Arriving at Wills Memorial building

Please be aware that there may be bag checks in place for any small bag you take into the ceremony with you.

We regret that no big bags or suitcases are allowed in the building. There are left-luggage facilities available in the city if you need them.

If you have a pushchair, please speak to a member of staff on arrival for help. 

Taking your seats

You and your guests should be seated in good time for the start of your ceremony. Check the timetable for the day to find the relevant time for your ceremony.

You will be allocated a numbered seat, with your fellow students, or graduands.  

Your guests will be seated separately from you in the guest areas, and will need a guest ticket to watch in the Great Hall.  Please note that your guests will be allocated numbered seats.  Any guests without a ticket for the hall who are with you on the day can watch the live screening in the Richmond Building. 

A ceremonial guide is available online, which provides information about the University of Bristol and our graduation ceremonies.

Opening the ceremony

The ceremony starts with staff processions. These are conducted into the Great Hall by the Bedells, the Ceremonial Officers, who are members of University staff.

The presiding officer will declare the ceremony open. 

Calling you onto the stage

The order

Graduands are called up onto the stage in order of undergraduate degrees first - bachelors then masters, followed by postgraduate certificate awards, postgraduate diploma awards, postgraduate masters degrees, then doctorates, for each faculty in the ceremony in turn. Within this you will be called up by subject, alphabetically by surname.  There is no separation for different award classifications.

The order is printed in the programme of names.

Your name 

Your first name and surname will be announced. You can select to use a preferred first name as long as it is part of your official name recorded on your student record. 

If you think your name could be mispronounced you can provide a phonetic version on the graduation registration form to help guide the reader for your ceremony, or contact the Graduation Office if you have not provided this on the form when registering.

The official name on your student record will appear in full in the programme of names.

Please note that names cannot be amended after your award has been made unless legally changed following gender reassignment.

When your name is called

At the appropriate time, a member of the ceremony staff will direct your row towards the stage.  Please leave your hat on your seat when your row is called up.

When the person before you is called, you should move onto the stage. You will be presented to the presiding officer by your Dean of faculty, or their representative.

When your name is called, you should start walking across the stage.  You should approach the presiding officer holding your hands out in front of you with palms together and he or she will clasp your hands. At this moment your degree is conferred.  

If you do not wish to clasp hands for religious or other reasons, please keep your hands by your side and approach the presiding officer and bow, and they will do so in return.

You have now officially graduated, and are a graduate.

You will leave the stage by the opposite staircase and members of staff will then guide you back to your seat.  After all new graduates have returned to their seats the presiding officer will ask you to collectively don your hats, followed by a speech of congratulations. 

We will brief you on this on your ticket and in the speech to graduands at the start of the ceremony.

Certificates will be posted out to graduates' registered home address, after the congregation.

After degrees are conferred

An honorary degree may be awarded to an individual who has made a significant contribution to society.

A speech presenting the honorary graduand is given by the public orator. The presiding officer then confers the degree. The honorary graduate may then make a speech, offering inspirational words.

If there is not an honorary graduate in a ceremony, there will often be a guest speaker instead.

Closing the ceremony

The presiding officer gives a final speech and declares the ceremony closed.

The Bedells then lead out the staff processions, followed by you and your fellow new graduates.

Once the graduates have left the hall, your guests will be free to leave and meet back up with you outside the hall.

The area outside the hall and the building will be very busy, so we recommend agreeing on a meeting point a bit further away.

The rest of the day

You will need to drop off your gown, otherwise, the rest of the day is yours to enjoy. You can return your gown to the drop-off points at the Richmond Building, or the Wills Memorial Building until the time given in the timetable for your ceremony.

Some schools may hold their own additional celebrations which they will invite you to separately.  You should contact your school if you have any questions about these events.

Vet Science and vet nursing students will also attend the RCVS ceremony at Langford - information is sent separately by the school.

MBChB students should check with their school for information about their Promise ceremony.