Attending the Ceremony

All graduation ceremonies take place in the Great Hall on East Campus.
Each graduand will be allocated with two guest e-tickets.
- A link will be emailed/SMS’d to the graduand to access the two e-tickets
- The graduand can in turn email/SMS the link to the two guests who will be attending the ceremony
- Graduand Tickets are collected, and academic attire is hired at Marquee in front of the Great Hall. Please note that the collection of tickets, academic attire and taking of photos requires at least an hour of your time, therefore it is recommended that you arrive at least 90 minutes before the commencement of the ceremony. Please ensure that you have your academic attire before entering the Great Hall.
Graduands must please keep their graduand ticket with them at all times as they need it when crossing the stage.
No children under the age of 7 are allowed into the Great Hall and no exceptions will be made.
Flash photography is not allowed in the Great Hall and cell phones must be switched on silent during the ceremony.
Kindly ensure that your guests are seated at least 30 minutes before the start of the ceremony. Guests who arrive once the ceremony has started will NOT be allowed into the Great Hall.
Vuvuzelas, whistles or any noise-emitting instrument is strictly prohibited in the Great Hall and will be confiscated.
In keeping with the formal nature of our graduation ceremonies, we would like to remind you that the dress code is formal and respectable.
Inappropriate behaviour towards University staff will not be tolerated and security staff may be requested to remove people who disrupt the proceedings at any stage.

The academic dress of this University is patterned on that of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, with modifications based on the model of the University of London, and certain individual features, particularly in the costumes of office bearers and the hoods for degrees of bachelor and master.

Dress for Office Bearers

The Chancellor wears a scarlet silk gown with a broad facing of black velvet down each side, embroidered in gold and a black velvet cap with gold cord and tassels.The Vice-Chancellor and Principal wears a blue silk gown with a broad facing of gold silk down each side, embroidered in blue, the sleeves being lined with gold silk. The cap is of the same design as that of the Chancellor.

The Chairman of Council wears a black silk gown with a broad facing of red velvet down each side and around the neck, the sleeves being lined with gold silk. The cap is of the same design as that of the Chancellor.

The academic dress of the Deputy Vice-Chancellors and the Executive Director: Finance is the same as that of the Vice-Chancellor and Principal, except that the colour of the facing and sleeves of the gown and of the cord and tassels of the cap is silver-grey.

The gown of the President of Convocation is of blue silk, with a broad facing of gold silk down each side, the sleeves being lined with white silk. The cap is the same as that of the Chancellor, but with a blue cord and tassels.

The Registrar and the Financial Controller wear black silk gowns with a broad facing of blue silk down each side, bordered with gold braid. The cap is the same as that of the President of Convocation.

A member of Council wears a black silk gown with a broad facing of gold silk. The cap is the same as that of the Chancellor.

The gown of the President of the Students’ Representative Council is black with a broad facing of blue satin.

Graduands’ Gowns

The gown for all degrees of bachelor and master of the University is black, of the same pattern as the gown for a Master of Arts at the University of Oxford.

The gown for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is scarlet, after the University of London pattern.

The gown for a senior doctorate is the same as that for the PhD, but with a gold satin facing on each side of the gown and with the sleeve button and cord in gold.

The Academic Hood

The academic hood is the principal feature of the costume for holders of our degrees of bachelor and master. The hood for the PhD is standard; it does not matter in which faculty the degree was taken. It is scarlet silk, lined with white silk.

Degree colours

The hoods reflect the colour or colours of a particular degree or associated degrees.

Where do I get my gown and hood?

Gowns and hoods can be hired on the day of the ceremony at Marquee in front of the Great Hall. Payments can be made using card or cash.

All graduands are required to wear prescribed academic dress to ceremonies. Those obtaining a degree must have a gown and hood, and those obtaining a diploma or certificate must have a gown.

For more information on gowns and hoods please see the 2024 Price List House of Graduates.

Tickets and Venue

The Graduation Ceremony is held in the Great Hall on East Campus and lasts approximately 2½ hours. Every graduand has a reserved seat and will receive a name card which must be handed to the Dean on stage. Each graduand is ENTITLED to two guest tickets.

Each graduand is ENTITLED to two guest e-tickets. Guest seats are not reserved.

Tickets may be collected at the Marquee in front of the Great Hall between 7am to 8:30am for the morning session, 10am to 12:30 for the afternoon session and between 14:00 and 16:00 for the evening session.

Please do not lose/misplace your name card
A seating plan for graduands will be posted at the entrance to the Great Hall
Please check your seat number before entering the Great Hall
Ushers and/or EGO staff will be on hand to direct you to your allocated seat.

Ceremony Procedure

After the speech, the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor will say that he/she confers degrees and diplomas on the persons whose names appear in the Graduation programme.

Then the Deputy Vice-Principal will call upon the Dean of the Faculty to present the candidates for degrees and diplomas.

DEGREE CANDIDATES

The graduand ascends the stage and waits with the Hood draped over the left arm. Each graduand must hand his/her name card to the Dean who will announce the candidate.
Senior Doctorate and PhD candidates hold their bonnets in their left hands. In the case of Doctoral degrees, the Dean will read a short description of the thesis.
In the case of Masters Degrees (by dissertation), the Dean will read the title of the dissertation.
NOTE: Each graduand must remain beside the Dean until his/her name has been announced.
The graduand then walks across to the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor who will cap the graduand and shake his/her hand.
Thereafter, the graduand moves further across the stage to the President of the Convocation and hand his/her hood to the President's assistant. The graduand turns around and faces the audience while the President of the Convocation places the hood over his/her shoulders. The President of the Convocation congratulates the graduate.
Senior Doctoral and PhD candidates then places their bonnets on their heads.
The graduate then proceeds to the end of the stage to receive his/her degree certificate and scroll and leaves the stage through the South-East passageway for a photo.
After the photo has been taken the candidate walks up the passageway and re-enters the Great Hall through the Centre (middle) door, returning to his/her seat along the centre aisle.
DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE CANDIDATES

PLEASE NOTE THAT DIPLOMA/CERTIFICATE CANDIDATES DO NOT RECEIVE HOODS AND ARE NOT CAPPED

The diplomate ascends the stage and hands his/her name card to the Dean who will read out the name of the candidate. Each diplomate must remain beside the Dean until his/her name has been announced.
The diplomate then approaches the Chancellor or Vice-Chancellor who shakes his/her hand.
The diplomate then moves to the President of the Convocation who congratulates the diplomate and shakes his/her hand.
The diplomate then proceeds to the end of the stage to receive his/her diploma certificate and scroll and leaves the stage through the South-East passageway for a photo.
After the photo has been taken the candidate walks up the passageway and re-enters the Great Hall through the centre door, returning to his/her seat along the centre aisle.

There will always be an Usher or Graduation Officer on hand to direct and assist candidates on this prestigious day.

Arrangements for Persons with Disabilities

Should you or your guests have a disability and require assistance during the graduations, please make prior arrangements with the Exams and Graduations Office (EGO), in order to be suitably accommodated e.g. Blind, wheelchair users, Deaf persons requiring Sign Language interpreting, access to disability parking bays.

Hearing induction loop system: The Great Hall has been fitted with a hearing induction loop system for direct transmission of announcements over the public address system. To benefit from this system, persons with hearing aids fitted with a ‘T’ switch, must ensure that the hearing aids have been enabled with the Telecoil setting prior to the ceremony.

On the day of your graduation, EGO staff at the venue will be available to assist you.

For general enquiries, please contact:
Elizabeth King on 011 717 1281/72 or Elizabeth.King@wits.ac.za