Visa assistance for your graduation ceremony

You can attend your graduation ceremony on your student visa if it hasn’t yet expired.

If you’re outside the United Kingdom and plan to re-enter for your graduation ceremony, you could be questioned upon re-entry to the UK. You can’t guarantee that Border Force officials will allow you to re-enter the UK. To support your re-entry on your student visa, we advise carrying the following evidence in your hand luggage:

• A copy of the Home Office's Student route caseworker guidance, which outlines permission to re-enter the UK on a Student visa  
• Your graduation booking confirmation email and evidence of any onward travel, or evidence of your eligibility to apply for the Graduate route visa before your Student visa expires. 

Important to know:

• If you have a valid Student visa and plan to enter as a student, do not apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA). Visa holders do not need an ETA, and this could cause problems with your student visa. 
• If you’re planning to apply for the Graduate route visa, you will need to re-enter as a student. This is because you’re not eligible to apply for the Graduate route visa if you enter the UK as a visitor. For more information, please see our article What is the Graduate visa?

You can't apply for a Student visa to attend your graduation ceremony.  UK Visa and Immigration (UKVI) expect you to re-enter the UK as a visitor if you're travelling for this purpose.

For further guidance, please see our article Travelling to the UK as a Visitor.

Important to know: Non-visa nationals travelling to the UK as a visitor now must have an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) before travelling. You can find out more in our article Travelling to the UK as a visitor, under 'Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)'. This applies to all non-visa nationals, including the EU, from 2 April 2025.