Graduation should be a celebratory moment for students and their families that is hosted by the University in recognition of their achievements. However, for many students, the cost of attending graduation is prohibitive. ThinkStudent estimated in 2022 that the average cost for a student of attending their graduation is £200, once tickets, guest tickets, gowning and photography have been factored in. In a cost of living crisis it’s easy to see how this price tag could put people off attending.
Most universities require students to wear academic dress for their graduation ceremony, and the cost of hiring or purchasing this is an unavoidable cost students have to bear. At Liverpool the University directs students that regalia should be ordered from the ‘University of Liverpool’s official robemakers only’ – a company called Ede and Ravenscroft, who charge £45 to rent a bachelors gown set, or £240 to buy it.
What most students don’t realise is that a proportion of the money they are forced to spend on gown hire goes directly back to the University. A freedom of information request in 2016 revealed that Ede and Ravenscroft pay Liverpool University a 20% commission on gown hire, and also offer further benefits such as free gowning for University staff. This inflates the cost for students, who are given no choice about where to hire their gown and have no say over the arrangement between the supplier and the University.
Whilst there are other suppliers who offer gowns, caps and hoods that comply with the University of Liverpool regulations, they have told us that Liverpool have taken steps to prevent students choosing where they order their gowns. Oliver Adkins, co-founder of alternative gown supplier Churchill Gowns, that offers lower cost gown hire for UK students, told us that:
“We have had examples in the past of students who have booked gowns for Liverpool graduations, canceling their orders because the University has told them they will not be allowed to graduate unless they are wearing an Ede and Ravenscroft gown. Our products are identical to those offered by Ede and Ravenscroft and we have had hundreds of Liverpool students wear them to ceremonies undetected, so we know it is not an issue of conformity. It is simply the University making threats to protect their arrangement with their supplier, and the commission they receive.”
The University has also prevented the Liverpool Guild of Students from allowing other gown suppliers to advertise to students. Last month a representative from the Guild informed Churchill Gowns that they would not be able to take advantage of advertising opportunities offered to other firms ‘due to an exclusivity agreement the University have with another gown provider’. This is in spite of the fact that the Guild claims to be independent of the University and represent the interests of students.
As a result Liverpool students feel they are left with little choice but to pay higher prices for a poorer service. Ede and Ravenscroft, who also provide the graduation photography at Liverpool, have a ‘bad’ 1.5 star rating on Trustpilot based on their poor customer service and failure to deliver photography packages students have ordered.
Oliver believes that this is a direct consequence of universities stifling competition in the market, and that the service to students will not improve as long as they continue to do so:
“In situations where a University is forcing students to shop with one supplier, they are creating a monopoly. This means that the ‘official’ supplier has zero incentive to improve their services or lower their prices because they know students are forced to shop with them regardless. Churchill Gowns was set up by students, for students, to challenge this and offer an affordable and sustainable choice for graduation gowns. Our amazing customer feedback shows we are succeeding, however it is a real shame that some Universities do not recognise this as a benefit to their students and are instead focussed on protecting their own financial interests.”
