Graduation 2025

On the first day of August we said goodbye to nearly a 100 graduating students and “hello again” to 30 returning Brasenose graduates who came back to claim their Masters degrees. This historic “MA” award is given to any undergraduate who started their degree 7 years ago or more. We also had a number of students receiving  postgraduate degrees, including four DPhils (doctorates), so this was a celebration of achievements from across the College community.

Students began arriving with family and friends from first thing in the morning, dressed in ceremonial gowns and full of anticipation. Once everyone had gathered, the graduands set off in traditional crocodile formation for a short but memorable walk to Oxford’s iconic Sheldonian Theatre.

The procession began in Brasenose College’s historic Old Quad, winding its way through Radcliffe Square—home to the magnificent Radcliffe Camera, a familiar sight to visitors and film fans alike. From there, the line of students moved through the Bodleian Library’s Old Schools Quadrangle, before arriving at the Sheldonian, the architectural masterpiece inspired by Roman theatres designed by a young Christopher Wren during his tenure as Oxford’s Professor of Astronomy.

Inside the theatre, students were formally presented to the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Proctors in their academic cohorts. After this, they stepped outside briefly to don their graduation hoods—a symbolic moment marking their transition—before re-entering to a wave of applause, officially welcomed as graduates of the University of Oxford. Meanwhile, at Brasenose, some relatives not attending the ceremony in person watched the livestream of proceedings.

After the ceremony, our new graduates (of all varieties) took the opportunity to have many photos of them throwing their mortarboards or posing in front of the gorgeous buildings in the vicinity of the Sheldonian. Shortly after, celebrations kicked off back in College, with canapés, sparkling drinks, and the sounds of a live jazz band. The college quads buzzed with joy as families snapped thousands of photos, laughter rang out across the grounds, and more than a few happy tears were shed.

Arjunan, who graduated with a degree in Economic and Management, commented “I am really happy to be graduating from Brasenose College. I’m surrounded by the best people ever and I don’t think I could have made it without them! I’ve had the time of my life here”

This year 28 of our graduating students received a First Class result, and the vast majority of the rest of our finalists received a 2:1 result. No matter what degree classification they obtained, Brasenose College is incredibly proud of its graduating students, who have enriched our College immeasurably.

Our graduation celebrations wound down mid-afternoon. And although parting is never easy, we say farewell to students who have filled these quads with laughter, curiosity, and purpose, and we do so with the comfort of knowing they will forever remain part of the Brasenose family. Some will stay close, continuing their journey in Oxford through further post-graduate study. Others will scatter across the globe — and hopefully taking some Brasenose spirit with them.

The College now turns toward the future. Over a 100 Freshers will arrive in October, and we will welcome them with open arms. In the meantime, if you interested in being in our 2026 cohort for Oxford University undergraduate study please visit here and also consider engaging with our open day on 19th September. Brasenose will be open and running tours 9am-5pm. In the meantime try the student takeovers on Instagram @brasenosejcr and also have a look at our prospectus. Why not read some students views in blog posts from Brasenose students Dhairya, Olivia, Diana, Alex, Hattie, Sam, Lucy, Jui and Liberty. Brasenose is located at the very heart of the cosmopolitan city of Oxford, and is able to offer single bedrooms to undergraduates for all years of study.

Please also read this news article about our incoming group of freshers, including some admissions statistics.