Melbourne graduation ceremonies

What to expect

Getting to the venue

Melbourne graduation ceremonies are held at Flemington Racecourse, not far from our Footscray Park campus. If you arrive by car, parking attendants will be on site to direct you to the closest car park.

If you are planning to use public transport, we recommend that you use the  PTV Journey planner to plan your trip. Note that the train station at Flemington Racecourse will not be operating during graduation ceremonies. 

Upon arrival you will follow the signs and make your way to the main entrance of the venue. It is recommended that you arrive 1-2 hours before the ceremony to allow enough time for Check-in, Gowning & Photography.

Registration, gowning & photography

Upon arrival, you will confirm your attendance with REED Events – our graduations partner, who look after ticketing, gowning and photography.

You will be given a seat number that you must keep until you enter the ceremony.

You’ll then be directed through to the regalia area where you get gowned and ready for the celebration and once you’ve been gowned, you will be able to get professional photos taken with your loved ones. There is also graduations memorabilia and flowers available for you or your guests to purchase.

Note that photography will close 30 minutes prior to the ceremony start time, so it’s best to arrive early. There will also be an opportunity to get photography after the ceremony. 

Ceremony & seating

Doors to enter the ceremony will open 60 minutes prior to the start of the presentation.

Graduates need to be seated at least 15 minutes before the ceremony begins, so arrive in plenty of time to find your seat and settle in. Once inside, speak to one of our friendly staff who will help you find your seat number.

Guests will need to have tickets ready to scan to enter the venue. If your guests don't have a valid ticket, they won't be allowed inside. Guests can sit anywhere, so long as there is no sticker on the seat.

Crossing the stage

After some formal proceedings, our staff will direct you to line up and get ready to cross the stage. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for!

You will be briefed about what you need to do on stage and our staff are always happy to help. Once on stage you will get to pose for a photo with your testamur, before returning to your seat.

Order of proceedings

The Order of Proceedings can vary slightly from ceremony to ceremony. However generally the ceremony will run for around 1 hour, in the following format:

• Welcome to Country
• Presiding Officer’s Address
• Presentation of graduates
• Vice-Chancellor’s Address
• Charge to the graduates
• Ceremony Close

Graduate reception

The Graduate reception will take place after the ceremony. This is an opportunity to celebrate with your friends, family and fellow graduates. The reception goes for one hour.

Light refreshments will be provided at the reception.

Gown return & conclusion

After the reception, you will follow the signs to return your gown.

This will conclude your graduation celebration.