Prepare for your ceremony
Getting ready for Graduation? On this page you can find everything you need to get prepared for the day.
Summer Graduation 2026 is taking place the week commencing 13 July 2026. The ceremonies will take place at the Lowry theatre.
Please be aware registration is not yet open. Invitations to register for summer graduation 2026 will be sent out in the spring.
Preparation checklist
- Register for graduation - registration will open in spring 2026, you need to let us know you are attending to secure your place in your ceremony.
- Book up to two complementary guest tickets when you register to attend - If you have a child over two, they will need their own ticket and all children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
- Hire your gown by the gowning deadline - there’s a £10 late fee if you order after this date. Visit our gown hire guide to learn more.
- Organise a visa if you or your guests are travelling from overseas - ensure you register before organising a visa or organising any travel. Learn more about graduation visas.
- Let us know if you or your guests have any access requirements - you can let us know any accessibility requirements while registering for Graduation. If you have already registered please contact the graduation team at grad-acd@salford.ac.uk.
- Return any library books/equipment and pay any outstanding debts to the university after you finish your course - you won’t be able to graduate if you have any outstanding debts to the university, which includes books and equipment loaned by the library.
Ceremony schedule
The ceremony schedule for summer graduation 2026 will be announced in spring 2026.
All ceremonies are grouped by school, level of award and programme and are automatically allocated and cannot be changed/swapped.
Guest tickets
When you register to attend a graduation ceremony, you can request up to 2 free complimentary guest tickets, which will allow you to bring 2 guests into the theatre where your graduation ceremony takes place.
You will be able to check that you've requested guest tickets in your confirmation email. If you haven't received this and are unsure about how many you requested, please contact our graduation team at grad-acd@salford.ac.uk.
You will collect your guest tickets on your graduation day from the ticket desk once you have checked in and collected your robe.
The online sale for additional tickets has now closed.
In some instances, we may have a small number of additional guest tickets to sell on the day of your ceremony, however this is never guaranteed. If tickets are available, they will be sold on a first come, first served basis, priced at £16 each. You can enquire about availability at the Ticket Desk when collecting your complimentary tickets on the day of your ceremony.
Any guests who do not have a ticket to enter the theatre, can still watch the ceremony in our Live-stream theatre, which is free of charge and located in the university MediaCity building.
Attending with children
Children are welcome at the ceremonies, but any child under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult.
Health and safety regulations determine that all participants and guests at the ceremonies are to be seated, so children two years of age and older must have their own seat and their own ticket. Children who are less than two years old may sit on an adult’s lap and will require a free ‘Child Under 2’ ticket, which you can add to the access requirements notes when you register to attend graduation. You can contact us to add a 'Child Under' 2 ticket to your access requirements if you have already registered by emailing grad-acd@salford.ac.uk.
Graduation ceremonies are approximately 1 hour 30 minutes, which can sometimes prove to be too long for younger children who may become restless. For the comfort of other guests, guardians may be asked to take any child that becomes agitated or distressed out of the theatre and into the reception area.
Live streaming
All graduation ceremonies are live streamed on campus for any additional guests who can’t be seated in your ceremony. During winter graduation live streaming takes place in Peel Hall, Peel Park Campus and for summer graduation live streaming takes place in our MediaCity building. This is free of charge and no booking is required. Once the ceremony closes, live-stream guests can re-join you for photos and any further celebrations you may have planned.
Planning your outfit
You might have been planning your outfit since your first lecture, but it’s always worth having a final check to ensure you’re ready to go. Graduation ceremonies are a formal occasion, so dress appropriately (shoes included!). We advise graduates to wear a buttoned shirt or blouse to secure your graduation hood. If your clothes don’t have any buttons to secure the hood, make sure you bring pins with you as they will not be provided.
For those of you graduating in our summer ceremonies and planning on wearing a suit, you might not want to wear a suit jacket. Don’t forget that your graduation robes will add an extra layer and might make you too warm – some of our past few summer graduation ceremonies have occurred during heatwaves!
Think about the material you’re wearing and how your hood will be secured so it can’t move. We recommend bringing safety pins to secure your hood, so make sure the material you are wearing is strong enough that a safety pin won’t tear it.
Anyone considering wearing heels, you have to walk up a set of stairs, across the stage and down another set of stairs – we recommend choosing heels that don’t bring a huge risk of falling over!
Graduation terms and conditions
By registering to attend summer graduation 2026 you agree to our terms and conditions. This includes subject to eligibility. You will only be allowed to attend graduation if your name appears on an official pass list and you have no outstanding debts to the university.
In the unfortunate event that you are not successful, monies paid to the university for any additional guest tickets will be refunded in full subject to our terms and conditions. The gown supplier will refund gown hire costs, but cancellation will incur a small administration fee, please check Graduation Attire’s terms and conditions.