UCL Graduations 2025: Platform Party registration is now open!

There are 3 sets of Graduation Ceremonies this year:

• Monday 12 May – Friday 16 May 2025 (predominately for postgraduate students)
• Monday 14 July 2025 (predominately for postgraduate students) 
• Monday 8 September – Friday 12 September 2025 (predominantly for undergraduate students)

You can find out the confirmed dates for your faculty’s ceremonies on the 2025 Graduation Schedule. 

These ceremonies are incredibly meaningful to our students and a key part of this is the support of their academic and professional services staff. If you haven’t been able to join the graduations previously, these are really spectacular events and a wonderful day to be a part of.  

Joining the Platform Party means you will sit on the stage in academic dress, during the ceremony and provide students with your visible support, encouragement and congratulations when they cross the stage. Those on the platform party have a dedicated space before their ceremony, where catering and refreshments are provided.  

Where will the ceremonies take place? 

All 2025 ceremonies will take place at the Royal Festival Hall. We are excited to be back at this venue and will be holding our ceremonies there for the foreseeable future. 

2025 Platform Party registration is now open!  

If you would like to be a part of the Platform Party and sit on the stage at 2025 Graduation, you will need to enter your details into our Portal. Registration on the portal is a very quick process and gives you the option of selecting which ceremonies you’d like to attend and whether or not you already have your own academic dress. You can go back in and change anything if you need to. You will also receive a confirmation email after you have submitted your registration.  

Sign up to take part in a Platform Party now

What happens next? 

By 13 February, all eligible students to graduate this year will be given the date periods of their ceremony and invited to finalise their registration on the Graduation Portal. We will circulate attendee lists via your faculty comms team, so you’ll be able to see which of your students are coming. 

Once you have registered to attend a ceremony you will receive an initial confirmation and closer to the time, more detailed joining instructions.  

The deadlines for registration for each graduation period are listed below: 

• May 2024 – Wednesday 14 April
• July 2024 – Monday 16 June
• September 2024 – Monday 11 August

Staff can register for their ceremony’s Platform Party using the link above.

Do I need to own or rent a gown to sit on the Platform Party? 

It’s great if you have a gown that corresponds to the level of your award; however, owning a gown is not a requirement to be part of the platform party, as we will have gowns available on-site if needed. While academic staff typically hold a degree, it is not necessary for professional services staff to have a degree to sit on the platform party. 

Can I volunteer at the Graduation Ceremonies instead or as well as being on the Platform Party?

Absolutely! Volunteering at Graduations is a rewarding and unforgettable experience, and staff are a vital part of our brilliant team of Graduation ceremony volunteers. As a member of staff – whether academic or professional services – you can make a huge difference to Graduations by signing up via this form for volunteering shifts. This will mainly involve welcoming students and their guests on the Registration Desk and helping elsewhere to ensure that ceremonies run smoothly on the day.

You can be in the Platform Party for your Faculty and volunteer if you wish. 

Graduations are a chance to support your students at a special moment as they look back on their time at UCL and look forward to joining our global Alumni community. We can’t wait to see you all there.  

If you have any questions regarding your ceremony or about graduations in general, please check the Staff FAQ’s or email ceremonies@ucl.ac.uk.  

Best wishes,
UCL Graduations Team