Student at graduation

Start making plans for your day

Information for Graduation ceremonies at the University of Portsmouth

Getting Ready for Graduation 2024

A guide to what to expect and how to prepare   

 

We appreciate you may wish to start planning in preparation for your graduation ceremony in July 2024. 

 

Below you will find useful information to assist you with your planning and some guidance on how to prepare for your big day. More detailed guidance will follow as it becomes available

 

Graduation 2024 FAQ's

Graduation ceremonies will take place between the 16 – 24 July 2024 (excluding the weekend). 

 

Your ceremony date will be published on our website. Graduation ceremonies take place across seven working days with up to four ceremonies a day; ceremony start and finish times will be:

 

16 July 2024

12.30 am - 1.30 pm

3.00 pm - 4.00 pm

 

17, 18, 22 and 23 July 2024

09.15 am - 10.15 am 

11.45 am - 12.45 pm

2.30 pm - 3.30 pm

5.00 pm - 6.00 pm  

 

 

19 and 24 July 2024

10.00 am - 11.00 am

12.30 am - 1.30 pm

3.00 pm - 4.00 pm

 

 

Each ceremony will be at least an hour long, but we would always advise adding a bit of time for unforeseen delays

 

The Portsmouth Guildhall hosts our graduation ceremonies.  It is located within a very short walk of Portsmouth & Southsea train station and next to the University’s Park Building. 

 

The entrance to Portsmouth Guildhall is on the ground floor level with a gentle ramp into the main foyer area. All areas are accessible by lift.

 

We will send you regular emails, to your student email address, advising you on how to prepare for graduation, when to book your tickets, your gown and other relevant information. We will also update the graduation web pages regularly.

 

Early preparation: If you are not expecting to receive your certificate at your graduation (or if you don’t pick it up on the day) we need you to log in to your student view and update the correspondence address field in your contact details. Your correspondence address is the address you want your certificate to be sent to.  We recommend that you update your record any time before graduation.

 

As a graduate, you will be entitled to a free ticket for yourself and two free tickets for your guests. 

 

The ticket booking system will be made available in early April. You will receive an email prompting you to book your tickets and instructions on how to do this.

 

Information on the availability of extra guest tickets will also be provided in April. Extra guest tickets will cost £20 per adult (13 and over) and £5 per child (0-12). This entitles guests to join you in the Guildhall auditorium. Availability of tickets will depend on capacity at individual ceremonies.

 

We appreciate you may want to bring extended family, including children. Please bear in mind that ceremonies are formal events that last up to an hour and a half and this can be challenging for young children to sit through. However, there will be space on campus, at the White Swan Studio behind the New Theatre Royal on Guildhall Walk, for additional guests to watch the ceremonies on screen for free.

 

We will email you to let you know when and how to book your academic dress. This usually happens between the beginning of April and the end of May. The supplier will be able to give you guidance on which gown to book (different degrees may have different detailing and colours) and how to work out your size. 

 

It costs approximately £40 to hire your academic dress for the day and you will be able to pick it up on the day of your ceremony (we’ll tell you where). 

 

You are required to wear academic dress to your graduation ceremony, but you are not restricted to hiring it from the University supplier.

 

Details about the eligibility criteria to attend graduation can be found here:

 

If you are still unsure or have any concerns about your eligibility, speak with your personal tutor or contact myport@port.ac.uk .

 

Please contact us at graduation@port.ac.uk and we will respond as soon as possible.

 

 

 

Graduation 2025 and Beyond

Future graduation ceremonies for 2025 and beyond

The provisional dates of graduation ceremonies for the classes of future years are as follows:

  • 18 July to 4 August 2025
  • 17 July to 3 August 2026
  • 16 July to 2 August 2027
  • 14 July to 31 July 2028

An email will be sent to eligible students by the Graduation team confirming these dates as the time approaches.