After careful consideration, the University has decided that our winter 2020 graduation ceremonies which were due to take place on 8 and 9 December 2020 cannot proceed as planned.
All the decisions we have made in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been informed by our duty of care to our students, their families, our staff and our wider responsibilities to our community. We cannot guarantee that the UK will be sufficiently free of risk, or the current restrictions on public life will have been eased by December, to allow graduation ceremonies to proceed. We are also mindful that it would be difficult for students who have returned home to make travel plans with their families, given the current situation.
We fully understand that our ceremonies are a special time to celebrate your achievements with friends and family, and the disappointment that you will be feeling at this decision. It has been taken with great reluctance.
This decision only relates to the ceremonies planned for December 2020. It does not affect your opportunity to graduate as a student or the award of your degree. Certificates will be posted to graduating students at the address you provide once the University has approved the awards.
What will happen next
In early October, we will email all students who were expected to graduate at a Winter 2020 ceremony.
We will ask you to tell us:
the address to which we should send your degree certificate
whether you would like to be invited to a graduation ceremony in the future
We will also ask you to let us know your views on a number of possible options for participation in future ceremonies, so please let us know how you would prefer to celebrate the award of your degree at that point.
If you were expecting to to be graduating in Winter 2020 but have not received the email by the week commencing 12 October please contact graduation@bath.ac.uk.