Purchasing guest tickets
You will be able to purchase guest tickets via the online booking system when it opens for your ceremony. Guest tickets cost £30 each and provides entry to the Graduation ceremony and reception afterwards and includes light refreshments.
Booking for Graduation is divided into two phases to provide a fair opportunity for all graduands to purchase guest tickets.
All graduands who are able book their place during Phase 1 of booking will be guaranteed 2 guest tickets, should they wish to purchase them. Any guest tickets not purchased in Phase 1 will be released to other students in Phase 2. If you did not purchase your 2 guest tickets in Phase 1, these cannot be guarantee during Phase 2. All extra tickets made available during Phase 2 are sold on a first come first served basis, subject to availability.
Guest seating and admittance
Graduands and guests are seated separately during the ceremony and all guest seating, unless there are individual needs made known to us, is unallocated. Please note that children under the age of 5 are not permitted entry to Graduation ceremonies.
Sold out ceremonies
If you wish to bring more guests than you can obtain guest tickets for, we still warmly welcome your friends and family to campus and there are several options available to you:
- Reception only tickets
Reception only tickets will permit entry for a guest to the Graduation reception after the main ceremony. Your guests would not be permitted entry to the ceremony itself, but could then watch a live screening at one of our venues on campus, and join you for the reception afterwards for celebrations and light refreshments.
Reception only tickets are £15. Information on how to purchase these will be emailed to eligible students. - Live Screenings
Our ceremonies will be live-streamed online and at various locations across our Colchester Campus, including the Lakeside Theatre. Your guests are welcome to join you on campus to watch a Live Screening of our ceremonies. You do not need to purchase tickets for Live Screenings on campus, and children under the age of 5 are permitted entry to these. Seats cannot be reserved for Live Screenings and are available on a first-come-first-served basis.
- Returned or Unsold Tickets
If there are any remaining guest tickets for a ceremony, these will be made available to purchase on the day from the Ticket Collection Desk. All tickets will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis and can only be purchased via card payment. If there are tickets available, there may be a limit placed on the number each Graduand can purchase.
Purchasing tickets from fellow Graduands
It is not possible for guest tickets to be resold to reallocated between Graduands. All guest tickets purchased can only be collected by the Graduand who purchased them and photo ID will be requested before any tickets are issued. It is the responsibility of the Graduand to then issue the tickets to their guests.