Certificates
You will be presented with your certificate at the awards ceremony. If you do not attend the ceremony your certificate will be sent out to you, by registered delivery, in the weeks following the ceremony to the address you confirm when replying to your ceremony invite online. If you move house shortly before the ceremony and are then unable to attend, please get in touch with your new details.
Graduates who have an outstanding debt will not receive their certificate until such time as their debt has been cleared.
Please note that the university will only hold uncollected certificates for five years, after which the original will be destroyed and you will have to pay for a replacement.
What happens on the day
Morning ceremony
- Arrival (register, collect tickets and gowns, photography, refreshments): earliest from 8.15am, latest 9.15am
- Doors to auditorium open: 9.15am
- Recipients and guests must take their seats promptly: 9.35am
- Ceremony begins: 10am
Afternoon ceremony
- Arrival (register, collect tickets and gowns, photography, refreshments): earliest from 1.15pm, latest 2.30pm
- Doors to auditorium open: 2.30pm
- Recipients and guests must take their seats promptly: 2.50pm
- Ceremony begins: 3.15pm
Registration and ticket collection
Recipients must arrive between the times stated above and enter via the seafront entrance of the Brighton Centre. Go first to the registration desk where you will be given your seat and guest tickets. You will then be directed towards the gowning area. It is important that you register upon arrival as requested because recipients without a seat ticket may not be able to receive their award.
Upon arrival, please look out for our helpful stewards, who will be available throughout the venue to assist you and your guests. Stewards will be easily identifiable in purple gowns and stationed in key areas.
Recipients are seated in reserved blocks in the centre of the main auditorium. You may take your seats from the time that the auditorium doors open but you must be seated by 9.35am at the latest for the morning ceremony and 2.50pm for the afternoon ceremony. It will assist stewards if you remain seated once you have taken your place.
What happens if I arrive late?
We ask that you arrive in good time, as we cannot delay the start of the ceremony. Those arriving after 9.15am for the morning ceremony or 2.30pm for the afternoon will be considered late and will normally be called at the end of the ceremony, rather than with their cohorts, and may not be able to participate.
Guests
On arrival at the Brighton Centre, guests will also enter via the seafront entrance. Guests do not have numbered seats and are permitted to sit anywhere except the recipients’ block in the centre of the main auditorium and a few reserved seats.
Children will find the balcony area especially good for viewing although the ceremony is relatively long (approximately an hour and a half) and not suitable for young children. Due to health and safety restrictions at the venue, prams and buggies and large bags cannot be taken into the main auditorium, however they can be left in the cloakroom free of charge.
The ceremony
Recipients are seated in the auditorium alphabetically in school and course order. Guests sit separately.
A steward will ask you to stand and will direct you to the backstage area, where you will be checked on a list and directed to the side of the stage. You will be called across the stage in formal recognition of your achievement, receive acknowledgement from the Vice-Chancellor before exiting the stage and returning to your seat. It is difficult to estimate, but we would expect the ceremony to last about an hour and a half.
Once you are seated you are not normally permitted to leave the auditorium. As a courtesy to other recipients and guests we ask that once the ceremony has started you remain in your seat until the ceremony has finished and the platform party have left the auditorium.
Please note that the end of the ceremony includes loud music and flashing lights and therefore could potentially trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. If you think you will be affected by this please speak with a member of staff on the day of your ceremony.
Photography
Studio photography will be located at the back of the venue on the mezzanine floor. They will be accessible one and a half hours before your ceremony and will remain open until gowns are returned after the completion of the presentations. Please refer to the ‘Photography’ tab for further information.
Refreshments
You will be able to purchase light refreshments such as tea, coffee, soft drinks and sandwiches from the cafe bars. Additionally, there will be a celebratory reception where you will be given a free glass of sparkling wine, bucks fizz or orange juice. The celebratory reception will not open until the ceremony has finished.
Gifts and mementoes
A range of gifts and mementoes will be available to buy on the day.
Conduct
The ceremony is a wonderful celebration to be enjoyed by recipients and their guests. Aggressive or abusive behaviour is unacceptable and anyone behaving in this way will be asked to leave the ceremony.
Photography
What better way to remember the day forever than with an official photograph or two? There will be professional photographers, from Tempest Photography, available to capture your special day. The photographers can take an individual shot as well as photographs with your others so head along by yourself or take your guests and friends with you. There is no need to book, no need to prepay and no obligation to buy.
Studio photography
Studios will be located at the back of the venue on the mezzanine floor. They will be open one and a half hours before your ceremony and will remain open until gowns are returned subsequent to the completion of the presentations.
There is no pre-booking involved and no obligation to purchase the photographs that are taken. You will be supplied with an instant proof of your images, from which you can make your selection and place your order. Orders can be placed at the sales desk on the day or at a later date by telephone or online.
Although pre-orders can't be placed prior to the ceremonies themselves, you can view the Tempest Graduations website for examples of prices and packages, along with terms and conditions.
Ceremony photographs
Tempest Photography will also have exclusive access during your graduation ceremony to capture the moment you cross the stage in formal recognition of your achievement. These images will be on display following the ceremony for viewing and ordering and can be taken away with you there and then.
Don't worry if you don't have time to view or purchase your ceremony picture on the day. Two weeks after your ceremony, the images will be uploaded to the Tempest Graduations website to view and buy at your leisure.
Can I take my own photos or video?
Taking photographs and video is permitted in the venue, however, we would ask guests to be considerate of others and not block aisles or exits. Graduands are not permitted to bring any professional photographers as part of their guest allocation.
Social media
You can follow graduation across social media and take part by tagging your photographs with #brightonforever and @uniofbrighton to share your best moments with us.
Student support package
Are you due to attend a graduation ceremony this winter but are concerned about the cost of the event?
We are able to offer support to 40 graduands for the summer 2025 ceremonies in the form of the following package:
- free gown and cap hire
- two free guest tickets
- basic photography package.
Priority will be given to those who have one or more of these characteristics:
- Care Leavers and estranged students
- Lone parents in receipt of Universal Credit
- Students who have received an award from one of the university hardship funds in the academic year immediately preceding their graduation
In order to apply please complete and return this application form with the supporting evidence to ceremony@brighton.ac.uk’ by 6 June 2025.
Successful applicants will be notified by 27 June 2025.
Thank you to tempest-graduations.co.uk for this generous offer.
If you are experiencing financial difficulties or you have questions about student finance or bank accounts after graduation, please contact Student Advice.
Carers tickets
In accordance with most venues, you must submit evidence to support a registered carer attending. This can be any of the following:
- Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 or DLA/Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for those aged 16-64, in the form of a letter stating that the benefit has been awarded.
- Attendance Allowance or Carer's Allowance letter of award.
- Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) letter notifying the recipient that the benefit has been awarded Incapacity Benefit.
- In the case of visual impairment, a registration card known as the BD8 or a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI).
- A recognised Assistance Dog ID Card.
- Credibility’s Access Card.
If you require a ticket for a carer, please send an email to ceremony@brighton.ac.uk with any of the following documents and we will be pleased to assist you.
Transport and parking
Please ensure that you allow ample time for arrival at the Brighton Centre.
Public transport
The Brighton Centre is located on the seafront of Brighton city centre. The Brighton Centre is easily accessible via public transport and visitors are encouraged to use these where possible.
Brighton mainline railway station is a 15-minute walk, and Pool Valley Coach station a 10-minute walk.
The nearest bus stops for buses from around the city are located at Churchill Square or North Street. Please see www.buses.co.uk for full details.
Taxi ranks are also close by, and cycle parking is available at the front and rear of the Brighton Centre.
Drop off and parking
There is no designated drop off point, disabled or general parking available at the Brighton Centre.
Parking is available across car parks in the city centre, with three NCP car parks within walking distance of the Brighton Centre. See the council webpages for further information about parking.
The seafront and area around the Brighton Centre may be subject to roadworks, please see the council website for further information about transport in the area.
What if I can't attend my ceremony?
Please note that if you do not to attend you will not be invited to a future ceremony.
If you decide not to attend we would still very much appreciate a response from you online. If you are not yet in receipt of your certificate and wish to receive it in the post, please ensure that a forwarding address is provided via the ceremony portal. If you do not confirm an address for the certificate to be sent to it will not be dispatched.
Alumni Association
All University of Brighton graduates automatically become members of our global Alumni Association which provides a network of contacts and support and continuing access to university services including life-long careers support.
Make sure that they have your email address and your permission to keep in touch. This can be given as part of the online ceremony reply or on the Alumni Association website.
Visas
Returning to the UK for the graduation ceremony
If your student visa will still be valid you can use it to return to the UK for your ceremony. If, however, it will have expired, you will need to return to the UK as a Standard Visitor. Depending on your nationality, you, and any friends and family you’ve invited, will need to either apply for and obtain a Standard Visitor visa before travelling to the UK, or seek entry as a Standard Visitor upon your arrival in the UK.
If you need to return as a Standard Visitor you can request a supporting letter from us via email, which you can include in your visa application. For advice on making an application for a Standard Visitor visa please refer to the advice under ‘Returning for your Graduation’, or contact our International Student Advisers at: visas@brighton.ac.uk.