Graduation FAQs

Apply through the online graduation link.

If you are exiting in 3rd year, and not continuing to Honours, remember to inform your School Office that you intend to graduate in order that they can process your award.

There is no graduation fee for the student to attend graduation.

All students who do not wish to attend a graduation ceremony should apply to graduate in absentia to ensure your parchment is posted to you.

Apply through the online graduation link.

There is no fee to graduate in absentia.

Your award will be conferred at the appropriate graduation ceremony and will be sent to you by post, after the graduation ceremony. Parchments posted to UK addresses will be sent via Royal Mail. Parchments sent to addresses outwith the UK will be sent by air mail post. Please allow 4-6 weeks following graduation for delivery of your parchment.

If you are planning to change address, please remember to inform Student Administration by emailing graduations@napier.ac.uk.

You may defer your graduation ceremony to the next ceremony i.e. summer to autumn or autumn to summer. In order to defer you should inform Student Administration of your intention to defer by emailing graduations@napier.ac.uk. The opportunity to defer is only offered once.

Please note that if you defer your graduation until the next scheduled ceremony you will not be able to receive your parchment until that date.

The closing date for students to apply for graduation is Wednesday 11 October. This is the closing date for students to apply to attend the ceremony and to graduate in absentia.

Your award is legally conferred by the Chancellor at the next available graduation ceremony. It is only after this legal process that parchments can be produced. This means that you must wait for a ceremony in July or October before you can receive your parchment.

If you attend a graduation ceremony, you will receive your parchment on the day of your graduation ceremony in the Usher Hall.

If you’re intending to graduate in absentia please see the section Graduate in absentia (if you’re not attending the ceremony). Please note that you must apply to graduate in absentia to have your parchment sent to you after the next available graduation ceremony.

If you would prefer to collect your parchment in person (from the Sighthill Campus only), please email Student Administration at graduations@napier.ac.uk within a week of your ceremony date, and we will advise when it is ready to collect.

There is no cost to the student to attend graduation or to graduate in absentia. All graduands can request up to three guest tickets free of charge for their graduation ceremony. You do not need to request a ticket for yourself.

It may be possible to purchase additional guest tickets for the ceremony. Further information will be available on Thursday 12 October 2023. Additional guest tickets will cost £15 per person.

If you have a debt to the University which is not cleared before graduation, you will not be permitted to participate in the graduation ceremony or receive your parchment.

If you think you may have a debt to the University please contact Credit Control on 0131 455 6140.

The University holds its graduation ceremonies in the Usher Hall, Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH1 2EA.

When you arrive at the Usher Hall you must register at the registration desks located in the main foyer. The registration desks run in alphabetical surname order. You should be registered at least 1 hour before the start of your ceremony.

When you register you will be given your seat number on a blue seating card. Staff from both the University and the Usher Hall will be available to direct you to your seat, which will be in the stalls area of the Usher Hall.

Graduation prizes will be announced at the same time as your award is announced. Prizes and medals will be posted out after the ceremonies.

Information about how to apply for guest tickets is available on our Guest Tickets page.

The auditorium opens one hour before the start of your ceremony. Both you and your guests must be seated at least 20 minutes prior to the start of the ceremony. Latecomers are not permitted to enter the auditorium.

Children can attend the ceremony, but you should note that it may not be suitable for very young children.

Children under two do not pay for a ticket. Children over the age of two will require a ticket due to the Usher Hall’s health and safety regulations.

You can purchase a scroll holder and other university memorabilia online at onlineshop.napier.ac.uk.

The ceremony will last approximately 1.5 hours.

You can order your gown and hood from the University robe makers Ede & Ravenscroft or telephone 01223 861 854. Please note there is a separate cost to hire your gown.

Yes, all students attending graduation must wear the Ede & Ravenscroft gown relevant to their award, or you will not be permitted to cross the stage. Please note that there is a separate cost to hire your gown.

Yes, graduation is a formal occasion and students are expected to dress appropriately. National dress may be worn if you wish. Mortarboards, hats and fascinators are not permitted.

Gowns will be available to collect from the top floor of the Usher Hall after you have registered. You can collect your gown at the times shown below for your ceremony:

Ceremony time	Gown collection time
Morning 11am	8.30am - 10.30am
Afternoon 3pm	12.30pm - 2.30pm
Afternoon 3.30pm	1pm-3pm

Your gown should be returned to Ede & Ravenscroft after the ceremony at the Usher Hall.

We recommend that you pre order your photography in advance from Ede & Ravenscroft Graduation Services page as the queues for the photography sales desk can be quite long.

You can have your photographs taken before or after your ceremony. The photography studios will be open two hours prior to the start of your ceremony and will generally finish about an hour after the last ceremony of the day. If in doubt, please check with the Ede & Ravenscroft Sales desk on the day.

Photography services are based in the Sheraton Grand Hotel, opposite the Usher Hall.

Members of the audience may take photographs, but should remain in their seats. The use of flash apparatus or private video recording is not permitted in the auditorium of the Usher Hall.

Photographing your big day is a great way to capture some lasting memories of yourself and your guests. However, in the interest of protecting your achievement and fraud prevention we would ask that you do not post detailed photographs of your parchments online.