Preparing For Your Day - University of Staffordshire

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Graduation
Preparing For Your Day

Dates and venue

Find out the venue, date and time of your ceremony.

Venue accessibility and dedicated spaces

Information for disabled guests, faith requirements and childcare.

Travel and accommodation

Information about parking and special rate accommodation.

Important deadlines:

Register for your ceremony - 27 April
Book your guest tickets and order your graduation gown - 27 April
Pay any outstanding debts - 12 May

Ceremony dates and venue

Venue

We are excited to celebrate your achievements right at the heart of campus, within The Catalyst – a venue designed to provide the best possible experience for your special day. By hosting graduation on campus, we’re ensuring sustainability, accessibility, convenience, and a vibrant, personal celebration that truly reflects your journey at University of Staffordshire.

Dates and times

Below you can find key information about the ceremonies. If you are unsure of your department name, please log into the student e:Vision Portal, select My Course and then Course Summary.

Ceremony date	Ceremony time	Department
Mon 14 July	9.30am	Computing and Esports
	12.15pm	Computing and Esports
	3.15pm	Engineering
Tue 15 July	9.30am	Creative Industries
	12.15pm	Creative Industries
	3.15pm	Creative Industries
Wed 16 July	9.30am	Innovation and Business Institute
	12.15pm	Innovation and Business Institute
	3.15pm	Innovation and Business Institute
Thu 17 July	9.30am	Games Institute
	12.15pm	Games Institute
	3.15pm	Allied Health
Fri 18 July	9.30am	Sport and Science
	12.15pm	Sport and Science
	3.15pm	Nursing and Midwifery
Mon 21 July	9.30am	Institute of Education
	12.15pm	Institute of Education
	3.15pm	Psychology
Tue 22 July	9.30am	Psychology
	12.15pm	Social Work, Law and Criminology
	3.15pm	Social Work, Law and Criminology

Venue accessibility and dedicated spaces

As an inclusive, welcoming community, we are happy to support additional requirements. Please notify us during the booking process so we can ensure the appropriate services are in place.

Disabled guests

If either you or any of your guests will be in a wheelchair or with crutches, we can allocate seats at the end of a row to support with your comfort. Similarly, if any of you have visual or hearing impairments, we can reserve appropriate seats. If you wish to discuss your requirements in more detail, please get in touch with the team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk.

Faith requirements

A quiet space for prayer and reflection will be available on site.

Childcare

We will also be offering a family-friendly space for those who have tickets to attend the Awards Ceremony. This can be used for short periods of time if you have young children who may become unsettled. They must be supervised by their parent/carer at all times in this area. Baby changing facilities will be available on site and there will also be a private breast-feeding area.

If you need to arrange childcare for your young child so that you can attend the Award Ceremonies, there may be limited availability at our University Nursery. Places must be booked in advance. Please contact nursery@staffs.ac.uk or call 01782 294981 to enquire.

Register, book tickets, and order your gown and photos

Register and book tickets

If you are eligible to attend the Awards Ceremonies in July, you should receive an email to your student email account which will direct you to the Graduation Attire portal. You will need your Student ID (eight-digit) number to get started. You must ensure you have paid off any outstanding debts to the University before you can register for your ceremony.

Once logged into the portal you will be able to:

Confirm your attendance. Your own ticket is free of charge.
Purchase up to two guest tickets – guest tickets are £20 each and are non-refundable. The exception to this is where a student becomes ineligible to attend as they have not received an award. Children aged 5 and under may attend and can be seated in the lap of an accompanying adult. Child tickets for children aged 5 and under are free of charge and do not count towards your limit of 2 tickets. Children aged 6 and above will require their own seat and will require a regular guest ticket at the cost of £20.
Make us aware of any additional requirements you or your guests may have, including a professional carer or support worker. We will be able to provide one additional ticket per student or guest requiring this support and this will be free of charge. Please note we will ask for evidence of professional carer/support worker status, before issuing any additional carer/support worker tickets.
Hire your gown. Please note, if you do not book your gown in advance, we cannot guarantee availability.
Purchase photography packages – these can also be purchased on the day.

Your ticket will be sent to you via email shortly before your Awards Ceremony day.

We would love you to join the celebration so please ensure you confirm your place and book your guest tickets by midnight on 27 April 2025.

This may mean you will need to make your booking before you have received your final results (any purchases will be refunded if you do not complete your award in time). Please note there is no charge for graduating students, but you still need to complete the booking process to confirm your attendance. As usual, a maximum of 2 guest tickets can be purchased during your booking at this point.

Additional Guest tickets may become available closer to your Award Ceremony depending on attendance levels. If available, you will be informed via email on 1 May 2025.

Deferrals

We can only defer your graduation in exceptional circumstances, and you will be expected to attend the next available graduation ceremony. If you wish to request to defer your graduation, please contact the team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk. If the University has offered you a deferral from a previous ceremony, and you have not received an invitation, please contact our Awards Ceremonies ticketing team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk.

If you can no longer attend your graduation, you must notify the Awards Ceremonies ticketing team at graduation@staffs.ac.uk.

Gown and dress code

We encourage all graduates to wear academic dress to the Awards Ceremony. This comprises of a gown, hood, and mortarboard/bonnet. Awards Ceremonies are a formal occasion, and we encourage graduates and guests to wear smart/formal attire. We also advise checking the weather forecast to ensure your clothes are appropriate for the weather.

Gowning services will be provided by Graduation Attire. You’ll be able to book your gown at the same time as your tickets. Once you have completed your order, your gown, hood, and mortarboard/bonnet will be available to collect on the day of your ceremony. You will receive a text with a collection code on the day. There will be a £10 surcharge for late bookings and purchases on the day. If you do not book your gown in advance, we cannot guarantee availability.

If you are eligible for more than one award, you may find that both of your awards are being celebrated in the same ceremony. In these situations, it is standard practice that your higher award will take precedence so we’d recommend you hire the academic dress associated with your higher award (as there will not be opportunity to change during the ceremony). We will invite you to cross the stage twice so both your awards can be celebrated.

You are able to choose extended hire during your gown booking process or ask a member of the Graduation Attire team on the day. Many people prefer to extend their hire, allowing them to take their own pictures with their graduation outfit once the ceremony has concluded. This gives the student an extra seven days with the gown, hood and cap. A prepaid, return labelled envelope will be provided by the Graduation Attire team, allowing you to send the gown back hassle-free.

Photography

You are able to pre-book your photography packages with Graduation Attire during the booking process. You are able to log back in at any time to add any extra photography packages. If you have not pre-booked, you are still able to book photography on the day. Please visit the Graduation Attire photography team on the day of your ceremony and they will be happy to assist.

Travel and accommodation

Parking on our Leek Road site is free of charge and reserved for our graduates and guests on the day of your Awards Ceremony. We encourage you to consider using other forms of transport when travelling to Stoke-on-Trent, including rail links, as Stoke-on-Trent railway station is just a five-minute walk from the Leek Road site. We also have great bus links.

We are delighted to offer a special rate for accommodation at a Hilton Garden Inn.

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