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Although congregations are held at intervals throughout the year, the late June or early July congregation is set aside for what is called General Admission, at which most undergraduates proceed to their first degrees at the end of their final term. Also included at this time are those receiving their Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine.

Timetable

The timetable will not be confirmed until about a week before the ceremony.   

What to Wear

Please check the academical dress web page for information. You may wear your own academic gown as long as it is clean and pressed. The alternative is to hire a gown and the appropriate hood for the degree that you will be receiving. You will require a gown (no hood) for the Graduation Dinner on Friday. If you order through , they offer a 'Collect in College' service. 

Please note that it is important that you order your gown and hood well in advance.

Accommodation

Check back here for information relating to 2025.

Room Prices

Check back here for information relating to 2025.

Photography

Find out about on Graduation Day.

The College arranges a formal group photograph of graduands the day before the ceremony, and on graduation day a photographer is present in College to take studio-style portraits as well as more informal pictures of graduands and their guests.

Tickets for the Ceremony

You may request up to two free tickets for the ceremony in the Senate House (you will not need a ticket for yourself).  

We expect to have a small number of spare tickets and, if so, these will be allocated by ballot.  Please note that no more than one ballot ticket will be allocated to any graduand.   

Tickets for the Garden Party

You may request up to three free tickets to the Garden Party: you will require a ticket for yourself.  You may also purchase up to 4 additional tickets for the Garden Party.  

Graduation Dinner

Those graduating at GA are warmly invited to attend the Graduation Dinner.
 

In 2024-25, we will present graduands at the Congregation of the Regent House on

(in absence only)

(in absence only)

5 April 2025 (MA only)

5 July 2025 (General Admission only)

25 July 2025

Click on the date above to register for that congregation.

You may bring up to two guests to your congregation. 

Please note, the University only circulates the timetable a week before the congregation. We will email this to graduands at the earliest opportunity

Gowns, Hoods and Dress Code

You are required to wear the gown and hood of the highest Cambridge degree you already have or, as a graduating postgraduate student without a previous Cambridge degree, the MA Status gown.  If in doubt, Ede and Ravenscroft or Ryder & Amies can advise you.

Please note when hiring the gown you will also need a hood for the ceremony.

For MA, General Admissions and end of July congregations,  will deliver and collect gowns and hoods to Â鶹ÉäÇø.  do not offer delivery and collection for any congregation.

For all other congregations, you will need to collect your gown and hood from or , they will advise you when and where you can collect and return your gown and hood.

There is no need to wear a square cap or mortarboard - they mostly just get in the way!

Please read the  for what to wear at a congregation: we have been advised that the code will be strictly enforced. If you wear a skirt or dress, you will be required to wear 'Unpatterned black, nearly-black, or natural coloured hosiery' and if you don't wear your own, we will have to lend you a pair of something very basic and tan-coloured.  Also please bear in mind that you will have to process down to the Senate House at a reasonably smart pace so incredibly high heels probably won't help you (and the University's Proctors have strong views on very spikey heels).

There is no formal dress code for guests but they usually wear something suitable for a formal party. There is no need for hats unless they like wearing them.

Live Streaming

All our degree ceremonies are live streamed and the recording of the ceremonies is held for two months after the ceremony. However, we cannot guarantee the livestream for every ceremony. The recording of the events is protected by copyright and must not be shared on other platforms or reproduced in any way.

We will take every reasonable action we can to ensure that no guests are captured on the livestream, or recording, but by accepting a ticket to the event you are acccepting that you are aware there is a risk of this happening.

Please note for graduands who are having their award conferred in absence your names are not read out. 

If you have any queries on your graduation, please phone 01223 762203 or email congregations@murrayedwards.cam.ac.uk

Rules governing academical dress

It is essential that all graduands wear the correct academical dress when they are presented for a degree at Congregation. The following rules apply:

1. A person who already holds a degree or degrees of the University wears the gown and hood of the highest degree he or she has already received from the University. For this purpose, degrees are ranked as follows: PhD, MA, MPhil, MEng, MSci, MB, BChir, VetMB and BA.  (Those who are celebrating a degree awarded in absence during Covid should wear the gown for their degree, not their undergraduate gown.)
2. Any person who does not hold a Cambridge degree (eg an undergraduate) when being admitted to a degree wears his or her undergraduate (College), BA status or MA status gown (graduates over 24 years old should wear MA gown), as appropriate, and the hood of the degree, or the higher of the degrees, which he or she is to receive.
3. Medics receiving the MB normally wear a BChir gown and hood as the BChir is usually conferred beforehand 'in absence'.
4. A person being admitted to a degree by incorporation, or to the MA degree under Statute B.III.6, wears the gown and hood of the degree he or she is to receive.

The Cambridge SU has a very good .

Dress code

The overall effect should be formal and tidy:

• Beneath your academical dress (gown and hood, but not mortar board), you wear formal, smart clothes, black and/or white: most commonly, a black suit, dress (long sleeved), skirt or trousers with a white blouse. 
• A blouse (long sleeved) may be black or white; a black pullover is a permitted alternative, and you may also wear a black or white cardigan.
• Any jacket, dress, skirt or trousers must be black, although a dress may have a white collar.
• Sleeves must be at least three-quarter length.
• Shoes must be entirely black and of sober style (advisable anyway for the walk down to Senate House!). Backless shoes, sandals, peep-toes, boots, buckles or high heels are not permitted.
• Stockings or tights must be worn and must be un-patterned and must be of neutral colour or black with the latter being preferred.
• Any jewellery should be very light, and exaggerated hairstyles and/or hair colouring should be avoided.
• A white bow-tie and bands may be worn (optional) but only with a properly collared white shirt.
• A plain black or dark coloured mask or face-covering.  Everyone participating in the ceremony will be expected to wear face coverings inside the Senate House, unless an exemption applies.  The only exceptions to this will be staff required to speak during the ceremony, although you will be permitted to remove your mask when your degree is conferred, if you wish to do so.
• You must not take your phone, handbag or purse with you to the Senate House.

It can be difficult to attach the loop on the neckband of the hood to a light-weight blouse and a black jacket often gives the best results. It is advisable to have some safety pins available to help to secure the hood.

National dress, uniforms etc are generally allowed only if the national dress is black, white and grey, and if the national dress is what the graduand would usually wear at other formal University occasions. Exceptions are made if there are religious requirements. If you wish to wear national dress it is essential that you contact the Praelector at least 3 weeks before the Congregation, as she will need to seek the Proctor's permission.

General Admission

To take the BA, you wear a Cambridge undergraduate gown and a Cambridge BA hood; if taking two degrees (BA and MEng, or BA and MSci), you wear the undergraduate gown and the hood of the higher degree (the MEng or MSci). If taking the Vet MB, you wear the BA hood to the Senate House (as that of the highest degree you already hold), but will also need a Vet MB hood for ceremonies at the Vet School in the evening: Ede & Ravenscroft will normally lend you one without extra charge if you are hiring a hood from them for the Senate House.

Academic Gowns

The University's academical costume consists of a gown, a hood (made of different material or in a different colour to denote either the wearer's existing degree or the degree they are about to receive). No head-dress other than a square (mortar board) or bonnet (for a doctor on scarlet days) is permitted (except for religious reasons). In practice, virtually no-one wears a square. If you do decide to wear one on the day, you should take it off and carry it in your left hand inside the Senate House.

Persons taking their first Cambridge degrees wear appropriate gowns (in the case of undergraduates their undergraduate gown which varies in colour or design from College to College), with the hood of the degree to be taken. The hoods clearly indicate the degrees sought by graduands, and those seen at General Admission include (in order of precedence):

• Master of Law: black and light cherry silk
• Master of Engineering: black cloth lined with bronze silk
• Master of Natural Science: black silk lined with pink and light blue silk
• Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine: mid cherry silk and more fur
• Bachelor of Music: dark cherry satin and white fur
• Bachelor of Arts: black cloth and white fur
• Bachelor of Education: black cloth, blue silk and white fur
• Bachelor of Theology for Ministry: black cloth, black silk and white fur.

The fur used is made of synthetic material.

(Those who are celebrating a degree awarded in absence during Covid should wear the gown for their degree, NOT their undergraduate gown.)

Master of Arts (MA)

In almost all cases, persons taking their MA wear the gown and hood of the highest degree he or she has already received from the University. Your College (undergraduate) gown that you wore to receive your BA is NOT acceptable to wear to receive your MA.

Academical dress hire

All of the required items of academical dress may be hired from two main academic hire companies who have outlets in Cambridge:

• : 01223 861854
• : 01223 350371

Six years and one term after matriculating, a Bachelor of Arts is entitled to take his or her Master of Arts degree, either in person or in absence, provided that two years have elapsed since the BA degree was awarded.

The Praelector will send invitation emails in January.

Although the degree may be conferred at any Congregation, this Congregation is traditionally the occasion when alumnae return to Cambridge for the event and a special dinner is arranged on the evening before or following the ceremony (depending on the timings of the day).

If you have been awarded a Master's degree from another University, please note that this does not preclude you from receiving your Cambridge MA.

Please check with your eligible colleagues/friends that they have received information.

Master of Arts (MA)

In almost all cases, those taking their MA wear the gown and hood of their highest degree already received from the University. You must not wear your College (undergraduate) gown to receive your MA.