Tickets and Guests | Cambridge students

The following page provides information for students and their guests. If your query is not answered on this page then please do contact degreecongregations@admin.cam.ac.uk and we will endeavour to assist you further with this.

Tickets

If you are graduating in person, you may invite guests to attend the ceremony. The Senate-House has limited capacity, so admittance is by ticket only; this includes entering the grounds. Only two tickets per graduand can be guaranteed. Tickets are issued by your college free of charge and you should contact them directly for your allocation.

If you are graduating with a staff MA and do not have a college, you will receive your guest tickets directly from the Student Registry.

All guests require a ticket to get into Senate-House and/or the Senate-House grounds. This includes children and babies in prams or on laps (i.e. every person no matter their age needs a ticket). This is to ensure that the rules around numbers of people in the venue is adhered to. Guests should have their tickets in their hand whilst queuing or waiting as opposed to keeping them all in one envelope. This means that people can be easily spotted if they are in the wrong queue and that no one gets left behind etc.
Tickets for the Senate-House are free of charge. Other events that your College may host on the day of the ceremony may have a fee, so please liaise with them directly for this information.
Your tickets are issued by your College and you should contact them directly to make arrangements to collect them. If your guests do not have tickets then they will be unable to enter the Senate-House.
If you would like additional tickets, then you will need to contact your College directly. If numbers permit, then you may be allocated the additional tickets but this is in no way guaranteed. You should plan your ceremony on the assumption that you will only be able to have two tickets.

Members of the University

Members of the University may attend graduation ceremonies without tickets, but only if space is available on the day. This concession does not apply to the Honorary Degree Congregation.

If you are a member of the University then you can attend a graduation ceremony without a ticket. This is subject to available space on the day and is on a first come first served basis – you are not guaranteed entry. This concession does not apply to the Honorary Degree Congregation.
Up to 15 University members may be seated on the University Members' bench. They should queue at the Doctor's Door up to 20 minutes prior to the start time of the session and will then be admitted by a Constable.
To attend without a ticket as a University member, all members of the University must wear their gowns at ceremonies in the Senate-House. Only Cambridge academic dress is worn, unless it is a Scarlet Day. Caps are optional and are only worn inside the House by officers taking part in the ceremony. At most congregation ceremonies only graduands and official participants are required to wear hoods.
The only University Members who do not need a gown are staff members without Cambridge degrees who may wish to attend. In this case they will need a CamCard as proof of membership.

Arrangements on the day

As Cambridge is a collegiate university, graduands are presented with their college rather than their faculty or department. Guests are asked to remain seated until the end of the session that they are admitted to.

There will be University Constables to support both guests and graduands inside the Senate-House and in the Yard. The Constables are easily identifiable by their top hats and tailcoats and will be happy to help. If guests need assistance at any time they should approach the nearest Constable.

Photography is not permitted inside the Senate-House and mobile phones/pagers must be switched off or muted. Professional photographers hired by graduands are not allowed in the grounds of Senate-House.
Toilets are available at the venue. Please ask a Constable on the day of the ceremony for directions to the facilities. For those who require disabled facilities it will also be necessary to speak to a Constable for access.
Children are welcome at the ceremony but must have a ticket (this applies even if they are in a pram). Prams and pushchairs are allowed inside the Senate-House.
Bag restrictions are in place to ensure that your visit to the University is as safe as possible. Rucksacks, holdalls, shopping bags or bags larger than 35cm x 25cm are not permitted in the Senate-House or surrounding grounds. If you bring larger bags then you will be asked to make alternative arrangements for their storage or you may be denied entry to the event.
If you need to keep your bag with you, for instance on medical grounds, you must seek assistance from a Constable who will need to check the contents prior to your entry to the Senate-House.

Disabled access

Those using wheelchairs can access the Senate-House via the East Door where there is a ramp.

Those using wheelchairs or with poor mobility should speak to a Constable at the gate of Senate-House upon arrival. The constables will then direct you to the queue for the ramp located at the East Door. It is not necessary for guests using wheelchairs to arrive especially early, however those keen to be seated near other guests should arrive in good time. At General Admission (June) this reserved area only allows for one carer guest with each wheelchair user, this is due to very limited space at these busy ceremonies. Other guests must join their respective queue depending on their ticket (Floor or Gallery as applicable).

The Senate-House is on a ground floor with an upper gallery; the gallery can only be accessed by stairs. Please tell your College when you book your graduation if a guest has a disability that requires them to have a ground floor seat or wheelchair space reserved.

For any enquires relating to disabled access and special arrangements, please contact the University Marshal's Office.

Travel

Information about getting to Cambridge, along with links to the online version of the University map, are available in our visitor section.

The Senate-House is located on King's Parade, opposite Great St Mary's Church and adjacent to Senate-House Passage.
Parking is not available at Senate-House but the Grand Arcade car park is nearby.

You might be advised to discuss parking further with the College who may have specific arrangements for guests.

Accommodation

The Student Registry is unable to assist with searching for, arranging or providing accommodation. Information about hotels and other accommodation is available from the Visit Cambridge website. Alternatively, you can contact your College to see if they have any suggestions or accommodation availability.