Graduation FAQs

The booking form will confirm which ceremony you have been allocated to, so please log in there if you are unsure which department you belong to. 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 with. 

The schedule of ceremonies will be published here 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 scheduled dates (Chester ceremonies are held in March and November, and UCS ceremonies are held in September. Students based in Chester may not defer to a UCS ceremony, given the limited capacity of this venue). 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 ceremonies. You can only defer once.

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

The University of Chester is one of the few institutions that does not charge for Graduation and Awards Ceremonies.

Your tickets will be emailed to you approximately two weeks before your ceremony. They will be sent to the email address you provide on the booking form.

Up to 2 guest tickets are allocated to each Graduand/Diplomate who has registered by the deadline. You may request additional tickets at a later date but these are not guaranteed. Admittance is by ticket only.  If you are not successful in obtaining extra tickets to the ceremony, your additional guests can watch your Ceremony on the big screen at The Picturehouse and then join you afterwards to continue your celebrations.

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

Guests can watch your Ceremony on the big screen at The Picturehouse. Guests do not need tickets for entry to the Picturehouse.

The ceremonies will be streamed, and links will be published on the website closer to the event. Please note 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.

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.