Our graduation ceremony is the highlight of our academic year. It is the perfect opportunity to reflect on your achievements and to celebrate with those who have supported you along the way, recognising your commitment and hard work.
Make no mistake, after your years of study, determination and personal growth, you deserve to celebrate.
Your time with us has led to this important milestone and it provides a fitting and memorable occasion to applaud your success, as it marks the end of this chapter and the beginning of the next.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Date: Saturday, 14th November 2026
Registration and gown collection: 8.30am onwards
Procession: 10.15am
Ceremony starts: 11.00am
The day will start at the University Centre St Helens campus where you will sign in and collect your cap and gown prior to the ceremony. Guests are welcome to accompany you at this point to take your own photographs.
St Helens Town Centre Campus
Water Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1PP
St Helens Town Centre Campus
Water Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1PP
While you remain at college to take your place in the procession, all guests should leave the campus in good time to ensure they are in their seats in St Helens Parish Church by 10:00am.
Church Square
St Helens
WA10 1AF
Church Square
St Helens
WA10 1AF
08:30 onwards – on the day registration
Registration opens at 8.30am. When you sign in at the registration desk, you will be given a number for your place in the procession line. This will also be used for the seating plan in the church.
You can then collect your cap and gown and have professional photographs taken. Photography packages are available to book (this is optional) via the Ede and Ravenscroft website. This should be arranged when booking your gown.
All details are in the drop-down menus.
10:00-10:30am
All guests must be seated in the church by 10:00am
Graduands will gather in the main reception area of the town centre campus for a group photograph. The photograph will be taken in the amphitheatre, weather permitting.
10:15am
Graduands will be called to join the procession line-up in number order.
10:30-11:00am
Graduands will proceed through the town centre to the Parish Church, along with the Town Crier, specials guests and academic staff.
11:00am
Ceremony begins at St Helens Parish Church.
12:00pm
Graduates and guests are invited to return to the town centre campus to enjoy refreshments and entertainment. There will be further opportunities for photography at this point.
1:30pm
All gowns must be returned to Ede and Ravenscroft by 1:30pm at the latest.
Graduation bookings are now open.
It is very important you keep your contact details up to date, particularly your email address, contact number and home address.
If you need to update your details, please contact our MIS team on Misnotify@sthelens.ac.uk
To attend graduation, you must book your place and hire a gown via the Ede and Ravenscroft website. You must book to attend no later than Friday 30th October 2026.
* This invitation has been sent to students on eligible courses. Please note, successful completion of all course elements is required to attend the ceremony. Students undertaking resits will need to defer their attendance to the 2027 ceremony due to finalisation deadlines. For students who do not complete their course and who are, therefore, not eligible to attend, a refund for cap and gown hire will be issued if cancelled at least seven days prior to the ceremony.
Guest tickets are free of charge and each graduand will automatically be allocated two guest tickets.
You can request additional guest tickets but please be aware, we will only be able to confirm if you have successfully obtained additional guest tickets on Friday, 30th October 2026.
Students do not need a ticket to attend but must hire a cap and gown from Ede and Ravenscroft to attend the ceremony.
It is extremely important for all guests to bring their tickets with them on the day, as they will not be admitted to St Helens Parish Church without them. All guests must be seated in the church by 10.00am. Guests will not be allowed entry after the ceremony has started and ushers have been instructed not to allow guests entry without a ticket.
Guest tickets will be posted to the graduands’ home addresses approximately one week prior to the ceremony.
You will be seated separately from your guests and in the order in which your names are called to cross the stage. Each row will be directed to the stage at the correct time by a member of the Marketing and Events team.
Guest tickets do not have allocated seat numbers and your guests will be directed to the best available seats on the day. If your guests arrive late or separately, it may not be possible to seat them together.
If you or any of your guests have any special seating/accessibility requirements, please indicate these when confirming your attendance/requesting tickets. Alternatively, please email graduation@sthelens.ac.uk. Special seating requirements will be based on your requirements and will not necessarily be at the front. We will do our best to accommodate all requirements.
Your entire robe package must be booked through Ede & Ravenscroft by Friday 30th October 2026. Robe package hire consists of gown, hood and mortar board.
You will be able to order your robe package online from the beginning of June 2026. Bookings will close on Friday 30th October 2026.
Please follow this step-by-step guide to order your graduation wear:
Please check your ceremony and degree details are correct before purchasing the hire. You will need your size measurements ready to enter when booking.
Academic dress hire prices vary depending on qualifications and validating universities. Prices vary between £39.00-£50.00 approximately. Academic dress package hire consists of a gown, hood and mortar board.
*Optional photography packages can be purchased in addition to these prices.
All graduands must collect their pre-ordered gowns on the morning of the ceremony.
Gowning will take place from 8:30am onwards at:
UNIVERSITY CENTRE ST HELENS
St Helens Town Centre Campus
Water Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1PP
To collect your gown, you must have a copy of your hire reference number. This can be found in the confirmation email, which was received when you placed your order and also in a text message from Ede and Ravenscroft, sent three days prior to your ceremony.
Your academic wear must be returned to Ede and Ravenscroft at the University Centre no later than 1.30pm on the same day, Saturday, 14th November.
Taking photographs and video is permitted in the venue but please be considerate of others and do not block aisles or exits. We will also have a professional photographer at the event and pictures will be shared afterwards.
Ede and Ravenscroft offer a professional photography service, which will be located in the University Centre before the ceremony, from 8:30am. Details of photography packages can be purchased when booking your academic dress.
Graduation Services | Ede & Ravenscroft
Please be aware, the University Centre St Helens graduation ceremony will be photographed, videoed and/or otherwise captured in image form. These images and video content may then be used by University Centre St Helens for publicity and promotional purposes such as prospectuses, advertising campaigns, websites, exhibition stands, posters, leaflets, national or local press articles etc. It is important to note that if any images are published on the internet, they will be accessible to users from all over the world.
It is possible that representatives from the press, television or radio may attend the graduation ceremony and capture their own images for publication or broadcast purposes. Due to the scale of this event, we are unable to obtain written consent from each individual attending or working at the event. Therefore, we will assume that, whilst participating in this event, all persons agree to their image(s) being captured for the purposes stated above.
If you do object to your image(s) being used in this way, please make yourself known to one of the organisers on the day or email graduation@sthelens.ac.uk before you attend.
Graduands and their guests can park at our town centre campus for free from 8.00am to 5.00pm on Saturday 14th November 2026. The car park address is:
UNIVERSITY CENTRE ST HELENS
St Helens Town Centre Campus
Water Street
St Helens
Merseyside
WA10 1PP
Alternatively, there are pay and display car parks in the town centre if your guests wish to park closer to the church. St Helens Parish Church is approximately an eight-minute walk from the University Centre.
The address for the graduation ceremony is:
ST HELENS PARISH CHURCH
Church Street
St Helens
WA10 1AF
You can contact the MIS Team on: misnotify@sthelens.ac.uk to find this.
Successful completion of all course elements is required to attend the ceremony. Students undertaking resits will need to defer their attendance to the 2027 ceremony due to finalisation deadlines. For students who do not complete their course and are, therefore, not eligible to attend, a refund for cap and gown hire will be issued if cancelled by Friday 6th November 2026.
It is not mandatory to attend graduation but it is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate your achievements with your family, friends, lecturers and fellow students!
Yes, you must take part in the procession as this is where all graduands are arranged into order number, which leads into being seated in the church ready for the ceremony.
Yes. Graduands and their guests can park on the college car park to attend graduation. Spaces are limited and are available on a first come first serve basis.
Alternatively, there are pay and display car parks available close by and can be found here: Find a car park in St Helens
You will be automatically allocated two guest tickets and can request additional which will be confirmed and assigned after Friday 30th October 2026.
Yes! Children are welcome to attend the ceremony but must be accompanied by an adult. Children will need their own guest ticket to attend. Please consider this when requesting additional guest tickets.
No, all graduands will sit together in order of names being called during the ceremony.
The name read out at the ceremony will be your full, official name which also appears on your award certificate and the ceremony programme. However, if you prefer to be referred to by another name, please inform us by email on graduation@sthelens.ac.uk by Friday 30th October 2026.
Yes! There are plenty of opportunities for photographs throughout the day. We will have backdrops and areas set up for your family and friends to take photographs. We will also have a professional photographer present on the day and a gallery of photographs will be shared after the event.
If the deadline has passed (30th October 2026) please contact our Events Team on graduation@sthelens.ac.uk.
Yes, you must pay for your academic dress hire in full when booking but you have until Friday 30th October 2026 to do so.
Our webpages are full of information to assist you with your graduation ceremony. If you are unable to find the answer to your question, then the best way to contact the Graduation Team is to contact us by email.
Please ensure that you include your student reference number when sending your email, as it enables us to identify you more easily. Please contact us on graduation@sthelens.ac.uk.
