Quiet Graduation

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BSU offers students a more relaxed experience with ‘Quiet Graduation’

Bath Spa University has held its first ever Quiet Graduation for students who may find attending a traditional ceremony overwhelming. 

The small ceremony, which took place on 25 July at the University’s Newton Park campus, was designed for graduates and their families who may need additional support.  

The Graduation team worked closely with BSU’s Student Wellbeing Services to ensure that the ceremony met the needs of each individual attending. 

Kitty Eve, Disability Service Manager at BSU, said: 

“Bath Spa University has a really diverse community of students who are autistic, neurodivergent and/or experience social anxiety.

"Graduating should be an exciting and enjoyable experience, but it can be overshadowed by anxiety and overwhelm for some students due to the scale of the event, the numbers of people attending and the noise especially, so we wanted to offer an alternative bespoke Graduation that met the needs of all our graduates.” 

Student Wellbeing Services suggested the idea of a Quiet Graduation to the Graduation team in January, and Kitty said “it was a yes straightaway.” The team sent a survey to students to get feedback about the kind of ceremony they wanted and received multiple suggestions for a sensory-friendly experience. 

The event included many of the features of a traditional graduation ceremony, with students given the option to have their name read out, wear academic robes or have traditional portraits taken if they wished. After the ceremony, graduates and their guests were treated to afternoon tea. 

Talking about the ceremony, Kitty said: 

“This event has been a huge team effort. This is just another indication of how inclusive BSU is, and we are so grateful to all colleagues who were involved in making it happen!

"Finding out exactly what students would like has been important. Some chose not to shake hands or wear a cap and gown. There was no clapping. [Our aim was for] every student to have the experience they wanted, all in the beautiful setting of Main House at our Newton Park campus.” 

A student attending the Quiet Graduation said:

“I've been supported throughout my time at Bath Spa. It was lovely to be able to have a graduation ceremony that I could take part in. I didn't feel like I could comfortably take part in a big ceremony, this has been wonderful.” 

A parent reflecting on the celebration added:

“Thank you so much for organizing graduation like this, it's fantastic for our daughter to be able to graduate without being overwhelmed or anxious about taking part. It was a very touching and emotional ceremony” 

The University plans to hold more Quiet Graduations in the future.