Graduation

The graduation ceremony will take place on Saturday 14 October 2023 at 12.00 at St Edmundsbury Cathedral, Angel Hill, Bury St Edmunds, IP31 1LS.

Tickets

Initial allocation - You will require a ticket for all guests you wish to bring to your ceremony. Guest tickets cost £5 each, and you may bring a maximum of three guests over the age of 5. Tickets for guests under the age of 10 are free but must still be ordered. You can book your tickets when you order your gown via Ede and Ravenscroft. Tickets will be checked at the Cathedral so guests must keep hold of their ticket.

All guest tickets must be paid for by Monday 25 September 2023. You will receive an email with details of how to purchase your tickets following completion of the online graduation registration form.

Additional tickets - If there are any guest tickets remaining after this deadline, all graduates who have registered to attend will be notified by email about the availability of additional tickets, when they will be offered for sale and how to purchase them. Any additional tickets available will be sold on a first come, first served basis. There is no guarantee that there will be any additional tickets available, and no additional tickets can be reserved.

Arrangements can be made for students or guests with special requirements. Students are asked to notify us in advance of any special arrangements they or their guests require when they purchase their tickets.

Gowning and Photography

Academic dress - Graduands must wear academic gowns provided by our recognised supplier for the ceremony. We are using the graduation services of Ede and Ravenscroft who provide a cost-effective, high-quality service that covers all the needs and requirements of graduation.

Arrangements are in place for you to order your gown from Ede and Ravenscroft online at www.gownhire.co.uk or by calling 01223 861854. Please note that on the ceremony details page of the website, when asked for the institution you should enter West Suffolk College and then select ‘University of Suffolk at West Suffolk College’.

We strongly recommend that you order your gown as soon as possible, and at least two weeks before your graduation ceremony.

Photography - Ede and Ravenscroft Photography Ltd are the appointed official photographers for the ceremony. Their graduation portrait service will be available on the day in the Guildhall and can also be booked online when you order your gown.

NB Please inform us if you do not wish to be part of the official photographs that may be used for publicity purposes.

On the day

Registration and gowning will commence at 8:00am at The Guildhall and you are advised to arrive as early as possible to allow plenty of time for gowning and photographs etc. You must ensure that you are gowned by 11:00am at the latest.

On arrival at the Guildhall, graduates must register at the graduation registration desk located at the entrance of the building before collecting your gown and having any photographs taken. From the Guildhall you will need to make your way to the Cathedral. You and your guests should be seated in the Cathedral by 11:30am at the very latest. Graduates will be seated in designated pews. The ceremony takes approximately one hour to an hour and a half.

Following the ceremony in the Cathedral, a celebratory reception will take place which will include a glass of fizz in the Cloisters at the Cathedral, where you will be able to celebrate amongst your peers, loved ones and tutors. All gowns should then be returned to the designated point in the Cloisters at the Cathedral.

Certificates

Certificates will be handed to graduates on the day once you have left the stage. If you have changed your name without notifying us, or we appear to hold your name incorrectly, please indicate let us know. It is the responsibility of each student to ensure that the details supplied to the us are correct.

If you do not attend the ceremony your certificate will be posted to you.

It is important that you complete confirm a correct record of your name and the address where you can be contacted until the end of November 2023. If you are not attending and we do not have your correct address details, you will not receive your certificate.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • You will only be able to register for the graduation ceremony once the Assessment Board has confirmed that you have successfully completed your award and if you have settled all outstanding tuition fee debts.

  • St Edmundsbury Cathedral on Saturday 14 October 2023 at 12.00am. You must ensure you have gowned and made your way to the Cathedral by 10.30am.

  • • You must keep us informed if you change your name and address.

    • You must hire (or purchase) your academic dress from Ede and Ravenscroft at www.gownhire.co.uk at least two weeks before the ceremony.

    • You must pay for your guest tickets online by Monday 25 September 2023 (details will be provided in your gown order and ticket purchase email following completion of the online graduation registration form).

    • You must ensure that you have no outstanding tuition fee debts.

  • You may bring a maximum of three guests. All guests will require a ticket. Additional tickets may become available, if this is the case you will be notified but this is not guaranteed.

  • If there are any guest tickets remaining after the deadline to purchase tickets (Monday 25 September 2023), all graduates who have registered to attend will be sent an email regarding the availability of additional tickets, when they will be offered for sale and how to purchase them. If available, additional tickets will be sold on a first come, first served basis. There is no guarantee that there will be any additional tickets available, and no additional tickets can be reserved. If you know that you require more than three guest tickets, we suggest that you ask your fellow graduands to see if they have any spare tickets they could purchase on your behalf before the 25 September deadline.

  • Please contact the Events Manager, Connie Gibbs via email (connie.gibbs@easterneducationgroup.ac.uk) or on 07920411778 so that arrangements can be made in advance to help with you or your guest.

  • The ceremony will last approximately an hour to an hour and a half.

  • You are asked to arrive at least an hour and a half before the ceremony to allow time to gown. This also allows plenty of time for photographs and to get to the Cathedral to be seated before the start of the ceremony.

  • You are asked to dress smartly, and students must hire a gown form Ede and Ravenscroft to participate in the ceremony. Please bear in mind that the hood of your academic dress will need something to attach to at the front. In most instances a button should be fine, but on some garments pinning may be necessary.

  • • Yes. Any student with outstanding monies will be unable to attend their graduation ceremony and their certificate will be withheld. If you are in doubt, please check with the University of Suffolk Finance Office on 01473 338350 or West Suffolk College on 01284 701301.

    • You should also check with the West Suffolk College Library on 01284 716267 to make sure that you have returned all your library books and paid any fines.