On the day you will need to register, in person, at the venue. Each course has a designated registration time.

Please ensure you register during your allocated time frame.

Once you have registered, you need to collect your gown and, if you have booked photography, have your official photograph taken.

Gowning and photography will take place within the Cathedral; gowning will take place in the Education Room and photography in the North Transept. Our staff will be on hand to guide you.

Please make sure you are familiar with the format of the ceremony before it starts. Members of staff from the Marketing, Events and Higher Education teams will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Please make a member of the Graduation team aware of your delay as soon as possible. The sooner you inform us, the sooner we can make arrangements. The telephone number for the Graduation team is 01278 441216 or email graduation@somerset.ac.uk.

Please note: if you are running late, we cannot guarantee that you will be able to take part in the ceremony.

Yes, students graduating must wear academic dress. You will not be able to graduate if you are not wearing a gown and mortar board (hat/cap).

Yes. You can hire your gown from EVESS: Graduation Attire at https://graduation.evess.co/ucs/. Please make sure you do this by Friday 18 September, after this date you may incur a late booking fee. Follow the instructions on their website.

You will need to note your student ID number, you will find this in your graduation email invite. You will also be asked for your surname.

The cap and gown costs approximately £38 to hire. For more information, and to hire your gown please visit https://graduation.evess.co/ucs/.

The ceremony is a formal occasion and you are requested to dress appropriately. You will find it useful to wear a buttoned shirt/blouse to which the academic hood can be fastened, or alternatively bring some small safety pins to affix the button-loop of the hood to your clothes. Hair pins are also useful to secure your mortar board (hat/cap) in place.

You will need to contact EVESS directly to find out if you are eligible for a refund, for further details please visit https://graduation.evess.co/ucs/ or email info@evess.co.

You will need to return your gown before you leave.

Drop-off locations:

• Ceremony 1 – Mendip & Wells Museum
• Ceremony 2 – Mendip & Wells Museum
• Ceremony 3 – Education Room, Cathedral.

The official photographer for our ceremony will be EVESS.

To find out more or to book your photography, visit EVESS’s website https://graduation.evess.co/ucs/.

Prices will vary depending on the package you choose. To find out more or to book your photography, visit EVESS’s website https://graduation.evess.co/ucs/.

Photographs have to be pre-ordered with EVESS. You will be able to do this as you register your attendance and book your gown. Please visit their booking site https://graduation.evess.co/ucs/.

If you do not make a booking to have your photograph taken before the ceremony, you will still be able to on the day, providing there is space and time. This will be at the discretion of EVESS and payment will need to be made upfront.

Photographs will be taken before the ceremony. As soon as you have registered and are dressed in your cap and gown, you should make your way to have your photograph taken. There may be a queue, but as you can expect a lot of people have pre-paid for this service, please be patient.

Yes, your guests are very welcome to take pictures/video during the ceremony, but we would politely ask that those with cameras take care not to obscure the view of other guests.

Members of College staff will be taking photos on the day to use for promotional purposes. If on the day you do not want your photograph to be taken, please advise a member of staff.

Yes, each graduate will be allocated two guest seats. There may be the opportunity for more guest tickets, but this cannot be confirmed until registration has closed due to the capacity of the venue.

No, there is no charge for guests to attend your Graduation ceremony. You will be directed to reserve your guest tickets during your registration on the EVESS website.

Guest seats will be located in the Nave.

Please note: we will be asking all guests to remain seated once they have entered the ceremony hall, to reduce movement.

Of course, but please note if you are graduating your child/children will not be able to sit with you, they will need to sit and be accompanied by a responsible adult. Please note if your child needs a seat, this will be counted in your allocation. However, if your child sits on the lap of a guest this will be fine.

If you need to bring a pram with you on the day, please make the Graduation team aware. This will allow the team to make arrangements and arrange space to accommodate the pram. Please note: a pram will need to be located with your guests, we will not be able to locate this within the graduate seating area.

Please can we ask that if your child/children become unsettled before, during or after the ceremony that they are taken outside. Once settled, they are of course welcome to re-join the event.

There is no dress code. Guests should wear what they feel comfortable in, however as it is a formal occasion, we tend to find guests dress smartly.

Graduates will be located at the back of the Cathedral and guests will be seated in front.

Please note that guest seating is not allocated, so we recommend arriving early.

If you or any of your guests have a disability, you will have the opportunity to add details as part of your registration process, we will ensure space is allocated according to your/their needs. If you would like to chat anything through, please contact the Graduation Team on 01278 441216.

No, we will not be providing a cloakroom service. Graduates are advised to leave any coats/bags etc with their guests.

The ceremony lasts for approximately one hour.

You will not be handed your certificate during the actual Graduation ceremony. However, the HE Team will be at the Cathedral straight after your ceremony to hand you your certificate if you haven’t already received it in the post.

If you are unable to attend your graduation but would like to attend the next ceremony, please let the Graduation team know. In the event this is possible, we will let you know.

Please note: we only hold one graduation event per year.

You celebrate!

Following the ceremony we will take a group photo of all graduates on Cathedral Green, please make yourself available for this.

There are many lovely pubs and restaurants surrounding the Cathedral. Please keep an eye on your emails, we will be sending out details of Graduation offers closer to the time.

Please remember you will need to return your gown before you leave.