Keele University has announced that graduation ceremonies are to resume in 2022.

Attending a graduation ceremony is the culmination of years of hard work and determination and is a right that every graduating student should have. However, Covid-19 and the multiple national lockdowns over the last year meant that Keele’s ceremonies had to be postponed.

A recent survey completed by more than 2,000 Keele students found that taking part in a physical ceremony was the most important aspect of the celebration for them, and almost 75% of respondents said they would consider deferring graduation until 2022 in order to take part in a normal graduation ceremony at Keele with family and friends present.

Given the planning that is needed to host such large graduation ceremonies and with the Government roadmap for when campuses can fully reopen still not confirmed, coupled with the fact that we'd be asking thousands of people to travel from across the UK and world to attend, it will unfortunately not be possible to hold graduation ceremonies during 2021.

Therefore, Keele has taken the decision to defer all graduation ceremonies that were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic to 2022, when all graduands will be able to celebrate in person with friends and family around them.

The University will hold graduation ceremonies on campus during the Easter vacation in April 2022 for students who were originally due to graduate in July 2020, January 2021 and July 2021.

Ceremonies for students due to graduate in January 2022 and July 2022 will go ahead as planned during those months.

Students will be notified directly of the exact date for their specific ceremony in due course.