When choosing your outfit, please remember graduation is a formal occasion so please wear smart clothing.

It’s a moment of celebration for everyone so please respect others by avoiding wearing anything which could cause offence.

You can hire your gown, cap and hood up until Friday, 5 July. 

To hire your academic dress after the deadline has closed, you will need to follow our Amending Gown Hire step-by-step Guide. 

If you do not hire your gown by Friday, 5 July, you will need to hire your gown on the day, and an additional fee will be applied by the supplier for this service. 

 

Once booking has opened, please find all details on how to book by clicking the button below.

 

Once the booking site has closed for complimentary tickets, graduands who have registered their attendance will receive an email with details on how to purchase additional tickets, should there be any left over.

Student will be emailed week commencing 3 June using the email they used on the Ede and Ravenscroft website at the time of booking.  

Additional ticket costs will be £20 when purchased online in advance.

They will be available on a first come first served basis, graduands will be able to purchase a limited number of additional guest tickets.

Please note that the availability of additional tickets is not guaranteed by the university and will depend on whether any tickets are remaining after the initial booking period.

The dates for the opening and closing of the registration site will be clear on the graduation student intranet. However, if all available tickets are sold for a particular ceremony, the booking site will close before the advertised deadline and a message will be displayed on the ticketing booking site.

Any remaining tickets will be sold on the day, subject to availability.

 

More information can be found on the ticketing page.

Summer 2024 Graduates  

All eligible graduates will be invited to the ceremonies running from Monday 15 to Friday 19 July 2024.  

All eligible graduands will be invited via email with full details on how to hire gowns and book tickets once the timetable has been confirmed. 

Please book your place and complimentary tickets by 12pm (BST) May 22

When you book your place at Graduation, you will be asked to provide your name's written pronunciation, otherwise known as the phonetic spelling.

You must take care with this spelling, as this is how the orator will read your name at the ceremony. 

Spelling your name phonetically means writing down how the name sounds. For some names, this may seem obvious, but please provide the phonetic spelling regardless, as your orator may not find it as easy.

For example:

• the name Rajan Sandhu would be phonetically spelled rah-juhn sand-hoo
• the name Aoife Lynch would be phonetically spelled ee-fuh lin-sh 
• the name Lucy Matthews would be phonetically spelled loo-see maff-yews

All students who are eligible to attend the graduation ceremonies will recieve an email on their university email account* in March with instructions on how to register and book tickets.

*Deferral students will be contacted through the email address they have provided us with.

Founder's Field Outlets

• Monday 15 July: 12:00 - 16:30
• Tuesday 16 - Thursday 18 July: 09:00 - 16:30
• Friday 19 July: 09:00 - 13:30

Cafe on the Square

• Monday 15 - Friday 19 July: 08:00 - 19:00

Boilerhouse Cafe

• Monday 15 - Friday 19 July: 09:00 - 16:00

Crosslands

• Monday 15 - Friday 19 July 09:00 - 20:00

Your graduation ceremonies will take place on Founder’s Field in a stunning purpose-built building.

The new venue is an exciting one, and hugely increases student involvement in the ceremonies. Students will be seated inside the venue during the entire ceremony and will be able to take in the magnitude of their achievements and engage with speeches from key members of the University’s staff. Additionally, this year we will have a Student Orator at each ceremony, and we feel that it is fundamental for graduates to experience this in-person. 

For more information, a graduation map will be available closer to July.

We moved our graduation to Founder’s Field last year due to a health and safety assessment of the Chapel and Picture Gallery, which coupled with a further inspection of the health and safety measures in Founder's Building against updated guidance, meant we had to reduce the capacity of the Chapel which, in turn, makes graduation impossible to deliver fairly and equitably.

Due to the growth in the amount of students at Royal Holloway, the number of students now expected to attend our ceremonies has increased immensely.

We know this is very disappointing for you, but it has brought about some very positive changes.

Firstly, the experience of the Chapel was for guests only as graduands were not able to sit in the same room. With our new purpose-built venue on Founder’s Field, we can accommodate guests and grandaunds together. This means you and your peers are able to take in the magnitude of your achievements and engage with speeches from key members of the University’s staff in the same room. Previously, until last year, students would watch the ceremony on a TV screen in the North Quad in a marquee and guests were split between the Chapel and Picture Gallery.

The change also means we are still to offer two complimentary tickets to all our graduands, and stay in line with advertised graduation dates, with the backdrop of our wonderful Founder’s building.

Graduands will have the opportunity to take photographs within the Chapel and Picture Gallery before and after their ceremony.

Please be assured we have taken all the necessary steps to ensure a smooth and successful graduation, working closely with various stakeholders across the University to make sure arrangements are in place to make it a memorable and enjoyable experience for all.

We truly believe that the change in venue is an exciting one. Additionally, this year, each ceremony will have a Student Orator, and we feel that it is important for all graduands to experience this first-hand.

As with the vast majority of universities, anyone attending their graduation at Royal Holloway must purchase or rent a gown. This has always been the case at Royal Holloway, except for the extenuating circumstances of former students.

We do understand that the cost of living is impacting many people and we want to do everything we can to help you navigate the challenges. Please do speak to the financial difficulty team, our Wellbeing teams for confidential advice or contact moneymatters@royalholloway.ac.uk.

During the ceremony, graduands will be expected to doff their cap before they are handed their scroll. As you approach the Presiding Officer to collect your scroll, you will stop in front of them and doff your cap. You do not lift your cap, just put your right hand to the edge of your cap and give a little nod in their direction.   

If you would like to apply to be a Student Orator and share your experiences, thank your supporters and deliver a speech at your graduation ceremony, you will need to submit an application form. Click below to find out more.

 

Please refer to our guidance for international students.

As part of the registration and ticket booking process you will be asked whether you or any of your guests have any access requirements. We will then contact you to discuss your/their needs.

If you have already booked and the deadline to edit your response has closed and you still need to inform us that you or your guests have access requirements, please contact us directly as soon as possible at graduation-ceremonies@rhul.ac.uk.

The Summer Graduation ceremonies will be step-free. A digital map will be made available on our webpages closer to the ceremonies.

The venue is fitted with a hearing loop and will have multiple screens and speakers around, to ensure all guests can see and hear the ceremony.

All students who have indicated that they require accessible parking will be sent a printable parking permit. Please do print this off and have it displayed on the dashboard on arrival so our car parking attendants can you direct you to appropriate parking.

Those with access requirements will have a appropriate seats reserved for them (and their party) in the venue. Please do speak to a member of the team on arrival. 

As part of the registration and ticket booking process you will be asked whether you are bringing any guests under the age of five to the ceremony. Children are welcome to attend graduation but please note that the ceremonies are formal in nature and young children may become restless or unsettled during the ceremony. We strongly encourage guests with very young children to sit near the exit of the venue to allow them to leave at any time should they need to do so. 

Children under the age of five do not require a guest ticket but must sit on an adult’s lap during the ceremony. 

Children aged five and over must have their own ticket. Please note that there are no child concessions for additional purchase tickets. 

If you would like to stay on campus with your guests we have accommodation available at the Hub. Please find further details HERE. Please note a 10% discount has already been applied. 

Yes, there are several options. Crosslands, Café on the Square and The Boilerhouse café will all be open during the day, every day and no prior booking is required. A selection of vendors will be serving food and drink in additional venues on campus. There are also many restaurants and cafes in the local area which may require bookings. 

Yes, you can park on site. You will be greeted by the team at the gates who will direct you to the appropriate car park.  

For more information on getting to campus

 

Yes, an access guide will be available once more details are finalised.

 

The booking site is not yet open.

Once booking has opened, please find all details on how to book by clicking the button below.

 

 

E-tickets will be sent to the email address you used when registering on the Ede and Ravenscroft website.

E-tickets will be sent in July.

Our Student Administration team checks the eligibility of everyone who has confirmed their attendance at graduation. Students who have not completed their programme and aren't recieving an exit degree award automatically receive refunds for any tickets they have purchased, and their attendance is cancelled.

Students who are awating results or appeals will remain on the invite list until the Graduation Team is told otherwise.

You will be notified if any of these actions are to occur.

Ceremonies last approximately 60- 90mins. This can change depending on numerous factors on the day.

You can find more information about what to expect on the day here.

Seats are not allocated for guests, however students will be allocated seats seperately in the venue.

Seats for guests will be available first-come, first serve. Guests can queue before the venue opens.

You will not receive your degree certificate during the ceremony.

Certificates are produced by the Diploma Production Office in London and will be posted to the forwarding address we have on record for you from CampusConnect. Due to the large number of certificates that need to be produced, it can take between three to six months for you to receive your certificate. Please send enquiries to diploma.enquiries@london.ac.uk.  

Diploma Supplements cannot be collected during Graduation week.

If you would like further proof of your academic achievements at Royal Holloway, there are a variety of documents available for you to order via the Royal Holloway Online Store.

If you’re having problems watching the live stream we suggest trying the following:

1. Check the ceremony times to ensure that the livestream you are watching is for the correct cermeony.
2. If you looked at the webpage before the ceremony started, you may need to refresh your page by clicking on your browser’s ‘Refresh’ button

Live video links will be updated in July.

Photography packages start at £34.50, for more information visit: https://www.tempest-graduations.co.uk/

It costs £41 to hire your gown online for your ceremony. Should you wish to purchase your gown or extend your gown hire please contact Ede and Ravenscroft for further details and prices.

If you do not hire your gown online before 5 July, you will need to hire your gown on the day at a cost of £51.