Frequently asked questions

If you are eligible for Graduation, you will receive an invitation to register via the "Preferred Email" address you have indicated on your Student Record.

If you haven’t received an invitation to register and believe you are eligible, please contact graduation@soton.ac.uk.

You must register for graduation during the registration period. Registration closes on Tuesday 14 November 2023.

If you do not respond to the booking invitation, but your results are released by the published deadline, your award will automatically be conferred in absentia and your certificate will be made available for collection or postage.

To access the registration form, please log in with your University of Southampton email and password. If you have trouble logging in, reset your password at https://subscribe.soton.ac.uk. This is only possible if you have provided a secondary email address to authenticate a password reset.

If you have any issues accessing your account that cannot be resolved through the self-service password reset, please phone ServiceLine on 023 8059 5656. You will need your student ID number/university username.

If you informed us of your intention to defer when you previously registered for Graduation, you will receive and email on Tuesday 24 October to add yourself to a waiting list to attend a ceremony this December.

You will be placed on a wait list and invited to attend should there be space available. Please contact us on graduation@soton.ac.uk if you have any further questions about your deferral, or you have not received the email.

Please note
You can continue to defer your Graduation for as long as you wish. However, it’s important to note that if you advise us you wish to attend an upcoming Graduation ceremony, and we send you a registration link, and you then change your mind, you will need to re-mark yourself as “defer” (or graduate in absentia if you wish) on the registration form. If you fail to do this, your status will default to “Graduated in Absentia” post-Graduation, meaning you will not have the opportunity to attend a ceremony in the future.

If you cannot attend graduation, please complete the registration form to confirm whether you wish to:

• Defer your Graduation attendance to a future event, or
• Graduate in absentia (i.e., not attend this or a future graduation)

Once you confirm your choice, we can update this on your record and remove you from the list for Graduation.

Certificates are not currently given to Graduands at their ceremony. You will receive your physical certificate and transcript by post once it has been awarded, as well as a digital copy.  

Physical certificates and transcripts will be posted to the address currently on file for each student. If you are concerned that this address may not be your current address, we strongly advise you update it through your student account. The Graduation team is unable to update this for you, please contact The Student Hub if you need assistance.

You can only graduate under your legal name, which appears on documents of official academic certification. If you wish to update the name on your certificate, which is only allowed in exceptional circumstances, please contact The Student Hub via email at studenthub@soton.ac.uk

You have the option to defer to a later graduation or graduate in absentia. These options will be provided in the registration steps. You must complete the registration form even if you do not plan to attend.

If you choose to defer, you can contact us in the future when you are ready to attend a graduation, and we will add you to the waiting list to attend.

Unfortunately, no. Each programme in each School has an allocated ceremony, and therefore it is not possible to request a change to a different date or time.

If a graduation ceremony needs to be postponed, relocated or cannot take place as planned due to circumstances beyond the University's control, the Graduation Office will notify all graduands at the earliest possible time, and publish notice of the position online.

During registration, you will have the option to request a letter from the University to support a visa application for you and your guests. The letter will be provided to graduands who request it and will be worded sufficiently for guests to use when applying for a visa.

We are unable to issue an edited letter. They are sent automatically as part of registration, following regulation.

For any enquiries regarding the visa application process, refer to UK Visas and Immigration on the GOV.UK website.

When you complete the registration form, there will be a tick box to confirm whether you or your guests have any accessibility / additional requirements. If you tick this box, we will reach out with a short form for you to discuss your requirements in further detail. We will endeavour to accommodate the needs of all graduands and guests. If you experience any difficulties on the day, please alert a member of staff. 

For anyone who does not have a ticket or is unable to attend the ceremonies at the O2 Guildhall Southampton, all ceremonies will be livestreamed on YouTube.

Unfortunately, there is no dedicated car parking available to attendees at Guildhall Square. However, there are plenty of public car parks available around the venue.

If you have already placed an order for your gown or photography session, you will receive a refund from our suppliers in due course. The money will be automatically refunded to the bank account used to place the order.

Unfortunately, the University is unable to issue refunds for any other costs incurred in relation to attending Graduation, such as travel or accommodation. Students are advised when registering for Graduation that their attendance will only be confirmed once they have been awarded.

All registered Graduands will be contacted about hiring their gowns, caps, and hoods directly from the official gowning supplier during registration. Gown bookings are only available once you have completed registration.

Visit the Photography and Gowning webpage to learn how to book your photography session.

If you have not attained enough credits to complete your full programme of study, or have withdrawn from your studies, you may be due to receive an exit award which is not eligible for Graduation.

You should still complete and return your registration form, so we know if you are planning to attend. 

The timescales involved are very tight, and it is rare for appeals to be fully resolved ahead of the degree ceremonies. Therefore, if your appeal is regarding your degree classification, we recommend you attend your ceremony.

You should note that this will not affect the consideration of your appeal.

If your appeal is subsequently upheld and results in a change to your degree classification, you will be issued with an updated transcript and certificate. Should you wish to attend another degree ceremony, you will be permitted to do so. Please contact the Exams and Awards office to make the necessary arrangements.

You can check your most recent statement or contact The Student Hub.

For information about paying your outstanding fees, please refer to the Tuition Fees webpage.

The ceremony shall include presentation of each Graduand on the stage, where names will be called, and handshakes (or equivalent formal gesture) given by a member of the academic platform party.

The University takes the safety and wellbeing of its students, staff, and guests very seriously. We want everyone to feel safe and comfortable at the event and will be following all government COVID restrictions in place at the time of the events.

All ceremonies will be livestreamed on YouTube and the recordings will be made available online afterwards.

You can collect your academic robes on the day of your ceremony from Southampton Central Hall. Please note, gown collection is not available on Highfield campus.

For more information about picking up your robes, please visit the Graduation Attire FAQs page.

If you have hired your academic robes, you must return them after your ceremony, or at the end of your graduation day if you have booked a photography session after your ceremony.

Please return your academic robes to Southampton Central Hall, or to the alternative drop-off location on Highfield Campus, Building 2 Annexe (next to the bus interchange).