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Graduation Ceremonies

Your graduation ceremony marks the end of an era, but also celebrates new beginnings as you embark on your career or continue with more in-depth study.

Symphony Hall during graduation ceremony

July 2021 virtual graduation celebrations

WATCH OUR SUMMER 2021 VIRTUAL GRADUATIONS

Watch along as our Class of 2021 celebrate their achievements online this summer.

Watch now

We are looking forward to virtually celebrating with our final-year students this July, ahead of the exciting physical ceremonies next winter. These celebratory events will allow students due to graduate this summer a chance to come together to mark this special occasion where you will also be able to share your own message, should you wish to.

To take part in the virtual events, all of the following criteria must apply:

  • your award is agreed by an Exam board and your School confirms your award on the student record system by Monday 5 July
  • there are no pending exceptional circumstances claims or appeals regarding your results
  • there are no outstanding/undecided matters (either stage one or appeal) under the procedure for considering claims of error in the conduct of an assessment process.
  • there are no outstanding academic-related debts owed to the university

Students will have received an email invite to their virtual ceremony on Monday 14 June 2021 with a link to register on mySRS.

Virtual ceremonies will take place on the following dates:

  • Monday 26 July, 10am - Birmingham Institute of Media and English
  • Monday 26 July, 10am - Birmingham School of Architecture and Design
  • Monday 26 July, 12pm - Birmingham Institute of Jewellery, Fashion and Textiles
  • Monday 26 July, 12pm - Royal Birmingham Conservatoire
  • Monday 26 July, 2pm - Birmingham Institute of Creative Arts
  • Tuesday 27 July, 10am - School of Social Sciences
  • Tuesday 27 July, 12pm - School of Law
  • Tuesday 27 July, 2pm - Birmingham City Business School
  • Wednesday 28 July, 12pm - School of Computing and Digital Technology
  • Wednesday 28 July, 2pm - School of Engineering and the Built Environment
  • Thursday 29 July, 10am - School of Education and Social Work
  • Thursday 29 July, 12pm - School of Nursing and Midwifery and Defence School of Healthcare Education
  • Thursday 29 July, 2pm - School of Health Sciences

Please note that if you have not registered by 4pm, Tuesday 6 July you will not be able to fully partake in the virtual events.

In-person ceremonies

The University will hold in-person graduation ceremonies for graduates from our Class of 2020 and Class of 2021 in January 2022 at Symphony Hall, Birmingham at the ICC.

With the country embarking on the Government’s roadmap out of lockdown, we are now getting closer to a time when we can hold major graduation ceremonies again in Birmingham. However, the rules on major events and public gatherings over the summer are still not clear, and the completion of the national vaccination scheme is not expected until the very end of the summer, so we cannot presently plan with any confidence for a major physical event in July where students and guests would be permitted to sit together for the kind of ceremony they deserve.  

Graduation ceremonies will therefore be held from 5 to 11 January 2022 for graduates to celebrate with their guests, classmates and BCU staff. Invites will be sent to:

  • students due to graduate in July 2021
  • our Class of 2020 who were invited to virtual graduation celebrations in August 2020 and February 2021
  • students due to graduate in January 2022.

Graduation FAQs

When will in-person ceremonies be held?

In-person ceremonies will be held on the following dates:

  • Wednesday 5 January 2022
  • Thursday 6 January 2022
  • Friday 7 January 2022
  • Monday 10 January 2022
  • Tuesday 11 January 2022
Who will be invited to in-person ceremonies in January 2022?

Invites will be sent to:

  • students due to graduate in July 2021
  • our Class of 2020 who were invited to virtual graduation celebrations in August 2020 and February 2021
  • students due to graduate in January 2022.
When will I receive my invite to an in-person ceremony in January 2022?

Invites will be sent out later this year. Please keep an eye on your BCU emails or agreed correspondence email. You can check your contact details at mySRS.

Will I be able to book guest tickets for my in-person ceremony?

Yes, we know how important bringing guests to your graduation is and we have kept this in mind when making arrangements for alternative dates. You will receive more information about booking guest tickets when you receive your invite.

What will happen if the pandemic worsens again?

As you will be aware, the Covid-19 pandemic is increasingly under control in the UK, and we all very much hope this continues. As your safety is our overriding priority, if new public health concerns emerge later in the year then we will of course review the plan for January events, but we very much hope this will not be the case.

When will I receive my certificate?

Students do not need to have received their certificate in order to partake in the virtual ceremonies.

Once awards are confirmed, graduating students will receive an email directing them to the mySRS portal when their award certificate and academic transcripts becomes available and will be asked to confirm the address that they wish to have their certificate posted to.

As well as receiving an email about how to request hard copies of award documentation, eligible students will also be notified about how to access their digital certificate if they completed their studies from September 2019 onwards, after the decision to partner with Gradintelligence. With Gradintelligence, students will be able to choose to share their digital certificate securely with prospective employers, universities and third parties. Eligible students will receive an automated email to activate their Gradintelligence account for their digital certificate when this is available.

For further information about award documentation please see the Certificates, transcript and verification page.

Virtual Graduation FAQs

Who will be invited to virtual graduation celebrations in July?

Invitations for the virtual graduation celebrations taking place week commencing 26 July 2021 will be sent to those students whose final exam board meets and confirms that you have been awarded by Monday 5 July 2021.

Where can I watch my ceremony?

All ceremonies will be streamed live to YouTube and you will be able to access them on our website on this page. If you gave consent for our graduation partner, StageClip, to contact you, they will send you a link to your virtual graduation ceremony.

What happens if I have to resit an exam or my results are delayed?

If your results aren’t confirmed by Monday 5 July, we will not be able to share your name and award as part of your School’s ceremony, even if you have given consent during registration. However, you will still be able to watch your School’s ceremony on the day using the links on this page, and you’ll also be invited to our in-person ceremonies in January 2022 provided your results are confirmed on the student record system by Friday 26 November 2021.

I have not received an invitation to the virtual ceremony. Has my invitation been sent?

Invitations for the July 2021 virtual award ceremonies will be sent to those students whose final exam board meets and confirms that you have achieved a final result by Monday 5 July 2021. These invitations will be emailed to your University email accounts in June.

If your final exam board meets after Monday 5 July you will be invited to the January 2022 winter in-person award ceremonies.

If I do not wish to partake in the virtual graduations, do I still need to complete the registration task?

If you are a student who has been invited to the July 2021 virtual ceremonies it would be useful if you could still complete the registration task to confirm that you will not be partaking. The registration portal still provided you with an opportunity to confirm if you would like to have your name and award read aloud and submit a photograph, comment or short video should you wish.

Replays of the virtual events will be made available on this page shortly after the ceremonies which you will then be able to re-watch at your own convenience.

The decision not to partake in the virtual events does not preclude you from being invited to the January 2022 in-person ceremonies.

What will happen at my virtual graduation celebration?

Virtual events will bring staff and students from your School together to mark the occasion, and you’ll have the opportunity to share a personal message, photograph or short video when your name appears on screen. You can also share the event link with any of your friends and family to watch along and celebrate with you.

See what happened at our winter virtual celebrations

Will my name be read out?

Yes, although you will need to give consent for your name to be read out. More details will be sent to you in your invite.

Can I contribute to my virtual graduation ceremony?

Yes, you will be given the opportunity to contribute a short message, photo or video to share with your classmates during the event.

Who is StageClip and why have they contacted me about virtual graduation?

StageClip is our graduation partner who provide personalised virtual ceremonies to recognise graduates. During registration you will have the option to consent for StageClip to contact you about your ceremony. If you do consent to StageClip contacting you, you will be contacted by them to share a message, photo or video to feature when your name is read out during the ceremony. If you do not consent to StageClip contacting you, you will not receive any communications from them and you will still have the opportunity to have your name and award read out during the ceremony.

Will I still be invited to an in-person ceremony if I joined the virtual celebration?

Yes, taking part in our virtual celebration will not prevent you from attending an in-person ceremony in January 2022.

Graduation Scheduling

The scheduling of in-person graduation ceremonies are based on your course of study and the number of graduate and guest seats available in the venue.  Whilst every effort is made to reserve and maintain your place in the live ceremony to which you were invited, we may sometimes have to re-allocate you to another ceremony on a different date or time; for example, if student registration unexpectedly exceeds capacity.  

Cancellation and Refunds

In the event of the Birmingham City University’s graduation ceremonies being cancelled, delayed, prevented, hindered or postponed due to circumstances beyond the control of the University, including (but not limited to): fire; explosion; terrorist act (or threat of a terrorist act); act of God; crisis situations; pandemic; epidemic; industrial action or dispute involving the University or the venue(s) at which the ceremonies are due to be held, the University will not be liable for any losses direct or otherwise incurred by students or their guests.  Graduands and their guests should ensure they have sufficient insurance protection to cover any losses they may incur as a result of postponement or cancellation of the ceremonies. The University will endeavour to maintain accurate information on its website and regular communications with the attending students.