Graduation day
Everything you need to know about your graduation.
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Keep up to date
All direct contact about your graduation day will be sent to both your UWE Bristol student email address and your personal email address (where this has been provided). Please make sure that your myUWE is updated with your most current personal email address or you can contact us by emailing graduation@uwe.ac.uk to update your contact details.
What to expect at graduation day
Want to know what will happen on the day you graduate? Watch this short video to take you through a typical graduation day.
Your award certificate and certificate of credit will be posted to the home address on your student record. You will not receive them at your graduation ceremony, so please make sure that your home address is up to date in MyUWE. If you have any queries regarding your award certificate, you can find further details about certificates for graduating students, or you can contact the certificates team.
If you have been awarded a prize you will be asked to complete a survey to provide any details required. Your prize will typically be sent to you six to eight weeks following the graduation series finishing, and will arrive separately to your award certificate. If you have any queries regarding your prize, please contact the prizes team.
Graduation ceremonies are lengthy formal occasions. If you or one of your guests has responsibility for a young child, we would recommend that you make childcare arrangements to cover the duration of the ceremony.
Please note guests, and therefore any children in attendance, will be sat separately to graduates. If there are any children in attendance that are under the age of 16, they must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18 at all times. This means that any accompanying adults will need to have guest tickets. It is the responsibility of the graduate to ensure any children under the age of 16 are always accompanied by a suitable adult.
Guest tickets will be required for any child aged four and above. Children aged three or under can attend the ceremony free of charge providing that they sit on a guest's lap or in a pushchair. If the child will be coming in a pram or pushchair, please contact the Graduation team to let us know. We cannot guarantee appropriate seating if you fail to email us before the booking deadline.
If you have booked your place following our online instructions, you will receive a confirmation email from Ede and Ravenscroft. Please make sure you check that you have received your confirmation email as otherwise, it may mean that your booking has not been completed. If you do not receive this, please contact Ede and Ravenscroft prior to the deadline to check that your booking has been completed.
UWE Bristol will send you an email approximately one week before your ceremony which details a summary of your tickets and everything you need to know ahead of the day, including your QR code which you will need to register when you arrive.
If you have booked photography and robes, you will receive a separate email and QR code from Ede & Ravenscroft which you will need on the day. Any questions regarding photography or robe orders should be directed to Ede and Ravenscroft who will be able to assist.
If you need accommodation, you can search a variety of options at Visit Bristol.
View information on how to travel to your graduation ceremony, including where to park and information about the clean air zone.
Unfortunately, as per the our terms and conditions, in the event of cancellation due to unforeseen circumstances such as pandemic, extreme weather or death of monarch, the University does not accept liability for any costs/expenses incurred by those due to attend the ceremony.
On the day
Livestream and video
We will be live streaming graduation ceremonies online and in a venue near Bristol Cathedral.
Graduates will receive a free StageClip of them crossing the stage that will be emailed to them after the ceremony.
Videos of each ceremony will be available to watch and download one week after the ceremony series closes. Videos will remain available to view for three months, after which you will no longer be able to watch or download the ceremony.
A professional DVD of your graduation ceremony will be available to purchase online for £12 following your ceremony.
All graduates and guests should be aware that they may feature in this footage. By booking your graduation ceremony and/or any guest tickets, you are giving permission for your image to be recorded. Please refer to our terms and conditions for more details.
Please note: the Cathedral is an old building with very thick walls. Please bear with us if there are any technical difficulties with the stream – professionals will be on hand but as with anything technical we could experience unforeseen issues. If you experience any issues with the live stream, please contact webcasting@iamagraduate.com.
Location
The address for Bristol Cathedral is:
Bristol Cathedral
College Green
Park Street
Bristol
BS1 5TJ
See location on Google Maps.
For further information about the cathedral, visit the Bristol Cathedral website.
Please take care during your visit as the floor inside and surrounding Bristol Cathedral is uneven in places.
Merchandise
A free ceremony programme will be provided to each graduate on the day when they register their arrival. Ceremony programmes are printed booklets which list all graduate names and outline the ceremony schedule, allowing guests to follow what is happening during the ceremony. They are also a great souvenir of the day!
The Students’ Union at UWE shop will be selling UWE Bristol hoodies, T-shirts and gifts on the day of your ceremony.
Campus Clothing will also be selling T-shirts and hoodies listing graduates' names.
If you do not wish to be included on any or all merchandise, please contact the graduation team by the booking deadline.
Refreshments
Bristol Cathedral is located in College Green, just off Park Street. There are a large variety of shops, coffee shops and restaurants in the Bristol Cathedral area should you wish to purchase refreshments. Review restaurants near Park Steet.
Water coolers will be available within the cathedral for all graduates and guests to use. To help us reduce the use of single use plastic or paper cups, please ensure you bring a reusable bottle with you on the day.
After the ceremony there will be an alumni reception in the marquee adjacent to the cathedral. A drink will be provided to all graduates and guests to enjoy while celebrating with friends, family and tutors. Only graduating students and guests with tickets will have access to the marquee.
Registering your attendance on the day
Graduates will need to register when they arrive at the desks inside the cloisters entrance of the cathedral. When you register you will be provided with your guest tickets and free ceremony programme, after which you can collect your robes and head to photography for your photos.
To register and collect your robes, please ensure you have the confirmation emails from UWE Bristol and Ede & Ravenscroft with you (including the QR codes), as well as a form of photo ID – ideally your student card.
We recommend arriving two hours before the ceremony begins to ensure you allow enough time, as registration will close 45 minutes before your ceremony start time. It is essential that you have registered before this point or it may not be possible to do the following:
- sit on stage
- sit with your cohort
- have your name called out with your cohort, it may be called at the very end of the awards being presented.
- take part in the ceremony at all
- purchase additional guest tickets
- if the ceremony has started, guests may not be able to sit in their allocated seats and so may have a restricted view.
Seating
Graduates
Graduates must sit in their designated seats on the stage at the front of the cathedral. You will be called out in the order you are sat, so if you sit in the wrong place, you may not be read out with your cohort.
Guest seating
Guests should use the main north door entrance to the cathedral. Guests without tickets can stay with you and your guests in the cathedral until those with tickets are asked to take their seats.
Due to health and safety restrictions we cannot allow standing during the ceremony. All guests must have a ticket and be seated 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Any guests without a ticket can watch the ceremony via the live stream link that can be accessed online or at a nearby venue where this is being streamed live.
We ask that all guests be seated during the ceremony. Photography and filming is allowed from a seated position.
Security
Security measures will be in place during the ceremonies, so we ask all students and guests to be compliant with the event safety team. Please do not bring large items or luggage to the ceremonies as there will not be anywhere to store it. We advise you to be extra vigilant when attending a ceremony as the Cathedral is open to the public between ceremonies.
Timetable
The ceremony will last approximately one hour.
Depending on the time of your ceremony, a typical graduation day will be as follows. There may be up to 4 ceremonies per day. Arrival time is two hours ahead of your ceremony time to allow you time to register.
Time | Description |
08:00/11:00/14:00/17:00 |
Arrive in the cloisters entrance of the cathedral two hours ahead of your ceremony time to register your arrival, collect any guest tickets, your ceremony programme and collect your academic robes. |
08:00/11:00/14:00/17:00 |
Photography studio opens for professional photographs (the studios are very busy throughout the day – arrive early if you require photographs to be taken). |
09:45/12:45/15:45/18:45 |
Graduates should be seated on stage at the front of the cathedral. Guests should be seated in the nave. |
10:00/13:00/16:00/19:00 |
Ceremonies begin. |
11:00/14:00/17:00/20:00 |
Refreshments will be served at the Alumni Reception in the marquee adjacent to the cathedral after the ceremony. |
12:30/16:00/19:00 |
Alumni reception will end one hour after the ceremony finishes. Graduates return their robes and guests return their wristbands in the marquee before they leave. |
15:45/18:45 | Professional photography closes. Photography is not available after the last ceremony of the day. |
Ceremony dates and schedules
Confirmed dates for upcoming graduations can be found on our dates and deadlines page. If the ceremony series you are looking for is not listed, we have not yet confirmed the dates that graduation will take place. Please check back at a later date for updates.
You may also be interested in

Accessibility
Access options available for graduates and guests, including accessible parking, toilets and hearing loop.

Photography
Details of the photography packages provided by Ede & Ravenscroft for graduation.

Robe hire
How to order academic robes from Ede & Ravenscroft for your graduation.

Guest tickets
Information on how to book or purchase guest tickets for UWE Bristol Graduation Ceremonies.