Your Graduation: Saturday 19th July 2025 at 1:30pm

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

The suppliers have very helpful photos of the gowns and hoods for each degree type on their websites. 

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

The reception is an optional event after the Degree Ceremony, held at Somerville College from 3-5pm, 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. Tickets are online only, you do not need to show a physical or e-ticket when you arrive at the reception, your name will be on a list. 

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 to book your reception tickets 

Booking closes at 5pm on Thursday 17th July 2025. The Somerville catering team are unable to take any bookings after this and will not be able to take walk-ups on the day. 

Please click here for a sample Reception menu

When you arrive at College, please head to the Brittain Williams Room (the ante room to Flora Anderson Hall with the piano) for 11:30am to register. Follow the signs to Flora Anderson Hall.

Our Team will show you how to register and hand you your ceremony guest tickets. Please give these to your guests as they use a different entrance to you and seats are on a first come first served basis. 

All graduands must attend the Dean of Degree’s Briefing at 12:00pm, which will give you information about how the ceremony will run and where you need to stand. Guests can watch this too or they can leave earlier and walk to the Sheldonian, which opens for them at 12:45pm. The Dean will also remind you of the rules of dress and when you should wear your mortarboard. 

Graduands traditionally process from their College to the Sheldonian, lead by the Dean of Degrees. The Somerville procession will leave from the Lodge at 12:30pm. 

The Sheldonian will open to guests at 12:45pm and seats are on a first come first served basis (unless you have accessible seating). Guests do not join the procession and will use a separate entrance to the graduands.

When you arrive at the Sheldonian, you will be shown where you can keep your belongings. Somerville Degree Day assistants will sit with these whilst you are in the ceremony. 

Degree Certificates can be collected from our Alumni Team who will be set up on the lawn or Flora Anderson Hall from 3 – 5pm. You do not need a Reception ticket to collect your Degree Certificate.

Certificates can only be collected after your Degree Ceremony. 

We have arranged for photographers from Gillman and Soame to be in College during the Reception period (3-5pm).

You do not need a reception ticket to be able to have a photograph.

If you would like a Graduation photograph taken, please pre-register here and bring a print out of the registration form with you. 

If you forget this, the photographers may not be able to fit you in, or you may have to wait longer for your photo to be taken. Please be aware that due to time constraints, the photographers may leave earlier than the end of the Reception. 

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

The University has a helpful webpage about Degree Ceremonies here:

https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/graduation/ceremonies

You may find some of their guidance on sub fusc and academic dress differs slightly, please refer back to this webpage if unsure. 

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