Graduation ceremonies

General regulations

1. Graduation ceremonies are normally separate occasions. They may only be held in conjunction with another activities if they are a distinctly separate component and all requirements below are met.
2. Dress should be formal (e.g. ties and jackets for men, and the equivalent standard for women).
3. Behaviour should be appropriately formal.
4. All staff and graduands should be wearing correct academic dress according to their qualifications. Those not doing so will not participate and will sit with ordinary guests.
5. Graduation ceremonies shall be held and paid for by the Departments involved.

Recommended order of service for graduations

1. Procession
   1. The Master of Ceremonies (MC) asks all present to stand.
   2. The staff and graduands proceed in with senior college office-holders at the front.
   3. All procession members go to their assigned places and remain standing.
   4. The MC invites all present to sit when all procession members are standing at their seats.
2. The MC opens the ceremony with an announcement.
3. Graduation
   1. The MC reads the name of each graduand, who will come forward to receive his/her testamur.
   2. The names of students graduating in abstentia are also read out.
   3. Graduations start with the lowest qualification first and finish with the highest qualification.
   4. Students receiving the same qualification are graduated according to the alphabetical order of their surname.
4. Other appropriate activities (optional)
   1. Any other appropriate activities may be included at this point, for example academic prizes or awards, acceptance speeches, prayers and commissioning, and/or speeches on behalf of the graduating students.
5. Speaker
6. Close
   1. The MC asks the staff to form a procession, which will leave the room or go off the stage, and the graduation ceremony will be finished.
   2. Graduating students will not join the closing procession.