Graduation

Due to a number of reasons relating to the current pandemic, we have had to take the very difficult decision to postpone all 2020 ceremonies and July 2021 ceremonies and any students or alumni who are affected by the Graduation postponement have been contacted via email. This decision was not taken easily or lightly but given the certainty students travelling nationally or internationally would need and the complexity of running events as large as graduation, we cannot currently plan with our venues, suppliers and contractors with the certainty we need.

Graduation is definitely not cancelled; we have postponed the ceremonies and plan to deliver them when it is safe to do so and they can be run in a way that will ensure it is a special day for you and your guests.

Taking part in a graduation ceremony is an important moment in many students and their guests lives – a moment to celebrate all of your fantastic achievements, which is why we have decided to postpone and not cancel the ceremonies.

We are currently working hard to review all of the options and will be closely assessing those against the implementation of the government roadmap. As such, we do not currently have a date for rescheduled ceremonies. As soon as there is more certainty on the lifting of restrictions we will be working with the venues and suppliers needed to run graduation, to agree new dates for the ceremonies.

We will be contacting all students and alumni eligible to attend a graduation ceremony via email with further updates and announcements in due course.

If you have already completed your studies, we will contact you via your personal email address. You can still update your record here to ensure we have the right information.

We will also update this webpage as well as our Social Media channels.

Whilst the Government has said they hope we will be free of restrictions by the end of June, they have also stressed that the roadmap dates have only been provided as a guide and they will only move to each stage when it is safe to do so.

Furthermore, at this current time, there is no clear guidance or rules on what large events will be required to adhere to post lockdown. The Government will be trialling different measures over the coming months and will only be providing clear guidance on mass testing and vaccination certificates for events in stage 4 of the current roadmap.

Graduations are unique events, we have looked at all factors including, venue availability over the summer, travel across the UK and beyond for our graduates and guests, seating capacities if restrictions are in place, staff availability as well as the space needed for; Registration, Robing, Photography, Information Desks, Alumni and Merchandising at the venue and the potential of a need for rapid testing or covid passports.

With all these factors to plan for and the continued uncertainty, we are unable to know early enough if we will be able to run ceremonies safely in July and ensure they are an amazing experience for you. Any changes to the roadmap could result in cancelling the event or needing to reduce numbers of graduates or guests at the last minute which would be unfair to all our graduates and your guests.

We are now working on alternative plans that will include other celebrations/events as well, to do this, we feel it is important to understand what you, our students, want to see from us. All students we have contacted have received a link to a survey to gather ideas, opinions, and feedback. We will use this to help our planning for physical ceremonies when it is safe to do so as well as other event options for students to participate in.

We cannot wait to celebrate with you all and look forward to seeing you cross the stage when it is safe to do so.

Graduation ceremonies are a celebration of your degree award and not the actual awarding of your degree which happens after your final results. Therefore, you will receive your certificate via post around 6-8 weeks after receiving your final result. For more information on certificates, please see here.

As a Salford graduate you are automatically a member of a global alumni community of over 175,000 graduates. At Salford we believe your relationship with the University does not end at Graduation.

We will continue to offer lifelong help and support as you embark on the next chapter of your life. You will have exclusive access to Graduate Life, a website and lifestyle blog designed specifically for Salford graduates, which includes helpful articles and tips to assist you as you enter the next phase of your lives and careers.

You can also access our alumni networking and mentoring hub, From Salford. Here you can network exclusively with Salford graduates; find a mentor; continue learning through access to online journals; find your next job opportunity and join a group of like-minded alumni in your area.

As a graduate you can continue to take advantage of a career and employability service for life, including use of an exclusive job site with regularly updated jobs and opportunities. If you want to further your studies you are also eligible for a 20% discount on postgraduate study on most of our courses. You can find out all about the benefits and services available to you at our website: www.salford.ac.uk/alumni.