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Accessibility requirements

Picture of students in graduation gowns clapping during a ceremony. A Christmas tree can be seen in the corner of the frame.

Graduation is a special day that all graduates and their guests should be able to enjoy with as few obstacles as possible. Below you will find information regarding how we can make your day more accessible.

Accessibility requirements

At the time of registering, please let us know if you or your guests have any accessibility requirements of which we should be aware. These may include, but are not limited to:

  • Mobility issues
  • Neurodivergence and/or sensory processing issues
  • Wheelchair or walking aid use
  • Visual or auditory impairment
  • A guide or assistance dog
  • Pregnancy
  • Temporary disability (e.g. a broken leg)

You can let us know via the ‘accessibility requirements’ box on the registration form. If you have already registered and did not mention an accessibility requirement when doing so, you will need to contact us by email at grad-acd@salford.ac.uk.

We may contact you prior to the day to discuss arrangements with you and ensure your Graduation day runs as smoothly as possible for you and your guests.

On The Day

What to bring

You’ll need to bring the following with you on the day:

  • Confirmation/reminder email of your registration to graduation
  • Your student ID card or another form of photo ID
  • Your Graduation Attire gown hire confirmation (if you’ve hired a gown)
  • Pins to secure your hood
  • Clips to pin your hat in place
  • Optional: ear protection (if you're sensitive to loud noises)

Graduation check-in

On Graduation day, graduates need to check-in and then collect their tickets and gowns before taking their seats in the theatre. As this involves visiting multiple different buildings on campus, we offer graduates with accessibility requirements the opportunity for remote check-in. This means that, rather than going to check-in and collect your guest tickets and gown from their respective locations, you will report directly to the information desk in the Maxwell Hall foyer on the day. Everything you need will be waiting for you in one place, reducing the number of places you will need to visit.

Crossing the stage 

During ceremonies, graduates are usually seated in alphabetical order with their cohort to ensure they cross the stage in the correct order. They are led out of the theatre row by row and required to wait in a line at the side of theatre for a few minutes until it is their turn to cross the stage.

However, we realise there are circumstances in which this may not be possible or appropriate. To make things easier in such cases, we have a special row dedicated to accessible seating. If you are seated in this row, you will sit slightly away from your cohort. You will be taken directly to the stage via an accessible route when it is your turn to graduate, and then led back to your seat. Please note that you will still cross the stage in sequence with your cohort even if you are not sitting among them. You can see the route you will take from the accessible row on the map below.

If you require accessible seating or remote check-in you can let us know via the ‘accessibility requirements’ box on the registration form. If you have already registered and did not mention an accessibility requirement when doing so, you will need to contact us by email at grad-acd@salford.ac.uk. All access requirements are to be provided to us by 31 October. 

Map of the stall seating in Upper Maxwell Hall. Graduates with accessibility requirements sit in allocated seats located on the left-hand side of the theatre (when stood onstage). Graduates seated in this row are led directly onstage and then back to their seats via the same route, in order to reduce the time spent queueing and the number of places they must visit. There are steps at either end of the stage, however wheelchair access via an alternative backstage route is provided as and when required. There

Guest accessibility requirements

In the ceremony, graduates and guests are seated separately. As graduates are seated in the stalls close to the stage, most guests are allocated balcony seats. There is no lift access to the balcony so, if your guests require ground floor seating, you can let us know via the ‘accessibility requirements’ box on the registration form. If you have already registered and did not mention an accessibility requirement when doing so, you will need to contact us by email at grad-acd@salford.ac.uk. All access requirements are to be provided to us by 31 October.