Degree Days

A certain number of places are reserved at each ceremony for research graduates. Those doing research degrees will automatically be emailed by the University when they have received leave to supplicate and invited to book on a ceremony through Student Self Service. We would encourage you to do this as soon as possible before your access to Single Sign On expires.

Please request a booking form from degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk to be able to attend a ceremony. Please note that you may need to join a waiting list for a ceremony if there are no spaces available. 

The Academic Office will email you around 4-6 weeks prior to your graduation date with a link to a dedicated webpage for your Degree Day. This will have all the information you need to plan your graduation. 

Some information, such as gowns and sub fusc, ceremony tickets, the post-ceremony reception and the cancellation policy are duplicated on this webpage, so please here if you are starting to plan early. 

If you have any questions about accessibility or using mobility aids, please contact us on degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk 

If you would like to Graduate in Absentia, then this can be done at the next available ceremony, whether Somerville College is presenting or not. If you would like to do this, please remember that you cannot attend again at a future ceremony for the same degree.

We will post your certificate to you on or after the ceremony date. We use international tracked and signed delivery and you will be given a tracking number.

If you would like to graduate in absentia then please contact degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk

• Certain ceremonies are only open to particular groups of students because of the timing of exam board meetings. You will only be offered a ceremony that is being held after your final results are due.
• As the Sheldonian only has limited space, the University does not offer all Colleges the same graduation dates. Your friends on the same course at a different College may be offered different dates.
• After 31 January 2025, it will not be possible for finalists to book themselves on a ceremony through Student Self Service. You can complete the booking form above to be added to a ceremony, if available.
• If your chosen ceremony is full then please email degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk to request to be added to a waiting list.

You can cancel your place up to 60 days before the ceremony. Please email degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk to request a cancellation

After the 60 day deadline, you will be “locked in” to this ceremony you will be required to graduate in absence and will not be able to attend a future ceremony for the degree you are having conferred.

If you need to cancel closer the ceremony and have an exceptional reason for cancelling. You must also provide proof in order for your booking to be transferred to a later date. Lack of evidence or cancelling last minute with no explanation means you will have your degree conferred in absentia and your degree certificate posted to you. You will not be able to attend another ceremony for this degree.  

The cancellation policy is set by the University of Oxford and you can find further information about it here

Each Oxford College arranges their gown hire differently. At Somerville you are responsible for hiring or purchasing your own gown and hood, as well as the collection and delivery of these. Give yourself plenty of time to look into what gown you need to wear and perhaps compare with friends who are graduating with you. 

You can hire gowns from local Oxford academic outfitters such as: 

https://www.shepherdandwoodward.co.uk/ 

https://www.walters-oxford.co.uk/

https://www2.edeandravenscroft.com/academic

Shepherd and Woodward in particular have very helpful photos of the gowns and hoods for each degree type. 

You can also borrow or buy secondhand gowns online, or from friends and family providing this is the correct gown for your degree and it is the correct length on you (gowns should end anywhere from just below the knee to the bottom of your shins).

You will also need to hire or purchase a mortarboard or a soft cap. 

Please consult the table below to find out what you need to hire:

Sub Fusc refers to the black and white clothes you are required to wear under your gown. You may have recently worn sub fusc for your finals or viva and graduation sub fusc follows exactly the same rules:

Underneath their gowns, graduands must wear the following:

• either a dark, preferably black suit or a dark, preferably black skirt or dark, preferably black trousers.
• Black socks or tights, legs covered and no ankles showing! 
• A dark or black coat if required
• black shoes with no coloured laces or soles
• plain white collared shirt or blouse – you need a collar to attach your bowtie to and buttons to attach your hood to
• white bow tie, black bow tie, black full-length tie, or black ribbon 
• DPhil students will need to wear an advanced student gown to the Sheldonian and will change into their DPhil gown half way through the ceremony
• Try to avoid bringing a large bag but you can bring a small one and some water. You will be carrying your hood to the Sheldonian as you don’t wear it until halfway through the ceremony. Our student helpers will sit with your belongings at the Divinity School. 

Handy Hints! 

• Basically for sub fusc, think black and white only and you can buy these clothes from anywhere you like.
• Sub fusc is not gender specific, as long as you stick to the rules listed above, wear what you feel your best in.
• Remember to check the weather, there is no reason that you cannot wear the correct but cool clothing in the summer or layer up (as long as it’s hidden) in the winter.
• There is a lot of walking and standing around so wear comfier shoes.
• Don’t get your phone out to take photos in the ceremony! You will be told to put it away by the Bedels.  

Your ticket allocation:

Each graduand is automatically allocated two guest tickets, which are collected when you come in to register. Remember you don’t need a ticket for yourself! 

The Degree Ceremony is held at the Sheldonian Theatre and ticket numbers reflect the capacity of the Sheldonian. Tickets are sent to Colleges by the Degree Conferrals Office and we are given enough to give each graduand two tickets each. 

Spare ticket waiting lists:

Sometimes, extra tickets become available and these are given out on a first come first served basis. Please contact degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk to be added to a waiting list. We cannot guarantee that you will receive an extra ticket.

While we hope to let you know if you have been allotted an extra ticket, you may only find out if you have been successful in getting a ticket when you register on the day.

If you have guests who are not able to attend the ceremony, please direct them to the Live Stream below. 

Accessibility 

The Sheldonian is an old building with uneven floors and lots of stairs. If you or one of your guests would like accessible seating, please contact degreedays@some.ox.ac.uk , preferably well in advance of your graduation date.

Children at the ceremony:

Please follow this advice from the Degree Conferrals team:

• The ceremony is not suitable for younger children, please read the guidance below on ticketing for children. 
•  Babies and children under the age of two do not need their own ticket if they are able to be seated on a guest’s lap.
• -Children aged two and over will require their own seat and Guest ticket.

You can read more about ticketing at the Sheldonian and where families with young children can sit on the University’s Degree Ceremony FAQs webpage

In Absentia conferral – Your certificate will be posted to you, please make sure you provide your correct address. You can also collect the certificate from Somerville Lodge. 

In Person conferral – Degree Certificates can be collected from our Alumni Team at the post ceremony reception in College. You do not need a Reception ticket to collect your Degree Certificate.

Certificates can only be collected after your Degree Ceremony. 

If you have not yet graduated, but need proof that you have completed your degree, you can order a degree confirmation letter from the Degree Conferrals Office. If you have lost your original degree certificate, you can order a replacement from the same office.

The status of Master of Arts is a mark of seniority within the University which may be conferred 21 terms after matriculation. This is not an automatic process and to obtain your MA you must apply to graduate at a degree ceremony either in person or in absentia.

• From January 2025, the charge for MA Conferral is £105
• Only one degree can be conferred in person at a ceremony. Normally, the higher degree is conferred in person and the lower degree is conferred in absence.
• If you would like to receive your MA in person, please complete the Somerville Degree Ceremony Booking Form. Please note that students receiving their first degree have priority for places so it will not normally be possible to confirm in person bookings until three months before the ceremony. If you would like to receive your MA in absence, please complete the Somerville Degree Ceremony Booking Form and you will be added to the next available ceremony. 

The Post-Ceremony Reception at Somerville

Booking opens about 4-6 weeks prior to the reception date, you will receive an email with details of how to book. 

The reception is an optional event after the Degree Ceremony, held at Somerville College, where you can celebrate your graduation. The reception will be drinks and canapes served on the lawn (or a tbc wet weather location) by our catering team.

Graduates can purchase up to six (6) guest tickets in addition to their own complimentary graduate ticket. You still need to add your own Graduate ticket to the basket. 

Please chose from the following ticket types: 
•    Graduate – Free, add ticket to basket
•    Guest over 13 – £18
•    Children under 13 – Free, add ticket to basket
•    Postgraduate Supervisor*  – Free, add ticket to basket

IMPORTANT: When you check out, just after you have filled in your details, you will be prompted to answer a questionnaire to let us know of any dietary requirements (e.g. Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal, Gluten Free etc) that you may have. 
*If you are bringing a Postgraduate Supervisor, please put their name on the questionnaire. It is your responsibility to ask your Supervisor if they have any dietary requirements. 

Please click here for a sample Reception menu

Graduation Photography

Professional photographers will be booked to take your photo after the ceremony, back at Somerville College. You do not need a reception ticket to have a photograph taken. Further details will be given nearer to your ceremony time. 

The University broadcasts a live stream of all Degree Ceremonies. If you have any friends or relatives who cannot attend in person and would like to watch the ceremony, please give them this link:

https://podcasts.ox.ac.uk/odc-livestream

Please note that only the names of those attending are read out, if you have chosen in absentia conferral, then your name will not be read out.