +44 1752 586399
Address: Graduation team, Room 403, Rolle Building, University of Plymouth, Drake Circus, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 8AA, United Kingdom
X: @PlymUni
Facebook: /plymouthuni

In any communication regarding graduation ceremonies, please quote your full name, telephone number, student reference number and programme of study. Please note that to be fair to all students, we can only discuss ceremony details with the student who is graduating. Unfortunately this does not include family and friends. Thank you for your understanding.