Robe hire and photography
You must wear full university academic dress of robe, hood and hat for your graduation ceremony. You'll need to order your robes in advance from our graduation gown partner, William Northam Ltd.
As the colour of the hood varies depending on your course and award, you'll need to make a note of them then visit the website for details on how to order. If you need your robe for an extended period of time (for example, for photos), you can discuss this with the supplier directly.
We've created a guide to ordering your robes that will help you to identify which one you need to order; the number of your gown is the same number used for it on the William Northam website and the links in the right hand column will show you what your robes will look like.
View our guide to ordering your robes
You must book your robe hire by 4 August 2025.
Robe collection and return
On your graduation day, you will collect your robe from Curve Theatre Rehearsal Rooms 4 and 5 on the second floor. To manage crowd congestion, we ask that guests do not accompany you to collect your robe; they will be able to meet up with you afterwards in Rehearsal Room 1 for photographs (if needed), or in the Café and Bar areas on the ground floor.
Please note that there’s likely to be a queue for robe collection. You will not be able to collect your robe before 19 August 2025.
After the ceremony, you will need to return your robe to the Student Returns area on the Mezzanine Floor at Curve, unless you have agreed an extended hire period with William Northam.
Robe returns will close at 5.15pm for ceremonies that commence at 2pm on Tuesday 19 August, Friday 22 August and Wednesday 27 August. For all other ceremonies, student robe returns will close at 7.15pm each day.
Robe collection times
| Ceremony start | Collection time | Student registration time | Ceremony finish (approx) |
|---|
| 10am |
From 8am |
From 8.30am |
11.30am |
| 2pm |
From 10.30am |
From 11.30am |
3.30pm |
| 5pm |
From 2.30pm |
From 3.30pm |
6.30pm |
Photography
If you would like to have photos taken on the day, you can pre-order a photography package from our official photography partners, who have a selection of photography bundles; you can also buy a photography package on the day of your ceremony.
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The booking system for graduation photography opens at 12 noon on 7 May. Visit to book. Photography pre-bookings will close on 4 August 2025.
The photography studio can be found at Curve Theatre on level 2.
Photography times
The photography studio will close at 5pm for ceremonies that commence at 2pm on Tuesday 19 August, Friday 22 August and Wednesday 27 August. For all other ceremonies, the studio will close at 7pm.
Please note that photographers will also be capturing informal pre- and post-ceremony photos of students and guests. These will appear on the university’s Facebook page.