Graduation FAQs

You will automatically be allocated to a ceremony based on your programme of study. Please refer to the Schedule of Ceremonies for further details. Joint honours students will always go to the ceremony for the subject they majored in. If the subjects are equally weighted, the first subject alphabetically determines the ceremony (e.g. a Biology and French student would graduate with Biological Sciences). Students cannot choose which department they graduate from.

Your ceremony date and time will also be confirmed when you complete the ceremony registration form.

If you do not wish for your name to appear in the graduation programme, please email graduation@chester.ac.uk to notify us as soon as possible.

If you are unable to attend your graduation ceremony, you can choose to either graduate in absentia or defer your ceremony to the next set of ceremonies. If you choose to defer, you must email graduation@chester.ac.uk as soon as possible and at least 4 weeks before your ceremony date.

• Graduating in absentia means you will receive your award but not attend the ceremony. If you choose to graduate in absentia, you will not be able to attend a ceremony at a later date.
• Alternatively, if you are unable to attend your graduation, you can defer your ceremony to the next scheduled ceremony. You can only defer once.

Guests can watch your ceremony on the big screen at the Picturehouse. 

The ceremonies will be streamed, and links will be published on the website closer to the event. Please note that live streaming cannot be guaranteed.

Please use the excellent Park and Ride facilities around the city. Please note Park and Ride car parks are locked when not in use so please observe closing times.

For car park locations and charges please see here.

There is very limited disabled parking on the surrounding streets, but it does get extremely busy during the day. Access by car directly to the Cathedral is restricted for pedestrian safety reasons and road closures are in operation for the duration of the graduation ceremonies.

Blue Badge holders can stay in a car parks disabled bay for four hours unless the car park advises otherwise. Holders will always have to look at the signs in each car park. Make sure you always display your badge and clock whenever you are parking.

You collect your gown from Town Hall, Chester, CH1 2HQ.

Your tickets will be emailed to you shortly before your ceremony date.

Each graduand who registers by the deadline will receive their own ticket and up to two guest tickets free of charge.

Where venue capacity permits, additional guest tickets may be made available for purchase. Eligible graduands will be contacted directly if additional tickets become available for their ceremony.

Additional tickets are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis and may be limited according to venue capacity and demand.

Admittance is by ticket only.  If you are unable to obtain extra tickets to the ceremony, your additional guests can watch your Ceremony on the big screen at The Picturehouse and then join afterwards to continue your celebrations.

Additional guest tickets cost £10 per ticket.

You may cancel additional guest tickets for a full refund up to the published refund deadline for the relevant graduation ceremony series.

Refund requests received after that deadline will not be accepted unless the University cancels, postpones or reschedules the ceremony.

Up to the published refund deadline, refund requests should be made through My Account on the gown hire website.

Refund requests received after that deadline will not be accepted, even if the ticket holder subsequently does not attend the ceremony.

If you wish to cancel your attendance at the ceremony after the refund deadline has passed, please contact us as soon as possible so that attendance records can be updated.

As explained in The Ceremony section, guests arriving after the Cathedral doors have closed may not be admitted.

Refunds will not be available where admission is refused due to late arrival.

We do not allocate seating for guests, they are offered on a first come first served basis on the day of the ceremony. Due to the design of the Cathedral, it is possible that some guests may have a restricted view of the Ceremony.

It is extremely important that you arrive in good time for your Ceremony, at least 30 minutes before your ceremony start time.  The doors will close 10 minutes before the ceremony begins and if you are not present then, your absence will have been recorded and you cannot be presented with your award.

The Graduation Office will have recorded your absence on the day.

Please remember this is an official ceremony that is being filmed and streamed live over the internet and we would not want to disturb the enjoyment of others. Therefore, bringing young children to the ceremony is not recommended. However, if you choose to do so, you will be asked to remove them immediately if they become agitated or distressed.

N.B. Whether your child is old enough to occupy their own seat or if you intend to bring them in a pram/pushchair, all children must have a ticket to be able to attend the ceremony.