Staff registration for July graduations will open on Tuesday 14th May and will close on Monday 8th July 2024. 

If you have any queries regarding attending the ceremonies, please contact graduation-staff@bristol.ac.uk

Gowns

To attend a ceremony, you must wear a gown. There is no charge to staff individually to hire gowns for graduations.

If you have previously registered to join the staff procession before, your gown information is stored in your Ede and Ravenscroft eNet account. If your attire requirements have changed, please update them in the ‘my account’ section.  

If you require a hat with your gown and are not sure of your hat size, please check the Guide to measuring your head (Office document, 32kB). For ‘Hat type’ please select ‘standard’ unless your attire has specific requirements.

If you miss the deadline for registering, unfortunately we will not be able to arrange an academic gown for you to wear.

If you have your own gown, you must still record your attendance via eNet and complete the registration form to inform that you will be processing at a ceremony.  

The ceremony

As a member of staff attending the ceremony, you will need to arrive at the Wills Memorial Building 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony.

You will join the staff procession and process up to the Great Hall stage. You will sit on the stage for the duration of the ceremony.

During the graduation ceremonies, we encourage you to be considerate of others. If you are feeling unwell, or have tested positive for COVID-19, please do not attend.

We are offering live streaming of ceremonies which can be viewed online or in the Richmond Building at the Winston theatre. Please visit the Graduation webpages for more details.

Access needs

If you have any health needs, or disabilities, that need additional support during the ceremony, please contact graduation-staff@bristol.ac.uk

The Great Hall is fitted with a loop system. Find out more access information about Wills Memorial Building.

Ceremonial officers

You can also apply to take part in the graduation ceremony as a Bedell, a ceremonial officer.

This role is open to any member of staff at the University and involves organising and participating in the ceremonial aspects of the ceremony.

From leading processions to guiding graduands and being a friendly face to all of those in attendance, bedells are a huge part of what makes these events so iconic.

Donned in a maroon gown, as a bedell you’ll become immersed in the tradition of graduation and visibly contribute to an extremely special moment in the lives of University of Bristol students, their families and the University as a whole.

You’ll become part of a team, made up of staff from across the University, all who have very different daytime jobs but come together on these memorable occasions.

Bedells are entitled to take two days away from their usual work duties to fulfil their ceremonial roles. If a bedell wishes to offer more time, this must be agreed with their line manager.

So, if you enjoy a bit of acting, don’t mind being centre stage, are able to keep a cool head, keep the show on the road and are interested in becoming a bedell, please email ceremonial-officers@bristol.ac.uk.