Do you have to wear a gown at your graduation ceremony?

At the University of Bradford, yes: to attend your ceremony you wear the academic dress for your award. What the rule means, how to get the right set, the two-week ordering deadline, and what to do if you'd rather not attend.

Yes, you do. The University of Bradford puts it simply: to attend the ceremony, you wear the University of Bradford academic dress for your award. It enforces that on the day, too, by sending anyone in the wrong dress to the official gowning area to hire the correct gown and hood. What the university doesn't publish is a description of each gown and hood, which makes it all the more important that the set you hire is matched to your award. Here's what the rule means, how to sort your dress, and what to do if the ceremony isn't for you.

Part one

What the rule means

Academic dress is the formal outfit you graduate in, and at Bradford it has to be right for the award you're receiving. The university's graduation pages say it in one sentence: "To attend the ceremony you will need to wear the University of Bradford academic dress appropriate to your award." In practice, that means a gown and a hood that match your level of degree.

The three pieces
  • GownWorn open at the front, and cut for your award.
  • HoodWorn over the shoulders. It's the part that marks out your degree.
  • MortarboardThe flat cap. Our sets include one.

Because the university doesn't publish its dress scheme, there's no official chart to check a hood against before the day. The safe way to be sure is to hire a set for the exact award on your invitation: bachelor's, master's or doctorate.

The non-negotiable

The wrong dress means a trip to the gowning area.

The university says students who arrive in incorrect academic dress are directed to the Marston Events gowning area to hire the correct gown and hood. Getting it right in advance saves you that queue, the cost, and the time you'd rather spend with your guests.

The official route, in numbers
2 weeksthe minimum notice for an official order
8amofficial gowns ready on the day
1collection point for official gowns: the Small Hall
2ceremony rounds a year
Part two

Getting the right set

The university's official supplier is Marston Events, and you're sent a link to hire a gown and book photographs through them. Their orders need to be in at least two weeks before your ceremony. A small number of gowns are kept back for hire on the day, but a late order may cost extra. Official gowns are collected from the Small Hall in the Richmond Building from 8am, once you've registered, and returned there after the ceremony.

What matters on the day is that your gown and hood are correct for your award, whoever you hire them from.

Have these ready
  • Your awardThe level of degree printed on your invitation.
  • Your heightSo the gown falls to the right length.
  • The ceremony dateIt sets when you collect and when you return.

Hiring from us: pick up your set the evening before your ceremony or on the morning itself, check the fit at your own pace, and walk into the Richmond Building already dressed. The Small Hall is one stop you can skip.

Whichever route you choose, don't leave it to the last week. The commonest sizes are the first to go as a round approaches, and Marston's ordering window shuts two weeks before your ceremony.

Ordering late

Two weeks is the line to remember.

After that point, an official gown depends on what's left for hire on the day, and a late order can cost more. If your invitation has only just arrived, book your gown the same week.

Part three

Graduating without the ceremony

The dress rule only applies if you go to the ceremony. Not attending is an option: choose to graduate in absentia in the e:Vision reply task, and confirm the address your certificate should go to and how it should be sent. The DHL option costs extra.

If the date clashes with something, you can defer to a later round instead, once. Your award is conferred at that later ceremony, so your certificate and transcript wait until then. And if you don't reply to your invitation at all, you graduate in absentia automatically, with your certificate held by the university until you ask for it.

"To attend the ceremony you will need to wear the University of Bradford academic dress appropriate to your award."

— The University of Bradford

Whatever you decide, keep your student record's contact details current. They're what the university uses to send your invitation, and replying in time is what keeps every option open.

Part four

The outfit underneath

Your gown stays open at the front, so what you wear underneath is on show: the neckline beneath the hood, the hem, your shoes. There's no formal dress code, but the university does require smart dress, and it recommends a shirt or blouse with buttons to make fitting the gown easier.

Two practical points. Graduates go up a flight of steps to the stage, so choose shoes you're steady in on stairs, and pin your mortarboard with two hair grips. Dress for the month as well: December ceremonies in Bradford average 2 to 7°C, while July averages 12 to 20°C.

Where this comes from

All of this is drawn from the University of Bradford's graduation pages, including its before you graduate guide and frequently asked questions. Look up the latest round on bradford.ac.uk/graduation before you book.

Ready to book your gown?

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