Conferring Ceremony FAQs

Please log a call with Information Technology Division (ITD). All students have access to their student email account for three months after their graduation. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure they maintain access to their student email account.

All eligible students will receive a detailed email with all information required regarding conferring ceremony times, location, gowning, photography, etc.

You are required to confirm your attendance or non-attendance via the University Concert Hall (UCH) online registration link, which will be sent to you by email from ceremonies@ul.ie to your UL student email account. Students who choose not to attend will be conferred in absentia and must complete the in absentia form. All graduands, i.e. students due to graduate at a specific ceremony, will be sent details about their graduation ceremony to their UL student email and listed personal email accounts from ceremonies@ul.ie. 

If you have any difficulty accessing your UL student email account please contact ITD via their TopDesk facility.

If you do not register for your graduation via the link provided before the stated deadline, you will not be allowed to attend your graduation ceremony and will be conferred in absentia.

When you arrive on the UL campus on the day of your conferring ceremony, you should proceed directly to EG-0 10 (on the ground floor of the main building) to collect your academic robes from Phelan Conan. You must then proceed to the basement of the Foundation Building to register and to be lined up in alphabetical order for your ceremony.

As this is a time-consuming process, we require all students to be in the basement in advance of their ceremony start time (i.e. 10:00 for morning ceremony, 14:00 for afternoon ceremony). If you arrive after this time, you may be denied access to the ceremony and will be conferred in absentia.

Undergraduate Graduands

The first thing that you should do is request a letter from UL Global confirming that you are a student at UL and due to graduate.  UL Global will provide you with a letter confirming your student status and that you are expected to graduate during conferring ceremonies in 2025. This letter will support your application to obtain  the necessary visa approval.  Please contact: ulglobal@ul.ie 

Masters & Doctoral Graduands 

The UL Doctoral College will provide you with a letter confirming your student status and that you are expected to graduate during conferring ceremonies in 2025. This letter will support your application to obtain the necessary visa approval.  Please contact: DoctoralCollege@ul.ie

Official Documentation 

Official Documents | University of Limerick

These documents are available to request from the Student Portal and then issued to you by Parchment. If you need help, please contact Student Hub Online (TOPdesk). 

Parent/Family Member

If parents/family members wish to attend your graduation in Ireland you should request a letter from UL Global.  This letter will confirm your student status and that you are expected to graduate during conferring ceremonies in 2025.  This letter will support your parents application to obtain  the necessary visa approval.  Please contact: ulglobal@ul.ie 

Nobody else can accept your parchment for you. You must either attend the ceremony or be conferred in absentia.

If you do not attend your ceremony, a hard copy of your parchment will be posted to your registered postal address held by Academic Registry. However, we highly recommend that you complete the In-Absentia form to update your current postal address.

Please note: Any students graduating In-Absentia, will not have their names read out during the ceremony. However, their names will be showcased prior to the graduations on our livestream service. 

It is important that you check your postal address recorded with Academic Registry for accuracy and update it, if necessary, before graduation. See instructions to update your personal details on Student Portal.

Each graduand is eligible to register for one student ticket (Graduand) and two guest tickets for their ceremony.  Requests for additional tickets, if available, can be processed only on the day of your ceremony at the UCH box office. These are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. 

There will be no waiting list for extra tickets.

Children are allowed to attend the conferring ceremony but must have their own ticket and be accompanied by an adult.

The University of Limerick completed a tender process in 2024 for the provision of academic robes for conferrings and honorary doctorate events. The successful contractor appointed was Phelan Conan Ltd. Their contract with the University will run until September 2027. 

All graduands being conferred must wear the correct academic robes as directed by the University of Limerick. Graduands are free to search for academic robes on their own behalf, provided they comply with the Universities dress code. 

We recommend that all graduands book robes with Phelan Conan. 

For booking academic robes, a link will be included in emails issued to graduands by UL Ceremonies Office.

All graduates must pre-book robes with the official robe-makers, Phelan Conan Limited before Midnight Thursday 20^th August 2026. Robes may be pre-booked online at www.phelanconan.com. The pre-paid hire fee is €43.  Robe collection time and location is listed below. 

Should you miss the deadline to pre book online you can still hire your robe at the venue and collect at the time listed below , the hire fee for non-booked robes is €45 and this can be paid by scanning our QR code when collecting robe.

Due to the implementation of a personal 3D secure password during the credit card payment process on https://www.phelanconan.com  Phelan Conan Ltd staff are no longer able to take bookings over the phone. This has been created to protect your online payments and if you don’t already have a 3D secure password you can activate it by following the simple instructions during the booking process.  If you experience any further problems with 3D secure process, please contact your bank.

Robes can be collected from EGO10, Main Building, UL at the below times

Monday 24^th AM Ceremony

Saturday 22^{nd d} Aug. between 11am – 2pm or Monday 24^th between 8am – 10.15am ( Saturday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time) 

Monday 24^th PM Ceremony

Saturday 22^{nd d} Aug. between 11am – 2pm or Monday 24^th between 11.15am – 2.15pm ( Saturday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time) 

Tuesday 25^th AM Ceremony

Monday 24^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Tuesday 25^th between 8am – 10.15am ( Monday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time)

Tuesday 25^th PM Ceremony

Monday 24^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Tuesday 25^th between 11.15am – 2.15pm ( Monday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time)

Wednesday 26^th AM Ceremony

Tuesday 25th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Wednesday 26^th between 8am – 10.15am ( Tuesday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time )

Wednesday 26^th PM Ceremony

Tuesday 25th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Wednesday 26^th between 11.15am – 2.15pm (Tuesday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time)

Thursday 27^th AM Ceremony

Wednesday 26^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Thursday 27^tht between 8am – 10.15am ( Wednesday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time )

Thursday 27^th PM Ceremony

Wednesday 26^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Thursday 27^th between 11.15am – 2.15pm ( Wednesday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time.)

Friday 28^th AM Ceremony

Thursday 27^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Friday 28^th between 8am – 10.15am ( Thursday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time )

Friday 28^th PM Ceremony

Thursday 27^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Friday 28^th between 11.15am – 2.15pm ( Thursday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time )

Saturday 29^th AM Ceremony

Friday 28^th Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Saturday 29^th between 8am – 10.15am ( Friday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time )

Saturday 29^th PM Ceremony

Friday 28^th   Aug. between 3.15pm – 6.15pm or Saturday 29^th between 11.15am – 2.15pm ( Friday collection is strongly advised to ensure you are seated in sufficient time as the ceremony must start on time )

All robes must be returned by 6.15pm on the evening of your ceremony.

The University of Limerick completed a tender process in 2020 for the provision of professional photography for conferrings and honorary doctorate events. The successful contractor appointed was Michael Martin Photography . Their contract with the University will run until February 2027. 

We are currently in the process of preparing documents for new tender for this service, which will be available on e-tender in the coming weeks. 

NameCoach is a tool that allows you to record your name prior to your conferring ceremony. Doing this ensures your name is pronounced correctly by the name caller as you collect your parchment on the stage.

An email is issued to all registered graduands inviting them to record their name on NameCoach.

UL’s official commercial photographer is Michael Martin Photography. See the Professional Photographers section of the Information for Graduands webpage for details.

Once the ceremony commences, it will take between 60 and 90 minutes. 

Therefore, we recommend graduands and their guests bring a bottle of water with them on the day.

All of our Conferring Ceremonies are recorded. 

They can be viewed through our Live Stream Link. 

Live Streaming of each conferring will start approx 15 minutes prior to each graduation start time. 

Doctoral candidates are permitted to defer graduation once. Graduation can be deferred to the next conferring session only (Doctoral Conferring's take place in January, June & August. 

Unfortunately, non Doctoral candidates cannot defer their graduation.

Attending graduands and guests will have access to free car parking on campus on graduation day.

• Have you paid all fees?
• Have you cleared all debts to the University (including outstanding library fines) and returned all books to the library?
• You must do so by May to be eligible to graduate in June.
• You must do so by July to be eligible to graduate in August.
• You must do so by December to be eligible to graduate in January. 

Your official parchment will be withheld by the Fees Office if you have any outstanding fees. Please note that you will receive a blank parchment at your graduation ceremony.

Please contact student.fees.office@ul.ie to clear any outstanding fees you may have. 

Your parchment will be presented to you at your graduation ceremony.  

Academic Registry will send you an email with a link through which you can access a digital copy of your parchment following your graduation ceremony.  

If you do not attend your ceremony, a hard copy of your parchment will be posted to your registered postal address held by Academic Registry. To confirm your preferred postal address, you are required to complete your SI record via this Topdesk link in Academic Registry.

Yes. Light refreshments for all graduates and guests will be provided on the day after the ceremony.

Yes. Parchment framing will be available to all graduates on the day. The service will operate in EG-0-10 (Ground Floor of the Main Building).

University of Limerick conferring ceremonies are formal occasions. Graduands, staff and guests are required to dress accordingly.

• Men should wear a smart suit, shirt and tie and plain black/brown shoes (no boots or runners). 
  Jackets should be buttoned when on stage.
• Women should wear a smart dress or suit (skirt and jacket or trouser suit).
• Robes are compulsory over your dress attire. 

International Graduands

• Wearing traditional clothing from your country to celebrate your cultural heritage at your conferring ceremony is acceptable. Please ensure that your traditional clothing is appropriate attire for a formal academic event.

You can contact the Ceremonies Office at the following: 

Email: ceremonies@ul.ie 

or 

Phone: 061-202118 

Can I stay on campus for a ceremony at UL?
Yes! A limited number of rooms at Brennan Court are available during the academic year for short stays. For summer ceremonies, they offer a wider range of self-catering apartments and houses — ideal for families and groups.
Enjoy modern amenities, scenic surroundings, and direct access to campus events.

Early booking is strongly recommended.

For rates and availability: summer.reservations@ul.ie

Pre-Conferrings

If you know someone that is due to graduate in the upcoming conferring session (Summer [June]; Autumn [August]; Winter [January[), they will be contacted by the Ceremonies Office approx. 6-8 weeks prior to their conferring. They will be sent a registration email with important information in relation to their ceremony .i.e. ticket booking, robe booking, timings etc.

Graduands must register their attendance for their ceremony by booking their 1x student and 2x guest tickets only.

Graduands have the option to pre-book their robe before the stated deadline in the registration email. If they didn’t book their robes, they will be able to rent robes on the day.

One week prior to conferrings, graduands who have registered to attend their ceremony are sent an email specific to their conferring ceremony. This email outlines timings for the day, robe collection times, extra ticket info, photography, livestreaming etc.

Please ensure graduands have sent you your tickets in advance. 2 tickets max.

Conferring dress code: smart casual.

Conferring Day

The conferring ceremonies take place in the University Concert Hall (Eircode: V94 PX58).

Parking will be available for graduands and guests in Carparks P17 and P18 on the day. The carparks are in front of the University Concert Hall. Parking is free on the day. Security will be on hand to advise.

Graduands are required to be robed and ready in the basement of UCH for registration and lining-up at 10h00 (morning ceremonies) and 14h00 (afternoon ceremonies).

Should you happen to arrive early with plenty of time to spare, there are some lovely cafes on campus for you to enjoy:

• Allegro Café (located in the Concert Hall)
• Plaza Café (located in the library)
• The Stables
• Eden Café (located in the main building)

Guests are requested to be seated by 10h40 (morning ceremonies) and 14h40 (afternoon ceremonies). 

N.B. Whilst we do our best to maintain a cool temperature in the building, due to the volume of people it can be very warm. We encourage graduands and guests to bring a bottle of water.

Please note graduands are only able to register for two guest tickets for the ceremony. If you arrive with more than two guests, extra guests will be advised to go to the Jean Monnet theatre to obtain tickets for the viewing room (UCH Box Office). The Jean Monnet is inside the door of the main building entrance. Staff will be on hand to advise.

Ceremonies typically last between 60 – 90 minutes.

N.B. In relation to booking graduation lunches/dinners, please note the above duration of the ceremony whilst also allowing plenty of time to get off campus – campus will be busier than normal during conferring week with heavy traffic expected getting off campus. 

After the ceremony there will be some light refreshments in the atrium of the concert hall.

If you or a loved one are not in a position to attend the ceremony, there will be a livestream available. Please see Livestream FAQ. Alternatively, if you are on campus, there will be livestreams of the conferrings shown in The Stables.

Last but not least, please ensure to enjoy the celebrations! A graduation is not an everyday occurrence, be sure to enjoy every moment with your loved ones. Without your support and guidance, they would not be here today!

If we failed to answer your question, please don’t hesitate to contact us at Ceremonies@ul.ie . We will do our best to respond as soon as possible.

We hope to see you on the big day!

The UL Ceremonies Team