How do I book my tickets?

We will send you information on how to book your tickets in your email invitation.

To attend the ceremony, you will need to book a ticket for yourself, free of charge. Each graduand is allowed to bring a maximum of three guests (subject to ceremony capacity). Guest tickets cost £20 each. To book your tickets, you will need your student ID.

Entry to the ceremony will be strictly by e-ticket only and your e-ticket will only be valid for the ceremony to which you have been invited.

Guests will be asked to show their e-ticket at the Chapel.

When will I receive my tickets?

E-tickets will be sent to the email address that you provide a week before the ceremony date, and you will be required to display this on the day of your ceremony.

On presenting your e-tickets, you will collect your namecard.

Entry to the Ceremony will be strictly by e-ticket only, and these will only be valid for the ceremony to which you have been invited.

How many guest tickets can I get?

Each graduand can book their own free ticket plus up to three guest tickets, at £20 each.

Can I buy extra/additional tickets?

When booking, you will not be given the option to request additional/extra tickets.

Please, do not enquire about extra tickets availability, as we are unable to pre-book, reserve, or allocate any extra ticket.

Should extra tickets become available, the Graduation Team will inform all the graduands via email and instructions will be given on how to book, and they will be sold on a first come, first served basis.

Can I bring my young child to the graduation ceremony?

Yes, children are welcome. However, for safety reasons and because of the capacity of the venue, they will need their own ticket if they are over two years old. Those under three years old will have to be sat on a lap. Note that graduands and guests are not sat together – so any young children will not be able to sit with you if you are graduating and will need to be supervised by another adult. Please note that buggies will have to be kept at the back of the Chapel.

Please also bear in mind that the ceremonies are long (up to 1 hour) and will not keep young children entertained – please let us know if you are bringing a young child and we can arrange for your guests to have an aisle seat in case you need to leave.

I have/my guest has additional needs – can I/they still attend?

All are welcome at the graduation ceremonies and we do our best to accommodate all additional requirements. Please either mention your requirements when booking your tickets, or email our Graduation team and we can put in place arrangements to ensure your day runs smoothly.

Please make sure your guests make themselves known to the ushers on entry to the Chapel.

I need a letter to support my VISA application

We are only entitled to provide you with proof of having booked a ticket for your graduation ceremony. We cannot provide you with an invitation letter for you or your guests for visa purposes.

Please, email our Graduation team only after you have booked your tickets, and we can give you a letter confirming your invitation. You should then liaise with the relevant immigration authorities.

My friends are in a different ceremony – can I swap?

Unfortunately, the answer is no. Our ceremonies are arranged according to subjects so that your lecturers and tutors are also there to support you and your achievements. It also means that any guest speakers are tailored to your course so that you have the most enjoyment out of the day.

What happens if I cannot attend the ceremony?

If you cannot attend then you will be graduating in absentia – this means that your name will still appear in the programme (unless requested otherwise) but will not be read out during the ceremony. Please let us know at graduation@stmarys.ac.uk if you are not attending and we will take you off of our email list. We are unable to defer ceremonies for those graduands who cannot attend, therefore they will graduate in absentia.

I can’t attend my graduation ceremony, can I graduate next year?

We are unable to defer ceremonies for those graduands who cannot attend or guarantee an alternative date. Most likely, if you cannot attend then you will be graduating in absentia.

I think I am eligible to graduate but I haven’t received my invitation, what should I do?

Please email our Graduation team as soon as possible and a member of the team will contact you.