We understand that circumstances may mean you will be unable to attend your allocated Graduation ceremony. This policy sets out the steps you can take if you need to request a deferral.
How to request a deferral
As a Graduand, ahead of your Graduation ceremony taking place, you will receive an invitation to Graduation, letting you know the time, date and details of your ceremony.
If you are unable to attend your allocated ceremony, you can submit a formal request to defer your attendance at Graduation by completing the deferral request form included in the invitation. This must be submitted by the deadline which will be included in your invitation email. You may also be asked to provide evidence.
A formal deferral of a ceremony is only granted to graduands who have received a conferred award that makes them eligible to attend their original degree ceremony.
Invitees who have not achieved graduand status (i.e. do not hold a conferred degree award by the cut-off date to be eligible to attend the ceremony) are not required to submit deferral request and will be invited to a future ceremony, as and when their degree is awarded.
Timeline for requesting a deferral
You must submit a formal deferral request up to and including seven calendar days after the date of the ceremony. No requests after this date will be accepted and only requests made via the formal deferral request form will be considered.
Once your request is received, it will be considered by the Student Records Manager and you will be informed of the outcome.
You can only request to defer for the next scheduled round of Graduation ceremonies. City, University of London offers two rounds of Graduation ceremonies each year, normally in January and July.
If you require a further extension after that, you will need to wait for your next invitation to Graduation and use the link in it to submit a new form, which will be reviewed by the Student Records Manager.
Circumstances when you can request a deferral
There are a range of circumstances where you can request a deferral. Please note, when you request a deferral, it is not guaranteed that it will be approved - each case will be considered individually by the Student Records Manager, or their appointed nominee and will only be permitted in exceptional circumstances.
Situations which qualify an invitee for deferral include:
- A death in the family
- Serious illness of the graduand or in the graduand’s family (including a positive test for Covid-19)
- Confirmation of difficulties with obtaining your visa to attend a Graduation
- Confirmation of your flight or other travel cancellations
- A pre-arranged event which cannot be easily cancelled, for example a wedding, booked work conference or job interview, a family holiday, a house move, a medical operation or specialist appointment or the birth of a child.
- Financial difficulties which prevent you from attending Graduation.
If you have any other reason for requesting a deferral not covered by the list above, please complete the request form and provide as much information as possible about the background to your request.
In all of the above circumstances, the Student Records Team may request a form of evidence supporting the deferral request before any final decision is reached.
Where a deferral is approved, this does not, in any circumstances, guarantee or secure tickets for you and your and guests to the deferred ceremony – you will need to book the tickets in the same way as everyone invited to Graduation. Any future invitation to your Graduation ceremony will be subject to the same Terms and Conditions.