Students who finished uni in 2020 are being told they won’t get a graduation until 2022

Your mates won’t have the same hairline by then


Students who finished uni last year are now being told they won’t get in-person graduation ceremonies until 2022.

The class of 2020 at unis including York, Queen Mary, Southampton, and Warwick, will have to wait until two years after they handed in their last essays to don their gowns and have their names read in an auditorium.

While the class of Covid got their certificates and degrees last year, a round of bumper “celebration ceremonies” will be held next summer to allow them to make awkward chat with the members of their long-dead group chats.

In April, universities minister Michelle Donelan told The Tab she “strongly encouraged” unis to hold ceremonies in the summer. Some universities, including Edinburgh, pressed on with outdoor ceremonies, but a number of 2021 cohorts were unable to throw their silly hats.

Queen Mary grads of 2020 and 2021 will convene on Tobacco Dock during the middle of January to celebrate, while Warwick promises a “spectacular graduation celebration” on campus for both cohorts next summer.

Southampton is pushing the boat out and hiring St Mary’s stadium, home of Southampton FC, for the first time and promising a “fantastic celebration”.

Stirling said things were still too complicated to rearrange for this year. “Due to the risk of last-minute changes, the time and logistics involved in arranging our graduation ceremonies, and to allow staff to focus on next year’s events, we will not be revisiting this decision,” a spokesperson for the university told The Tab.

“We are hopeful that we can return to a more normal graduation event in the near future, and all of our graduates who were unable to attend a ceremony this year, will be invited to a future in-person celebration event.”

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