New College Swindon University Centre Graduation 2023

The Graduation Ceremony represents the culmination of years of hard work and is one of the high points in the calendar at New College Swindon. It is an excellent opportunity for students – along with their families, friends and college staff – to celebrate their achievements at a formal ceremony and to be part of a special event that we hope will be both memorable and enjoyable.

Date, Time & Location

Graduation day is taking place on Saturday 11th November 2023 at New College Swindon, Queen’s Drive campus. Click here to view a map of the location.

Free parking is available at the College for students and guests attending the ceremony.

Graduation Day Programme

There are three ceremonies taking place throughout the day. Each programme and subject is allocated to a specific ceremony.

Your ceremony time will be indicated to you upon completing your registration with Ede & Ravenscroft, through their website facility, where you can also book gowning and photography. On the day of the ceremony, registration of attendance will open an hour and a half before your ceremony starts, and you should allow approximately one hour for gowning and photography if booked.

During this time, if you have guests with you, they can take a seat in the designated waiting area, and once you are ‘graduation ready,’ you can join them before the ceremony begins.

Nearer to the ceremony time, guests will take their seats in the theatre (or family room) and students will be called into their groups, ready to enter the theatre. Once the ceremony is completed, guests and students can meet in the food court area where they can share a celebratory drink, and enjoy the buffet food together. We anticipate that the registration, ceremony and celebratory refreshments will take approximately three hours.

Registration

As a graduating student, your attendance is free, however, all eligible students must register if they are attending, even if you are not buying guest tickets, in order for us to plan the day. If you do not register your attendance, your name will not be included in the awards list published within the Ceremony Programme, and your name will not be called out at the ceremony.

Guests & Tickets

We understand that many students will want to share this special occasion with all of their family members and perhaps have professional group photographs on the day. Due to the limited space available within the theatre, we can only offer two guest tickets per student within the theatre itself; however, we are offering the opportunity for children and additional family members to watch the ceremony in the live stream/family room at the College, so they can see the ceremony as it happens.

Children’s Attendance

All children under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult at all times. We ask that younger children, who are unable to sit quietly for an extended period, be seated in the Live Stream / Family room with an accompanying adult. As the Theatre is staged seating, with limited access, prams or pushchairs will not be accommodated, so if possible, please arrange for young babies and toddlers to be looked after by an adult within the family room. You do not need to purchase tickets for children under the age of three but a ticket for the supervising adult will still need to be purchased, at the family room rate.
We cannot offer childcare facilities on the day, so children must be adequately supervised and looked after throughout their visit to the College.

Guest Theatre Tickets

Each student can have a maximum of two guests in the theatre, where the ceremony will be held.
Guest theatre tickets are available to purchase at £15 each.

Live Stream/Family Room Tickets

The Live Stream / Family Room is a room on campus which allows additional or younger guests to watch the graduation ceremony live, on screen, in a more relaxed environment.

Live stream/family room tickets are available to purchase at £7 each.

Tickets for the family room are limited to five tickets per student, with a maximum ratio of four children to one adult. All tickets include buffet food and drinks after the ceremony.

Live Stream/Family Room tickets are sold on a first come first serve basis.

Will it be possible to purchase additional Guest Theatre Tickets?

We cannot guarantee that students will be able to purchase additional theatre guest tickets, however, once sales of initial tickets have been closed (18th October 2023), if there is remaining capacity, they will be released for students to purchase on a first come, first serve basis.

An email will be sent out to all students to advise when additional ticket sales are available; we will reassess capacity and anticipate this will be in late October.

What to Wear

It is advised that men wear a dark suit or jacket and trousers with a shirt and tie. Ladies will find that a front-buttoned blouse or dress, or a brooch or pin will provide some means of securing the hood in place, which is always helpful. You may also want to bring some hair pins to keep your cap securely in place.

Cap & Gowns

All students need to hire (or buy) their academic dress (gown, hood and cap) through Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd. You will be directed from the ticket sales page in order to do this.
To complete your order you will need to know your head circumference, chest and height measurements and have your debit/credit card ready for payment. Please ensure you enter your award information correctly so that your academic dress is perfectly prepared for the day, with the correct hood colour for your award.

You will receive an order number, which you must bring to the Gowning Desk on the ceremony day.

Please ensure that you return your full academic dress to the Ede & Ravenscroft gowning desk before you leave, or you may be charged.

Photography

If you wish to purchase formal portrait photographs of you and your family, taken on the day, there will be photography studios set up in the College for your convenience after gowning.
Ede & Ravenscroft offer a variety of different photography packages that can be purchased, in advance, when you go through the online Graduation registration process, along with any photo/certificate frames you may also wish to purchase.

Please make sure you bring any photography pre-order details with you on the day.

Food and Drinks

There will be refreshments available to purchase on your arrival, prior to the ceremony commencement.
After your ceremony, you will meet in the food court area to spend some time relaxing, chatting and celebrating your success with family, friends, classmates and staff. There will be celebratory drinks, light refreshments and food for you to share and enjoy. The graduation event and celebratory food and drinks afterwards are included in the ticket price.

Special Requirements/Arrangements

When you register for Graduation and purchase your tickets, you will be asked if you or any of your guests have any dietary, additional or mobility requirements. If we require any further information, such as access requirements, we may contact you on the contact details you provide. If you or a guest requires an accompanying carer, please get in touch with the HE Team by emailing HE@newcollege.ac.uk.

If you have any questions regarding the online purchasing of tickets/gowning/photography or have any issues with the Ede & Ravenscroft website, please complete this form on the Ede and Ravenscroft website.

Any other questions?

If you have any other questions regarding the Graduation day please email HE@newcollege.ac.uk.
Ten top tips for a happy graduation:

1. Be on time
2. Ensure you have eaten before the ceremony
3. Bring hairgrips for your mortarboard (cap)
4. Wear a garment with buttons down the front or bring a pin to attach your hood
5. Wear comfortable shoes
6. If you bring a bag, designate one of your guests to look after it during the ceremony
7. Make sure those attending know the arrangements and timings of the day
8. Organise childcare arrangements
9. Make sure if you or your guests have any special requirements that you tell us well in advance of the ceremony.
10. It’s your day! Smile and enjoy it!