Degree Ceremonies

I am a current student; can I sign up for a degree day?

The procedure for signing up to a degree ceremony is due to change in the summer of 2013. 

Undergraduates and Postgraduate taught students who complete their course and receive their examination results after June 2013 will be assigned a date for their degree ceremony and notified of this date by an email invitation from the University's Degree Conferrals Office at the start of Michaelmas Term of their final year. For example, if your course finishes in June, July or September 2013, you will be emailed in October 2012 with the date of your degree ceremony, which will be in 2013 or 2014. Research students who are granted leave to supplicate after June 2013 will be offered dates for their degree ceremony once they have been granted leave to supplicate.

What degree ceremony dates are available?

Please see Degree Ceremony dates for availability

The University has given the College a set quota for each ceremony. You will see that ceremony dates are dependent on the degree to be conferred. Candidates in their final year of study will have from Michaelmas Term of their final year (when they receive their email invitaion from the University's Degree Conferrals Office) to the middle of the following January to book thier place via an online booking system. After the middle of January deadline, current students lose booking priority because any unaccepted places then also become availble to historic graduands to book. Candidates do not need to wait for their exam results to be published before booking their place. Current students can choose to attend, decline their place, or confer their degree in absentia on the online booking system. 

I am a historic graduand; can I sign up for a degree day?

If you finished your degree before June 2013 then you are classed as a 'historic' graduand. 

From July 2013, the degree ceremony booking process changes for historic graduands, in that ceremony dates correspond with current students' release of results date. Therefore, current students have priority in booking their places over historic graduands. Current students can book their place from the Michaelmas Term of their final year until the middle of the following January.  After the middle of January, places that have not been accepted by current students also become available to historic graduands across the University.

If you want to attend a ceremony then you will need to apply for your name to be put on a holding list for one of the ceremony dates on the Degree Ceremony Dates page. When you have decided on a holding list date, please download the Application Form for Historic Graduands and return it to the Dean of Degrees' Secretary at St Edmund Hall. On receipt of the application form, your name will be entered on to the holding list date.

However, adding your name to a holding list date DOES NOT guarantee you a place but puts your name on a waiting list. Places are allocated to historic graduands by the University's Degree Conferrals Office and not the College. You will be notified by the Degree Conferrals Office and the College's Dean of Degrees' Secretary if you are successful in gaining a place on your preferred date.  If there is no space on your preferred holding list date then you would be contacted to choose an alternative holding list date, and the same process would apply.

Booking for degrees to be taken in absentia must be received before 15 days before a ceremony is due to take place.

How many guest tickets am I allowed for the ceremony, what do I need to wear, and is there a degree ceremony lunch after the ceremony?

Candidates will receive information about the above about a month before their chosen ceremony.

For the ceremonies before July 2013, three guest tickets per candidate will be issued. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee tickets above theis quota.

For further information about the format of degree days, the necessary attire, guests and the degree ceremony lunch for ceremonies before July 2013, please see the Practical Procedures for Degree Ceremonies (for Ceremonies before July 2013)

For ceremonies from July 2013, three guest tickets per candidate will be issued. Candidates can request more ceremony tickets when filling in their online booking requirements on the degree ceremonies booking system, but unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that spare tickets will be available.  The College will only know what (if any) spare ceremony tickets are available once the booking system closes 15 days before the ceremony is due to take place. Any spare ceremony tickets will be reaallocated on a first come first served basis, based on the date the candidate made their booking, and candidates will be informed by the College if they have successfully been allocated more than 3 tickets.

For ceremonies from July 2013, the College can only permit up to 3 guests to the lunch in addition to the degree candidate, due to catering arrangements and space. We understand this may be disappointing but unfortunately these are the numbers the College has to work with. For the same reason, we will also not be able to reallocate lunch tickets.  We are sorry, but even if you are successful in gaining extra ceremony tickets, you will still only be able to bring up to 3 guests to the degree lunch in College. Admission to the degree lunch will be by ticket only.

How will I receive my degree certificate?

Degree certificates are only issued once you have gone through a degree ceremony (either in person or in absentia). Candidates attending ceremonies before July 2013 will receive their degree certificate from the Dean of Degrees on the day. Candidates attending ceremonies in July 2013 will receive their degree certificate in the post. Candidates taking their degree in absentia will be sent their certificate by post after the ceremony has taken place. 

Information about degree certificates, or obtaining a degree confirmation letter (if you have passed your examinations but have not yet had your degree conferred at a ceremony) can be found via the Student Gateway.

Change of details

Current students will be able to change their details and their booking requirements on the degree ceremonies online booking system up to 15 days before the ceremony is due to take place. The booking system will close 15 days before each ceremony.

If you are a historic graduand, please inform the Dean of Degrees’ Secretary (college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk) of any changes to your postal address, email address or any other details from those you initially stated on your holding list application form.

Can I cancel a degree ceremony booking?

Current students can decline their degree ceremony booking via the degree ceremonies online booking system up to 15 days before the ceremony. Cancellations later than this may lead to the candidate being presented 'in absentia' on the original date. Current students who decline their place will then become 'historic' graduands in the system and would need to apply through the College to be added to a holding list date (please see the section above for 'historic' graduands).

For further information about Degree ceremonies please contact the Dean of Degrees Secretary on 01865 279010 or college.office@seh.ox.ac.uk

Graduands, guests, and staff attending should be aware that graduation ceremonies are regarded as public events. Names, colleges and degrees of graduands are published in the graduation programme. Audio and visual images of the ceremony are publicly available via the sale of personalised videos of the ceremony.