The University confers honorary degrees on individuals in recognition of their outstanding achievement or distinction. The University also bestows honorary fellowships on people who are representative of a group or institution, or to recognise a link between the University and a group or institution.
Honorary degrees recognise the achievement of people who:
- are of national and/or international academic distinction
- have made an outstanding contribution to national and/or international public life
- and/or who have enlivened and enriched the life of the nation through their activity or creativity
Honorary awards are not made to anyone who has any form of contractual relationship or paid consultancy arrangement with the University at the time of conferment. The University has been awarding honorary degrees and fellowships since 1991 when it was the University of Surrey, Roehampton.
Types of Honorary Degrees
The University can award the following types of honorary degrees:
- Doctor of Divinity (DD)
- Doctor of Laws (DLaws)
- Doctor of Letters (DLitt)
- Doctor of Science (DSc)
- Doctor of the University (DUniv)
List of Honorary Graduates
2023
- June Sarpong OBE
- Miranda Wolpert MBE
- Lord Leslie Griffiths of Burry Port
2022
- Matthew Syed
- Professor David Nott OBE
- Dr Susie Orbach
2021
- Rene Carayol
2020
- Dillie Keane
- Nikesh Shukla
2019
- Daniel Kerry MBE
- Maggie Philbin OBE
- Andrew Neymarc (Chancellor’s Prize)
2018
- Professor Jim Al-Khalili OBE
- Dame Hilary Mantel
- Professor Sean O’Brien
- Matt Henry MBE (Chancellor’s Prize)
- Baroness Patricia Scotland QC
- Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
2017
- Sharath Jeevan
- Baroness Helena Kennedy QC
- Bianca Jagger
- Dame Sue John
- Rimla Akhtar MBE
- Paul Sinton-Hewitt CBE
2016
- Alan Rusbridger
- Sarah Brown
- David Jubb
- Reverend Andrew Wakefield
- Stephen Ludlow (Chancellor's Prize)
2015
- Claire Horton
- Bob Reeves
- David Sanger
- Alistair Spalding
- Maggie Alphonsi (Chancellor's Prize)
- Alex Matthews (Chancellor's Prize)
2014
- Professor Janet Beer
- Charles Handy
- Rosemary Lee
- Ian Redmond
- Elizabeth Rook
- Professor Mona Siddiqui OBE
2013
- Professor David M Clark
- David Harsent
- Rupert Scofield
- Iciar Bollain
- Alan Montefiore
- Ed Smith
- Martin Spray
2012
- Professor Simon Baron-Cohen
- Professor Jean Bartunek
- Robin Knox-Johnston
- Mark Price
- Amerdeep Somal
- Baroness Jo Valentine
2011
- Claire Tomalin
- Professor William Yule
- Hope Powell
- Derek Paravicini
- Priscilla Chadwick
- Mathew Bourne
- Lloyd Newson
- Yana Johnson
2010
- Akram Khan MBE
- Mark Morris
- Meenaxi (Meena) Patel
- Peter Preston
- Professor David Halton
- Sir Peter Blake
2009
- Professor Conor Gearty
- Anca Giurchescu
- Hina Jilani
- Dr Daleep Mukarji OBE
- Trevor Philips
- Nitin Sawhney
- Sami Yusuf
2008
- Sister Dorothy Bell OBE
- Cherie Booth QC
- Reverend David G Deeks
- Peter King
- Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks
- Professor Elaine Showalter
- Meera Syal MBE
- Geoff Thompson MBE
2007
- Sir Bob Geldof
- The Very Reverend John Hall
- Sir Nicholas Stern
- Dame Jacqueline Wilson
2006
- Shami Chakrabarti
- Stephen Daldry CBE
- Julian Filochowski CMG OBE
- Roger McGough CBE FRSL
- Douglas Robertson CBE DL
- Dr Peter Weston
- The Most Reverend Rowan Williams, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury
- Fellow of the University: Dr Bernadette Porter CBE
2005
- Professor Patrick Dowling CBE
- John Simpson CBE
- Fellow of the University: Baroness Pauline Perry of Southwark
University of Surrey Honorary Graduates
You can also view:
- Honorary degrees of the University of Surrey: 1991-2005 (awarded by University of Roehampton)
- Honorary fellowships of the University of Surrey Roehampton