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Students tell us how to keep graduation outfit costs down

Four newly graduated students tell us how they kept the cost of their dresses and suits down.

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July 25, 2026
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Students tell us how to keep graduation outfit costs down

ByBeverley SegundaBBC Radio 5 Live

Published55 minutes ago

“From the beginning of my course, I’ve been thinking about what my graduation dress was going to be,” says Keerthana Krishnadas. “I had to make sure I looked 10 out of 10, I couldn’t compromise on that.”

She is one of hundreds of thousands of university students graduating this summer and, like many, has been figuring out what to wear for a photo marking one of life’s milestones – without breaking the bank.

“You can save some bucks if you thrift your outfit because you’re only going to wear it once,” says Keerthana. She bought hers second hand. “It was about 80 quid – a bargain.”

The expense of graduation is keenly felt by many students and their families with costs ranging from transport and accommodation to clothing and photographs, says Tom Allingham of budgeting advice site Save The Student.

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“For those who are the first person in their family to go to uni, it’s a big deal for the family and there’s a pressure to celebrate it – even though those students often come from a lower income background,” he says.

The total cost can be hundreds of pounds with savvy students renting, making or thrifting their outfits to save money. Some have taken to social media to share their tips, vent their frustrations and break down the costs of their outfits.

BBC News spoke to students posing for photographs in Salford Quays to find out how they saved money on theirs.

A man wearing a dark blue suit and tie with a black gown and mortar board over the top. Behind him are trees and tall glass buildings with apartments and offices.

Instead of scouring the internet like Keerthana for a bargain, Ehis Oboh asked his younger brother for help.

He is a tailor in Nigeria who designed and made the suit Ehis wore for his ceremony. Ehis now has a master’s degree in international business and says it was important to mark the occasion properly attired, even if it can be financially difficult.

“When you have the funds, there’s no pressure,” he tells me. “But if the funds are not there – let’s say, there’s pressure.”

The cost of renting a cap and gown for the day varies. Undergraduates and postgraduates at the University of Salford pay £42, while PhDs pay £45.

Across the river at the University of Manchester, the price increases by a pound for undergraduates and postgraduates, but those with a doctorate pay £57.

Ehis is not the only one who opted for a tailored outfit – Wendy Adu Amankwah wanted to create her own look for her graduation.

A woman stands in a white suit jacket with a raised collar and flared sleeves. Buttons run down the front slightly off centre. Behind her are several tall apartment buildings.

“My mum is a designer so she made this for me,” says Wendy. “It took her a week… I’m her daughter, so she had to put in every [effort].”

Wendy says the significance of graduation inspired her to create a custom look. “I feel like you have to because it’s your day. We go through a lot to get a master’s degree so you have to look your best on the day.”

Graduation also comes at a time when students are “the least financially resilient”, says Allingham, as they have been absorbing the costs of studying all year.

The maintenance loan falls short of living costs by an average of £502 per month, according to analysis by Save The Student, external. This gap is plugged – sometimes only partially – by parental support, part-time jobs and debt.

Another factor that can increase the cost of graduation is buying an official photograph, with providers specified by your university, adds Allingham. “The price of photography on the day – it’s extortionate.”

Professional packages at the University of Salford start at £30 – an image of the graduate is sent digitally – and the most expensive is £350. For that you receive about 20 prints with various mounts and frames of two images, one of the graduate and another with friends and family.

Like Keerthana, Alicia Munhupedzi used the internet to find her dress – though it was a bit last minute.

“I thought, ‘Where can I get a nice dress really quickly and cheaply?'”

The answer? Depop, the second-hand clothing app popular among Gen Z shoppers that sold for $1.2bn (£890m) earlier this year.

Like others, Alicia felt her outfit was important.

“Graduation, it’s a milestone thing, especially if you’re not planning on doing a master’s,” she says. “So, to me, there was a pressure.”

So much so she couldn’t sleep properly the night before her ceremony and woke at dawn to get ready. “I made it through today off two hours of sleep, water, good vibes, energy and a coffee.”

Knowing all eyes would be fixed on her when she was handed her degree, Keerthana says she was nervous for her graduation ceremony – but it passed more quickly than she thought it might.

“This is the only moment you get for yourself,” she says.

And was the 05:00 wake-up and two hours of getting ready worth it?

“Yeah,” Keerthana says, “I couldn’t compromise on that.”

Additional reporting by Kate Berry and George Sandeman.

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