IT'S graduation time again at the University of Southampton, with a record number of students in line to receive their degrees over the next week.

Expect to see 3,758 mortar boards thrown in the air as students gown-up for the biggest graduation yet, with 34 ceremonies getting underway at Turner Sims and the Nuffield theatres.

More than 15,000 visitors are expected to converge on Highfield during graduation week and university caterers are poised to serve up 1,500 bottles of sparkling wine, 300 bottles of Pimms and hand out 8,000 portions of strawberries and cream.

The first ceremony kicks off today with Social Sciences students seeing the end of three years hard work as they walk up to pick up their degrees at Turner Sims Concert Hall.

It will be followed by arts and medical degrees on Friday, language and nursing degrees on Monday, engineering degrees on Tuesday, law and maths degrees on Wednesday and science degrees on Thursday.