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Graduation for Postgraduates

At Corpus Christi we are expecting to present graduands in person and/or in absence on the dates advertised here.

To receive your degree certificate you need to have your degree conferred at a Congregation of the Regent House, a University tradition dating back some 800 years. Congregations are held on various dates throughout the year.

You can choose to receive your degree in person or in absence.

Graduation in Person

Graduating in person offers graduands the opportunity to attend a ceremony in Senate-House. We also welcome those 'celebrating' a degree conferred in absence while Covid-19 restrictions impacted our ceremonies.

The University guidelines allow two guest tickets per graduand for the ceremony in Senate-House. Occasionally there might be spare tickets; you will have the option to request extra Senate-House guest tickets when completing the registration form (see 'How to Apply' below). Before making any travel plans, please note that we are not able to confirm whether any spare guest tickets will be available until a week before the ceremony.

Unless numbers are very small you will also be invited to a drinks reception and graduation lunch as a guest of the College. These are usually held in the College's main Hall, and occasionally at Leckhampton. If you would like to attend the lunch you are also welcome to bring guests at a cost of £36.55 per guest. For graduation dates in 2024 each graduand can bring two guests to the lunch, with further requests placed on a waiting list.

The Tutorial Office will contact all graduands by email about a week before the Congregation with a final schedule for the dress rehearsal, lunch and procession to Senate-House. Depending on the time Corpus has to be at Senate-House, lunch might be before or after graduation. It is not possible to set the timetable earlier than a week before the Congregation, because this is when Student Registry informs us when Corpus Christi must be present in Senate-House. Please note that you may need to be in Cambridge as early as 8.30am for a dress rehearsal.

Graduation in Absence

If you prefer to receive your degree in absence, you still need to choose at which Congregation you would like to have your degree conferred. Your certificate will be available online 10 days after the Congregation. You will also be sent a paper copy of your certificate. Please note that you will not then be able to attend a future ceremony in person.

MA Degree

If you hold a Cambridge BA, you are entitled to receive your MA degree not less than six years from the end of your first term of residence, providing that you have already graduated with your BA degree. About two months before you become eligible you will be contacted by the Tutorial Office with an application form and further details.

How to Apply

Once you have chosen a Congregation date for graduation in person or in absence, please contact the Tutorial Office (tutorial@corpus.cam.ac.uk) to request a link to our registration form at least one month before your chosen graduation date. It is not necessary for Corpus graduands to register to graduate via CamSIS.

If you have any queries, however minor you think they may be, please contact the Tutorial Office. There is also useful information on the University website.