Graduation tickets

Pre-book your tickets

To attend any part of the graduation experience you will need to pre-book your tickets. Bookings must be made by a graduand, but you can book up to two guaranteed guest tickets as part of your booking.

Wristbands with your seat number on are issued to all graduands and to those guests who have reserved seats. All other guests are issued with a plain wristband.

Ticket dates for the postgraduate ceremonies

Tickets for our April/May 2025 ceremonies 

• You will receive a graduation invitation via email during December 2024.
• You can book you and your guests' attendance at graduation from Monday 20 January until Friday 21 March.
• During the booking process you can request additional tickets.
• You will be contacted about your tickets during the week of the 24 March.

Wristbands for graduands

We are proud to be able to offer graduating students free access to both your ceremony and the celebratory reception, but you do need to pre-book online before the deadline as entry is by wristband only.

Your graduand wristband gives you:

• Your own seat at the degree conferment ceremony in Guildford Cathedral
• Access to our exclusive themed reception
• Delicious afternoon tea with sparkling wine and unlimited refreshments
• Brilliant photo opportunities, entertainment and a fantastic atmosphere alongside your friends, family, and course mates.

You can find out more about the graduation experience on our on-the-day page.

Please note: You can't book your place at graduation if you have any outstanding tuition fees. Please check our eligibility guidance for more information.

Tickets for your friends and family

You are guaranteed up to two guest tickets for both the ceremony and the reception which must be booked online, but you can request additional tickets when booking if you would like to bring more guests (confirmation of additional tickets will be sent via email shortly after the booking period closes).

If your guests would prefer a more informal setting to watch the ceremony or should the Cathedral become full, we are also able to offer free tickets to watch the ceremony from our live streaming venue on campus. Please select the Live Stream option when booking.

Guests can also join you at the celebratory reception for the price of £27.50 per person (free for under 12s). Please select the Ceremony plus Reception ticket and/or Live Stream plus Reception ticket when booking.

We do not recommend bringing children under the age of 12 to the ceremony as they can find it boring. If you do need to bring a child under 12 we do ask that should they become restless or start crying during the ceremony that you take them out of the ceremony as it can be disruptive to others.

Mobility and dietary requirements

Disabled, elderly and small children

The route from the University to the Cathedral involves climbing a lot of steps and is very steep. Entrance to the Cathedral is via a series of ramps.

If you or a guest in your party are in a wheelchair, have difficulty in negotiating steps or might find the climb from campus to the Cathedral particularly strenuous or difficult, please select the appropriate drop down box when making your booking. We will then provide you with a cathedral car parking permit which you can collect on the day when you collect your wristbands.

If any member of your party is a blue badge holder, please email the Exams and Graduation team at ceremonies@surrey.ac.uk as we will provide you with a cathedral car parking permit to accompany your blue badge.

There are a number of disabled parking bays at the Cathedral which are available for those with a blue badge. This enables us to monitor the amount of parking required each day.

If you have any queries or concerns about access to the Cathedral do please contact the Exams and Graduation team (ceremonies@surrey.ac.uk).

Dietary requirements

When making your booking, please select your dietary requirements from the drop down menu. If your dietary requirements are not listed then please select the ‘other’ option and email ceremonies@surrey.ac.uk with your dietary requirements.

Parking permits

If you are coming to graduation by car you will need a parking permit to park in the main university car park. Please make sure you book parking before arriving on campus.