Senate House and graduation
The Senate-House is the ceremonial heart of the University: the building, raised between 1722 and 1730 to the designs of James Gibbs, in which degrees are conferred. Graduation here is a Congregation of the University: a formal ceremony with a strict dress code, conducted largely in Latin.
In practice
Each graduand is presented by their College and must wear the correct Cambridge academical dress for their status and degree. The dress code is enforced at ceremonies: arriving incorrectly dressed can bar graduation on the day, and a constable checks dress on arrival at the Senate-House. Graduands are presented College by College, and degrees are conferred with Latin formulas.
Why it matters to newcomers
Graduation at Cambridge is a family expedition, not a solo errand: book travel and accommodation early, dress formally, and check the College's instructions on guest tickets and arrival times. Leave time afterwards: ceremonies run to their own timetable, and photographs take longer than anyone expects.
Related
- Gown - the dress the ceremony enforces
- Matriculation - the bookend ceremony at the start
- Cambridge architecture and landmarks guide
Sources: Academical dress, Cambridge students; Senate House, Cambridge.