The summer 2025 graduation ceremonies will be held in the week commencing Monday 14 July.
Invitations
Invitations to the July graduation ceremonies will be sent by email, to your university email address and the personal email address held on your record, by the end of February/early March.
If you believe you are eligible but have not received an invite, please get in touch with ceremonies@cumbria.ac.uk. If we have not heard from you by the booking deadline, it will not be possible for you to attend the upcoming ceremony.
Booking deadline
If you wish to attend your ceremony, with or without guest graduation tickets, you must have registered your attendance by the following dates:
Friday 11th April 2025
You must do this even if you have not received confirmation of your final results.
After this date the booking system will be closed and it will NOT be possible for you to attend. Due to the numbers involved through the graduation system it is not possible to process any late requests but you can cancel your place at a later date if necessary.
How to book
To book your place, log into ICON and click the ‘My Graduation’ link. Follow the on-screen instructions to check and update your details and request guest graduation tickets.
Please note, if there are any amendments required to the name you wish to appear on your award certificate or should you wish to check the title of your award, please contact the PAd at your campus of study.
You must let us know any amendments that need to be made, possibly in writing, by the booking deadline (see above).
Non attendance
If you do not attend your ceremony you will graduate “in absentia” and your name will appear in the graduation programme but will not be read out.
If you are not attending your ceremony please complete the online booking form on ICON or email the Ceremonies Team. Each student is permitted one deferral opportunity which must be requested no later than three weeks after your designated ceremony date. If you do wish to apply for a deferral, email the Ceremonies Team with an outline of the reasons for making the request.
Graduand tickets
Graduating students do not need a graduation ticket for themselves - tickets are for guests only. However, you must book via ICON by the booking deadline:
Friday 11th April for July 2025 ceremonies
After this date the booking system will be closed and it will not be possible for you to attend.
Guest graduation tickets - complimentary
Everyone who books their place via ICON before the booking deadline:
Friday 11th April for July 2025 ceremonies
You will be given the opportunity to book up to TWO complimentary guest graduation tickets. These tickets allow guests to attend the ceremony in the main venue and the Celebratory Reception following the ceremony.
Seating in the main venue is not allocated and guests can take any seat that is not reserved. Due to the nature of the venue, guests should expect restricted viewing. To compensate for this television screens are in place. Children over the age of 2 must have their own seat and must be included within your allocation.
Children
Children aged 2 years and over must have their own seat and, therefore, be included in your guest allocation. This is due to fire regulations which require all graduands and guests to be seated for the ceremony.
The ceremony is a formal event and, as such, is not recommended for young children who can become unsettled. Out of respect for other guests, we request that if you do bring small children, you sit at the end of an aisle, near an exit, and take them outside if they become unsettled. Children will not be able to sit with the graduands. You must ensure that you have made suitable supervision arrangements.
Additional guest graduation tickets - main venue
There will be an opportunity to purchase up to an additional two guest graduation tickets (subject to availability*). These tickets allow guests to attend the ceremony in the main venue and the Celebratory Reception following the ceremony.
You will receive information on how to book nearer the time. This email will also contain an individual passcode. You will need this code to buy your additional tickets.
Tickets cost £15 each and will be available from the Online Store.
Please note the following important information:
Additional guest graduation tickets are very limited and there is no guarantee of availability.
All extra tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. To save yourself time, you may wish to register for the Online Store in advance.
Due to the nature of the venue, guests should expect restricted viewing. To compensate for this television screens are in place.
Seating is not allocated and guests can take any seat that is not reserved
* To ensure that ceremonies are fully utilised, they are oversubscribed at the invitation stage to allow for those who do not wish to attend or who do not pass. Consequently, some ceremonies may have additional tickets available and some may not. We must stress that our ceremonies can be very heavily subscribed and we cannot guarantee any additional guest tickets. We don't want anyone to be disappointed so please be prepared and make sure your family are aware of this.
Additional guest tickets - Live Video Link
The ceremonies will be shown via Live Video Link in the Lecture Theatre at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery.
There will be an opportunity to purchase up to two guest graduation tickets for the Live Video Link. These tickets allow guests to view the ceremony via the Live Video Link and attend the Celebratory Reception following the ceremony. Tickets cost £10 each and will be available from the Online Store.
You will receive information on how to book nearer the time. This email will also contain an individual passcode. You will need this code to buy your additional tickets.
Please note the following important information:
Numbers are limited and tickets will be sold on first-come, first-served basis. To save yourself time, you may wish to register for the Online Store in advance.
Seating in the Live Video Link is unreserved and allocated on a first-come, first-served basis on arrival.
Children should be at least 12 years of age to be left on their own in the Live Video Link.
Collection of tickets
All graduation guest tickets will be available for collection at the Fratry on the day of your ceremony (see the schedule for the day). An email confirming your total guest graduation ticket allocation will be sent to you a week before your ceremony and you should bring this with you when you collect your tickets.
Please note that as space is limited at the Fratry your guests will not be able to wait there with you. You may wish to make arrangements to meet them once you have gowned or issue them thier tickets before you gown.
Terms and conditions
Please read the terms and conditions for the Allocation and Purchase of Additional Tickets for University of Cumbria Degree and Award Ceremonies.
Online store - user instructions and troubleshooting guide
