Graduation FAQs

Graduation ceremonies for both the 2020 and 2021 cohorts will be held at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) between Monday 1 – Friday 5 November 2021.

If you are an undergraduate or postgraduate taught student, you can find the date and time of the ceremony for your programme on our website.

If you are a postgraduate researcher, your ceremony was allocated based on your area of research. Your ceremony date will be included in your invitation and was emailed to you on Friday 13 August 2021. If you are unsure when your ceremony is taking place, please contact AskBU.

The Graduation ceremonies are planned to be held at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) in Bournemouth. You can find out more about the venue on their website.

Bournemouth International Centre Exeter Road
Bournemouth
​BH2 5BH

Each ceremony taking place during Graduation week will have a maximum capacity of 2000 people. This is to ensure that we balance the flow of attendees throughout the building and particularly in your reception which takes place in the Purbeck Hall.

The safety of our graduates, staff and your family and friends is of utmost importance to us. We’re carefully planning for November to ensure we can deliver an event that fully celebrates the achievements of our graduates whilst keeping everyone safe. We will be guided by Government advice at all times and will only continue with our plans if it is safe to do so. If our plans need to be adapted in line with government advice, we will update you.

We expect everyone attending Graduation to wear a face covering unless they are exempt, crossing the stage, taking formal or informal photographs or eating or drinking. We appreciate this is additional to the current government guidance in place, but this is an important safety measure to reduce the risk of infection, avoid disruption to your ceremony and protect our staff, graduates and your guests.

We also strongly advise that you take a Lateral Flow Test before attending your ceremony to help prevent the transmission of Covid-19 between people who may not be aware that that they have it.

If you feel unwell, please do not attend graduation. You can watch the ceremonies live online, and we will post your certificate and diploma supplement to your preferred address. 

If you purchased tickets and you or your guest are no longer able to attend your Graduation ceremony due to reasons of a suspected Covid-19 infection, a positive PCR test, or an NHS Track and Trace requirement to self-isolate, please refer to the Graduation Refund Policy below.

Yes, we plan to broadcast all of our Graduation Ceremonies LIVE via the university website for anyone to watch during the event. This link will be shared with you beforehand so you can send it to family and friends.

If you are arriving to Bournemouth by car, the car park at the Bournemouth International Centre is a public pay-and-display car park and isn’t reserved exclusively for this event. You can find out more details on the parking facilities available (including charges and facilities for the disabled) on the Bournemouth International Centre website.

More information on parking (including charges and car park locations) in the local area can be found on the BCP Council parking website.

When paying for parking please consider that the duration of our Ceremonies varies.

If you are looking to stay in Bournemouth, the Bournemouth Tourism website features a wide range of accommodation options. You can contact the Bournemouth Tourism Team on 01202 451781 for general information or visit their website.    

We recommend any travel or accommodation bookings are made with caution and where possible allow for free cancellation if necessary.

Commemorative hoodies can be purchased on the day or in advance from the SUBU shop from the links below:

• Class of 2020 Graduation souvenirs 
• Class of 2021 Graduation souvenirs

Additional BU souvenir items such as wine glasses and teddy bears can also be purchased on the day

If you were granted an award by a BU Assessments Board by 24 September 2021 then you should be eligible to attend the ceremony and will have received an invitation in September inviting you to register your attendance. If you have any questions, please get in touch with AskBU.

All graduates that are eligible to attend Graduation this year received their invitation in September where they were asked to register before 11.59pm on Sunday 3 October.

Registration for the 2021 ceremonies has now closed and changes to your booking can no longer be made.

During registration all graduates had the opportunity to request up to two guest tickets free of charge. 

Following the booking deadline (23.59 Sunday 3 October), we can confirm that additional guest tickets are available for our Graduation ceremonies. Additional tickets can be purchased from Monday 11 October on a first come, first served basis and are charged at £15 each (or free for under 12s) plus a transaction fee of £1. To order these, please see the link in the email which you will have received between Thursday 7 and Friday 8 October. There are a limited number of tickets available for each ceremony to ensure the health and safety of our staff, graduates, and your guests. When a ceremony is at capacity, the event will show as sold out on the BHLive booking website referenced in your email. All guests must show a valid ticket to attend.

For information about how we will contact you and use your record after you finish your studies at BU, please visit our BU Student Privacy Notice.

Graduate tickets will be sent via email by BU before 31 October.

All complimentary guest tickets and those purchased prior to Monday 18 October will be issued week commencing 25 October. Any purchased after that date will be sent at the time of purchase.

If you have any queries related to guest tickets, please email bhlive.tickets@bhlive.org.uk

The registration booking deadline has now passed. No further changes can be made to your graduate ticket or your two free guest tickets.

Should you wish to cancel guest ticket(s) for your graduation ceremony, please email bhlive.tickets@bhlive.org.uk before 5:00pm on 29 October 2021 (the “Refund Deadline”). Refund requests submitted before the Refund Deadline will be processed back to the card used to make the original payment within 5 working days. The full ticket price will be refunded to the purchaser.  Please note that Transaction Fees paid upon booking are non-refundable.

If a refund is requested after the Refund Deadline for an unused guest ticket due to reasons of a suspected covid-19 infection, a positive PCR test, or an NHS Track and Trace requirement to self-isolate, we will issue a refund in these exceptional circumstances if the request is made to bhlive.tickets@bhlive.org.uk no later than 8 November 2021. Such requests must include evidence that the guest was unable to attend for a covid-related reason. Other reasons will not be considered after the Refund Deadline.

Children under 12 can attend for free, but everyone attending the event must show a valid ticket on the day of the ceremony. Guests will be seated in a separate area of the hall from graduates. There is room set aside for children and babies at the venue.

Additional requirements can be considered for graduates with very young children, such as family members being seated close by. If you would like additional requirements, please let us know at the time of booking or get in touch with AskBU.

At the time of registering please let us know if you or your guests have special requirements we need to be aware of such as:

• You or your guests require a BSL Interpreter (only available upon request)
• Wheelchair or mobility scooter user
• Guide/Assistance dog user
• Young children
• Bringing pram(s)
• Mobility difficulty
• Visual impairment
• Hearing impairment
• Pregnancy
• Temporary disability (i.e. broken leg)
• Individual needs or access requirements

We may contact you prior to the day to discuss any special arrangements with you. You can find out what amendments can be made for people with special requirements below.

If you are due to graduate this year, you will receive your certificate at your award ceremony. If you have registered to graduate in absence, your certificate will be posted to the address you provided in December.

If any employers or other educational institutions wish to verify your award from Bournemouth University, they must use HEDD, the UK's official degree verification hub at www.hedd.ac.uk. 

If you have any further queries, please get in touch with AskBU.

If you were due to graduate in November 2020, you will have received an email from us in August 2020 asking you to register for your certificate and confirm the address you would like it to be posted to. If you responded to this email, you will have received your certificate in the post.

If you did not respond to the email and have not received your certificate, please complete the 'request your certificate form' online. You can also contact certificates@bournemouth.ac.uk to find out more information.

If any employers or other educational institutions wish to verify your award from Bournemouth University, they must use HEDD, the UK’s official degree verification hub at www.hedd.ac.uk.

If you have any further queries, please get in touch with AskBU or the Student Lifecycle team.

Please get in touch with AskBU for any outstanding queries relating to your Graduation. 

Yes, Graduation is a formal event and you must wear the correct academic dress for your award if you attend the Graduation Ceremony.

Your clothes are still clearly visible under your gown and it is expected that everyone will dress formally as is appropriate to the occasion.

On the day you may find it useful to bring a couple of safety pins and hair grips to help secure your gown and hood.

Guests should also dress formally as appropriate to the occasion.

All gown hire should be ordered with Ede and Ravenscroft, Bournemouth University's official gown supplier. Please order your gown as far in advance as possible and and no later than noon on Wednesday 20 October. You will need to bring your gown confirmation details with you on the day of your ceremony.

When booking your gown you will need the following details:

• Height
• Hat size (circumference of your head taken just above your ears)
• Chest/bust measurements
• Qualification
• Date and time of your ceremony

Please see www.gownhire.co.uk for booking and all related information.

Ede and Ravenscroft will be at your Graduation Ceremony in the Solent Hall at the Bournemouth International Centre (BIC) for you to collect your gown. The BIC will be open from 7am for you to collect your gown and you should return it after your ceremony.

We anticipate gown collection to be particularly busy before each ceremony starts (between 8am - 9:30am, 12pm - 1pm, 3:30pm - 4:30pm and 7pm - 8pm). If you wish to arrive earlier in the day to collect your gown, we recommend arriving whilst a ceremony is taking place to avoid queues.

Your gown will be required to cross the stage during your ceremony, so it is essential you order this as soon as possible and no later than noon on Wednesday 20 October.

Our supplier cannot guarentee there will be any spare gowns available on the day of the ceremony, so it is essential that you order your gown before the deadline.

You will be able to add this to your basket online when you hire your gown. Please see Ede and Ravenscroft website. There will also be the opportunity after the ceremony to purchase a photo of you crossing the stage as well as the opportunity to purchase professional photography on the day.

No, the professional photography service is completely optional. You and your guests can take your own photos at any time – please note that all guests must remain seated in the hall during the ceremony.

If you have further questions about booking your gown or photography you can contact Ede & Ravenscroft using the details below:

If you require a VISA letter, please contact AskBU to arrange this. Please ensure you check the latest UK government travel guidance for entering England, we suggest booking flexible travel options in case of changes to this guidance.

Seating arrangements can be made to meet additional requirements. Graduate seating is located on the flat floor area in front of the stage. Guest seating is normally on the tiered area behind the graduates so it is important we know of any mobility issues to help us allocate seating. Guesting seating is non allocated so once guests enter the Windsor Hall they are free to sit where ever they would like (with the exception of the student and reserved areas). Alternative seating arrangements may be made for graduates with young children.

Wheelchair access – A lift is available to help you access the stage to receive your award; otherwise steps are used to get on and off the stage. If use of the lift is required, please let us know when registering on-line and we will contact you to confirm arrangements for the day.

If you or your guests require the loan of a wheelchair for the day, your local British Red Cross may be able to assist you. Their wheelchair hire is usually free of charge but may require a refundable deposit.

Parking permits/blue badge holders – Dedicated parking for holders of special permits and blue badges is available at the BIC.

Assistance for deaf or hard or hearing – BSL interpreters are only available upon request. Please let us know when you register if you need BSL interpreters at the ceremony and if you or your guests need to be seated in clear sight of them.

The BIC are also able to supply additional equipment to anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing in order to make use of their induction loop system. Please let the BIC know in advance if you wish to use this service.

Assistance for blind people – Assistance dogs are permitted into the BIC. Should special seating or any other arrangements be required please let us know when registering to graduate. Water for assistance dogs is available from the First Aid Room, located on the ground floor of the BIC.

Please let us know when you register if you would like the Graduation Ceremony Programme to be made available in Braille.

If you would like additional requirements, please let us know at the time of booking or get in touch with AskBU.