Students expected to pay an average of £456 to attend graduation, according to Mancunion survey

According to a survey conducted by The Mancunion, undergraduate students are paying an average of just over £450 to attend their July graduation ceremonies.

Students surveyed were asked about their accommodation costs, as well as travel, for themselves and two guests.

Accommodation per night (for three people) ranged massively, from as little as £60 to as much as £962. 

Travel costs, including trains from places like London to aeroplane tickets, varied from £30 to £800. It averaged out to £150.8 for 1 student and their 2 assigned guests.

2025 graduation aligns with the Oasis tour (on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20) which some students attributed high prices to. 

Using survey data as well as available costs listed online, the average cost for one student (with two guests) to graduate in 2025 is £456.81.

This is broken down as:

Accommodation = (average) £262.98Gown = £43Travel = (average) £150.83

Whilst tickets are free, gowns are a requirement for the graduation ceremony. These can be rented for £43 per person.

This does not include additional costs like parking, professional photos, outfits or food and drink.

Professional photo services offered by the University would add an additional £30 to this total. 

Final year students, when asked about the cost of graduation ceremonies, told The Mancunion that "[we are] paying £9250 in fees so it feels like it should be free". This statement was echoed by another student who said the "cap and gown should be free".

The University of Manchester themselves offer two different options for graduation accommodation.

Students and their guests can rent rooms Unsworth Park, one of the University's halls, for £60 per night. 

Each room has an occupancy of 1 person, bringing the cost up to £180 for a graduating student with two guests. 

Whilst this combined £180 is cheaper than the survey average, it still brings total graduation costs (with accommodation for one night) to £373.8.

Additionally, the Hyatt Hotel offers preferential rates on 60 rooms a night between the 7 and 20 of July.

As of March 14, many of these rooms were unavailable. For example, the 16 and 17 of July had no rooms left for graduates.

To make graduation more accessible both the University of Manchester and the Students' Union offer their own funding schemes.

The Students’ Union has an ‘Access to Graduation grant’ for “gown hire, photography, and travel".

To be eligible, recipients must meet one of the criteria. This includes having a disability, estrangement from family, being a parent, being an unpaid carer, or already being a financial assistance recipient.  

The 'Access to Graduation grant' awards a maximum of £200 per student.

Using estimate costs from our survey, attending graduation will on average cost students an addition £256 over the grant maximum.

Even with the reduced Unsworth Park rooms instead of the higher average accommodation cost from our survey, students would still have to pay on average £173.80 out of pocket even with the full grant.

The University of Manchester offers a ‘Cost of Living Support Fund’ which is only for unexpected financial issues. This includes unpredicted costs associated with graduation.

Applications for the Students' Union ‘Access to Graduation grant’ open on May 27 at 12 noon.

University of Manchesters Students' Union was approached for comment.