Frequently Asked Questions
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Below you will find a series of the most commonly asked questions about the University's award ceremonies and certificates. Before you use our "Contact Us service" please check whether we have already answered your question. If we haven't answered your specific question below then please proceed with your enquiry by clicking on the Contact Us link at the foot of the page.
Online Registration
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Tickets Access Requirements Academic Dress On the Day Children Food and Drink Accommodation Overseas Students Degree Certificates Other General Queries When does the University hold degree ceremonies? The University holds ceremonies twice a year, in July and January. Check the future dates. The July ceremonies are usually held during the third week after the end of the summer term. The January ceremonies are usually held over 3 days in the penultimate week in January. Undergraduates and postgraduates, receiving an award of degree level and above, can choose to attend either a July or January ceremony. I am due to graduate in the summer (July), when will I receive details about the summer ceremonies? Undergraduate finalists will be sent an email around April. Postgraduates will be sent an email from April onwards. Please make sure you keep your details up to date on your central student record as well as informing your department. If you will no longer have access to your warwick email, please ensure that you contact us with your personal email address and we will update your records. I am due to graduate in the winter (January), when will I receive details about the winter ceremonies? We will contact you by email from early November onwards. Please make sure you keep your details up to date on your central student record as well as informing your deptartment. If you will no longer have access to your warwick email, please ensure that you contact us with your personal email address and we will update your records. When is my ceremony/How do I know which ceremony I should attend? Departments and their courses are assigned to a particular ceremony date and time. The schedule of ceremonies is normally published in April for July ceremonies, and October for the January ceremonies. There are usually two ceremonies held each day, one at 11.00 and one at 15.00. Occasionally we may have either one or three ceremonies in one day, depending on the overall number of ceremonies and the number of graduation days we have. Typically, a day with three ceremonies would be held at 10.30, 13.30 and 16.30. Those with one ceremony may either be 11.00 or 15.00. Check the current schedule to confirm the date and time of your ceremony. Can I change the date and time of my ceremony? No. If you cannot make the date and time of the ceremony that your course is assigned to, you have the option to defer your graduation ceremony to a future ceremony (although you cannot defer beyond one year), or, you can choose to graduate in absentia and receive your certificate in the post or request that it is held for collection. How do I apply to attend the graduation ceremonies? You will need to complete the online registration form. Online registration for July ceremonies usually opens during late April/early May and the online registration form for the January ceremonies usually opens early November. Do I still need to register online if I am not attending? Yes! If you are eligible to graduate at the next ceremonies, you MUST register even if you do not want to attend the ceremony or you are planning to defer to attend a future ceremony. If deferring, you need to opt out of the first available ceremonies. This means that we can transfer your details to your chosen future ceremony. If you do not do this, you will graduate in absentia, by default, at the first available ceremonies at which you are eligible to graduate - you would not be permitted to defer your graduation after the registration deadline. You should also register to let us know if you are not attending the ceremony and wish to graduatie in absentia, otherwise we will not be able to post your certificate to you after the ceremonies. We also gather further information relating to the use of your personal information by the University, so it is important for you to complete this. I am planning to defer my graduation to attend a future ceremony; do I still need to register online this time? Yes! You have to opt out of the ceremony at which you are first eligible to graduate. If you do not register online and you are eligible to graduate, you will be awarded your degree in absentia instead and you will NOT be permitted to attend a future ceremony. Your certificate would also remain at the University as we would not have confirmation of where to send this. Should I wait until I get my results before I register online? No! Do not delay your registration process, it may be too late to include you and the venue has a maximum capacity which cannot be exceeded. It is usual practice to invite students to the ceremony before results are known, given various time constraints. If it transpires that you are not eligible to graduate, your name will not appear on our graduation lists for the day and your online graduation response will not be actioned. Please also ensure that you register by the deadline given (check key dates). Am I guaranteed a place at the ceremony? No, places are limited. The venue has a maximum capacity and not all graduands are guaranteed a place. Places are booked on a first come, first served basis so we strongly advise you to complete the online registration as early as possible to book your place and to avoid disappointment. Amongst other things, the University takes into account previous attendance data, data on non-attendance and the number of students expected to graduate. This is, in part, to estimate the minimum number of ceremonies required whilst ensuring that the venue is not under utilised. What choices do I have for graduation? When you register online, you can choose to attend the ceremony, graduate in absentia (i.e. not attend), or defer your graduation with the intention to attend a future ceremony. If you have already deferred graduation previously, you will NOT be given the option to defer again. Depending on your choices, you will need to complete the details on the screens presented to you as you work through the form. What happens if I choose to attend the ceremony? In addition to the online registration form, you must order your robe well in advance of the ceremonies from the robe providers and ensure that you read the checklist and keydates and Timetable for the day, making sure you know where to be and when. As for the day, you will be presented with your certificate on stage at the ceremony. If you have confirmed your attendance but do not turn up on the day, your degree will be awarded in absentia and you will not be permitted to attend a future ceremony. Your certificate will be posted to you after the ceremonies, if you have provided your address (please allow up to 8 weeks for delivery after the ceremonies). Read more about award certificates. If you have paid for hire of robes, and ordered photos etc, you will be able to request refunds of these direct from the companies if you do not attend on the day – please contact them promptly to arrange refunds. What happens if I choose to graduate in absentia? Your certificate will be posted out to you 2-8 weeks after the ceremonies finish (if you have provided your address), by our normal postal method (ie First Class post for UK and Recorded Delivery for overseas addresses). If you have requested the option of delivery by courier, a payment of £20.00 for UK, or £40.00 for overseas addresses is required). You can also opt to have your certificate held for collection by yourself or someone elected by you. Read more about award certificates. You will not be eligible to attend a future ceremony. What happens if I choose to defer my graduation? You must register online to let us know that you want to opt out of the first available ceremonies at which you are eligible to graduate. You will then be contacted again nearer the time of your chosen ceremony. You will be required to complete a new online registration form at that time to confirm your new intentions. You will not be given the option to defer again when you complete the new online form - you will only be given the option to attend or to graduate in absentia. Your certificate would be issued at the time of your chosen ceremony – it cannot be issued before this time. Read more about award certificates. You are not permitted to defer beyond one year. What happens if I registered to attend the ceremony and now cannot make it or wish to change my options? You can change your details by re-accessing the online registration process, anytime up until the registration deadline. After the deadline, it depends how close we are to the event as to what options are still available to you, but you should contact us as soon as you know you cannot attend to discuss what options you have at that time. We regret that we cannot guarantee to change registration requests received after the registration deadline. What happens if I registered to attend but do not turn up on the day? Your name will be crossed off the list of names to be called out and your degree will be awarded in absentia instead. You will not be permitted to attend a future ceremony. Your certificate will be posted to you after the ceremonies, if you have provided your address (please allow up to 8 weeks for delivery). Read more about award certificates. If you have paid for hire of robes, and ordered photos etc, you will be able to request refunds of these direct from the various companies – please contact them promptly to arrange refunds. How do I access the online registration form? Full details are given on our online registration web page. There are two ways to access:
I cannot access the online form, what should I do? Before contacting us, please ensure that you have attempted to access the correct way and keyed in the correct information in the correct format. TIP: If you no longer have your my.warwick account and are attempting to access through the login page, please ensure that you are keying in your student (not staff) 7 digit number and your date of birth in the correct format of dd/mm/yyyy including the / character. Keying in the date of birth without the / character or without the full format is a very common problem. If you still cannot access please contact us to check your access. If I cannot access the online form, does that mean I am not eligible to graduate? No, not necessarily. There are various reasons why you may not have access to the online form. It could simply be that we are not yet aware of your potential eligibility to graduate and will therefore not have contacted you yet or created your graduation record (which enables you to access the online form). If you haven’t received details or cannot access the online form and you believe that you are/will be eligible to graduate, you should contact us so we can follow this up. I have received the graduation email, does that confirm I am eligible to graduate and my name is on a pass list? No, not necessarily. Due to the proximity of examination boards and ceremonies it is usual to send out graduation invitations BEFORE results are known. We look at your student record to check if you are potentially due to graduate (given your expected end date) and we contact students based on this and other information. To be eligible to graduate you must have cleared all your debts and your name must appear on a Senate approved pass list by the deadlines stated. Please check the key dates and eligibility criteria. How do I know if I am eligible to graduate? You must have cleared all of your debts with the University and your name must appear on a Senate-approved pass list by the deadlines published in the key dates section. Students recommended for a lower award (such as Postgraduate Diploma) will not be able to graduate at a formal Congregation. University regulations stipulate that a qualification cannot be awarded/conferred on any student who has debts outstanding to the University or who has in his/her possession any property belonging to the University (including library books). All outstanding debts must be cleared by the date published in the key dates to Graduation. Payment by cash or credit card is recommended to avoid delays. Payments made by BACS or cheque are subject to a clearance period of 10 working days. It is your responsibility to ensure that your account with the University is cleared by the date published in the key dates section. If you are unsure, you can check your account balance through your my.warwick Due to the proximity of some Boards of Examiners meetings in relation to the deadline for receipt of pass lists and online registration, it is usually necessary for the Awards and Ceremonies Team to contact students BEFORE results are known. Receipt of any graduation email invite DOES NOT, therefore, imply successful completion of your studies and you must ensure that you meet the above criteria in order to graduate. If you are unsure of the date that your Examination Board is sitting, then please contact your departmental secretary, as the Awards and Ceremonies Team does not have a full list of Examination Board dates that are due to take place within the available time. The qualifications of Diploma, Certificate and Award are NOT awarded at a University Awards Ceremony but are distributed to recipients by mail after they have been approved by University Senate or Steering Committee. Read more about award certificates. Where can I check that my name is on a Pass List? Unfortunately, because of the format of pass lists, they cannot currently be published on the web site. However, postgraduate students will receive a letter to confirm the conferral of their award after Senate approval, although this will be sent out usually 1-3 weeks after Senate approval has taken place. Undergraduate pass lists from May/June Examination Boards, will be available from your department shortly after the Examination Board has met and will also be displayed in the Atrium of University House during the last few weeks of the Academic Year. Taught postgraduate lists may be displayed in your department shortly after the Examination Board has met and your department will contact you to confirm the outcome of the Examination Board decision. As taught postgraduate lists are not displayed in University House, it would be reasonable to assume that if your department has contacted you to confirm the Examination Board decision (subject to Senate approval) which confirms the recommendation of a degree level award, and, they have sent the pass list to the Academic Office for Senate approval BEFORE the Pass List deadline, then you should be eligible to graduate (providing you have no debts outstanding to the University). For research degrees, your name will not be presented on a Pass List until the Graduate School is in receipt of both External and Internal Examiners' reports, usually after the viva has taken place and any corrections have been submitted and signed off by the Internal Examiner. Check the key dates to confirm the deadline for awards to be conferred by Senate in order to graduate at the next available ceremony. What happens if I have registered to attend the ceremony and I am not eligible to attend? You will not be able to graduate and attend that ceremony if your award has not been approved by Senate or if you are in debt to the University. The Awards and Ceremonies Team will not action your registration request and your name will not appear in the graduation proceedings. If you have successfully completed your studies but are in debt to the University, you will be invited to the next available ceremonies after you have cleared your debt. If you have not completed your studies or your award has not been approved by Senate in time, you will be invited to attend the next available ceremonies, after you have successfully completed at degree level. If you have been awarded a lower qualification of Postgraduate Diploma/Certificate/Award then you will not be able to attend a ceremony and your certificate will be issued and posted to your address, approximately 6-10 weeks after the ceremonies. Read more about award certificates. Will I receive notification of my award from the University? If you are a postgraduate, you will receive a letter from the Student Records Office, approximately 1-3 weeks after approval of your award by Senate. Undergraduates are notified via the final examination board pass lists which will be displayed in your department and in the Atrium of University House. How many guest tickets can I have? We can only guarantee two guest tickets for entrance to the ceremony (read more). Guest tickets are not posted - they are collected on the day of your graduation in the same venue as your robes. Is there a charge for tickets for myself or my guests to attend the ceremony? No, we do not make a charge for graduand or guest tickets. Entrance is free. Can I request extra guest tickets? No, you are only guaranteed two guest tickets for entrance to the Butterworth Hall. However, you can bring as many guests with you as you wish; it is not the University's intention to deter extra guests if they do wish to accompany you on the day, but it is on the understanding that we may not be able to offer them an entrance ticket to the Butterworth Hall. If we have space on the day, we will allocate spare guest entrance tickets strictly on a first come first served basis from the Warwick Arts Centre Box Office (subject to a maximum of two tickets per person). What happens if my extra guests cannot get an entrance ticket on the day? Due to seating capacity and the number of attending graduands, we may not be able to offer all your extra guests an entrance ticket on the day but we do hope that they will be able to enjoy and celebrate the rest of the day with you. If your guests have any queries on the day, they should enquire at the Box Office at the Warwick Arts Centre. If we have any spare guest tickets, these will be available on the day, from the Warwick Arts Centre Box Office (read more). These are issued strictly on a first-come first-served basis (subject to a maximum of 2 tickets per person). There will be a live video link into the Cinema (next to the Butterworth Hall) where guests without entrance tickets to the Butterworth Hall will be able to see the ceremony. Tickets are not required for entrance to the Cinema and seats are on a first come first served basis. This is an informal viewing area and guests are welcome to come and go as they please at anytime during the ceremony proceedings. Guests may also wish to watch the ceremony on any of the plasma screens located in the foyer areas of the Warwick Arts Centre. A DVD will be available to purchase should you or your guests which to order a copy either before the event or on the day from their stand or from www.iamagraduate.com. Will my guests be allocated specific seats in the Hall? No, guest tickets for entrance to the ceremony are not numbered and stewards will direct your guests to seats inside the Butterworth Hall. Guests who wish to sit together should enter the hall together. Wherever possible we will make every effort to seat all members of the same party together, however, guests are equally welcome to sit separately from other members of your party if they wish. Please read our guest section for further details. Guests are not necessarily required to be smartly dressed, however, as it is a formal event most guests do prefer to be appropriately dressed for the occasion (e.g. collar and tie). I haven’t received my tickets yet, when and how do I get my tickets? We do not post tickets. Tickets should be collected on the day of your ceremony at the Warwick Arts Centre. Please refer to the timetable for the day for collection details. Please collect your tickets before you collect your robe. It is important to note that guest tickets will also be in the envelope along with your numbered graduand ticket. Please ensure that you give the tickets to your guests before you need to register on the day, because your guests will need to enter through a separate door and will not be allowed to enter the ceremony without the tickets. You must keep your own ticket with you at all times because you will need it to register and because it has your seat number on it (read more). What should I do if I, or any of my guests need accessible/flat floor seating requirements? You should tick the appropriate boxes on the online registration form. We will make appropriate arrangements if you need assistance/support on stage to receive your degree or if you or your guests require flat floor seating. The stage will have ramps at either side ensuring access for everyone to receive their award on stage. The seating area is mostly tiered and accessed via stairs which are low and wide. Wheelchair access is available throughout the Warwick Arts Centre and marshals will be on hand to assist upon arrival should you require assistance. Guide dogs/hearing dogs are welcome throughout Warwick Arts Centre. Please let us know (through the online form) in advance if you will be bringing a guide/hearing dog. Guide/hearing dogs may be taken into the ceremony or they can be cared for by a member of staff during the ceremony. It is important that you inform us if you or any of your guests are wheelchair users or if you require other accessible seating arrangements in the Hall, otherwise we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet your/their needs on the day. Do I have to wear Academic Robes for my ceremony? Yes, everybody graduating will need to wear full Academic Robes (read more). A gown, hood and hat will need to be worn which you should order online well in advance from our robe providers. You need to order your robes online, well in advance of the ceremony, from our robe providers. Gowns can either be hired for the day or purchased if you prefer. You will need to know the date and time of your ceremony (check the schedule), your qualification (eg PhD, MEng, BA, FdA, etc) and your height, chest and hat size to order your robe - please have this information to hand when you order. What is the colour of my hood? A brief description of the colours is available in our Robe and Hood Colours section. Where and when do I collect my robes? You will need to collect your robes prior to your ceremony from the Warwick Arts Centre (check the timetable for the day). University regulations state that all graduands must be smartly dressed (eg collar and tie). Members of the armed forces may wear the appropriate uniform and members of religious orders their normal mode of dress. Graduands may also wear their national dress. Stewards will be checking that graduands are smartly dressed. Any graduands whose clothes are considered unsuitable (e.g. jeans/trainers) will be excluded from the ceremony (read more). TIP: Ladies, a shirt/blouse/dress with buttons down the front is useful to secure your hood. It is also useful to bring pins or safety pins so you can secure your hood at the shoulders so it does not slip back or slide off your shoulders. What time should my guests and I arrive for the ceremony? You need to leave enough time on arrival at the Warwick Arts Centre to collect your tickets, collect your robes and for you and your guests to be seated half an hour BEFORE the start time of your ceremony. Ensure that you read the timetable for the day to assist you with timings. Please allow extra time for traffic and parking if you are arriving by car. It is your responsibility to ensure you are in time for the ceremony; ensure you check the timetable for the day and the free park & ride to assist you with your timings and travel plans.
Where can my guests and I park? A FREE Park & Ride facility will be in operation from Stoneleigh Park for each day of the ceremonies. Buses will travel at 15 minute intervals throughout the day. Travelling time to campus is approximately 15-20 minutes. To ensure you are guaranteed to be on campus in time for your ceremony, please arrive at Stoneleigh Park by the times stated on the Park & Ride section. How long do the ceremonies last and what happens during them? Ceremonies usually last approximately one hour - one and a half hours. The ceremony will commence with the entrance of the academic procession for which all graduands and guests should stand. After an opening address from the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor or Deputy-Vice-Chancellor, the first row of graduands will be led down towards the stage. All graduands present in the Hall will be presented to the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor by the relevant Faculty Chair in order of qualification and course of study. Shortly before your name is called you will be prompted to go up on stage where you will be presented to the Chancellor, Vice-Chancellor or Deputy Vice-Chancellor to shake hands. At the far side of the stage you will collect your certificate from a senior academic and then you will walk off the stage and return to your seat. Approximately half way through the proceedings an honorary graduand will be presented for the award of an honorary degree or a speech will be delivered by an invited orator. Will I be sitting with my guests? No; we will need to seat you in presentation order. Your guests will be seated in a separate guest seating area. Your guests' tickets are not numbered and they will be shown to seats when they enter (read more). You MUST register before entering the ceremony and sit in the seat number allocated to you (the number is shown on your ticket and will correspond with the number on the BROCHURE, which will be laid out on your seat). Please ensure you register on time (read more) and please ensure you do not move seats (otherwise you may not be able to graduate!). A member of the graduand seating team will guide you to your seat. You must not swap seats otherwise you will be in the wrong order to be presented and you will end up with the wrong certificate. It may also mean that you will not be able to graduate if we cannot locate you in your seat when the graduand seating team are checking for absentees after registration has closed. You must remain in your specified seat after registration so that we can confirm that you are present and that you will not be crossed off the list of proceedings and de-registered! Do you read out degree classifications in the ceremony? No, you will be presented in alphabetical order by qualification then in alphabetical order within your course. Honours level qualifications will be listed before all non honours qualifications. Only qualifications, course titles and names are read out. Will there be an Honorary Degree presented in my ceremony? Usually, there is an Honorary Graduand presented for an honorary award in each ceremony. A Chancellor's medal may also be awarded (read more). Will there be an official photographer at my ceremony? Yes. The University's official photographers, Ede and Ravenscroft, will be located in the Warwick Arts Centre (read more). What should I do if I or my guest/s feel unwell on the day? If you or any of your guests feel unwell, please inform any member of graduation staff. A member of St John’s Ambulance will be in attendance at all times. If you feel unwell during the ceremony, please inform one of the ushers inside the ceremony. Will there be a reception after/before my ceremony? Your department may organise their own reception for their students. Please contact your undergraduate/postgraduate secretary to check. You may also be interested in finding somewhere to eat and drink on campus to continue your celebrations - check the Warwick Retail website. Are children allowed inside the graduation ceremony? Yes, children are allowed into the ceremony, although children over the age of 2 will require their own seat and therefore a guest ticket. As the ceremonies can be quite tiring for young children, we do offer a free crèche/kids club facility to provide cover for the period of the ceremony. This is subject to availability and is booked on a first come first served basis. Check the crèche/kids club section for more information. How do I book the free crèche/kids club? Firstly, you should complete the section on the online registration form to register your interest in using the crèche/kids club. You will then need to formally book the place/s by completing the booking form available at the end of the online registration process or complete the same form which is also available in the crèche/kids club section of our web page. Forms should be returned direct to the crèche/kids club provider at the address on the bottom of their form. Spaces are limited and are on a first come first served basis and can only be confirmed on receipt of the completed crèche/kids club booking form by the crèche/kids club provider. Please DO NOT return forms to the University. One form per child is required and the form/s MUST be hand signed by the parent or guardian. Where can my guests and I purchase food and drink on campus? Information can be found on the Warwick Retail website. Can I book accommodation on campus for myself and my guests? Accommodation is available at Scarman, Radcliffe and Arden House; please book early as places are limited (read more). I need official confirmation that I am returning to the UK for my graduation, how do I go about obtaining a Visa letter for myself or my guests? The Immigration Service can provide you with a letter to assist with your visa (complete the online request form) and further information is available on General Visitor Visas. They cannot provide letters for your family or friends. You will need to write a letter inviting each of your guests to your ceremony - check their General Visitor Visas information (scroll down the page to see the 'sample invitation letter') to assist you with this. If you need to contact them for further advice, please email immigrationservice@warwick.ac.uk. When will I receive my degree certificate? If you are attending your degree ceremony, your certificate will be presented to you on stage. If you are deferring to a future ceremony, your certificate will be issued at the time of your chosen ceremony (it cannot be issued before this time). If you are graduating in absentia, then your certificate will be posted out 2-8 weeks after the ceremonies (providing you have given your certificate postal address on the online form). If this is to a UK address, then it will be sent by first class mail, and if to an overseas address, then it will be sent by recorded mail. If you have requested your certificate to be posted by courier (and if payment of £20.00 (for UK addresses) or £40.00 (for overseas addresses) is received), we will post your certificate 2 weeks after the ceremonies. As an exception to the above, if you are a student at Warwick Manufacturing Group, and have registered through the IGDS route at one of the overseas centres, your certificate will be posted to the overseas centre office by courier (in this instance, you are not expected to pay for the courier service as this cost will be met by the University). If you have requested your certificate to be held for collection through the online form, we will hold this for collection as requested. Collection is from the Student Reception of University House from 2 weeks AFTER the ceremony week - check the Award Certificates section for collection details. For further details on posting and collection arrangements, please check the Award Certificates section on our web page. Can I get my certificate before the ceremony? No. Degree certificates are only issued at the time of the ceremonies. Certificates cannot be collected or posted before this time. Who should I contact if I have a query that is not covered on the web site or in the FAQs? You should contact the Awards and Ceremonies Team via our online enquiry form.
I lived in University owned accommodation. Can I be charged for cleaning and repairs once I have vacated the property? Yes, if you have lived in University owned accommodation, you may be charged for cleaning and repairs once you have vacated the property. These charges may be applied to your account AFTER you have graduated from the University. If none of these FAQs adequately deals with your enquiry then please continue and Contact Us directly.
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