Graduation
Our 2024 Higher Education Graduation ceremonies are taking place on Saturday 12 October at our Pencoed Campus.
Our ceremonies are a wonderful opportunity for you to celebrate your achievements with friends and family, and a chance to reunite with your classmates and tutors.
Ceremonies
Our Higher Education Graduation ceremonies will take place at our Pencoed Campus (CF35 5LG). You will have been invited to attend one of the following ceremonies:
Ceremony 1: 11am
The first ceremony will begin at 11am and will take place in STEAM Academy Auditorium.
On arrival, please report to the main teaching block to register, which will be signposted. Graduands are asked to arrive from 8.45am to allow time for gowning, official photographs and refreshments. Guests can also arrive at this time, or closer to the ceremony start time if required.
All graduands will be called by 10am for a rehearsal within the auditorium. Guests will be asked to remain in the registration area during the rehearsal.
Guests will be called to the auditorium closer to the ceremony start time, which is a short distance from the registration area.
The ceremony will be approximately an hour and a half, and we politely ask you to return your gown promptly after the ceremony.
Ceremony 2: 1.30pm
The second ceremony will begin at 1.30pm and will take place in STEAM Academy Auditorium.
On arrival, please report to the main teaching block to register, which will be signposted. Graduands are asked to arrive from 11.15am to allow time for gowning, official photographs and refreshments. Guests can also arrive at this time, or closer to the ceremony start time if required.
All graduands will be called by 12.30pm for a rehearsal within the auditorium. Guests will be asked to remain in the registration area during the rehearsal.
Guests will be called to the auditorium closer to the ceremony start time, which is a short distance from the registration area.
The ceremony will be approximately an hour and a half, and we politely ask you to return your gown promptly after the ceremony.
Photography
Formal photography will be available with the gowning company Ede & Ravenscroft. You may pre-book this when hiring your gown online or decide on the day. Pre-booking is encouraged to reduce queuing on the day.
In addition to the formal graduation photography, there will be an official event photographer present throughout the day. These images will be used for a range of marketing and promotional purposes. If you or your guests do not wish to be included, please let a member of staff know as soon as you arrive.
Here are some frequently asked questions:
You will receive an email invitation via our partner, Ede & Ravenscroft. You will need to book your ticket and guest tickets (see below for details) by the date provided in the email. If you do not book your tickets by the date provided, we cannot guarantee attendance at the event due to space restrictions.
This is done via the Ede & Ravenscroft website and details will be included in an email directly from them.
Please note, only those wearing gowns will be permitted on stage. Please wear smart clothes beneath your academic dress and avoid wearing shorts, jeans or trainers.
You will need to provide Ede & Ravenscroft with your height and head circumference.
You will need to do this by the date provided in the email from Ede & Ravenscroft. Following this date, you will only be able to hire academic dress on the day of your ceremony.
Please note, hiring on the day will be more expensive and the correct academic dress may not be available if you have not pre-booked your gown.
This will vary depending on your level of qualification, but the cost of hiring via Ede & Ravenscroft ranges from £38 to £51 (correct at the time of publishing).
You are able to bring up to 2 guests who will be provided with a wristband at registration.
Additional tickets will not be available, and any additional guests on the day will not be able to attend the ceremony.
You may bring children but they must sit with your guests. If they are not able to sit on a lap, they will need their own seat (up to 2 seats available per graduand).
Parking is available onsite – please follow directional signage to car parks.
Disabled parking bays are available. Please let us know before the event if you require a disabled bay and we will advise you.
Please let us know before the day if you or your guests have any accessibility requirements. You can email graduation@bridgend.ac.uk.
Our graduation stage is DDA compliant and graduands are welcome to view the auditorium and stage before the ceremony begins to familiarise themselves with the layout if required.
Refreshments will be available before the ceremony.
Students and guests are seated separately.
