Thousands of Keele students from across two final year cohorts are gathering this week to take part in the University's biggest-ever graduation week in its 73-year history.

They will be joined by proud friends and family as the University holds its first in-person graduation ceremonies since before the pandemic. With 15 ceremonies taking place across five days, graduates will finally have the chance to be formally robed and capped before a full audience and celebrate their well-deserved success with their lecturers and fellow students.

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In total, more than 10,000 people are due to attend the celebration ceremonies on the University's 600-acre campus between Monday and Friday, with three held each day at 9.30am, 1pm and 3.45pm.

Seven distinguished individuals from the fields of law, sustainability and media will also join students to receive honorary degrees from the University.

The groups - who were originally due to graduate in July 2020, January 2021, July 2021 and January 2022 - endured difficult times at a crucial point in their education as their courses switched to online lecturing part way through their studies.

Professor Trevor McMillan, Keele University's Vice-Chancellor, said: "Graduation is the highlight of the academic year, and after a gap of two years we are excited to finally have the opportunity to celebrate the fantastic achievements of our students. Their success is the result of hard work, commitment and dedication, with the pandemic having required levels of resilience and adaptability that is a credit to them all.

"Keele is a special place in which to study, and all members of the university are very proud of what our students achieve, both when they are at the university and when they leave. I look forward to welcoming our students back to campus and joining them for these long-anticipated celebrations."