Postgraduate Degree Ceremonies
Any Member of Magdalene who has fulfilled the appropriate examination and residence requirements may proceed to graduate at Congregation.
Congregations are held throughout the year for those receiving the Cambridge M.A., postgraduate degrees (MPhil, MBA, PhD, etc.), or those unable to attend General Admission. If you are graduating with an MEng, MMath, MSci, VetMB, BA, or BTh, please see the General Admissions page.
Graduation Ceremonies
Applications to graduate will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis.
Magdalene graduands can choose to graduate in person at a ceremony or in absence without attending. Below are the upcoming graduation dates for those whose degrees have been approved. Applications will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis.
Saturday 5 April 2025 - MA Cantab Graduation
This ceremony is exclusively for those receiving their MA Cantab (for Members who matriculated as undergraduates in 2018). Those wishing to graduate with a higher degree on this date must do so in absence.
Deadline: 9am, Monday 10 March 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.
Applications are now closed for MA Cantab graduation
Saturday 3 May 2025
Ceremony for those wishing to graduate in person or in absence.
Celebration Lunch: Graduands attending in person can join a celebratory two-course lunch in Hall with up to two guests after the Senate House ceremony. Lunch is free for graduands, with a £25.00 charge per guest.
Deadline: 9am, Thursday 3rd April 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.
Applications are now closed for this graduation
Payment for Guest Lunches Form
Friday 23 May 2025
Ceremony for those wishing to graduate in person or in absence.
Celebration Lunch: Graduands attending in person can join a celebratory two-course lunch in Hall with up to two guests after the Senate House ceremony. Lunch is free for graduands, with a £25.00 charge per guest.
Deadline: 9am, Thursday 1 May 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.
Payment for Guest Lunches Form
Friday 25 July 2025
Ceremony for those wishing to graduate in person or in absence.
Celebration Lunch: Graduands attending in person can join a celebratory buffet lunch garden party with up to two guests after the Senate House ceremony. Lunch is free for graduands, with a £15.00 charge per guest.
Deadline: 9am, Thursday 3 July 2025. Late applications will not be accepted.
Payment for Guest Lunches Form
Graduation Eligibility
To graduate you must have:
- Received a formal letter of approval from the University confirming the award of your degree, usually sent by the Student Registry, and
- paid all your University fees
Once you have met these requirements, you will need to choose a ceremony date and decide whether to graduate in person or in absence.
Application Process
Graduation applications cannot be submitted via CamSIS and must be completed using the forms linked above.
To apply, submit the relevant application form along with any required payment before the deadline. Applications received less than three weeks before a ceremony cannot be guaranteed a place.
Your degree certificate will display the name recorded by the University’s Student Records Office. If you have changed your name (e.g. after marriage) and wish for it to appear on your certificate, you must contact the Student Registry (for current students) or Student Records (if you have already left) and provide proof of the change.
Payment for Guest Lunches
If you are graduating in person and attending a lunch in College with your guests, there is a charge for guest dining (graduand lunches are free). Guest places must be paid for using the Payment for Guest Lunches Form.
Confirmation letter from the Praelector
After the required checks are completed, the Praelector's Secretary will send you a confirmation email within a month of your selected ceremony date. If you are graduating in person, this will include details of the schedule. The email will be sent to the address provided on your application form.
For standard Congregations (excluding MA Day), proceedings will start at 9 am at the earliest and are normally concluded by 5 pm. Any schedule changes will be communicated by email on the Wednesday before the ceremony, as the University confirms the College's presentation time at the Senate House on the preceding Tuesday.
Provisional Bookings
You can submit a provisional application to graduate before receiving formal approval from the Student Registry, provided that the meeting of the University’s Postgraduate Committee or other relevant body takes place at least five business days before your chosen congregation date.
If this applies to you, special arrangements can be made to complete the necessary administration in time. To ensure this, you should submit your application by the ceremony cut-off date and inform the Praelector’s Secretary at congregations@magd.cam.ac.uk of your circumstances.
The College is not responsible if approval is not granted in time or if you are unable to proceed to your degree for any reason. It also cannot take responsibility for travel arrangements made before you receive confirmation.
Dates for Degree Committee and Postgraduate Committee meetings, where degrees are approved, are available on the University Degree approval and conferment website.
For advice on whether your approval will be issued in time, please consult your supervisor or your Schools, Faculty or Departments Degree Committee Secretary. MPhil approvals are now handled by Degree Committees rather than the Student Registry.
Celebratory Graduations
Members who graduated in absentia between 23 March 2020 and 1 April 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic may return to Cambridge to celebrate their degree at any congregation where Magdalene is presenting students. Those who graduated in absence after 1 April 2022 are not eligible, as normal graduation without restrictions was available.
Since celebrants have already received their degree, it will not be conferred again at Senate House. Instead, a different Latin phrasing will be used during the ceremony.
To register for a celebration ceremony, please complete the in-person application form and select 'yes' when asked if you are celebrating a previously conferred degree.