When you go to University you really have only one aim in mind and that is to graduate. Ironically once you get ther you tend to find it can be a bit of anti-climax. Firstly once you finish you get your results you become a graduand. And provided the University has no problems you go on to graduate.

Firstly you get the Procession of the Arch-Chancellor and others

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into the room where the graduation is going to take place, they all sit down and the Arch-Chancellor will declare the gathering open. From here there is usually someone who is famous who gets a honorary degree and they will stand up and give a speech. Some times its one of the new lecturers or even your head of year. Then comes the Doctorate and masters degrees etc. Finally the Arch-Chancellor is asked to admit all those people who have passed there degrees to the degree of what it is you have studied. And the Arch-Chancellor says "I admit them to the degree". And that's more or less it. You do get to go up on stage and shake hands with the Arch-Chancellor and then your "Graduated". However if you Don't attend the ceremony they admit you to the degree after everyone else has been up to get a handshake. That as they say is it Once this has gone on you get to go and get your certificate ( but not before the hand shake ). Then the Arch-Chancellor gets up and says the shows over and leads all the others out including the graduates.

P.S. This holds true for Keele University please make a comment If there are variatioons for other UK Universites ( for US universitys I suggest that someone write ther own entry).