Certificates
You will receive your certificate at your award ceremony which will be in either July or February depending on when your final exam board meets to confirm your award. If you want to purchase a certificate tube in which to keep your certificate after the ceremony, they can be found among other merchandise available at the venue on the day.
If you do not attend the ceremony, your certificate will be sent out to you by recorded delivery in the weeks following the ceremony, to your confirmed address (you will need to confirm your address 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.
If you do not receive your certificate within six weeks of your ceremony date, please contact us on:
Your certificate is a legal document and as such, the loss or destruction of one is a serious matter. The university will provide duplicates at its discretion and in accordance with the university policy.
Replacement certificates
Find out more about replacement certificates, transcripts and other verification services.
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
Getting there
Please ensure that you allow ample time for arrival, there are three NCP car parks within walking distance of the Brighton Centre. Unfortunately, there are no disabled parking facilities, however there is a drop off point at the Grand Hotel next to the Brighton Centre seafront entrance.
>Brighton station is a 15–20 minute walk away for those travelling by train.
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.
>The seafront and area around the Brighton Centre may be subject to roadworks, please see www.journeyon.co.uk for further information about transport in the area.
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.
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.
Guests are asked not to enter either the registration or robing areas in order to minimise queuing congestion. Please arrange to meet recipients in the main foyer.
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 acknowledgement of your achievement, shake hands with the Vice-Chancellor, and your certificate will be handed to you as you return 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 subsequent to 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. Unfortunately card payments will not be possible, so please bring cash if you wish to make a purchase.
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 and shake the Vice Chancellor's hand. 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 wanting to bring any professional photographers as part of their guest allocation will need to contact awardsceremony@brighton.ac.uk in order to obtain a press pass.
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 summer but are concerned about the cost of the event?
We are able to offer support to 40 graduands for the summer 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
- estranged students
- students in receipt of a Student Support Fund in their final academic year 2019–20
- students in receipt of DWP benefits.
Please email Helen Abrahams, Student Advice Manager on h.l.abrahams@brighton.ac.uk if you wish to be considered for this. Please explain your circumstances when applying and supply your student number and full contact details.
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.
Final year Home students can also apply to the Student Support Fund whilst they continue to be enrolled on a course.
Car parking
We have a limited number of special offers on parking at Regency Square (£14.00 all day). These will be given out on a first come first served basis; please take your parking entry ticket to the Brighton Centre Information Desk for validation. If you are using a hotel car park please check their arrangements as they may use the council car parks which are particularly full at this time of year.
Brighton Council have recommended using JustPark in order to investigate your parking requirements and, potentially, reserve a space.
Can't attend?
What if I can't attend my ceremony?
If you decide not to attend and wish your certificate to be forwarded, please ensure that the forwarding address is completed online. Please note that if you do not supply your forwarding address, your certificate will not be despatched.
Certificates that are not collected at the ceremony will be sent out as soon as possible afterwards. Copies of the programme will be available to those who do not attend after the ceremony at a cost of £2 to cover postage and packing. If you decide not to attend you will not be invited to a future ceremony.
Visas
Returning to the UK for the graduation ceremony
If your Tier 4 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 – by emailing ceremony@brighton.ac.uk – which you should include in your visa application, or present to the immigration officer upon your arrival. 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.
Terms and conditions
By confirming your attendance and purchasing guest tickets you also agree to our terms and conditions (pdf file).