Graduation terms and conditions

Read our terms and conditions relating to your involvement in a University of Sussex graduation ceremony.

Acceptance of terms 

Please read these Graduation Terms and Conditions ("Terms") carefully as your registration, and / or purchase of tickets, for your graduation ceremony constitutes your acceptance of these Terms. We reserve the right to make reasonable changes to these Terms at any time. These changes will be communicated to you in writing as far in advance of any changes as is reasonably possible and we will take all reasonable steps to mitigate any negative impact on you as a result of these changes. 

Where there is any conflict or inconsistency between these Terms and any of our other terms and conditions governing the use of the website, these Terms shall prevail (solely to the extent necessary to resolve such conflict or inconsistency).

In these terms

In these terms and conditions:

  • ‘you’, ‘your’ means a graduand of the University of Sussex.
  • ‘us’, ‘we’, and ‘our’ means the University of Sussex, a higher education corporation whose principal place of business is at Sussex House, Falmer, Brighton, BN1 9RH.
  • Eligibility

    Undergraduate students

    You can only attend your ceremony if an Award Board has confirmed your award before the ceremony date. 

    Postgraduate students

    You can only attend the January ceremony if an Award Board has confirmed your award before the ceremony date. 

    If you have outstanding debt to the University (excluding graduation tickets), you will not be permitted to attend the graduation ceremony until the full balance is paid.

    If you have an outstanding disciplinary under Regulation 2 of the University’s regulations which has not been brought to its conclusion, or are subject to a disciplinary sanction, which includes being suspended from the University of Sussex under paragraph 6.3 of Regulation 2 of the University’s regulations, you may not be able to attend a graduation ceremony. Any decision on your attendance will be notified to you as far as possible in advance of the graduation ceremony as is reasonably practicable.

  • Registration

    If you wish to attend your graduation ceremony you are required to register in advance. Your graduand ticket to your ceremony is free of charge, although you will need to pay for any guest tickets. 

  • Guest tickets

    Guest tickets cost £30. All guest tickets and additional guest tickets must be purchased in advance. If you register on or before a specified date (winter graduation/ summer graduation), you will be eligible to purchase a maximum of four guest tickets for summer graduation and ten guest tickets for winter graduation, through Sussex Direct at the point of registration. If you register on or after the ticket purchase closing date, we are unable to guarantee that guest tickets will be available.

    After the initial guest ticket cut-off date (winter graduation/ summer graduation) any unsold guest tickets may be released for general sale via Sussex Direct and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis until they have sold out. Graduands will be informed via email if additional guest tickets are available for their ceremony time and date. These additional guest tickets cost £30 each (free for children aged 12 years and under). 

    Please note, that if you purchase additional guest tickets on their final release, your additional guests may not be seated with those guests for whom you have already purchased tickets.

    You will receive confirmation of registration and purchase of all guest tickets by email normally within 24 hours. You are advised not to make travel arrangements for you or your guests until you have received the confirmation email. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please contact graduation@sussex.ac.uk as soon as possible. We advise you not to make travel arrangements for additional guests until you have secured tickets for them. 

    Tickets will be available for collection from the Registration and Ticket Collection point on the day of your graduation. You will need your final confirmation email or ID (identification) to collect these. We don't send them in advance. It is the responsibility of the graduand to collect the guest tickets at registration, and distribute these to their guests. 

    All guest tickets and additional guest tickets must be purchased in advance. We cannot guarantee that any additional guest tickets will be available to purchase on the day. In the event of any additional guest tickets being avialable on the day, they are only available for purchase to a guest accompanied by a graduand.

  • Children

    Children aged 2 years and under may attend the ceremony without a ticket if they sit on the lap of a parent or guardian. Children over the age of 3 require a guest ticket and will count towards your ticket allocation. Tickets for children 12 years of age and under are free of charge. Children must remain quiet throughout the ceremony, if there is any disruption caused then you may be asked to leave the ceremony. 

    Buggies and prams are not permitted in the auditorium due to health and safety regulations at the Brighton Centre. However, there will be a designated area where you can leave your buggy or pram, or you can store it in the free-of-charge cloakroom.

    There is a nursing room in the Brighton Centre. Please ask stewards to direct you on the day.

  • Deferrals

    If you are unable to attend the time and date of your allocated graduation ceremony, we will try to accommodate your transfer to a different ceremony time and date, although we cannot guarantee this. Please email graduation@sussex.ac.uk with any enquiries as soon as you know you are unable to make your allocated ceremony. 

    If you have purchased guest tickets for your ceremony, these will be refunded to the card used for the purchase after the ceremonies have taken place.

  • Debt

    If you have outstanding debt to the University (excluding graduation tickets), you will not be permitted to attend the graduation ceremony until the full balance is paid. 

    If you have purchased guest tickets for your ceremony, they will be automatically refunded to the card used for the purchase after the ceremonies have taken place

  • Access Requirements

    To ensure your graduation experience is accessible and enjoyable, please inform the Graduation team when booking if you require a carer to accompany you. You may be eligible for an additional guest ticket at no extra cost. If this applies, or if you or your guests have any other accessibility needs e.g. claustrophobia, anxiety, ADHD, visually impaired, hearing loop, sign language interpreter etc, email graduation@sussex.ac.uk as early as possible so we can make the necessary arrangements.

    No dogs (or pets) apart from registered assistance dogs are permitted within the Brighton Centre. 

  • Cancellations and refunds 

    Cancellation by the University of Sussex

    The University of Sussex may cancel or postpone a graduation ceremony only where necessary, including (but not limited to) circumstances beyond the University’s reasonable control, such as: public health concerns, extreme weather, safety or security issues, venue unavailability, or other material operational disruptions. In such cases, all guest ticket fees paid will be automatically refunded to the original payment card within 30 working days. Refunds for gown hire and photography are handled by our third-party suppliers listed below.

    Cancellation by you (the student)

    You may cancel your registration and any guest tickets by emailing graduation@sussex.ac.uk up to 21 calendar days before your ceremony. Guest ticket fees will be refunded to the original payment card within 30 working days. After this date, guest ticket refunds will not be accepted unless you are no longer eligible to attend graduation or you have an outstanding debt to the university.

    Ineligibility to attend

    If you become ineligible to attend graduation due to outstanding debt owed to the university, guest tickets refunds will be automatically processed to the original payment card within 30 days of the graduation ceremony date. If you become ineligible to attend because you have not met the conferment requirements any guest ticket fees paid will be automatically refunded within 28 working days to the original payment card. In these circumstances the University is not responsible for any additional costs incurred by you or your guests.

    Insurance recommendation

    Students and guests are advised to consider obtaining insurance to cover travel and accommodation costs in the event of unforeseen cancellation. This recommendation does not affect statutory consumer rights or the University’s obligations under consumer protection law.

  • Robes and dress

    If you choose to hire your gown, hood, and mortar board for your ceremony, we recommend you use our official supplier, Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd. You will book and pay for them directly with the supplier in advance of your ceremony date.  

    It is your responsibility to check that you have been allocated the correct gown for your ceremony. If you choose to use an alternative supplier to Ede & Ravenscroft, you should ensure that it will arrive in advance, that the gown, hood and mortar board is of a high quality and that you have the correct gown, hood and cap for your degree. The University may refuse admission to the ceremony if you do not have the correct academic gown or if you are inappropriately dressed.  

    Any services purchased, such as photography and gown hire by Ede & Ravenscroft Ltd, etc., are entered into with your own contract with suppliers and they should be contacted directly about their refund policy. You agree that the University of Sussex is neither liable to you, whether in contract, tort (including negligence) or otherwise, for any indirect or consequential losses and any losses arising from any contracts you enter into with any third parties in relation to your graduation ceremony.  

    Issues beyond the control of the University of Sussex should be taken up with the relevant third party.

  • Data Protection

    All graduates’ names will be shared with the company that produces the official graduation souvenir T-shirt, you can opt-out of this by emailing graduation@sussex.ac.uk at least 8 weeks before the date of your ceremony.  Due to the timescales involved in the printing and production of the official graduation souvenir T-shirt, if you indicate that you wish to withdraw your name within 8 weeks of the date of your ceremony, we cannot guarantee that your name will be excluded. 

    It may be necessary to share limited personal data (name, course and award) with relevant third party suppliers on the day of your ceremony as part of the process of organising the event (e.g. to ensure correct gowns are worn or to facilitate the running of the ceremonies), but this data will not be held or retained outside of the day. 

    Issues beyond the control of the University of Sussex should be taken up with the relevant third party. 

    For further information about how we process your personal data, please see our Privacy Notice. 

  • On the day

    Graduation is a formal occasion, and you are expected to dress appropriately in business or formal clothing. We reserve the right to refuse you or your guests entry to the ceremony if you are not dressed appropriately. 

    All guests must be seated at least 10 minutes before the ceremony begins. We reserve the right to refuse entry or remove any graduand or guest where it appears to us in our sole discretion to be necessary for the good conduct of proceedings and /or the safety, health, and wellbeing of graduands, guests, or staff.

    There is a multifaith prayer room in the Brighton Centre. Please ask stewards to direct you on the day.

    All guests must follow any applicable health, safety, and fire instructions of the University and of the venue at all times.

  • Security

    For security reasons, large bags and suitcases will not be permitted inside the Brighton Centre. We kindly ask that you do not bring these items with you. 

    Small bags and backpacks no larger than approximately A4 size (21cm x 30cm) can currently be bought in (subject to last minute changes) and will be subject to a security check and can be left in the free cloakroom on site. The University accepts no responsibility for loss or theft of items left in the cloakroom.

  • Use of images

    Graduation is a global event with guests joining in the celebration from around the world either in-person or via the live webcast. As your name is read out and you cross the stage, your special moment will be filmed by the University and transmitted live by the University’s servers. The live stream is recorded and made available publicly on the University’s website to download and keep after each event and archived should you wish to watch again it the future. 

    The streaming, recording and archiving is a free service and included in the ticket costs if you opt to graduate in person. If you do not wish to be streamed, recorded or archived by either the University or other guests, you may choose to graduate in absentia (i.e. not attend the ceremony or choose to attend as a guest but your name will not be read out and you will not be permitted to cross the stage). 

    Photographs captured during the ceremonies may be used in publicity and marketing materials for the University. Should you wish not to have your photograph used in any promotional materials please contact us at graduation@sussex.ac.uk. 

    Your guest(s) will also have the opportunity to opt-out of appearing on camera on the day should they wish to, and signs will be posted with instructions on how they can do this at the registration desk on the ground floor. 

    Guests are able to take their own photographs or film during the ceremony. However, we ask that you do not obstruct the views of others and do so in a discreet manner.

  • Circumstances beyond our control (Force Majeure)

    Neither party shall be in breach of this agreement nor liable for delay in performing, or failure to perform, any of its obligations (except any obligation to make payment) in the unlikely event that your graduation ceremony cannot take place or is delayed because of circumstances beyond our reasonable control. 

    Examples of such circumstances include but are not limited to: war, terrorism, civil commotion; fire, flood, adverse weather, natural disaster, act of God; outbreak of communicable disease, epidemic, or pandemic; any strike or labour dispute; interruption or failure of any utility service; any law or government order, rule, regulation, or action by a government or public authority. 

    In the event of such circumstances, the University will make every reasonable effort to contact you to let you know and publish information on our web pages and other suitable channels. 

    You and your guests should ensure that you have sufficient insurance protection to cover any losses you may suffer (such as travel or accommodation) as a result of a ceremony being cancelled or delayed. We will not be liable for any direct or indirect losses incurred by you or your guests.