Daughter unable to attend her graduation ceremony as it is full. Advice please

[mildlyfried]

My daughter has just finished a three year Bsc (hons) at a major University. She has been advised that she cannot attend her graduation ceremony as it is full and she is on a waiting list. All the other ceremonies are at capacity too. She has been told that if a place does not become available then she can either try to graduate in November without her friends or have her certificate posted to her for a £10 fee.

To say we are upset and disappointed is an understatement. Has anyone ever heard of this before? I did not think a University would do this and would make sure they had enough graduation days/dates for all their students. The students have paid tens of thousands in fees and slogged for three years to be denied the chance to get their degree in a ceremony with their family watching.

Is there anyone out there with any advice? maybe someone who works at a University? I'm tempted to go to the local paper and tell the story so other students know what to expect at this University. Students should be told when they are choosing the University that they are not guaranteed a graduation.

Thanks for reading

Thank you all for your helpful comments. Many of them have been very kind and given us ideas ways to celebrate. Our best wishes to you all.

I’m going to guess you don’t think much of the university you lecture at @Fgfgfg !

That's shocking. She has my sympathies. I've never heard of such a thing. I would expect them to have planned to do two ceremonies if capacity is too limited to fit them all in to one.

My first graduation was in the campus canteen, the only place big enough. Didn’t go to the second.

I worked at a Russell Group university and the allocations of students to ceremonies was carefully worked out to ensure that there was a place for all graduating students plus two guests as long as they responded by the published deadline.

If ceremonies weren't full, students could apply for extra guest tickets on a 'first come first served' basis.

Sometimes students who hadn't responded to the invitation or who had completed their degree a little later would just turn up on the day of the ceremony and as long as they had successfully completed their degree and had ordered the correct gown, they would be slotted into the ceremony. If they had brought guests, there probably wouldn't be any spare seats for them in the ceremony but they could watch from a viewing room.

All our students go to the ceremony closest to the exam board at which they graduate. No one has to go on a waiting list. If you've passed you go to the next scheduled ceremony. I think it's awful that other universities don't do this. We have other graduations but the later ones are for students who've had resits or some other reason for a later finish.

They have

I do think it is incumbent on the university to make sure graduation is organised to accommodate every student +2.

Back in the Jurassic I went to a smallish, oldish university with a small, old main hall, but it was a given every graduating student would get those tickets, it was held over 2/3 days and there was a big effort to make sure people in the same subject group were together.

great. That’s your university

Lancaster does it this way. And it works if you read the invite and take it seriously if a specific date is really important to you.

these are adults about to enter the workforce. Read something, take it seriously, act on it. Like her friends did

Didn’t she get the email to buy tickets? My son did his ages ago.

That's really awful.
My ds is graduating this summer and he was guaranteed a place along with two guests. He applied to get two more tickets for his siblings and got them so all five of us can go. The tickets are free and include an unlimited buffet reception afterwards plus ice cream cart, pick and mix cart strawberry cart, drinks etc all free. I was really impressed especially as they have already had the students money.

My DC is looking for universities.

I will discourage them from applying for any that can’t guarantee a place for graduation.

Wow where is this to?

It sounds amazing!

You don’t think you’re worth the tuition fees? 😂

Snooze you loose. I registered for mine as soon as I was able to.

She’s got a place and could’ve put her name down instantly. Lancaster is an excellent university, you’d be doing your DC a disservice by going off this thread where Mummy wants to write to the Daily Star because her DD was too bone idle to prioritise applying for the ceremony she preferred 😂

Seriously, it’s clear to the students that it is first come, first served. She’ll have a ceremony in November. You could suggest they go to Edge Hill or wherever it is @Fgfgfgworks though I suppose 😬

Surrey

That's not the point, it's ridiculous to plan a graduation ceremony and not have enough spots to the actual graduates. It doesn't matter if you find it boring or not.

I think it’s completely unacceptable for there to be insufficient spaces for undergrads coming to the end of their bachelors degree. It’s not like the number is not known in advance. They probably don’t fill the spaces at their November graduation so the financial logic will be that on an annual basis, they have sufficient spaces. I’m disgusted. It’s all well and good saying it’s a bit dull (and let’s be honest, most of it is) but for the moment on the stage and the celebrations with friends afterwards, it a a life milestone.

Sadly OP, I don’t think anything will change at this late stage, but it does feel like, something for the SU to pick up on, on behalf of the students.

Perhaps time for a Daily Fail sad face too?

Where DSiS is a lecturer graduation ceremonies are ticketed so every graduating student gets to attend. Family or additional ticket numbers depend on what's left. Your situation seems a bit odd tbh.

Lol. Not a single university will guarantee this. Nor could you hold them to it.

Not having this attitude. There shouldn’t be a first come first served approach for graduation ceremonies. The students should be guaranteed a space and be able to graduate with their cohort. They should put on sufficient ceremonies that allow them to do that or hold it in a bigger venue.
I don’t care whether Lancaster is an excellent university or not, they’re treating their students poorly in their approach to this.

So so ridiculous! Imagine your mum @chocoluv saying “I know you love the uni and I know you love the course but please consider not going because you won’t be guaranteed the specific date for graduation ceremony y that you want if you delay responding to explicit instructions that first come first served!”

What will happen if the university changes their policy while your children are there? Will they move?

She IS able to graduate with her cohort
just not the particular friends she wants to

but those friends read the instructions and acted on it. Dd didn’t