Nottingham Trent University’s class of 2020 is finally getting in-person graduation ceremonies six weeks after “freedom day”.
The class of 2020 celebrations are hosted at Clifton Campus and have started on September 1 and will end on September 9.
As the Government removed all COVID-19 legal requirements, the celebrations are being conducted on a non-socially distanced basis.
A statement on NTU’s website reads: “Our buildings are well ventilated with a one-way system for alumni and their guests to move around the venue, with access to hand washing and/or hand sanitiser facilities.
“There will be no requirement to wear face coverings.
“We respect that wearing them is a personal choice, but we would ask that you consider doing so when in enclosed and crowded spaces.
“Attendees may wish to consider taking a lateral flow test before travelling, but this is not a requirement for attending the event.
“We will not require any evidence of vaccination status.”
The celebratory events have been postponed for over a year due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This resulted in graduates feeling strange about returning to campus one more time, to officially celebrate earning their degrees.
Faith Pring, NTU Spanish and Linguistics graduate, said: “It’s exciting to know that in a way we can let go of it now and move on.
“Obviously it’s going to be strange not being in education anymore but I’m looking forward to seeing what happens next.”
She added: “I definitely think it was worth the wait.
“Being able to celebrate the degree with all my course mates and friends and lecturers, it’s what you spend the whole three or four years waiting for.
“It’s proof that those years were a success and although we’ve had to wait for it, I’m happy knowing that it’ll all come to fruition and we can celebrate finishing our degree in the most unprecedented and unexpected way.”
NTU Law graduate Robbie Nichols said: “It feels strange getting a graduation ceremony for a degree I finished more than a year ago but it does now feel like it’s over.
“It’s like I’m actually done with education and can go into my job feeling like I’m actually qualified to be there.”
He added: “I’m not sure if it’s necessarily worth it [having a graduation ceremony], but it will definitely mean I’ll be able to see the friends from my undergrad that I haven’t seen since the first lockdown happened.
“It’s also nice for Trent to offer us one [graduation ceremony] whether it’s worth it or not because a lot of people I know from other unis haven’t gotten one.”
The Winter Graduation is expected to take place between December 13 and December 17.
Students who finished their degrees this summer will soon be invited to register for the Easter 2022 Graduation, which will take place between April 4 and April 14.
All ceremonies can be watched live on NTU’s YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/NottinghamTrentUni.
Lead image: Faith Pring