Your Graduation, Your Moment.

You would have received a registration email for your graduation ceremony.

To register, you will need your registration email, with your personalised login details which will provide access to the online registration site at William Northam.

Fill in the details in the new customer box, then enter your university student ID and surname.

Once you have created an account you will be able to amend your email address and other contact details by selecting the ‘my details’ option. Please make a note of all login details, as you may need these for purchasing extra tickets in the future. The online site will allow you to register your place at the ceremony, purchase guest tickets, and organise gown hire.

A confirmation email will be sent to the email address you provide during registration as proof of your booking. This email address will be used to send future correspondence regarding the ceremony. Please ensure you fully complete the registration process and provide your correct details. If you do not receive the confirmation email, please log back in and check your booking.

Please ensure you book your gown well in advance of your graduation date by visiting the gowning website (William Northam). You will need your registration email, with your personalised login details which will provide access to the online registration site at William Northam. You will need to collect your gown on the day from the gowning marquee located in the Castle grounds. Please ensure you have your email confirmation ready.

The deadline to book your gown for the April 2026 ceremonies is Midnight 4th March 2026

All Graduands who register before the deadline of the 4th March are entitled to purchase two guest tickets at the time of booking. Ticket prices are as follows:

• £25 per ticket for 12+
• £12.50 per ticket (2-12)

Guest seating is not allocated. If your guests have any specific requirements (e.g. for health or mobility reasons), please make note of this in your booking via the William Northam booking site and the graduation team will assist where possible.

Children

Children aged one or under can attend the ceremony free of charge, providing that they sit on a guest's lap . In order to monitor capacity,  please indicate when booking if you are bringing any children aged one or under with you.

Extra guest tickets will be subject to availability. The number of extra tickets available for each registered graduand to purchase will be calculated for each ceremony after the initial registration has closed.

If extra tickets are available, these will be limited in number and sold on a first come first serve basis. All graduands who have registered to attend a ceremony will be notified by email any details regarding extra tickets.

The ceremony will take place at Lincoln Cathedral, please ensure you have your tickets available for entry. Graduands must sit in the seat allocated to you as it determines the order you will cross the stage during the ceremony. Guest seats are unallocated. 

Graduands, when it is your turn to cross the stage, you will be led by a member of staff and shown where to stand. Your name will be read out, you will cross the stage and be congratulated by the chancellor. Once you have left the stage you will return to your seat to watch the rest of the ceremony. Please note you must remain seated throughout the ceremony.

Length of ceremonies can vary depending on cohort, but they are normally around 90 minutes long.

Graduation is a formal occasion and we recommend that you wear smart, formal dress. Graduands are very welcome to wear national dress and military attire.

All our ceremonies are live streamed, you will be able to watch them Live on our YouTube Channel. They will also be shown on screens across campus.

Graduation is a public celebration, by registering to take part in the graduation ceremony, graduands are confirming that they and their guests have given permission for their image to be recorded.

To celebrate your incredible accomplishments, we host a Graduation Festival within Lincoln Castle grounds across the 3 days of Graduation. Here you will be able to share a drink with your lecturers and guests as well as buy mementos of the day and take those all important photographs to remember in years to come.

Please read our Graduation Terms and Conditions.

The invitation email will be sent to all eligible individuals to both personal and student email addresses. Please remember to check your junk or spam folders.

Please note the email address is UL.Learning.Resources.Limited.TA.University.of.Lincoln@r1.dotdigital-email.com

If you believe you should have received the email but haven’t, please contact us at graduation@lincoln.ac.uk.

Graduands unable to attend the graduation ceremony they have been invited to may defer their attendance to a future ceremony. Graduands will need to email the Graduation Team graduation@lincoln.ac.uk by Wednesday 4th March.

Graduands who wish to defer their attendance and inform the Graduation Team of their intention to attend a future ceremony, will be added to the invitation list for the following ceremony period.

To be eligible to attend a graduation ceremony graduands must have:

• Had their award conferred by a University Board of Examiners or End Point Assessor on or before 27th February 2026
• Paid all outstanding academic tuition fees before 4th March 2026
• Not already attended a University of Lincoln graduation ceremony for the same award

To request a Graduation invitation Letter please submit a Student Support Letter Request through the ‘support’ tab of your OneUni account. These letters are then processed by our team and will be sent to your ‘Preferred’ email address. Please allow 10 or more working days for a Graduation Invitation letter to be processed and sent to you. If you no longer have access to your student account you can email letterrequests@lincoln.ac.uk.

Our graduation festival takes place in Lincoln Castle, here you can collect your tickets, gown and have professional photos taken.

The University's official photographers are Tempest Graduation Photography. They will be available in the Castle grounds before or after your ceremony.

Visit Tempest Graduation Photography to view packages and prices. It is not possible to pre-order a photography package, but these can be ordered during and after your ceremony.

Graduands who arrive late must report immediately to the Registration Marquee in the Lincoln Castle Grounds. Graduands and guests must be seated 30 minutes before the ceremony starts. Graduands and Guests who arrive after this time will be not permitted.

If any graduand or guest has a specific health requirement regarding seating arrangements in the Cathedral, please provide details through the William Northam booking system. The Graduation team will then be in touch should they need to confirm any arrangements

If you have any further questions regarding access requirements, please contact graduation@lincoln.ac.uk.

There will be a professional video recording taken of each graduation ceremony. This will be streamed on the University of Lincoln’s YouTube Channel. Graduates and guests seated in the Cathedral should be aware that they may appear on this recording.

Children are welcome at Graduation Ceremonies, however, the University of Lincoln advises that the Graduation Ceremonies are not wholly suitable for babies or young children as they are long, formal occasions.

Any children in attendance that are under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult over the age of 18 at all times. This means that any accompanying adults will need to have guest tickets. It is the responsibility of the graduand to ensure any children under the age of 16 are always accompanied by a suitable adult.

Guest tickets will be required for any child aged two and above. Children aged one or under can attend the ceremony free of charge, providing that they sit on a guest's lap and have an “under one ticket”. All prams and pushchairs will need to be stored during the ceremony dedicated “buggy” park within the Cathedral.

The University does not provide parking for the graduation ceremonies. There are pay and display car parks near to the Cathedral and Castle that also have disabled parking bays. Please allow plenty of time to arrive in Lincoln and find a parking space before the ceremony begins, as these car parks can get busy and local roads may be busier than normal during graduation week.

You can find a map of car parks in Lincoln on the City of Lincoln Council's website (please note that the Castle Hill car park may be closed over the graduation period due to its location next to Lincoln Castle).

Graduation is a shared, happy occasion and we expect all students and guests to stay for the duration of the ceremony.

Length of the ceremonies can vary depending on cohort, but they are normally around 90 minutes long.

Large items such as suitcases are not permitted into the ceremonies.

There will be a selection of memorabilia available at the Graduation Festival in the Castle grounds. These include, graduation hoodies, graduation bears and University branded items.