We will no longer have to pay for our graduation

UCL announced today students will no longer have to pay for their own ticket to attend their graduation ceremony.

Previously, students were obliged to pay £35 for tickets for themselves and a further £35 for each guest who wanted to attend the ceremony.

Education & Campaigns Officer, Wahida Samie, who led the charge for this positive change, said: “I have been pushing for students to attend their graduation ceremony for free since I took office at UCLU. It is with great pleasure that UCL have committed to no longer charging students to attend their own graduation.”

She added: “This has been made possible by students voicing their concerns to their representatives and other student feedback methods, such as the National Student Survey. The student voice is very important in a university environment. Together with staff, we can make sure that students get the best possible experience here at UCL .”

Professor Anthony Smith, the Vice-Provost for Education and Student Affairs, also played a crucial role in the matter. He said: “Students have expressed continuing dissatisfaction with the university’s practice of charging them to attend their graduation ceremony.

“We listened to students’ arguments, including their view the practice contradicted UCL’s values of openness based on merit, and recommended to the university Council that we stop charging students with immediate effect.”

The issue regarding this fee had been raised for several years prior to the change, appearing prominently in the National Student Survey.

UCL has highlighted the significance of the National Student Survey in allowing them to find out what is most important for its students, and encourages final year students to fill out the survey before 30th April this year.

Applications for 2016 graduation tickets opened this morning and eligible students are now able to apply online via Portico. Student tickets are free and guest tickets are now £40 each, a £5 increase from the previous two years.

This will help to cover the cost of the venue and other related expenses. The academic dress hire for graduating students has been priced at £43.