Your graduation day is fast approaching, and it’s completely natural to feel a mix of excitement and nerves. To help you feel confident and prepared, this guide brings together everything you need to know – from planning your travel and understanding what to wear, to knowing where to go, what happens during the ceremony, and how to make the most of the celebrations afterwards.
Your ceremony will be held in the University Hall, Building 11 Wollongong campus.
Due to the Mt Ousley Interchange upgrade, there may be traffic and parking delays around the University. Please allow additional travel time and follow the signage if you are parking on campus.
Free parking is available for graduating students in the P1, P2, P3 and P4 carparks. If possible, please travel with all your guests in one vehicle, to minimise parking congestion. You may also like to consider using public transport.
The North Gong (NG) Shuttle is a free UOW bus service for staff, students and visitors for travel to and from the North Wollongong Train Station. This service is operated using new, fully electric zero emissions buses. All UOW buses are low floor wheelchair accessible.
The Gong Shuttle is a free Wollongong shuttle bus service funded by Transport for NSW, Wollongong City Council and UOW. All buses operating on this service are low floor wheelchair accessible.
There are also a range of paid buses that operate directly to the Wollongong Campus, or connect to one of the free shuttle buses.
If you indicated that you or your guests have accessibility requirements, parking will be made available to you in the P8 carpark. If you haven’t submitted your accessibility requirements, please contact us as soon as possible. Our team will liaise directly with you closer to the event.
A graduation ceremony is a formal occasion with smart casual wear being the minimum standard for graduates and their guests.
You will be required to wear the approved University of Wollongong academic dress over your clothes when taking part in a graduation ceremony. The graduation fee covers the hire of your academic dress (gown and hood), as well as a trencher (hat) or bonnet to keep.
When selecting what you're going to wear, keep in mind:
If you wish to purchase your graduate gown for graduation, you can do so at any time of the year from the Unishop. However, if an item is out of stock you must place your order no later than 6 weeks prior to the ceremony. Enquiries regarding the purchase of academic dress may be directed to the Unishop.
If you purchase your academic dress you will need to collect your purchase from the Unishop prior to your graduation ceremony and bring it with you to the venue.
Please note that if you purchase your academic dress, you are still required to pay the full graduation fee.
Graduates must arrive with plenty of time for registration and gowning. If you arrive late, you may not be able to participate in the ceremony.
Registration opens at 7 am and closes at 8.30 am sharp
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7 am |
Registration and graduate gowning opens |
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8 am |
Smoking ceremony on Champagne Lawn (located in front of UniHall) |
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8.30 am |
Gowning and registration closes. Graduates must move to allocated seating |
|
8.55 am |
Doors close. All graduates and guests must be seated. |
|
9 am |
Ceremony commences |
|
Before 12 pm |
Return gown |
Registration opens at 10 am and closes at 11.30 am sharp
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10 am |
Registration and graduate gowning opens |
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11 am |
Smoking ceremony on Champagne Lawn (located in front of UniHall) |
|
11.30 am |
Gowning and registration closes. Graduates must move to allocated seating |
|
11.55 am |
Doors close. All graduates and guests must be seated. |
|
12 noon |
Ceremony commences |
|
Before 3 pm |
Return gown |
Registration opens at 1 pm and closes at 2.30 pm sharp
|
1 pm |
Registration and graduate gowning opens |
|
2 pm |
Smoking ceremony on Champagne Lawn (located in front of UniHall) |
|
2.30 pm |
Gowning and registration closes. Graduates move to allocated seating |
|
2.55 pm |
Doors close. All graduates and guests must be seated. |
|
3 pm |
Ceremony commences |
|
Before 6 pm |
Return gown |
Registration opens at 4 pm and closes at 5.30 pm sharp
|
4 pm |
Registration and graduate gowning opens |
|
5 pm |
Smoking ceremony on Champagne Lawn (located in front of UniHall) |
|
5.30 pm |
Gowning and registration closes. Graduates move to allocated seating |
|
5.55 pm |
Doors close. All graduates and guests must be seated. |
|
6 pm |
Ceremony commences |
|
Before 9 pm |
Return gown |
To make registration as smooth as possible, please download the Reed Events App before the day of your ceremony so it's easy to locate your registration QR code, seat number, and guest tickets.
Once you've installed the app:
From here you will have access to your registration QR code. Your seat number will also be visible from the app on the day of your ceremony.
Your guest tickets can also be shared by navigating to the Guest Tickets tab and selecting the share button located in the top-right corner.
If you can't download the app, you'll need to locate your graduation booking confirmation email and PDF attachment. The email is from 'Reed Events' with subject line 'Confirmation order'.
If you can't locate your booking confirmation email and PDF attachment, you can log into the Reed Events Portal and retrieve your booking information. You will need to sign into the account using your email and password you created at registration.
Graduates will receive up to three (3) guest tickets. Additional tickets are not available; however, all ceremonies can be watched via live stream both on and off campus.
Before your graduation ceremony it's important that you share your guest tickets with your guests. This can be done via the Reed Events App, or by sharing your booking confirmation. More information is available here.
Designated pram/stroller parking bays will be available within the University Hall. Activities for children will also be available in the celebration area.
Children who need their own seat, or are older than one year, will need their own ticket. It is not recommended that children sit with you in the graduate seating area, or go on stage with you and will need to be supervised by a friend or family member.
Children watching the live stream from UniBar will not require a ticket, however they will require supervision from an adult at all times. If you require support or other arrangements to be considered please reach out to the team via email.
If you arrive after the close of registration, please go directly to the graduate registration desk in the Student Lounge, Building 11, Level 1.
Our staff will assist you on the day, but arriving late will impact your graduation experience, as your name will be read out at the conclusion of the ceremony and we will be unable to have your name displayed on the screen. We’ll do our best to accommodate you, but it’s not guaranteed that you’ll participate in the graduation ceremony.
Please note that if you arrive late and we can’t accommodate you within the ceremony, you won’t receive a refund.
We are more than happy to accommodate accessibility requirements. Any accessibility requirements for yourself or your guests noted during the online registration process will be accommodated.
If you did not advise of any special requirements during online registration, please don’t hesitate to contact the graduation team via email to graduation@uow.edu.au with 'Accessibility' in the subject line. If you require phone support, please contact the team on 02 4221 3733.
The UniShop has a great range of specialised graduation gifts, flowers, cards and UOW memorabilia. You can shop online or in-person on the day. Visit UniShop and take home a piece of your university experience and the memories you have created.
Reed Events will have professional photo studio sessions available on the day of your graduation. Bring along your friends and family and let skilled photographers capture this wonderful milestone with a range of high-quality photos than you can cherish for years to come. These photography studios are located in Building 11, Level 1 in the Exhibition Area.
All graduates will be photographed on stage and Reed Events the importance of capturing this momentous moment. Stage images will be available for viewing and purchase immediately after the ceremony. Reed Events will have a stall in front of Uni Bar where you can purchase these images as well as from the Photography Studios located in Building 11, Level 1 in the Exhibition Area.
Reed Events and Pulse offer a wide variety of frame options which are perfect to proudly display your award. If you would like to bring your certificate it can be framed by our professional framers on the spot, ready to take home on the day of your graduation.
Graduation plaques offer a unique way of commemorating your award. Having your certificate replicated onto a silver or gold plaque fitted on to either rich walnut wood base, smooth matte black backing or a clear Perspex base adds professional flair and pleasing appearance to any office or room, allowing you to proudly display your award. These will be available from Reed Events.
Please arrive by the specified time and make your way to the graduation registration desk located in the Student Lounge, Building 11, Level 1.
To avoid overcrowding, we ask that guests wait outside and do not accompany you to the registration desk.
When you arrive at registration you will:
You must be sitting in your allocated seat 30 minutes before the ceremony commences. You will receive an SMS with your seat number the day before your ceremony. Your allocated seat is also noted in the Reed Events App.
It’s essential you sit in that seat to ensure you are presented on stage in the correct order. You must not swap or change your seat to be close to friends.
Please note that guest seating is not allocated and is separate from graduate seating.
If you’re a doctoral graduate, after registration and gowning you will need to proceed directly Administration, Building 36 as you’ll be entering the ceremony with the Academic Procession.
Don’t forget to share your guest tickets before you leave your guests.
A Smoking Ceremony will take place on the Champagne Lawn prior to each ceremony. Led by our Indigenous Community Leaders, the ceremony is to welcome graduates, guests, and the Academic Procession.
Recognition is an important part of the University’s commitment to our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and we’re appreciative of our local community for sharing their teachings and ceremony with us.
The official proceedings of UOW graduation ceremonies may include:
Ceremonies are expected to be 1 hour and 30 minutes in duration.
Ushers will direct graduates throughout the ceremony. When it is time to commence the presentation of awards, ushers will direct graduates as follows:
Stage photos will be available immediately after the ceremony for viewing and purchase from Reed Events. A stall will be setup in front of UniBar as well as in the photography studios in Building 11, Level 1.
If you'd like to view and/or purchase your stage photos at a later time, they'll be available in the Reed Events App.
All ceremonies will be live streamed. A link will be available on the graduation website on the day of the ceremony. Guests may watch the ceremony via the live stream being aired from UniBar.
Your academic dress must be returned to the gown returns area near the registration desk in the Student Lounge, Building 11, Level 1 no later than 1 hour and 30 minutes after the conclusion of your ceremony.
More details on important timings is available here.
At the conclusion of your ceremony, you and your guests are invited to join UOW dignitaries at the graduation celebration area on the Juggler’s Lawn to continue the celebration and enjoy some refreshments.
It's a good idea to organise somewhere to meet your guests as it will be busy.
UniBar will also be open after the ceremony if you'd like to continue the celebrations.
