Convocation

When are the Convocation ceremonies taking place?

Convocation ceremonies will be held on Monday 22 September 2025 and Tuesday 23 September 2025 at the Royal Festival Hall.

Do I need to have been awarded to register for graduation?

In order to be eligible for your graduation you must have been successfully awarded your degree. Students can process their student ticket and purchase guest tickets, regardless of whether they have received their results.

I have not registered, can I still attend?

No. If you have not registered, you are not eligible to attend graduation. Registration will open in spring term 2025. You will receive an email when registration is open.

Can I defer my graduation?

This is only possible in extraordinary circumstances.

Where is the reception held?

The post-ceremony reception will be held at the Royal Festival Hall for graduates and their guests to continue the celebration with light refreshment.

Why this venue?

Historically, the College holds its convocation ceremonies at one of three Royal Patronage venues: the Royal Festival Hall, the Royal Albert Hall and the Royal Geographical Society.

Our 2025 ceremonies will take place at Royal Festival Hall – a historic venue with amazing views of the city from the South Bank, as well as having strong ties to the RCA dating back to the Festival of Britain in 1951.

The venue is an excellent location for the size and scale of the RCA’s Convocation ceremonies, has suitable availability and most importantly, is a fully accessible space for those attending.

This is the third consecutive year we will have held our ceremonies at the Royal Festival Hall and we are looking forward to working with their experienced events team to deliver our graduation ceremonies for our students and their guests.

What is the address of the venue?

Southbank Centre, Belvedere Rd, London SE1 8XX

Access requirements

This is a rundown of key information about accessing the Royal Festival Hall venue:

• Parking: Accessible parking is available at the Royal Festival Hall.
  
• Step-free access: Approach the Southbank Centre Square via Belvedere Road or the Queen Elizabeth Hall Slip Road. Both lifts can be accessed from this area.
  
• Lifts: There is an external lift via the Artist's Entrance and an internal lift (the JCB glass lift) via the Southbank Centre Square Entrance.
  
• Toilets: There are accessible toilets on every level of the Royal Festival Hall and can be accessed from either side of the auditorium.
  
• Hearing: The Royal Festival Hall uses a Sennheiser infra-red assisted hearing system, which is available throughout the auditorium. Headsets can be collected from the Cloakroom on Level 1 up to one hour before the start of the ceremony. This facility is free of charge and there is no need to pre-book. Before booking tickets, please review the Royal Festival Hall seating plan (PDF) to understand the areas that provide the best coverage for assisted hearing
  
• Seating for guests: Guests in wheelchairs and/or with special needs can be seated with the other guests in their group in areas suitable for wheelchair users. When booking a wheelchair position in the Royal Festival Hall for large motorised wheelchairs (more than 65cm wide), please book in the rear stalls or side stalls. Boxes aren't able to accommodate larger wheelchairs due to limited space. If you have any queries about how to book accessible seating for guests, please contact [email protected] or call 020 3879 9555
  
• Seating for graduands: Graduands that use wheelchairs must inform the Convocation team of their access requirement at the point of registration. We will be able to seat you in a wheelchair accessible space as long as we are aware in good time.
  
• Photography: The photography area in the Clore Ballroom on Level 2 can be accessed via the main lifts.

If you need any more information about accessing this venue, more details and maps can be found at the Royal Festival Hall's Access & Facilities guide (website).

Guest ticket booking

Guest ticket booking is not yet open, it will open in the summer. We will send out an email when it is.

How many guests can I bring?

Each student can purchase 2 guest tickets each at £25 per ticket (+ booking fee for the transaction). The number of guest tickets available for purchase is likely to increase when registration closes and we know how many graduands wish to attend each ceremony. Please indicate on the registration form if you would be interested in purchasing extra tickets, and if any become available at a later date, we will notify you.

How much are tickets?

Your student ticket is free, while guest tickets are £25 each (under 12s are free). There are no concessions and no group discounts. The money that you pay for each guest ticket will cover the cost of a seat, a souvenir programme, and light refreshments after the ceremony.

Are children allowed to attend the ceremony?

Yes. Children/babies in arms under two-years-old may sit on an adult guest's lap without a ticket. Children over two-years-old who do attend must have their own seat and must be accompanied by an adult and have a ticket reserved for them.

Please note, children of all ages will still be classed under a strict capacity number for each ceremony. For example, if you have a partner and a child this is classed as two guest tickets. Please ensure to opt-in for additional tickets if you require.

Children and minors under the age of 16 who attend as guests need to be accompanied by an adult. Please note that children and other guests do not sit with graduands during the ceremony.

Do I have to pay for my ticket?

There is no charge for graduand tickets. Your ticket will be issued in early September.

Me/My guest have accessibility needs, how can these be accommodated?

Please let us know when you register to attend. Your guests should contact the venue to ensure they are aware and the box office can assist.

Will I be seated with my guests?

No. You will be seated with your fellow graduands at the front of the hall, directly before the stage. All guests will be seated behind the graduands.

Can I buy extra tickets?

When registering to attend the ceremony, you must inform us if you would like to invite more than your allocated number of guests. If extra tickets become available closer to the ceremony, these will be sold on a first come, first served basis. We also aim to sell any extra tickets on the day.

How long will the ceremony last?

Each ceremony will last around 1 hour and 30 min, however this will depend on the number of students in attendance.

Who will be sat on stage during the ceremony?

Usually on stage during the ceremony are the Chancellor, Pro-Chancellor, President & Vice-Chancellor, and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, alongside the Chief Operating Officer, Public Orator, and the Academic Registrar.

They will be joined by Deans, Heads of Programmes, and Professors, as well as honourands, who will be announced at a later date.

What happens after the ceremony?

We host a reception for graduates and their guests to celebrate and enjoy the day. Further details are outlined below.

Will I receive my certificate/scroll at the ceremony?

Certificates and transcripts are not presented at the graduation ceremonies.

Is the ceremony being streamed/recorded?

The ceremony will be live-streamed for those who cannot attend on the day. Please note that the stream will only become available close to the start of the ceremony, and will remain available for a number of weeks afterwards.

The stream will be available on this page on the morning of the ceremony.

How do I order an academic gown?

You will not need to order a gown, the College will arrange this on behalf of graduating students attending the ceremonies.

What should I wear underneath my academic gown?

As the Convocation ceremonies are formal occasions, we advise you to dress smartly, and we recommend if possible for you to wear a shirt or top that buttons up in order for your gown hood to sit comfortably.

Can I book professional photographs?

Yes, this will be available. Further details will follow.

What merchandise can I buy on the day?

You will be able to purchase a wide variety of products from the College shop which will have a presence at the venue on Convocation days.

On the day

Certificates and Convocation booklet (publication)

Student visa end dates

Visitor visa/ETA requirements

Check in

The first step of your day will be the register as you arrive at the venue. Registration will take place on the lower ground floor and will be signposted.

A member of College staff will check you in.

Robe collection

After you have checked in you will be able to collect your robe from the Level 2 Blue Side of the Royal Festival Hall.

You must return the robe and ensure that you are signed out before the end of the day.

It will be clearly signposted on the day.

What should I bring with me?

Most importantly, please remember to bring a form of photo ID with you, for example an RCA card, passport or photo driving licence. You must present this ID in order to check in on the day of your graduation ceremony.

In addition:

• You will need to be able to show the email with your ticket and seat number in order to gain access to the auditorium. You do not need to print your ticket, you may show it on an electronic device. If you or your guests cannot present a ticket, you will be denied access.
• You might also wish to bring a camera with you, although please ensure that you remain seated when in the auditorium to avoid blocking the view of those around you.
• Small bags and coats can be stored in the Royal Festival Hall cloakroom for a charge of £1 per item. We recommend allowing plenty of time if you need to use the cloakroom in case there are long queues.

It’s important to note that space for storage is limited so we are unable to receive any suitcases, large bags or folding bicycles. We only allow bags that will fit underneath your seat in the auditorium. There are luggage storage facilities available nearby at Waterloo Station.

Timings for the day

The Royal Festival Hall will be open to guests from 9am BST.

You must check in and collect your robe no later than one hour before your ceremony begins.

You must be seated no later than 40 minutes before your ceremony begins in order to be checked in to your seat.

We cannot guarantee that latecomers will be seated with their peers or presented on stage. This is to maintain order and avoid a negative impact upon those who arrived on time.

Late guests must wait until the procession ends in order to enter the auditorium. A member of staff will guide guests on the day.

During the ceremony

You will be presented by programme within your School of study. Ushers will guide you from your seat to the stage. You will be directed back to your seat by ushers after you have crossed the stage.

Important to know:

• Please pay particular attention to your seat number.
• It is extremely important that you sit in the seat allocated to you, as presentees sit in the exact order in which their names will be announced.
• If you are not in the correct seat your name will not be read and you will not be presented.

Please remain in your seat throughout the ceremony except for when you are presented.

Reception

We would like to warmly invite you and your guests to a post-Convocation reception in the foyer areas of Level 4 and 5 where light refreshments will be served. Pay bars will also be available to purchase alcoholic drinks. There are also many bars and restaurants in and around the Southbank Centre.

Photography

Photography will take place in the Clore Ballroom on Level 2. This will be clearly signposted on the day. You can both pre-book photography, or order it on the day of the ceremony. Please factor long queue times into your planning. Photography will close at 4:30pm.

As well as this, your photograph will be taken as you cross the stage during the ceremony, and will be available for purchase. Please note that these photographs will only be accessible if you are in the correct order to be presented on stage. Therefore, it is important that you ensure that you are seated in the correct seat throughout the ceremony.

Robe return

Robes must be returned by 4:30pm at the latest. You must sign out when returning your robe as failure to do so might result in you being charged for the cost of the robe. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you are signed out by a member of RCA staff.

Flowers

Flowers are not permitted inside the auditorium. An area will be allocated for you to leave any flowers safely during the ceremony.

Certificates

We will email all potential graduates to check on the spelling of your name. If there's any change required please ensure you reply to the email.

What date will be on degree certificates?

The award date for our Masters programmes will be 15 August 2025. For our Graduate Diploma students, the award date will also be the end date of their programmes, and this will vary depending on start date. For PhD/MPhil students the award date is their completion date.

We've received some student enquiries on whether we can adjust the award date to after September 2025. Unfortunately this isn't possible as the term ends on 15 August 2025, with Convocation ceremonies taking place on 22 and 23 September 2025.

Convocation booklet (publication)

A small booklet is published for Convocation listing the names of all the graduating students, along with a foreword by the President and Vice-Chancellor, and details of the people being made honorands. This booklet will be the event programme available to all graduating students and everyone attending the Convocation ceremony. If you do not wish to have your name listed please inform us via email to [email protected]

The end date on your student visa will depend on which programme you are studying. If your programme end date is 15 August 2025, your visa end date should be 15 October 2025 (or 15 December 2025 if you are studying Architecture or IDE). If your visa end date is not correct, please get in touch with the Student Visa Compliance team on [email protected]

Visitor visa

If you or your guests require a visa in order to enter the UK and attend a graduation ceremony, we can provide you with a letter to support your application.
All guests travelling from abroad will be responsible for ensuring they comply with UK entry requirements.

You can also use this template letter (32.0KB DOC) to create a supporting letter.

ETA requirements

Please also be aware of the latest ETA requirements which you can read on the UK Government website.

Note that from 2 April 2025 this requirement will be in place for all non-visa nationalities to travel to the UK for short stays, tourism, or business, including those transiting through UK airports.

If your guests need a visitor visa to travel to the UK they do not also need an ETA.

Irish citizens do not need to apply for an ETA.