Timings on the Day 

When you arrive

On the day of your graduation congregation students are advised to arrive approximately 1½ hours before your congregation.

Please ensure you arrive at the School of Management to register for your congregation and collect your registration card. From there, you should then collect your robes in good time for your congregation.  We recommend you allow 1½ hours before your congregation start time to do this.  You can have your photographs taken either before or after your congregation. The photography studios are situated on the second floor of the School of Management.

You can then make your way to the Great Hall auditorium to take your seats for the congregation.

You must be seated 15 minutes before your congregation start time to ensure your participation in the congregation. Doors to the auditorium will open approximately 30 minutes before the congregation. 

Graduands should leave all personal belongings with their guests before taking their seats in the hall; graduands will only require their registration card. Graduands must sit in their numbered seat; the number will be clearly shown on your registration card. 

Guests will be able to enter the auditorium 30 minutes before the start of the congregation. All guest seating will be unallocated. Entry to the hall will not be permitted before this time.

The whole event will be clearly signposted and ushers will be on hand to assist you. 

Refreshments available at the Bay Campus for graduates and guests:

• Swansea Social Hideaway
• Costa @ The College
• Subway
• Little Bay Cafe
• Tesco Express

During the congregation

During the congregation, graduands will sit in the seat number shown on their registration card, which they will receive on the day when they arrive and register.

Graduands should leave all personal belongings with their guests before taking their seats in the hall; graduands will only require their registration card.  Registration cards will consist of the graduand's seat number, name, and space to provide a phonetic name spelling to assist with name pronunciation.

A marshal will instruct the graduands when to leave their seats. They will then be directed to the stage door.

When your name is called out you will pass your registration card to the presenter before crossing the stage, doffing your cap to the Chancellor or Pro-Chancellor and then continuing to the centre of the stage and down the steps to return to your seat. 

After the congregation

Following each congregation you can have official photographs taken in The School of Management (2nd floor) if you have not done so before your ceremony.

Your academic robes can be worn throughout the day but must be returned by the time shown above.  

If you are unable to attend your congregation due to unforeseen circumstances please let us know at your earliest convenience.

Students who appear in the congregation brochure and do not attend will graduate in absentia.  Please note that deferments are not usually granted, apart from in exceptional circumstances. 

Guests

You will be able to enter the auditorium approximately 30 minutes before the congregation start time and MUST be seated no later than 15 minutes before the congregation commences.  Ushers will be on hand to direct you accordingly.

The congregation is likely to last approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes and, therefore, it may be unsuitable for small children or babies.  

If you or any member of your party has any disabilities or mobility issues please inform us in advance of your congregation so that we can reserve appropriate seating - Contact The Graduation Team. Ushers will be on hand to assist guests with special requirements. 

Following the congregation, you are politely asked to vacate the auditorium in order for staff to prepare for the next congregation.  You may wish to head to The School of Management (2nd floor) to have official photographs taken.

View and download past and present graduation brochures 

Official Photographs

A team of professional photographers from Tempest will be available throughout graduation week and will be situated on the second floor of the School of Management.

You can have your photo taken on your own and/or with your family and friends.  There is no need to pre-book; just turn up on the day.

To view the full range of products, please visit Tempest’s website. 

On-Stage Photo and Ceremony Recording

Your graduation is an important milestone, and our media team will be there to capture your moment as you cross the stage. A range of photography and video options will be available to purchase on the day of your ceremony.

Available on the day:

Printed Photographs

Professional-quality prints of your moment on stage:

• One large 10" x 8" – £15
• Three small 6" x 4" – £20

Please note printed photos are only available on the day

Digital Collection – £25

Includes:

• All on-stage photographs
• A video clip of your moment crossing the stage
• A full recording of your ceremony

These will be sent to you via email after your ceremony.

Graduation Package – £55

Includes:

• Everything in the Digital Collection
• 1 × 10" x 8" printed photograph
• 3 × 6" x 4" printed photographs

All products can be purchased in person on your graduation day in the School of Management (1st floor).

Payment is card only.

Following graduation week, our service will remain available for digital purchases only.

• Digital files will be delivered via email
• Images are provided in high resolution (the same files used for printing), allowing you to print them independently if you wish
• Printed photographs are only available on the day of your ceremony

You will be able to make purchases by completing this form.

Additional graduation images will also be published on the University's Flickr albums.

Your family and friends who would like to share your special day but do not have tickets, can still watch the ceremony live.  

Guests who do not have a ticket will be able to watch the congregations via a live feed in room GH043, located on the ground floor of the Great Hall.

All ceremonies will be broadcast live on our website at http://www.swansea.ac.uk/graduation/ and can be watched via the internet.

The live feed screen will appear automatically at the beginning of each ceremony.  

Graduation merchandise is available from Fulton Outfitters.

Car parking will be available at Fabian Way Park and Ride.  A £1.00 charge will be payable on arrival at the car park.  Luxury coaches and accessible buses will operate between the designated car park and the Bay Campus.  Coaches will run continuously during a specified window to ensure that you arrive on time for your congregation.

The graduation coaches and accessible buses will ONLY be provided from Fabian Way Park and Ride.  If you choose to use any other city centre car park or Park and Ride site you will need to check their specific bus services and timetables.

Fabian Way Park and Ride site is situated just off the A483, approximately 1.5 miles east of the city centre.  From the M4, exit at Junction 42 (Swansea East) and follow the 'Swansea' road signs for approximately four miles.  Fabian Way is only a 10-minute drive from the M4.  (Fabian Way Park and Ride, Fabian Way, Swansea, SA1 8LD).

Coaches will run throughout the day returning guests to the car park.  The first return coaches will depart once the first ceremony has finished (approximately 10.45am) and will continue running throughout the day until the advertised finish time. (Timetable to follow).

Please note that parking at the Bay Campus will not be available for guests and graduands during the congregations as this is a normal working week for staff.  Limited spaces are available to guests and/or graduands with disabilities and these will be allocated by the Graduation Office following completion of the booking process.  Graduands and their guests will not be able to access the campus car parks and will be redirected to Park and Ride car parks if they have not been awarded a graduation parking permit.

The Fabian Way Park and Ride is situated just off the A483, approximately 1.5 miles west of the Bay Campus. 

From the M4, exit at Junction 42 (Swansea East) and follow the 'Swansea' road signs for approximately four miles. The Fabian Way Park & Ride Car Park is signposted on the right-hand side. From Swansea city centre, head out of Swansea along Fabian Way and the Park & Ride Car Park is on the left-hand side.

Please note that parking at the Bay Campus will not be available for guests and graduands during the congregations.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

• If you are arriving by public transport, Swansea Railway Station is on the main West coast line from London Paddington, approximately 3 hours away.
• Visitors arriving by train are advised to take a bus to Swansea Bus Station from directly outside the railway station.  First Cymru buses will operate to Swansea Bus Station and there is a taxi rank just outside the Railway station.   
• Please click visit Traveline Cymru to access a bus and rail travel journey planner.

This map outlines all the key way finding points you may need when attending your Winter Graduation Ceremony at Swansea University. The Graduation preparations and ceremonies will take place across the College and The Great Hall.

For any queries you may have, please check out the FAQ's page or contact The Graduation Team.

Students, guests and staff attending graduation should be aware that degree and award congregations are regarded as public events. 

Names and awards (including those receiving their award in absentia) are published in the programme. 

Audio and visual images of the congregation are publicly available via a live webcast, social media and the sale of DVDs of the congregation. 

By confirming your attendance at the ceremony, attendees hereby give Swansea University the right to print their name and award in the programme publication. Attendees and their guests also give Swansea University the right to use video recording(s), sound recording(s), photograph(s) and any content/copy/quotes generated for use in any productions where Swansea University may wish to use the material(s) for marketing and publicity, trade promotion.   

In accordance with the General Data Protection Legislation (GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 the material will be used solely for the promotion or benefit of Swansea University. 

Materials can remain in the public domain for an indefinite period of time and may be used for educational and/or marketing purposes. They may require editing for quality or technical purposes and will be stored securely by the University or its agents. 

Material(s) will be the copyright of Swansea University and may be used as is or in conjunction with other material(s), as part of a composite production. 

Note to those not attending (receiving award in absentia): if you object to the publication of your personal data in the programme (name and award), please inform the Graduation Office.

Identity and contact details of the Data Controller

Swansea University is the Data Controller and is committed to protecting the rights of individuals in line with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Contact details of the Data Protection Officer

Swansea University has a Data Protection Officer who can be contacted through dataprotection@swansea.ac.uk

What information do we collect about you?

The University is required to collect the following information to process personal data regarding graduation:

• Name
• Student number
• Home and term addresses
• Personal telephone numbers and email addresses
• Date of birth
• Academic record
• Guest ticket requirements
• Special provisions that require reasonable adjustments for students
• Special provisions/access requirements for guests. Guest names do not need to be provided; any such request will be recorded against the student’s ceremony record.

Data collected is held in our student records system as provided by you upon your initial enrolment.  The University also uses information provided at the time of online booking, including information concerning any disability or special provisions you may have to allow us to make the necessary adjustments.

Regarding graduation guests, the University will collect any information pertaining to access requirements or any other special requests provided by students via the online booking process, or information provided by other communication.

The University also captures video recordings and photographs of all attendees at its graduation congregations, as taken by the University’s Media Services department and official photographers.

How will your information be used?

The information you provide will be used by the University to:

• Produce the online graduation brochure.
• Run the ceremony - this includes seating and arranging any special requirements.
• Live stream the congregation, if applicable.
• Send your graduation guest e-tickets, if applicable.
• Supply a photograph of your time on-stage and/or a recording of the ceremony.

We will always highlight areas where we need to ask for your consent as the lawful basis, and will give you the choice to opt-in. If you do consent or opt in, we will let you know how you can opt out in the future. We will not process your personal data for any other purpose other than those stated above without informing you first.

What is our legal basis for processing your personal data?

Who receives your information?

Information about you will be shared with your faculty and other relevant departments within the University, such as Media Services to allow you to be filmed and photographed, Marketing, Recruitment & International to include your name and degree programme in the online graduation brochure, and Alumni.

How long will your information be held?

We will hold the personal data you provided to us indefinitely and will retain information regarding your award indefinitely.

Materials used for marketing and publicity can also remain in the public domain for an indefinite period of time.

Security of your information

Staff abide by the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), which forms part of the data protection regime in the UK, together with the Data Protection Act 2018 (DPA 2018).  Staff also fully comply with the University’s Data Protection Policy.

What are your rights?

You have a right to access your personal information, to object to the processing of your personal information, to rectify, to erase, to restrict and to port your personal information. Please visit the University Data Protection webpages for further information in relation to your rights. 

Any requests or objections should be made in writing to the University Data Protection Officer:

Email: dataprotection@swansea.ac.uk

How to make a complaint

If you are unhappy with the way in which your personal data has been processed, you may in the first instance contact the University Data Protection Officer using the contact details above.

If you remain dissatisfied, then you have the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at:

www.ico.org.uk