Students will no longer have to pay the £11 for their own ticket to graduation, however there has been an accompanying increase in the cost for guest tickets which may end up costing some students more.
After working collaboratively with the University, ENSA are pleased to announce that students will no longer have to pay the £11 for their own ticket to graduation.
Edinburgh Napier have followed several other Scottish Universities, who have also recently abolished their graduation fees. This campaign was first brought to the forefront by the National Union of Students (NUS) at the end of 2018, following research which found that graduation ceremonies can cost as much as £225, with attendance costing as high as £70 for a ticket alone.
Although this is a fantastic move to help ensure that all students can afford to graduate, unfortunately there has also been an accompanying increase in the cost for guest tickets, in order to cover some of the shortfall.
This means that buying more than 3 additional guest tickets will actually make the overall price higher than before.
THE NEW COST OF GRADUATION
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Costs for Graduation Ceremony Tickets
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2017/18
|
2018/19
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Student Only
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£11
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FREE
|
|
Guest Ticket
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£11
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£15
|
|
Student plus one guest
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£22
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£15
|
|
Student plus two guests
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£33
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£30
|
|
Student Plus three guests
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£44
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£45
|
|
Student plus four guests
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£55
|
£60
|
|
Student plus five guests
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£66
|
£75
|
The University have stated that the reason for increasing the guest ticket prices is to cover high venue hire costs, incurred because Edinburgh Napier does not have a facility large enough to hold the graduation ceremonies and are required to hire out the Usher Hall five times across the academic year.
Although ENSA understands that the University needs to cover these costs, your Elected Officers will continue to provide suggestions to ensure that no student is disadvantaged due to their finances.
Our next steps will be to try to ensure that the University establishes a ‘graduation specific discretionary fund’ which will cover some, if not all, of the cost of graduating for students that are struggling financially.
We would also hope that this fund will be able to help students that struggle with other costs associated with graduating, such as gown hire and photography.
We believe the graduation is a fundamental part of your student experience and look forward to continuing to work with the University, bringing a positive and inclusive approach, to ensure that all students are able to take part in their graduation.