Universities now charging for graduation ceremonies

Some universities are charging students and their families to attend graduation. Tickets are usually free and often limited to two at most ceremonies due to space but an investigation by The Times has revealed that you could be charged up to £40 a head.

Way back when it was uncool to go to your graduation but now it’s a big business and the costs are already escalating before any charge for tickets is taken into account. Hiring gowns and mortar boards, formal photography, new outfits all round (OK not quite like a wedding but close), travel costs, overnight hotels and the graduation meal will set most families back a pretty penny.

Universities that are charging for tickets include University College London, Imperial College, Exeter and Nottingham, and say that the price helped to pay for hiring a hall. Others like Queens University Belfast and some Scottish universities say the charge includes gown hire. Oxford, Cambridge, Durham and Bristol are a few of the universities who do not have a policy to charge for tickets.