IT was a day that marked the end of three years of studying, late night revision sessions and partying on weekday evenings.

Hundreds of students crammed into the corridors of Southampton's Solent University to collect their graduation results.

Many students jumped for joy and telephoned anxious parents after waiting anxiously with baited breath for the results to be posted along the corridors of the Michael Andrew Building in East Park Terrace.

For the first year many of the 3,000 hopefuls could get their results online but hundreds still opted for the more traditional approach of nervously reading the results boards. For many it marked the beginning of a successful career in their chosen profession and for others it was simply a reason to celebrate after studying so hard.

Among the students eager to see whether they got a "Desmond Tutu" (2:2) or a first was the Daily Echo's newest reporter James Maden, who studied the BA Journalism degree course.

James, 21, said: "I got a 2:2 in Journalism. I'm pretty pleased to be honest but a little bit disappointed I didn't get a 2:1. It's still a good degree. It's been three years well spent and a really good experience."

It was also a record year of firsts for students on the BA Performance course after 15 hit the top grade.