Graduation ceremonies: another money making scheme

FIONA DAY EXPLAINS WHY SHE STARTED A PETITION AGAINST UCL’S EXTORTIONATE GRADUATION COSTS

Sign the petition to show UCL that you do not agree with having to pay £78 for your own graduation.

The tradition of graduation ceremonies has long been established at UK universities and is now firmly part of the degree experience as a recognition of the effort and dedication that students have put towards their degree. For this reason, graduation ceremonies are normally free of charge for the graduands themselves. After all, it’s their achievements that are the cause of celebration.

However, UCL does not seem to see it in this way. Graduation ceremonies at UCL cost the graduand, at least, an enormous £78 for their own attendance. This includes £43 for the hire of University of London robes, and £35 for their own ticket. Any additional tickets for guests are a further £35 each, and of course there are travel and accommodation costs to be considered on top of this.

FOR THIS HIGH PRICE, YOU’D THINK YOU WOULD GET A PARTICULARLY FANCY VENUE AND RECEPTION? WELL … NO.

For this high price, you’d think you would get a particularly fancy venue and reception? Well … no. Half of UCL’s graduation ceremonies take place in a marquee in Bedford Square, where, following a two-hour ceremony and a handshake, you could get a flute of champagne, a couple of nibbles, and your heels stuck in the grass.

Meanwhile, the vast majority of other UK universities offer free tickets to their graduating students. This includes other universities at the top of rankings tables, (Oxford, Cambridge, Durham, York, Exeter, etc.), alongside other University of London colleges, (KCL, LSE, Birkbeck, Royal Holloway, etc.).

Not only are the tickets free for the graduand, but many of these universities also allocate complimentary tickets to students’ guests, and hold their ceremonies in much more impressive locations than a mere tent. At University of Lincoln, for example, the ceremony is held in Lincoln Cathedral, and at Imperial College, it’s held in the Royal Albert Hall.

UCL HEARTLESSLY VALUES MAKING MONEY OVER THE SATISFACTION OF ITS STUDENTS

The allocation of free tickets by other UK universities shows that they are not simply using the ceremony as a way of squeezing yet more money out of their already in-debt graduates, rather, they are allowing students from any financial background to attend what should be one of the most memorable days of their lives – not just for the graduands themselves, but for their families as well.

UCL, on the other hand, heartlessly values making money over the satisfaction of its students, and is simultaneously adding to its reputation of favouring the elite. For those who have had to work part-time jobs to support themselves through their degree and the cost of living in London, £78 is a week’s work.

The celebratory spirit of the day is ruined by the illogical concept of spending this money on a handshake and paying to recognise your own achievements, as well as the knowledge that some peers have had to boycott their own graduation. And all because UCL doesn’t want to pay as little as £35 for them to attend.

A few days ago, I started a petition to UCL’s Provost in the hope of eradicating the hidden cost of graduation tickets. The petition has already got more than 1,200 signatures in three days, and can be found here.