Graduation 2026

Your first stop once you arrive at the venue should be registration in the main hall. From there, our volunteers will get you signed in and give you your guest tickets.

They'll be able to help you with any questions you have, and can give you information about what to do next.

Robing is in the main hall after registration.

After your ceremony, you'll need to return your robes in the celebration drinks reception.

There is a quiet room in meeting room 8 on the ground floor. It's on your right, past the auditorium doors.

There is a multi-faith room available on the ground floor. This can be found in the auditorium next to the information desk.

Yes - professional photography studios are available in the main hall. You will be directed there after registration and robing.

If you haven’t booked but would like some photos, the team will be happy to arrange for you to have them done on the day.

There is one baby changing facility, in between meeting room 7 and 8 just past the auditorium.

Babies are welcome in the auditorium, but unfortunately pushchairs and prams are not allowed. However, if you need to leave the ceremony you can continue watching it on the screens in the Main Hall (Grad Fest area).

The seats are allocated ahead of time. Unless otherwise requested due to additional requirements, you will be sat with the other graduates and your guests will be seated elsewhere in the auditorium.

If your guests go to the auditorium doors, a member of the ICC team will help direct them to their seats.

You can gift any unused tickets to the OU staff at the enquiries desk, who may be able to pass them on to other graduates.

Generally, we do not offer refunds for our ceremony tickets. However, you can contact the ceremonies team at [email protected] to see if this is possible for your circumstances. 

You should have already received your certificate in the post. If not please contact the Ceremonies team at [email protected].

Yes, and you will receive details of how to watch this in the weeks following your ceremony.

The ceremony video will appear on our OULife YouTube Channel within the weeks following the ceremony.

If you'd prefer not to be filmed, please let a member of OU staff know on an enquiries desk. They will take your details and make the necessary arrangements to ensure that your photograph is not uploaded to the official photograph's website, and you are edited from the YouTube video.

Our registration team will try their best to help with any questions you have on the day.

If your guests are late arriving, you can leave their tickets with the team for them to collect once they arrive.

If your query is around your name pronunciation for the ceremony, you can discuss this with someone on the registration desk.

If your query is around guests with additional needs, let our registration team know and they will try their best to accommodate them.

Yes, you can leave the auditorium and return when you're ready if needed.