Students left furious as universities cancel summer graduation ceremonies

Students have been left furious after several universities cancelled their graduation ceremony plans amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Durham, Edinburgh and Reading University are among the institutions to have already broken to the news to final year under and postgraduates. 

Others have chosen to either ‘postpone’ or ‘continuously review’ ceremonies that are still scheduled for three months time.

Oxford University has scrapped two lots of ceremonies in May, and are yet to decide whether to proceed with summer ceremonies.

Students have been left furious after several universities cancelled their graduation ceremony plans amid the coronavirus pandemic

But Birkbeck, part of the University of London, are looking to combine their Spring graduation ceremonies with their Autumn schedule in November if government advice allows. 

In response to government advice on social distancing, the Office for Students have announced they are exploring ‘a variety of online and remote options’ for final exams and assessments with universities ahead of the final academic term.

Students have responded in anger to the decisions of their universities, saying they have been left ‘unmotivated’ to continue finishing major assessments such as dissertations.

The University of Edinburgh is among the institutions to have already broken to the news to final year under and postgraduates that graduation ceremonies will be cancelled

The University of Edinburgh is among the institutions to have already broken to the news to final year under and postgraduates that graduation ceremonies will be cancelled

Durham University have said their usual Congregation service at the city's cathedral 'will not take place as planned'

Durham University have said their usual Congregation service at the city’s cathedral ‘will not take place as planned’

Bilal Ali, from Manchester, wrote: ‘The main thing that kept me motivated through 3 years of stress at uni is seeing my parents’ face on my graduation day, now today we’re told that the graduation ceremonies are cancelled.’ 

Emily Kenyon, studying at Manchester’s Metropolitan University added: ‘Knocks me sick that I’ve spent 3 years at uni for my graduation to be cancelled with no plans of it being reschedules. I could honestly cry.’

In Edinburgh, the four main universities are expected to cancel their summer graduation ceremonies in response to the coronavirus outbreak. 

Thousands of students at the city’s Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt, Napier and Queen Margaret universities will be affected following the conclusion of discussions about postponing the summer event.

Edinburgh University has already confirmed that its graduation ceremonies scheduled to take place in Summer 2020 will no longer be happening.

The university said it ‘currently expects that degree certificates for students entitled to graduate this summer will be printed and mailed by the end of July 2020’. 

There is however the option for deferrals which could mean attending in-person ceremonies later in 2020 or next year, or to attend a virtual graduation. 

Heriot Watt University has not made any formal announcement but is expected to follow suit by the middle of the week.

Edinburgh Napier, meanwhile, is still working on the basis that its July ceremonies will go ahead, but is working up contingency plans if the situation changes.

A spokesman told the Evening News: ‘Graduations are the highlight of the year at Edinburgh Napier and, as it stands, we hope to be able to hold our ceremonies as planned at the Usher Hall in early July.

‘However, the Coronavirus situation is fast moving and we are working on contingency plans to ensure that all eligible students will be able to graduate in the event that we have to postpone these particular ceremonies.

‘As a result, we will soon open graduation registration. This will allow us to issue graduation parchments and graduate all eligible students in absentia whether ceremonies go ahead or not.’

A spokesperson for Universities UK said: ‘Universities are keeping the situation under constant review and will be making their own assessments, working in conjunction with public health officials in their area, to make decisions about graduations and other events.

‘Graduation ceremonies due to take place in April have generally been postponed, and planning teams will be looking at summer graduations as the time approaches and situation evolves.

‘Universities will do everything they can to ensure all students have the chance for a graduation ceremony, but cannot guarantee these ceremonies will happen as originally scheduled due to the changing nature of this situation.’

The Office for Students said: ‘A variety of online and remote options are being explored to ensure that students are fairly assessed for their work and that qualifications can be awarded securely.

‘Guidance has been sent by the Office for Students to universities outlining their regulatory requirements and expectations on issues of teaching and assessment, and universities will be led by this guidance.

‘A key consideration is that different students have different needs and some will require greater support or for suitable alternative arrangements to be made to online provision and universities will try to be as accommodating as they can.

‘In some cases, depending on the course discipline and institution, it may be possible to decide a student’s degree result or whether they can progress on the basis of work they have already completed.

‘Universities recognise the importance to students of final results in which they have confidence and feel reflect their work, and are working through the considerations for different courses to ensure a fair and consistent approach is taken throughout.’ 

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