GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT PROCEEDING TO DEGREE
Degrees are conferred at a ceremony called a Congregation of the Regent House, the formal Governing Body
of the University, held in the Senate House. Congregations are held eight times a year. In June there are
also three special days called ‘General Admissions’ at which LL.M., M.Eng., M.Sci., M.Math., Vet.M.B.,
Mus.B., B.A., and B.Th., Degrees only are conferred. The presentation of candidates is always a College
matter. The Praelector is the Officer, under the College Statutes, charged with the responsibility of
presenting Wolfson’s graduands to the University for its approval.
It is possible for a Degree to be conferred in absentia, but as many graduands as possible are encouraged to
attend the ceremony. It is not impersonal and nearly all find the day enjoyable for themselves, their families
and friends, even if it does rain! If you graduate in absence it is not possible to graduate in person at a
later date.
APPLYING TO PROCEED TO YOUR DEGREE
Below is a list of the dates of future Congregations at which you can proceed to your Degree along with further
particulars. Attached is an Application to Proceed to Degree form for you to complete and return by email to:
praelector-secretary@wolfson.cam.ac.uk or alternatively by post to: Mrs Jane Reilly, Tutorial Office, Wolfson
College, Barton Road, Cambridge CB3 9BB.
REQUIREMENTS TO PROCEED
 We need to receive your completed application form at LEAST 15 DAYS before the date on which you
want to take your Degree whether it is in person or in absentia. Please note for May or July dates we may
not be able to accommodate all applicants. If this is the case we will email you and suggest further dates.

Graduate students - confirmation of approval for the Degree must have been received by the College from
the Board of Graduate Studies.

All graduands must be clear of all College debt. Please note you will not be able to attend in person,
either to the Senate House or to attend the formal lunch, if you have outstanding debts. The College
would, therefore, only present you in absentia. Contact the Finance department, phone (01223) 335913
or email finance@wolfson.cam.ac.uk to ensure that you have settled all bills before making arrangements
to proceed to your Degree.
If you are not sure whether these conditions have been met, it would be sensible to check, please email:
praelector-secretary@wolfson.cam.ac.uk before making travel arrangements.
DEGREES IN ABSENTIA
To those wishing to take their Degree in absentia the preceding criteria will still apply. The College will post
the Degree certificate and, where relevant, the academic transcript to you when it has been received from
the University approximately three – four weeks after the ceremony.
DEGREE DAY ARRANGEMENTS FOR THOSE TAKING THEIR DEGREES IN PERSON: Please note information
below about the number of guests permitted for the May and July Congregations.

Contact: It is important that you complete the Application to Proceed to Degree form with an accurate
email address (NOT your @cam, unless you are continuing onto a further course), phone or fax number
where you can be contacted in the seven days before the Congregation you have chosen. If this is not
possible you should contact Mrs Jane Reilly in the Tutorial Office, phone: (01223) 335978 or email:
praelector-secretary@wolfson.cam.ac.uk during the week before the Congregation (giving your name) to
confirm details such as timings etc
Updated January 2016
1

Dress: You should wear your academical dress (see below for information on dress).

Graduation Timing: The actual time of the graduation ceremony will not be known until EIGHT days prior to
the day. Wolfson’s graduation is usually any time between 2.00 pm and 5.30 pm, depending on the number
of graduands from other Colleges. On arrival please assemble in the room specified in the programme,
together with your luncheon guests.

Guests for the Senate House Ceremony: Due to safety considerations the number of guests permitted in
the Senate House is limited to three per graduand and entry is by ticket only. If a guest is already a
member of the University’s Roll of Regent House an entry ticket is not required, but a gown must be worn.
Guest tickets will be issued to you at the dress inspection on the morning of the Congregation.
Your guests will not walk with you to the Senate House. They will be required to make their own
arrangements to get there. Because of parking problems we advise guests either to walk or take a taxi to
the Senate House, which can be ordered on the day from the Freephone in the Porters’ Lodge. You will be
informed of the precise timetable for guests when we meet at College on the morning of your ceremony.
Please be aware that the service at the Senate House is usually about 50mins. Degree congregations are
not suitable for children under 5 years of age.

Photographs: Photography is not allowed in the Senate House; however, an official photograph will be
taken as you receive your degree. This will be sent to you by the College, free of charge, approximately
three to four weeks after the ceremony, with your transcript.

Degree Day Celebratory Meals: You are invited to a Formal Lunch at Wolfson College on the day of your
degree ceremony with a maximum of three guests, two of which are at the College’s expense. You will be
charged £15 (to your College account) if you wish to invite a third guest. Formal invitations are not issued.
Children aged 10 and under receive their meal free of charge.
ACADEMICAL DRESS
The correct academical dress to hire may seem a complicated matter. See the flow chart on page 5 to
determine your correct dress. The robemakers in town are normally quite helpful about this (but they do
sometimes get it wrong). Academical dress can be hired from any robemaker in Cambridge. Three are listed
below and there are others: the items must be collected personally, despite websites indicating that
academical dress will be delivered to the College!
Please note: The College does have an extremely limited selection of academical dress to hire on a strictly
first-come-first-served basis. If you wish to make use of this option, and want to hire a gown, please indicate
your height when making the application.
Cambridge Robemakers
Ryder & Amies, 22 Kings Parade, Cambridge CB2 1SP phone: 01223 350371 fax: 01223 315883
email: rental@ryderamies.co.uk website: http://www.ryderamies.co.uk
Ede & Ravenscroft, 71-72 Trumpington Street, Cambridge CB2 1RJ phone: 01223 350048 fax: 01223 354173
website: http://www.edeandravenscroft.co.uk
A E Clothier, 7 Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3QY. Tel: 01223 354339
email: sales@aeclothier.co.uk website: http://www.aeclothier.co.uk
Updated January 2016
2
RULES FOR THOSE PROCEEDING TO DEGREE IN PERSON
(Extracted by the Praelector from notes issued by the Proctors)

A person who already holds a Degree of the University of Cambridge wears the gown and hood of the
highest Degree he or she has already received from the University. Candidates for the PhD who already
have an MPhil must wear the MPhil gown and blue MPhil hood. (See flow chart on page 5)
For any person who does not already hold a Degree from Cambridge University, the following
regulations apply: - those proceeding to an undergraduate degree wear the undergraduate gown for
graduate Colleges (it has a blue button and string on each sleeve). For those proceeding to a graduate
degree (LLM, MCL, MPhil, MASt, MFin, MRes, MEd, MSt, MBA, PhD) the MA status gown is worn, with
the hood of the Degree (or the higher of the Degrees, if taking two at the same time), which he or she is
to receive. (See flow chart on page 5)

For medical and veterinary graduands special arrangements have been made - see below.

A person being admitted to a Degree by incorporation or to the MA Degree under Statute B II 2 wears
the gown and hood of the Degree he or she is to receive.

Under no circumstances should the academical dress of another university be worn by a graduand.
WHAT TO WEAR AT GRADUATION
As graduation is a formal occasion, an appropriate standard of dress is expected. The dress code below is
strictly enforced at ceremonies, and if you do not observe it, you may not be permitted to graduate on a
particular occasion. Your Praelector or Presenter is able to offer further advice on dress.
Dress Option One





A dinner jacket or black, very dark grey or very dark blue lounge suit. These must be dark enough not
to contrast obviously with a black gown.
A plain, long-sleeved, collared, white shirt.
Formal black shoes. Sandals are not permitted.
Unpatterned black or very dark grey socks.
White bow-tie and bands must be worn.
Dress Option Two

A black, very dark grey or very dark blue skirt suit or trouser suit, or a dark skirt without a jacket, or a
dark, long-sleeved dress. These must be below the knee and dark enough not to contrast obviously with
a black gown.
 A plain, long-sleeved, white shirt or blouse (unless a long-sleeved dress is worn).
 Formal black shoes. Sandals are not permitted.
 Unpatterned black, nearly-black, or natural coloured hosiery.
 A white bow-tie and bands may be worn (optional) but only with a properly collared white shirt.
A black cassock may be substituted for a dark suit, skirt or dress in either Dress One or Two, but it must be
worn with either a white bow-tie and bands or a clerical collar and bands.
Headdress
The square cap, or 'mortarboard', is optional for graduands at Cambridge. If you do decide to wear one on
the day, you should take it off and carry it in your left hand inside the Senate-House.
Jewellery
Conspicuous jewellery and hair accessories are not permitted.
PLEASE CONTACT THE PRAELECTOR IF YOU WISH TO WEAR NATIONAL DRESS
The Praelector must request of the Proctors, special dispensation if you wish to wear national dress.
praelector-secretary@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
Updated January 2016
3
MEDICAL AND VETERINARY GRADUANDS: ACADEMICAL DRESS

Medics and Vets are slightly different. Vet students being admitted VetMB must wear the BA gown and
hood in the Senate House, unless they already have the MA. However, when being admitted MA after
graduating VetMB, the VetMB gown and hood must be worn (often the robemakers get this point
wrong: do not be misled).

Medical students, after passing their Final MB examination have the degree of BChir automatically
conferred upon them. During the calendar year following, they may supplicate (apply) to take the MB
degree at any Congregation except at General Admission, but, if they do not, at the expiry of the year,
the MB is automatically conferred upon them in exactly the same way as the BChir.

The dress for proceeding to the MB in person is the gown and hood of the highest degree the graduand
already possesses, normally the BChir, except that those with the Cambridge BA may choose to wear
the BA gown and hood if they wish.

Possessors of the BChir being admitted to the MB who did their pre-clinical training elsewhere do not
have this option. They must wear the gown and hood of the BChir. This is the hardest combination of
robes to hire and graduands must be sure that they have the right combination. The gown has three
parallel cords on the sleeve and the hood has no fur edging to the tippet.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The Master of Arts (MA) Degree: (apart from certain holders of University and College Offices). The degree
of MA may only be conferred upon BAs of this University. The MA may be conferred at any time after six
years have passed following the first term of residence, provided that at least two years have elapsed since
admission as BA. Essentially, therefore, the MA may be conferred in or after the twentieth term after
matriculation. Former affiliated students should remember that their first term in Cambridge is counted as
their fourth for these purposes.
Further information about graduations can be obtained from www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/degrees
CONGREGATIONS OF THE REGENT HOUSE AT WHICH DEGREES MAY BE CONFERRED
2015-16
Michaelmas 2015
24 October
28 November
2016–17:
Michaelmas 2016
22 October
26 November
Lent 2016
23 January*
20 February *
19 March (in absence only)
Easter 2016
23 April
14 May***
25 June **
Lent 2017
28 January *
25 February *
25 March (in absence only)
Easter 2017
29 April
20 May ***
1 July **
Long Vacation 2016
16 July***
Long Vacation 2017
22 July ***
* Students may attend in person, but please note there will be no Formal Lunch. You may sign up for Formal
Hall the night before if you wish.
**General Admission (LLM, MEng, MSci, MMath, VetMB, MusB, BA, and BTh Degrees only)
***Extremely busy congregations, book early
Updated January 2016
4
DRESS TO WEAR AT GRADUATION FOR WOLFSON STUDENTS
Do you already possess a Cambridge degree?
Yes
Gown and hood of the
highest Cambridge degree
already held
No
Have you just completed an undergraduate
(i.e. BA or BTh) course
(For MEng or MSci + BA see below)
No
You have been a graduate student without a
previous degree from this University.
What now is your age?
Under 24
BA Status gown
(without strings) plus hood of
the degree to
be taken:
PhD
MPhil
MRes
MASt
LLM
MBA
MFin
MEd
MSt
Red
Royal Blue
Dark Plum Red
Gold Silk
Pink
Green
Light Green
Light Blue
Yellow
Yes
Undergraduate gown for the
Graduate Colleges and a
BA or BTh Hood (black
lined/white fur)
24 & over
MA Status gown (without
strings) plus hood of the
degree to
be taken:
PhD
MPhil
MRes
MASt
LLM
MBA
MFin
MEd
MSt
Red
Royal Blue
Dark Plum Red
Gold Silk
Pink
Green
Light Green
Light Blue
Yellow
MB Students usually have the BChir awarded prior to qualifying for the MB degree.
Consequently they wear the BChir gown and hood at the ceremony for awarding the MB.
MEng and MSci students take their masters degree at the same time as their BA.
They wear the undergraduate gown and the respective hoods:
MEng
black cloth lined with bronze silk
MSci
black silk lined with pink and light blue silk
Full information at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress_of_the_University_of_Cambridge
Updated January 2016
5
APPLICATION TO PROCEED
TO DEGREE
Please use BLOCK CAPITALS if you are completing this form by hand.
Return either by email to: praelector-secretary@wolfson.cam.ac.uk
or by post to: Mrs Jane Reilly, Tutorial Office, Wolfson College, Barton Road, Cambridge CB3 9BB
1.
Surname
Title
All Other Names
Date of Birth
CRSID if known
(dd/mm/yyyy)
2.
CONTACT DETAILS
Email Address
(Email is the preferred method of contact. Please use an address where you can be reached during the two weeks before
the date you have chosen to proceed. NOT your @cam, unless you are continuing onto a further course). The timetable of
proceedings (and any late changes) will be sent to this address.)
Telephone
Fax
Full Postal Address (This is also the address to which your free photograph and transcript will be sent)
3.
Degree to which you are proceeding:
PhD/ MPhil/MA/BA/MSt/Med/Other (specify)
4a. Do you wish to take your degree In Person?
YES / NO
If YES, complete all questions on both pages of this form.
If NO, continue to Q4b and Q5 only. Ensure your contact details in Q2 are correct.
4b. Are you already a graduate of Cambridge?
YES / NO
If YES, what CAMBRIDGE degree/s do you already have?
MPhil/MA/BA/other (specify)
5.
At which Congregation do you wish your degree to be conferred?
(See General Information letter for dates and enter the date)
6.
CONFERRING YOUR DEGREE IN PERSON
The degree will be conferred using the Trinitarian formula (in nomine, Patris et Filii et Spiritus
Sancti (in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit) unless you ask for it to be omitted.
Do you wish the Trinitarian formula to be used?
Further details about Congregations can be found here:
www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/congregations and www.admin.cam.ac.uk/univ/degrees
Updated January 2016
YES / NO
…/continued
6
7.
ADMISSION TO THE SENATE HOUSE
This is by ticket only and the College is allowed a maximum of three Guest Tickets per Graduand.
You do not need a ticket for yourself, or for a child who will sit on an adult’s lap.
If a guest is a member of the University’s Roll of the Regent House, a ticket will not be required but a
gown must be worn.
If you attend lunch the number of tickets you receive will match the number of lunch guests you
bring. If you are NOT attending lunch please indicate the number of guest tickets required.
(Please circle)
8.
0
OR
1
OR
2
OR
3 (max)
FORMAL LUNCH AT WOLFSON COLLEGE
For all Congregations at which Wolfson presents ‘in person’, you are invited to attend a
Formal Lunch on the Degree Day, to which you are entitled to bring two guests at the College’s
expense. You may invite one further guest at your own expense (£15), which will be charged to
your College account.
Attending children must be included in guest numbers - there is no charge for a child aged ten
years or under.
I wish to attend the Formal Lunch
YES / NO
Please include any special dietary or other requirements you may have
Please print below the names of all your guests (and their relationship to you, including ages of
children) whom you would like to invite to accompany you to the Lunch:
Name of Lunch Guest
Their relationship
to you
Special diet, high chair or
other requirement
Age if a
child
1
2
3
(chargeable)
Thank you and we hope you and your guests have a wonderful day,
Dr B D Cox and Mrs J Reilly
Updated January 2016
7