On the Day

1. Collect your robes from Hall A
2. Have photographs taken, if you have time
3. Deposit bags, coats, etc at the cloakroom (ground floor corridor)
4. Report to the Briefing area for check-in an hour and a quarter (1 hour 15 minutes) before your ceremony start time.

Note: If you do not arrive on time, your name will be deleted from the procession order.

You must report to the briefing room at this time for 2 reasons:

• Registry staff and the Sacrist brief students on the proceedings for the ceremony
• Registry staff undertake important checks to ensure that you are in the correct order and that it will be your name that is called in the correct place! Please ensure that after check-in you sit in your allocated seat in the Briefing room. 

By the time you read this you should already have ordered your robes from the Ede & Ravenscroft website.  You will require a gown, the appropriate hood and a hat (trencher).  If you haven’t placed your order, contact Ede & Ravenscroft.  You can also order your photography at the same time on this site.  If you do not have web access, or you have left it too late to order online, please telephone 01223 861854.  When you arrive at the Briefing area you should be wearing the gown, but not the hood.  Doctoral students should carry their red gown.  Hats are not needed until the end of the ceremony when you process out of the Hall.

Robes for the ceremonies can be collected approximately 2.5 hours before the start of your graduation ceremony.  Gown hire and photography staff will be on duty at the venue from approximately 8.30am on Wednesday 22 November 2023.  

If you wish to keep your robes for longer the suppliers may be able to accommodate you.  There may be an additional charge by the suppliers, depending on the length of extra time you require.

Students can wear whatever they feel comfortable wearing, most are dressed in smart clothing. Military uniform or national costume (including full highland daydress) and/or Blues Medals may be worn.

All guests must be in possession of a ticket to enter the ceremony Hall (Hall C).  Guest seating is on a first come first served basis. 

Please inform your guests that admission to the ceremony cannot be allowed after the Academic Procession has begun, and that punctuality is essential for them, to avoid disappointment. Those guests arriving late for the ceremony will not be permitted entry.

Members of the audience may take photographs, but they may not move about the venue in order to do so.  Please ensure that your guests are aware of this.

If you or any of your guests require assistance and have forgotten to complete the appropriate form, please email graduation@abdn.ac.uk immediately and we will try to accommodate your request at this late time. 

If, for any reason, you no longer wish to attend the ceremony, please email graduation@abdn.ac.uk now to that effect, and your name will be removed from the listings if they have not already gone to print. 

Please note that this means that you will NOT now have graduated and you must reapply when you are ready to graduate at a future date.

Your options are:

1. Submit a new application for the next in absentia graduation which will be February 2024, or
2. Submit a new application for the next in person ceremony in June 2024. You can defer your application for a ceremony on a single occasion only. Thereafter your application will go forward in absentia.

Your application will not be carried forward automatically.

Normally, your degree/diploma parchment will be issued to you as you descend from the stage after conferment of your Award.  A transcript of your results will also be included in the envelope (for taught programme students only). If you are expected to attend a ceremony and you do not turn up, your degree/diploma certificate will not be issued as you will NOT have graduated. You must reapply (see note 7 above).