Before the day

Everything you need to know before your Graduation ceremony, from booking your academic dress through to places to eat.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS

How to register for your Graduation Ceremony and purchase guest tickets

GRADUATION TIMINGS

Your student ticket is free of charge, and you will have received an email from the Graduation Team to confirm your attendance. If you think you will be eligible to graduate and haven’t received this, please email graduation@bolton.ac.uk

You will receive communication via email on how to book your student and guest tickets later in the year, you will have the opportunity to purchase up to two guest tickets at a cost of £15.00 per ticket. Additional tickets will go on sale at a later date, subject to availability.

We advise you to book your place as soon as you receive your invitation, as ceremonies may close early due to capacity restrictions. If your ceremony is full, we will offer you the option of attending an alternative ceremony.

We know many graduates are keen for their friends and family to attend Graduation ceremonies. As the Albert Halls has limited capacity, you must book a ticket for all guests, children over the age of 6 years old will also require a guest ticket. We do have a Live Stream area in the Festival Hall, within the Albert Halls, for guests with children under 6 years old. Although we work hard to make ceremonies as welcoming and inclusive as possible, the nature and duration of the ceremonies may make them unsuitable for babies and young children.

Book to attend your ceremony

You will receive an email from the Graduation Team to both your University email address and your personal email address (please make sure your details are up-to-date on the Student Portal), your email should arrive between March and April 2024.

Please check your junk/spam folders and make sure you make our email address a safe contact: graduation@bolton.ac.uk

If you don’t receive your invitation email and you believe that you are eligible to attend a ceremony, email the Graduation Team as soon as possible at graduation@bolton.ac.uk. Please make sure to include your student ID number in the email, as this will help us find your student record quickly. Due to General Date Protection Regulations (GDPR) we are unable to discuss student’s accounts or Graduation requirements with anyone other than the student, this includes parents and guardians.

If you have completed your studies and attained your award, you will be able to book onto your ceremony. NB. You will need to select your ceremony as listed in your invitation email.

Please note: If you have not yet completed your studies or you are still waiting for your award to be confirmed, you will be able to book your tickets after University Results Day on Thursday 27 June 2024. You will receive an ‘Error Message’ if you try to book before this date.

Note: You need to book your guest tickets at the same time as your free student ticket.

We encourage students to book their academic dress and photography as soon as they receive their invitation email, even if you cannot book your tickets yet.

CEREMONY SCHEDULE

Deadline for booking

Students must register to attend their ceremony by 5pm on Friday 31 May 2024.

Students need to register attendance, or you may be prevented from attending.

If you need to defer your attendance at a ceremony until July 2025, you can request a deferral by emailing us at graduation@bolton.ac.uk, this will then be discussed with the Graduation Management Team, and a response sent to the student in due course.

Please note ceremonies may close early due to capacity restrictions at the Albert Halls. Please book your ticket and guest tickets as soon as you receive your invitation. If your ceremony is full, we will offer you the option of attending an alternative ceremony.

Graduation eligibility

You must fulfil the following criteria to attend your Graduation ceremony:

You must have successfully completed your award by 28 June 2024.

You must have paid all debt owed to the University of Bolton. You will not receive any information for your ceremony if you owe outstanding debt, please contact our Finance Team at creditcontrol@bolton.ac.uk.

Do I have to attend my ceremony to receive my award?

No, regardless of whether you join a ceremony or not, your degree is valid. If you do not wish to attend, you do not need to do anything. However, please note we are unable to defer your Graduation to 2025.

Your certificates will be posted to you at a later date.

Special requirements and accessibility

The Greater Manchester Business School and the Albert Halls are accessible with ramped access/lifts, if applicable.

Please get in touch with the Graduation Team if you or your guests require any support. You can contact the team at graduation@bolton.ac.uk. British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation is available upon request.