New doctors (promovendi)

The invitation to participate at the Doctoral degree conferment of 2025 will be sent out at the end of May. New doctors must register by 16 June.

In early August the registered promovendi will be able to register with guests for the ceremony and banquet using the link that will be sent from us. If you have not responded by the date of the RSVP, we will assume that you do not want to participate and you will be removed from our register. It is possible to postpone your promotion to another year, but then you must let us know this by submitting the registration form. 

Invitation

You are invited by SLU together with one guest to both the ceremony and  the banquet (at no cost). To facilitate our work with seat allocation at the banquet, you need to state your faculty and department affiliation. You can also give seating requests for yourself and any guests.

Guests

If you wish to invite additional guests, state this on the registration form. The cost for any additional guests is SEK 1100/person.

Webcast

Those who do not get a seat in the auditorium, will be able to follow the ceremony live via SLU's website.

If, for any reason, you need to cancel your participation you need to do that no later than 12 September 2025. After this date, you will be charged a cancellation fee of SEK 1000 to compensate for the cost of material that has been produced for your participation. No cancellation fee will be charged if you can provide a medical certificate.

To cancel, email ceremonier@slu.se.

It is mandatory to wear the doctoral cap or the laurel wreath at the ceremony. What you should wear depends on which doctoral degree you will be awarded. The doctoral ring is not compulsory and will not be handed over at the ceremony. These insignia you need to obtain yourself and at your own cost.

The doctoral hat

It is important that you well in advance check if you have a doctoral degree requiring you to wear a hat. You are responsible to obtain a hat, by buying or borrowing one. You must wear the doctoral hat if you conferred the Degree of Doctor in: 

• agriculture
• forestry
• technology
• veterinary medicine

Each doctoral degree has its own emblem. It is important that you have the right emblem for your doctoral cap (pdf). 

The doctoral hats are made by hand, which is very time-consuming, so do not wait until the last moment. You can order your doctoral hat from Bergmans konfektion, Drottningatan 4 in Uppsala. The last date to order your hat from Bergmans is in the end of August. Call or e-mail for measuring and ordering; +46 (0)18-13 06 63, info@bergmanskonfektion.se.

If you only need to order an emblem for your doctoral hat (borrowed or inherited), you can place an order via:

Goldsmith Stefan Carlsson, Uppsala, tel. +46 (0)18-12 57 08, guldsmed.stefan@me.com. 

Please note that you need to bring your doctoral hat, with your name and the right emblem, to the final rehearsal on 3 October 2025. It will then be stored at the venue until the next day.

Laurel wreath

If you are to be conferred a Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (FD/PhD Philosophy), you wear a laurel wreath. The organisation committee orders all laurel wreaths for the doctoral award ceremony. An invoice for the cost of the laurel wreath will be sent to you after the doctoral award ceremony. 

The organisation committee orders all laurel wreaths to be delivered to SLU and stores them until the day of the doctoral award ceremony.

Doctoral ring

The ring is not mandatory and will not be handed over at the doctoral award ceremony. If you wish to buy a doctoral ring, you can order one from the following goldsmiths:   

• Rolf Guldsmed AB, Uppsala, tel. +46 (0)18-15 05 90
• Goldsmith Stefan Carlsson, Uppsala, tel. +46 (0) 18 12 57 08
• Guldsmeden i Umeå AB, Umeå, tel. +46 (0)90-12 80 30

The diploma

The diploma is the proof that you have been conferred your degree, and has only symbolic meaning. If you do not participate in the ceremony, you do not receive a diploma. 

The final rehearsal is mandatory for all promovendi and other participants in the ceremony. At the rehearsal, we will practise the procession into and out of the Assembly Hall as well as other parts of the ceremony.

• Time: 3 October 2025 at 19:00 (sharp) to approximately 21:30. From 18:00, light refreshments will be served and there will be time to socialise.
• Venue: Assembly Hall, Teaching Building, Campus Ultuna
• Dress code: Informal

Please note that you need to bring your doctoral hat, with your name and the right emblem, to the teaching building. It will then be stored at the venue until the next day.

You are welcome to bring a guest to the rehearsal. 

Preliminary programme for the ceremony at the Assembly Hall in the Teaching Building, Campus Ultuna.

15:00 – The ceremony starts:

• Entrance of the procession
• Welcome speech by the Vice-Chancellor
• Music
• Ceremonial lecture
• Conferment ceremony, by faculty
• Speech by the students’ unions
• Speech by the jubilee doctors
• Music
• The SLU Educational Award
• The SLU Medals for Distinguished Service
• Exit of the procession

17:30 (estimated time) – Closure of the ceremony

Directly after the ceremony, buses for the dinner at Uppsala Castle will leave from outside the Teaching Building. 

For the academic ceremony as well as for the banquet at the castle afterwards, the dress code is full evening/white tie. This means floor-length evening dress (not necessarily black) or tailcoat with a white waistcoat, white bow tie, black socks and black shoes. You may also wear a traditional national costume, provided it is the type used at formal occasions. You can also wear other types of evening dress, but we kindly ask you to consult the master of ceremonies in advance.

The same dress code applies to any guests participating in both the ceremony and the banquet. Please note that there is no time to change between the ceremony and the dinner. The dress code for guests attending only the ceremony is business casual.

Information for 2025 will follow closer to the date.       

Travel costs

In conjunction with the doctoral award ceremony, SLU will reimburse your travel expenses within Sweden, from your place of residence to Uppsala.

For your travel costs to be reimbursed, you need to submit the original tickets and/or receipts as well as your bank details by 5 November to:

Administrativa servicekontoret

Box 7020

750 07 Uppsala

If you are an SLU employee, instead register your travel costs in the Primula self-service portal. Information about which account code to use in Primula can be obtained by emailing ceremonier@slu.se.

SLU does not reimburse costs for:

• accommodation
• travel from abroad
• visa
• any travel costs for your guest and any additional guests
• using own car (only reimbursed if no other travel option is available).

Banquet

You and one guest are invited to the dinner at Uppsala Castle without any cost. For any additional guest, there is a subsidised cost of SEK 1100/person (paid after the event via invoice from SLU). 

Insignia and dress 

SLU does not reimburse costs for the purchase or rent of:

• doctoral hat (mandatory at ceremony)
• laurel wreath* (mandatory at the ceremony)
• doctoral ring (not mandatory)
• formal evening wear

*The laurel wreath is ordered by SLU and you will be charged via invoice.