91快活林

Responding

When will I receive my ceremony invitation?
Invitations for the winter ceremonies will be sent during the autumn term.

If you have not received your invitation by 29 November 2024 please contact the Awards and Graduation team.

When do I need to act by?
Please log on to confirm whether you are attending and purchase your guest tickets by 13 December 2024.

If you act by this date you will be guaranteed to be able to purchase guest tickets, any responses after this date cannot be guaranteed any ticket purchases.

If you receive a late invitation please log on as soon as possible.

Which address should I give?
You must include a forwarding address and telephone number. It is particularly important to complete this section if you are unable to attend the ceremony and are yet to receive your certificate.

Certificates are not sent to those who have not confirmed their addresses. 

Your name

Why do I need confirmation of my name?
It is important that your full name is shown, as it appears within your other legal documentation, when you confirm your details online. Initials and shortened forms of names cannot appear on your certificate unless this is the way they are presented within other legal documentation and proof is provided where requested. Please also note that accents cannot be guaranteed but we will try and facilitate your request where possible.

If you fail to notify Academic Registry of your correct name, you will be charged for a replacement certificate. If you have changed your name, you will be asked to supply a copy of official documentation confirming this.

What is my calling name?
This is the name that will be called as you accept your award at the ceremony. We will only call your first name and surname, so please check this is correct.

Please do not confuse this with your full formal name which must appear on your certificate.

Ordering

How many tickets can I order?
When you confirm your attendance you will be able to see how many tickets we have been able to initially release to your cohort. A guarantee of guest tickets will only apply to purchases made prior to 13 December 2024.

You will have to pay for them at the same time, as guest tickets cannot be reserved without payment. There is no free allocation of tickets and all guest tickets must be paid for in advance.

How much do the tickets cost?
Tickets for this ceremony cost £25. All guests require tickets and there are no concessions available.

When will I receive my tickets?
Tickets are collected on the day from the registration desk at the venue. They are not sent in advance.

Please do not telephone enquiring after guest tickets that you have ordered, they can only be collected on the day of the ceremony. You will receive a receipt via e-mail for tickets purchased online.

Are tickets refundable?
We regret that tickets are non-refundable unless you do not receive your award – in these circumstances your money will be refunded automatically.

Guest tickets

Please note that recipients and guests are not seated together in the auditorium. This means that children and vulnerable adults must be accompanied by another guest, as the recipient cannot be responsible for them during the ceremony.

Do children need a separate guest ticket?
All children need to have a guest ticket but for children aged two and under it will be issued free of charge. Please note that the ceremony can be relatively long and not suitable for young children.

Will my guests be sitting next to each other?
Yes. Guests are not allocated numbered seats and may sit anywhere within the auditorium other than reserved seating. While receipts will be sent via email for tickets purchased online, we cannot issue acknowledgements or receipts for ticket orders posted to us.

When can I order additional guest tickets?
Any unsold tickets will be made available online from 6 January 2025; if you return to the ceremony website and sign in as before, you may be able to purchase extra tickets after this date. Please do not wait until this date to make your first ticket purchase. Tickets will be removed from sale from 5pm on 15 January 2025, and in some instances earlier.

Accessibility

What should I do if I (or my guests) have a disability or access requirements?
If you and/or your guests have any disabilities which may require additional arrangements please let us know via the online response portal or sending an email to the address specified at the bottom of the page, as soon as possible. 

Please note that the safety regulations at the 91快活林 Centre limit the number of wheelchair spaces available so early contact is essential.

What to wear

Do I need to wear academic dress?
The university encourages recipients to wear academic dress at the ceremony, which consists of a hat, gown and hood.

How do I order my gown?
Please go to to order your academic dress online. Payment can be made with any major credit or debit card and a confirmation email will be returned to you. 

Pre-orders will open as of 4 November 2024 and close on 8 January 2025.

You will need to have the following details ready:

• your height
• your chest measurement
• your hat size (circumference of head just above your ears)
• date of your ceremony
• time of your ceremony
• your qualification (noted in the invitation email).

If you have any issues with the online process, please contact the Graduate Gowning Company office on 01736 751855 for assistance.

Can I hire or buy my gown?
You can hire or purchase items – some recipients may wish to purchase one item and hire others. Please ensure that you have clearly indicated your preferences when ordering.

It is important that recipients who choose to use the Graduate Gowning Company's facilities and are eligible to wear a hood should do so, as this is unique to the University of 91快活林 and denotes the level of your award.

What should I wear under the gown?
The graduation ceremony is a formal occasion and you should wear something appropriate for such a special occasion. In general our graduands choose to wear a suit and shirt, smart trousers or skirt and shirt or blouse, a smart dress or national dress under their academic gown. We advise you to choose something that is comfortable to wear under an academic gown whilst walking across stage and up and down stairs. Please note that the university reserves the right to refuse a student to collect their award in person at the ceremony if their dress is deemed inappropriate, such as fancy dress costumes.

Where do I collect my gown from on the day?
As the robing area can get busy about 45 minutes before each ceremony, we recommend that you collect your gown as soon as possible after registration. Pins are provided to secure your hood, either at the shoulders or by the loop at the front; you may find it useful to wear a buttoned shirt or top so that the loop can fit over the button. Hair grips also help to secure the mortar board (hat).

University gowns 

BSMS gowns 

Price lists

You can hire or purchase items. Some recipients may wish to purchase one item and hire others. Please ensure that you have clearly indicated your preferences when ordering. These prices are for advanced bookings only. Gowns hired on the day will be subject to an additional charge.

Individual items can be hired but please enquire with Graduate Gowning Company directly in relation to specific requirements.

Certificates

You will be presented with your certificate at the awards ceremony. If you do not attend the ceremony your certificate will be sent out to you, by registered delivery, in the weeks following the ceremony to the address you confirm when replying to your ceremony invite online. If you move house shortly before the ceremony and are then unable to attend, please get in touch with your new details.

Graduates who have an outstanding debt will not receive their certificate until such time as their debt has been cleared.

Please note that the university will only hold uncollected certificates for five years, after which the original will be destroyed and you will have to pay for a replacement.

If you do not receive your certificate within six weeks of your ceremony date, please contact us at ceremony@brighton.ac.uk.

Your certificate is a legal document and as such, the loss or destruction of one is a serious matter. The university will provide duplicates at its discretion and in accordance with the university policy.

Replacement certificates
Find out more about replacement certificates, transcripts and other verification services.

What happens on the day

Morning ceremony

• Arrival (register, collect tickets and gowns, photography, refreshments): earliest from 8.15am, latest 9.15am
• Doors to auditorium open: 9.15am
• Recipients and guests must take their seats promptly: 9.35am
• Ceremony begins: 10am

Afternoon ceremony

• Arrival (register, collect tickets and gowns, photography, refreshments): earliest from 1.15pm, latest 2.30pm
• Doors to auditorium open: 2.30pm
• Recipients and guests must take their seats promptly: 2.50pm
• Ceremony begins: 3.15pm

Registration and ticket collection
Recipients must arrive between the times stated above and enter via the seafront entrance of the 91快活林 Centre. Go first to the registration desk where you will be given your seat and guest tickets. You will then be directed towards the gowning area. It is important that you register upon arrival as requested because recipients without a seat ticket may not be able to receive their award.

Recipients are seated in reserved blocks in the centre of the main auditorium. You may take your seats from the time that the auditorium doors open but you must be seated by 9.35am at the latest for the morning ceremony and 2.50pm for the afternoon ceremony. It will assist stewards if you remain seated once you have taken your place.

What happens if I arrive late?
We ask that you arrive in good time, as we cannot delay the start of the ceremony. Those arriving after 9.15am for the morning ceremony or 2.30pm for the afternoon will be considered late and will normally be called at the end of the ceremony, rather than with their cohorts, and may not be able to participate.

Guests
On arrival at the 91快活林 Centre, guests will also enter via the seafront entrance. Guests do not have numbered seats and are permitted to sit anywhere except the recipients’ block in the centre of the main auditorium and a few reserved seats.

Children will find the balcony area especially good for viewing although the ceremony is relatively long (approximately an hour and a half) and not suitable for young children. Due to health and safety restrictions at the venue, prams and buggies and large bags cannot be taken into the main auditorium, however they can be left in the cloakroom free of charge.

The ceremony
Recipients are seated in the auditorium alphabetically in school and course order. Guests sit separately.

A steward will ask you to stand and will direct you to the backstage area, where you will be checked on a list and directed to the side of the stage. You will be called across the stage in formal recognition of your achievement, receive acknowledgement from the Vice-Chancellor before exiting the stage and returning to your seat. It is difficult to estimate, but we would expect the ceremony to last about an hour and a half.

Once you are seated you are not normally permitted to leave the auditorium. As a courtesy to other recipients and guests we ask that once the ceremony has started you remain in your seat until the ceremony has finished and the platform party have left the auditorium.

Please note that the end of the ceremony includes loud music and flashing lights and therefore could potentially trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. If you think you will be affected by this please speak with a member of staff on the day of your ceremony.

Photography
Studio photography will be located at the back of the venue on the mezzanine floor. They will be accessible one and a half hours before your ceremony and will remain open until gowns are returned after the completion of the presentations. Please refer to the ‘Photography’ tab for further information.

Refreshments
You will be able to purchase light refreshments such as tea, coffee, soft drinks and sandwiches from the cafe bars. Additionally, there will be a celebratory reception where you will be given a free glass of sparkling wine, bucks fizz or orange juice. The celebratory reception will not open until the ceremony has finished.

Gifts and mementoes
A range of gifts and mementoes will be available to buy on the day.

Conduct
The ceremony is a wonderful celebration to be enjoyed by recipients and their guests. Aggressive or abusive behaviour is unacceptable and anyone behaving in this way will be asked to leave the ceremony.

Photography 

What better way to remember the day forever than with an official photograph or two? There will be professional photographers, from Tempest Photography, available to capture your special day. The photographers can take an individual shot as well as photographs with your others so head along by yourself or take your guests and friends with you. There is no need to book, no need to prepay and no obligation to buy.

Studio photography
Studios will be located at the back of the venue on the mezzanine floor. They will be open one and a half hours before your ceremony and will remain open until gowns are returned subsequent to the completion of the presentations.

There is no pre-booking involved and no obligation to purchase the photographs that are taken. You will be supplied with an instant proof of your images, from which you can make your selection and place your order. Orders can be placed at the sales desk on the day or at a later date by telephone or online.

Although pre-orders can't be placed prior to the ceremonies themselves, you can view the Tempest Graduations website for examples of prices and packages, along with terms and conditions.

Ceremony photographs
Tempest Photography will also have exclusive access during your graduation ceremony to capture the moment you cross the stage in formal recognition of your achievement. These images will be on display following the ceremony for viewing and ordering and can be taken away with you there and then.

Don't worry if you don't have time to view or purchase your ceremony picture on the day. Two weeks after your ceremony, the images will be uploaded to the Tempest Graduations website to view and buy at your leisure.

Can I take my own photos or video?
Taking photographs and video is permitted in the venue, however, we would ask guests to be considerate of others and not block aisles or exits. Graduands are not permitted to bring any professional photographers as part of their guest allocation.

Social media

You can follow graduation across social media and take part by tagging your photographs with #brightonforever and @uniofbrighton to share your best moments with us.

The university will be active on , and - take a moment to follow our accounts and those of the Alumni Association on .

Student support package

Are you due to attend a graduation ceremony this winter but are concerned about the cost of the event?

We are able to offer support to 10 graduands for the winter 2025 ceremonies in the form of the following package:

• free gown and cap hire
• two free guest tickets
• basic photography package.

Priority will be given to those who have one or more of these characteristics:

• Care Leavers and estranged students
• Lone parents in receipt of Universal Credit
• Students who have received an award from one of the university hardship funds in the academic year immediately preceding their graduation

In order to apply please complete and return this with the supporting evidence to ceremony@brighton.ac.uk’ by 10 January 2025.

Successful applicants will be notified by 20 January 2025.

Thank you to tempest-graduations.co.uk for this generous offer.

If you are experiencing financial difficulties or you have questions about student finance or bank accounts after graduation, please contact Student Advice.

Carers tickets

In accordance with most venues, you must submit evidence to support a registered carer attending.  This can be any of the following: 

• Entitlement to Disability Living Allowance for children under 16 or DLA/Personal Independent Payments (PIP) for those aged 16-64, in the form of a letter stating that the benefit has been awarded. 
• Attendance Allowance or Carer's Allowance letter of award. 
• Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) letter notifying the recipient that the benefit has been awarded Incapacity Benefit. 
• In the case of visual impairment, a registration card known as the BD8 or a Certificate of Visual Impairment (CVI). 
• A recognised Assistance Dog ID Card. 
• Credibility’s Access Card. 

If you require a ticket for a carer, please send an email to ceremony@brighton.ac.uk with any of the following documents and we will be pleased to assist you.

Transport and parking

Please ensure that you allow ample time for arrival at the 91快活林 Centre.

Public transport

The 91快活林 Centre is located on the seafront of 91快活林 city centre. The 91快活林 Centre is easily accessible via public transport and visitors are encouraged to use these where possible.

91快活林 mainline railway station is a 15-minute walk, and Pool Valley Coach station a 10-minute walk.

The nearest bus stops for buses from around the city are located at Churchill Square or North Street. Please see for full details.

Taxi ranks are also close by, and cycle parking is available at the front and rear of the 91快活林 Centre. 

Drop off and parking

There is no designated drop off point, disabled or general parking available at the 91快活林 Centre.

Parking is available across car parks in the city centre, with three NCP car parks within walking distance of the 91快活林 Centre. See the council webpages for .

The seafront and area around the 91快活林 Centre may be subject to roadworks, please see the council website for .

What if I can't attend my ceremony?

Please note that if you do not to attend you will not be invited to a future ceremony.

If you decide not to attend we would still very much appreciate a response from you online. If you are not yet in receipt of your certificate and wish to receive it in the post, please ensure that a forwarding address is provided via the ceremony portal. If you do not confirm an address for the certificate to be sent to it will not be dispatched.

Alumni Association

All University of 91快活林 graduates automatically become members of our global Alumni Association which provides a network of contacts and support and continuing access to university services including life-long careers support.

Make sure that they have your email address and your permission to keep in touch. This can be given as part of the online ceremony reply or on the Alumni Association website.

All BSMS graduates become part of the . Make sure that they have your to keep in touch.

Visas 

Returning to the UK for the graduation ceremony
If your student visa will still be valid you can use it to return to the UK for your ceremony. If, however, it will have expired, you will need to return to the UK as a Standard Visitor. Depending on your nationality, you, and any friends and family you’ve invited, will need to either apply for and obtain a before travelling to the UK, or seek entry as a Standard Visitor upon your arrival in the UK.

If you need to return as a Standard Visitor you can request a supporting letter from us via email, which you can include in your visa application. For advice on making an application for a Standard Visitor visa please refer to the advice under ‘Returning for your Graduation’, or contact our International Student Advisers at: visas@brighton.ac.uk.

Terms and conditions

By confirming your attendance and purchasing guest tickets you also (pdf file).

Ceremony Administration

If you have any questions please contact the Awards and Graduation Team within Academic Registry.

• email: ceremony@brighton.ac.uk

You will need to quote your reference number which is given at the top of your invitation email.

The address for all correspondence is:

Awards and Graduation
Academic Registry
University of 91快活林
Watts Building
Lewes Road
91快活林
BN2 4GJ

Clothing, photography and downloads

Campus Clothing
(clothing with graduates names on)
Tel: 0333 3403474

Graduate Gowning Company
Tel: 01736 751855
Email: info@graduategowning.co.uk

Tempest Graduation Photography
Tel: 0800 0121466
Fax: 01736 751463

Downloads
For access to video downloads, please contact alumni@brighton.ac.uk

Gifts and mementoes

The official suppliers of university memorabilia will be present at the ceremonies, and provide an online service, where they offer a range of University related items.

Please place your orders with the friendly team at .