Our 2021 Higher Education (Graduation) Ceremonies are taking place at our Pencoed Campus on Saturday 16 October.
Our ceremonies are a wonderful opportunity for you to celebrate your achievements with friends and family, and a chance to reunite with your classmates and tutors. We hope you can join us and look forward to seeing you!
Invitations
Invitations will be sent to you via email from Ede & Ravenscroft, the gown hire company. Please check your spam folder as it may not reach your inbox.
Note, you will need to confirm your attendance and hire your academic dress before 6 October.
Following this date, you will only be able to hire academic dress on the day of your ceremony. Please note, hiring on the day will be more expensive and the correct academic dress may not be available if you have not pre-booked to attend.
Photography
There will be an event photographer present, capturing images of the ceremony and other parts of the day. These images will be used for a range of marketing and promotional purposes. If you or your guests do not wish to be included, please let a member of staff know as soon as you arrive.
Ceremonies
The ceremonies will be held at our Pencoed Campus, Pencoed, CF35 5LG. Directions can be found here.
We have 3 ceremonies which will take place within the Sports Hall. Gowning, official photography and refreshments will take place within our STEAM Academy, which is next to the Sports Hall.
Each ceremony will be approximately one and a half hours and we politely ask you to return your gown promptly after the ceremony.
Our first ceremony will begin at 10 am
Please arrive from 8 am to allow time for gowning and official photographs. On arrival, please report to the registration area to go through the security check, register your arrival and collect your guest wristbands.
All students will be called at 9.30 am for a rehearsal within the hall. Guests will be asked to remain outside the hall during the rehearsal.
The following course areas are included in this ceremony:
- Cardiff Metropolitan University: Social Work, Photography, Sport, Hospitality & Tourism
- Pearson: Science, Engineering, Construction, IT
- CMI & IWFM
Our second ceremony will begin at 12.30 pm
Please arrive from 10.30 am to allow time for gowing and official photographs. On arrival, please report to the registration area to go through the security check, register your arrival and collect your guest wristbands.
All students will be called at 12 midday for a rehearsal within the hall. Guests will be asked to remain outside the hall during the rehearsal.
The following course areas from the University of South Wales are included in this ceremony:
- Care
- Childhood Studies
- Land-based Studies
- Science
- Engineering
Our third ceremony will begin at 3 pm
Please arrive from 1 pm to allow time for gowing and official photographs. On arrival, please report to the registration area to go through the security check, register your arrival and collect your guest wristbands.
All students will be called at 2.30 pm for a rehearsal within the hall. Guests will be asked to remain outside the hall during the rehearsal.
The following course areas from the University of South Wales are included in this ceremony:
- Business
- Creative Arts
- Education
- Public Services
Security checks:
There will be security checks in place for the ceremonies, which will include a searching policy to protect the enjoyment of all students and guests attending. We ask you to assist by taking note of the following:
- No large bags are permitted – any bag over the size of a ladies clutch bag is likely to be searched
- On arrival, all students will need to register their attendance
- Students will collect the appropriate ceremony wristband for their guests (allocated according to the event registration list)
- Wristbands must be worn / kept visible at all times to ensure entry to the refreshments area and ceremony hall
Please note, the ceremonies are being planned in line with Welsh Government guidance for Alert Level 0. If Welsh Government advice changes, some of the information on this page may be updated accordingly so please check back for the latest information.
Please do not attend the event if you have COVID symptoms, are isolating due to testing positive or have been asked to self isolate by Test Trace Protect..
The wearing of face coverings is mandatory for this event. If you are exempt, please identify yourself via an exemption lanyard or similar.
If you are able to, please consider using a lateral flow device before attending the event. Testing kits can be collected free of charge from local community pharmacies.
If you have any questions on the above, please contact us by email: graduation@bridgend.ac.uk
Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
Click on the boxes to view the information.
Hiring and paying for your academic dress
When you receive your email invitation, there will be a link to the Ede & Ravenscroft website for you to register your attendance and to hire your academic dress (gown, hood and cap).
Please note, only those wearing gowns will be permitted on stage to be acknowledged by the University representative. Please wear smart clothes beneath your academic dress and avoid wearing shorts, jeans or trainers.
How much does it cost to hire my academic dress?
The cost of hiring academic dress for the day will be approximately £50. If you order online more than 21 days before the event, you will receive a £5 discount from the price of telephone orders.
What information / measurements do I need to provide?
You will need to provide Ede & Ravenscroft with your height and head circumference.
When do I need to confirm my attendance and hire my academic dress?
You will need to confirm your attendance and hire your academic dress before 6 October.
Following this date, you will only be able to hire academic dress on the day of your ceremony. Please note, hiring on the day will be more expensive and the correct academic dress may not be available if you have not pre-booked to attend.
Guests
The standard allocation is 2 guests per student. It may be possible to award extra tickets closer to the event, depending on attendance and capacity limit of the hall, but this is not guaranteed. Please request additional tickets when you book attendance / hire your gown with Ede & Ravenscroft.
Can children come to the ceremony?
You may bring children but they must sit with your guests. We ask that they are taken out of the hall if they become uncomfortable.
COVID-19
We will adhere to Welsh Government guidance relevant to the alert level at the time of the event. Please note, ceremony arrangements may be subject to change.
Tickets
You are automatically allocated a ticket when you register your attendance and hire your gown.
For guest tickets, the allocation is 2 guests per student. Please see the information above relating to additional tickets.
You will receive your e-tickets approximately 1 week before the event.
Official photography
Official photography will be available with the gowning company Ede & Ravenscroft. You may pre-book this when hiring your gown online or decide on the day. Pre-booking is encouraged to reduce queuing on the day.
Parking
Parking is available onsite but it will be busy due to 3 ceremonies taking place during the day. If possible, we ask you to car share or be dropped off when you arrive for your ceremony.
We have disabled bays available. Please let us know before the event if you require a disabled bay and we will be able to advise you.
Students with limited mobility / wheelchair users
Please let us know before the day if you have mobility requirements. All students are invited to the stage to be conferred by the University representative. Our stage is DDA compliant and you are welcome to view the hall and stage before the ceremony begins to familiarise yourself with the layout.
Guests with limited mobility / wheelchair users
The ceremonies take place in the sports hall at Pencoed Campus which is all at ground level.
For guests who are wheelchair users, members of the team within the hall can assist in removing seats from a row to enable the wheelchair to be at the end of a guest row.
Some aspects of the day will be taking place in our STEAM Academy, which is next to the ceremony hall and is fully accessible.
Refreshments
Refreshments will be available within our STEAM Academy, which is next to the Sports Hall.
Seating
Students and guests are seated separately.
The student seating arrangements are planned so that you arrive on stage when your name is called (according to the order printed in the event programme). You will be advised of your row when you enter the ceremony hall and you can then find the seat with your name.
We are extremely proud to announce that Bridgend College has now officially become a Google Reference College, the first college in Wales to be given this esteemed title.
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