Robe hire and photography
Students must wear full university academic dress of robe, hood and hat for their ceremony and the university’s appointed graduation gown partner is William Northam Ltd who supply the hire of the university’s official 51Âþ» branded graduation robes.
Visit for details on how to order. You will need to make a note of your course title and level of award. It is usually possible to hire the robe for an extended period if this is required; please discuss this directly with our suppliers.
Find more information on booking your academic dress on our website. The number of your gown corresponds with the same number on the William Northams site.
Students must book their robe hire by 31 January 2025.
Robe collection and return
On your graduation day, you will collect your robe from Curve Theatre Rehearsal Rooms 4 and 5 on the second floor. To manage crowd congestion, we ask that guests do not accompany you to collect the robe; they will be able to meet up with you afterwards in Rehearsal Room 1 for photographs (if needed), or in the Café and Bar areas on the ground floor.
Please note that there’s likely to be a queue for robe collection.
Please note it is not possible to collect your hired academic dress at Curve before 11 February 2025
After the ceremony, you need to return your robe to the Student Returns area on the Mezzanine Floor at Curve, unless you have agreed an extended hire period with William Northam.
Booking photography
If you would like to have photos taken on the day, you can pre-order a photography package from our official photography partners, who have a selection of photography bundles; you can also buy a photography package on the day of your ceremony. .
The booking system for graduation photography opens at 12 noon on 21 May. Visit to book. Photography pre bookings will close on 31 January 2025.
The photography studio can be found at Curve Theatre on level 2.