Graduation

Ceremonies will run between Monday 10 – Friday 14 July 2023. There are usually three ceremonies each day, 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm.

Students who may be eligible for graduation in July will receive a confirmation email by the mid-March. The email will contain your allocated ceremony date and time. If you think you are eligible to graduate in July and haven’t received an email by 22 March, please get in touch. If you have not yet been awarded please also see Eligibility for Graduation for useful information.

On the day you will register at: 

The University of Central Lancashire,
Engineering Innovation Centre,
Fylde Road,
Preston,
Lancashire
PR1 2HE

Ceremony booking

An email with details of how to book your graduation day will be sent mid-May. The booking system will be open from 15 May until 5 June.

Your gown

Graduates are required to wear the University’s academic dress which is a cap and gown. In the email confirming your ceremony details, you will receive a link to book your cap and gown. It’s important that you hire your cap and gown from our supplier as per the link in the email so that all graduates look the same at the ceremony. You’ll also need your student reference number. This is your nine-digit student registration number, e.g.G00112233 or S00112233 or 100112233. You will be able to book your gown online between 15 May to 5 June.

You will collect your cap and gown on the day of the ceremony. After the ceremony, please return your gown by 6pm at the gown return. The gown return will be in the Student Centre.

What to wear

Wear a formal or smart outfit underneath your gown, we know you’ll want to look great for your photographs. The gowns and mortarboards are black for all graduates excluding PhD graduates. PhD graduates wear grey gowns and bonnets.

Your ceremony will be either 10am, 12.30pm and 3pm. We advise that you arrive two hours before your ceremony is due to begin. It will take time to register, gown and have your photographs taken. Please don’t arrive more than two hours before, as registration only opens two hours before your ceremony.

After your ceremony, there will be a celebration event on University Square for graduands and their guests. All graduands and up to 2 guests will have tickets for free refreshments.

If you have other guests who will be watching the live stream from a lecture theatre (see tickets and seating section), they will be able to buy refreshments on the day.

If you've not completed your course and got your target award by Monday 1 July we will not expect you at July’s graduations. You will get invited to the next ceremony after you have been awarded. Students can view their results securely online by using myUCLan. If you have a query regarding your award or your results please email the Graduation Team for assistance.

Students who have requested to defer their attendance will be emailed by mid-March with booking information. If you don’t receive an email by 22 March, please email the Graduation Team. If you are a graduate who did not ask to defer but now wants to attend please email the Graduation Team.

Outstanding Debts

Graduands with outstanding tuition debts owed to the University will be required to clear the balance(s) in full in order to attend graduation. Students with outstanding debts will not be permitted to graduate or receive final certificates/transcripts. You can pay online or for further information please contact the Accounts Receivable (Customer Accounts) Team on +44 (0) 1772 891828 Option 5 to discuss any outstanding balances.

Tickets are free of charge for you and up to two guests in the ceremony hall and include post-ceremony refreshments. If you want to bring extra guests they can watch a live stream from one of our lecture theatres or the Adelphi pub. You can have a maximum of 4 extra guests in addition to the two in the ceremony hall. Your extra guests will be able to join you at the post-ceremony event on the University Square. Extra guests will unfortunately not be eligible for complimentary post-ceremony refreshments. There will be the opportunity to purchase additional food and drink.

It may be possible to offer additional guest tickets closer to your ceremony date. However, this depends on the number of graduands who have confirmed their attendance per ceremony. We will inform you of any additional guest tickets closer to your graduation date by email.

Please be aware that tickets are not posted to you. You simply collect them from the Registration Desk on the day of your ceremony.

If you wish to invite friends and family from outside the UK to your graduation ceremony and your visitor is a national of a country that is outside the European Economic Area (EEA), they will have to apply for permission to come to the UK as a visitor. A full list of documents they will need is available on the Government website but we strongly advise you provide your visitor with the following to support their application:

• Confirmation of Study Letter proving your status as a full-time student here.
• A personal letter of invitation for your visitor(s) from you. The letter of invitation must be written by you and include the following:
• the full name and date of birth of your proposed visitor(s)
• their relationship to you (parent, friend, etc)
• why they want to come and visit you (a holiday, to attend your graduation, etc)
• how long they want to stay in the UK and, if possible their proposed arrival and departure dates
• where they intend to stay including the full address (hotel, your accommodation etc)
• your immigration status in the UK and the date your visa expires (Student Route general student, etc)
• Copy of your passport and BRP card (if you have a BRP card).

Where your visitor plans to stay. If they plan to stay with you, include your address on the personal letter of invitation and a copy of your tenancy agreement. If they are staying in a hotel, you should provide proof of the hotel booking and the cost of the stay.

Six months bank statements if you are paying for some or all of the costs of the visit.

Send your supporting documents to your visitor. DO NOT send your supporting documents directly to the Embassy or Home Office.

For any other international or visa and immigration enquiries, please contact the Student Immigration and Compliance Team or Student Support by calling +44 (0) 1772 891828 or emailing us.

If your student visa has expired and you will be living outside the UK in December and wish to return with family or friends to attend your graduation you may need to apply for a visitor visa to return to the UK. You will need your invitation email for your application and can find more information about the application process.

If after registering for the event you find you are unable to attend your graduation please email us as soon as possible to make them aware. It will be your responsibility to inform graduation suppliers that you have ordered goods and services from.

Graduation ceremonies are formal, lengthy events and experience has shown that children become bored and restless. However, we appreciate that it is not always possible to make alternative childcare arrangements and exit points are clearly marked should you need to leave the hall. If you are graduating, please note children cannot be left unattended in the hall without adult supervision so please make necessary arrangements in advance of your graduation day.

Children under the age of 2 do not require tickets and may sit on an adult's lap, not on a seat. Children aged 2 and over require a guest ticket for entry to the ceremony. Please ensure children remain seated throughout the ceremony to avoid causing any disruption to the ceremony.

Please note that prams and pushchairs are not permitted in the ceremony.

You will be seated in the hall and called up to the stage to receive your award. Don’t worry there will be plenty of staff showing you what you need to do. Graduands will be given a reserved seat number in front of the stage. It is important that you sit in the seat reserved for you so that we call the right name at the right time onto the stage. Don’t worry an usher will direct you to the stage at the right time and your name will be announced. You should then walk across the stage and shake hands with the Presiding Officer who will be giving you your award, before returning to your seat.

Guest seating surrounds the graduate seats in the hall.

Smile – you’re on camera

Just to let you know graduation ceremonies are regarded as public events and the names of all graduates (including those graduands who don’t attend) are published in the graduation programme. The graduation ceremony will also be filmed and live streamed over the internet and will ultimately be available to view on the UCLan website so you and friends and family can watch again.

We’ll also be doing general filming and photography at the ceremonies and celebration event which may be used for corporate publicity. If you object to being filmed and/or photographed for this purpose, please email imagebank@uclan.ac.uk

Studio Photography

Our Studio Photography offers you the opportunity to have individual and family group (max 7 people) photographs taken by a professional photographer.

H Tempest Ltd is the appointed photography company. A wide range of products are available to view online at Tempest website.

On your graduation day you may have your photograph taken before or after your ceremony. Studios will remain open until 5pm each day.

Photos of your presentation

Presentation photographs will be taken of you on the stage as you shake hands with the Presiding Officer and will be available to purchase after the ceremony from the H Tempest website

Memorabilia and Gifts

A range of UCLan branded merchandise will be available to purchase from the Students' Union at every Graduation Ceremony with 7.5% of all sales going to the Harris Bursary Fund, a charitable fund established through the University Foundation to provide emergency help and support to students. You can also make purchases online from the Students' Union.

 Information for Deaf graduates and guests

British Sign Language interpreters will be present at the ceremony. If you or any of your guests are deaf and require seats reserved in a suitable position to view the interpreter, please indicate this on the booking form please contact us

 Information for Blind or Visually Impaired graduates and guests

Graduates, your seat will be reserved in the ceremony hall so that you can sit with your course colleagues, however we may allocate a seat for you at the end of the row to provide easy access. Our ushers will provide any assistance you may require to escort you to and from the presentation platform. We will discuss these arrangements with you when you arrive at the ceremony so you will know exactly what to expect.

Please provide additional information on the booking form if you or one of your guests has a Guide Dog so that we can allow extra space.

Information for Wheelchair Users or those with mobility issues

Graduates, your place will be reserved in the ceremony hall so that you can sit with your course colleagues if possible. There will be ramp access with handrails onto the presentation platform and we will discuss the arrangements with you when you arrive in the ceremony hall.

For guests, there are designated areas in the ceremony hall for wheelchair users and easily accessible rows will be reserved for those with mobility issues if required. Please contact us if your guest(s) require a wheelchair space.

Please note that the University is not able to provide wheelchairs for use at the Graduation Ceremony.

Venue information

University of Central Lancashire

Engineering Innovation Centre

Fylde Road

PR1 2HE

Please arrive at the Engineering Innovation Centre on the Preston campus and you will be asked to register and collect your gown. Don’t worry you will be guided through the ceremony experience, from beginning to end. The venue for the Graduation ceremonies is Sir Tom Finney Sports Centre

Blue Badge Holders (Disabled)

There will be a limited number of blue badge parking spaces on Hope Street Car Park

There are a number of different ways to travel to your Graduation.

By Bus

Preston Bus Station is 5-10 minutes’ walk or a short taxi ride to Fylde Road, PR1 2HE.

Park and Ride

The service operates from Walton-le-Dale and Portway locations and is easily accessible from the M6 and M65. The bus service stops in the town centre and is approximately a 10-minute walk from UCLan's campus. Further information can be found on the Lancashire County Council website.

By car

By Taxi

To pre-book

• Millers Citax (273 Brook Street) 01772 884000
• New City VIP (Moor Lane) 01772 556655
• Eagle Taxis (Fox Street) 01772 200300
• A1 City Taxis (London Road) 01772 561616/17

Taxi drop off/collection point Fylde Road, PR1 2HE

By Train

Preston Railway Station is 5-10 minutes’ walk to Fylde Road, PR1 2HE

Accommodation

Please find further information on hotels local to Preston. Please note that the University cannot be held liable for the cost of any travel arrangements or accommodation made by you or your guests even if in any unfortunate circumstance that the event is cancelled or you are unable to attend.

The University of Central Lancashire graduation team is happy to answer any queries by email at graduation@uclan.ac.uk or by phone on +44 (0) 1772 891828.

Not heard from us about your graduation?

The Graduation Team contacts students using the contact information in your online record. It is your responsibility to keep these details up to date. If you cannot access your online record to update contact details, please contact graduation@uclan.ac.uk

We make every effort to contact students that have left the university, however, if your contact details have not been updated in the university system, we may be unable to do so. To change your details please contact graduation@uclan.ac.uk

Cancellation Policy

In the event that the Graduation Ceremony cannot take place, is delayed, or times for the Graduation Ceremony are changed as a result of any events, omissions, or non-events that are beyond the reasonable control of the University of Central Lancashire, including (without limitation) acts of God, riots, war, acts of terrorism, epidemic or pandemic, UK Government imposed restrictions and/or health and safety guidance related to Covid-19, period of national mourning, fire, flood, storm, earthquake or industrial action, the University of Central Lancashire shall not be liable for any losses, direct or otherwise, incurred by Graduates and their guests.

How we use your information

The University’s graduation ceremonies are public events and are significant events for graduates, guests and staff. To see how we use information about you and your guests when you attend a ceremony, including information about photography, video and live streaming at the event, view our graduation privacy notice..