Graduation is a time for students to celebrate with peers and their closest family the tremendous investment involved in acquiring a degree, including a minimum of £10,000 in fees and 3-6 years of hard work.

However, this ceremony costs most UCL students upwards of £135 (~£30 each for the student & 2 guest + £45 for compulsory robe hire), not to mention to the cost of travel to the event. Given that most UCL graduation ceremonies are held on campus (thus no cost for venue hire) and involve little more than handing out certificates, UCL cannot justify charging this price. Additionally, UCL recommends a robe-hire retailer on their graduation website, suggesting that the university is also profiting from corporate sponsorship.

In doing so, UCL has turned what should be a moment of celebration into a profit-making event.

We formally request that UCL:

1) abolish the ticket fee for the students themselves
2) minimise the price of guest tickets to a price that reflects the cost of holding the ceremony
3) relax the costly dress code or provide robe hire at a more reasonable price.

We thank you for hearing our requests and hope that UCL shall lead by example.