Manchester Met students furious after 2027 graduations are pushed back to November

Manchester Metropolitan University’s class of 2027 have been told their graduation ceremonies will be pushed back to November, sparking a petition calling for them to be held in the summer instead.

The university’s graduation ceremonies are normally held at Bridgewater Hall, but the venue is undergoing renovation, forcing students to graduate outside the usual university graduation period.

For students who live outside Manchester, the November date could mean arranging new travel and accommodation plans months after they finish their degrees.

International students may also deal with visa issues to return to Manchester for the ceremony.

The petition is calling on Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) to reconsider the November date and return graduation ceremonies to the summer, where students say they expected to graduate alongside their peers at other universities.

Emily, a criminology student, said she felt the decision had been made without enough consideration for students.

“It’s a decision that has been made out of laziness rather than with students in mind. We have all gotten ourself into so much debt to get our degree and because of the date moving it means that most people won’t even be able to attend their own graduation after working so hard for their degrees.”

She said the later ceremony could also create extra problems:

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“This will leave graduates having to book hotels and travel as well as potentially take time off work.”

For Emily, the change also means she will no longer graduate at the same time as friends studying at other Manchester universities.

“I have friends at UoM and UoS and I now have to graduate at a different time…which is honestly sort of embarrassing.”

Naomie, a humanities student, said she was mostly disappointed about missing out on the usual end-of-year celebrations rather than being seriously affected by the new date.

“It’s not that deep to be fair, I still get to graduate…I think I’m just sulky because I wanted to finish the year on a high end – good summer vibes.”

The petition comes after criticism of MMU’s 2026 graduation ceremonies, when videos shared online appeared to show a graduate’s name repeatedly mispronounced.

The university also sent emails to some students incorrectly telling them they had failed their degrees just days before they were due to graduate.

Manchester Metropolitan University was contacted for comment.