Matriculation
Matriculation is the formal, centuries-old, ceremony by which you are entered into the register of the University (from the Latin for register, matricula), and hence become official members of the University, and is a celebratory and exciting affair!
You must attend this in order to become a member of the University of Oxford. If you have not matriculated, you cannot sit examinations or graduate!
Further information will be sent out by email but ensure you review the below guides.
Matriculation will take place at 7.45am on Saturday the 19th of October and your attendance is mandatory.
The day will begin in College, where you will be registered and your attendance will be confirmed, and where you will join in a group photograph with everyone else in the College who is matriculating at the ceremony.
After this, you will process to the Sheldonian Theatre, lead by Andrew Allen, our Dean of Degrees. The ceremony itself is short and conducted in Latin, but don’t worry, there is nothing that you need to do or say. The ceremony is a presentation and a celebration – not a test! Students stand for the short ceremony in order to maximise space in the Sheldonian Theatre, but if you have accessibility or special requirements please inform the Dean of Degrees, Andrew Allen, or Katharine Perry in the Academic Office.
Once the ceremony is complete, you will return to College, where you will sit down to a congratulatory brunch in Hall with your fellow fully-fledged members of the University of Oxford. There will also be professional photographers present, and you will have the opportunity to step out to have a portrait taken of you to mark the event.
Whilst Matriculation is a joyful and exciting event, it is also absolutely obligatory to attend. Matriculation takes precedence over all other activities. Non-attendance is a disciplinary affair. If you do not attend a ceremony within two terms of your initial intended graduation, you will not be able to sit examinations, which means you will not be able to graduate, and your first year’s fees will be forfeit, so it’s extremely important that you attend the ceremony! Make certain you do not make other arrangements for this day.
The University does not allow guests to attend matriculation ceremonies and we are unable to accommodate them at the celebrations afterwards.
Unless you are an organ or choral scholar, you will begin your career at Oxford wearing a Commoner’s gown. This is a sleeveless gown worn by students taking undergraduate or undergraduate master’s degrees that falls to around the hip, with streamers coming from the shoulders. If you are a student reading for a graduate level-master’s degree or DPhil then you should wear the Advanced student’s gown (also sometimes known as a Graduate gown) is a black gown similar in style to the Commoner’s gown, but reaches the knees.
You will also have to wear academic headwear! The majority of students opt to carry mortarboards; these can be worn outside, but must be carried indoors. Traditionally, women had the option of wearing a soft cap; this was often pinned to the hair, and so those who choose to wear the soft cap do not need to remove it indoors.
In addition to your gown and headwear, matriculation will be the first time you wear sub fusc. From the Latin subfuscus, meaning ‘dark brown’ (though it is actually black!) or ‘subdued in colour’, sub fusc refers to the clothes that you will wear under your gown for all official University occasions, including matriculation, examinations, and eventually, your graduation.
There are strict rules regarding the items of clothing you have to wear for sub fusc, but within those rules you can wear what you want, regardless of gender.
1. One of:
- Dark suit with dark socks, or
- Dark skirt with black tights or stockings, or
- Dark trousers with dark socks
2. Dark coat, if required, worn beneath the gown
3. Black shoes
4. Plain white collared shirt or blouse
5. White bow tie, black bow tie, black full-length tie, or black ribbon
Plus:
- The appropriate academic gown
- Mortar board or soft cap
The shirt or blouse must be white, not beige or cream or grey. Clothing must be plain and as dark as possible; very dark grey or navy may be permitted, but pinstripes or patterns are not.
Socks, tights and stockings must be worn and must cover the ankle entirely. There should be no gap between the bottom of the trouser leg or skirt and the top of the socks or stockings.
If you wear a head dress / scarf for religious reasons, a black scarf should be worn. If you wish to wear a face mask, the mask must be plain black.
Shoes should be sensible and plain black; patterns are not allowed. Heels should be of a sensible height, and pointed or stiletto heels are not permitted inside the Sheldonian.
In practice, students who identify as male often wear black suits with a white shirt and white bow tie, and students who identify as female often wear a black skirt or trousers, with a white shirt and black ribbon, but wear whichever combination you feel most comfortable in!
You will need to provide your own sub fusc, gown, and headwear. You can easily purchase academic dress from several specialist clothing shops in the city: the staff there will be happy to help you if you’re in doubt about what you need. The three outfitters in the city are Ede & Ravenscroft, Shepherd & Woodward, and Walters of Oxford, right down the road from Exeter on Turl Street!
The University website also has information on the regulations relating to academic dress.
Some of the Oxford outfitters will offer Freshers’ packages and discounts. Should we receive any we will make them available to you below:
